Rescuing Christmas: Holiday Haven / Home for Christmas / A Puppy for Will

“According to Paul, that benefactor was inspired by your enthusiasm for the animals. So you’ll have to take some of the credit, Tansy.”

Hearing her name spoken in his deep baritone sent a shiver of delight up her spine. “What can I say? I love my work.”

“Obviously.” He walked over to a bulletin board mounted on the wall to the right of the seating area. Tilting his hat back with his thumb, he scanned the array of snapshots.

“More bad pictures, I’m afraid,” she said.

“Not so bad. The idea of putting up pictures of folks with their newly adopted animals is terrific. You just need a better camera.”

“No, I need a better photographer.”

Ben scanned the pictures. “Don’t sell yourself short. I see potential there.” He turned back to her. “So The Haven ended up with these two houses, and you designated the bigger one as your headquarters.”

“That’s right. It’s mainly office space except for a couple of rooms we use as temporary holding areas for incoming animals. There’s not much to photograph in here.”

“Are you also housing animals in the blue Victorian next door?”

“No, that’s where I live, along with whatever animals I’m fostering at the moment. Right now it’s Ewok and Wookie.”

His eyebrows rose. “No one’s taken them?”

“Not yet.” She did her best to breathe normally, but her chest was tight with the thrill of seeing him again. “I had hoped their TV appearance would help, and by the way, the camera work on that segment was wonderful. Paul said a good part of it was your doing.”

“Animals make great TV.”

“Only if the person behind the camera has a feel for them. You do.”

He met her gaze. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear, but it didn’t result in a home for Ewok and Wookie. I’m sorry about that.”

She gulped and resisted the urge to fan herself. He was potent. “Many dog lovers prefer a certain size. They want small, big or in between. The big and small combo takes some getting used to. But I’m not splitting them up. Someone will come along.” Once again she wondered if maybe Ben would adopt them.

She’d developed a reputation for being able to match animals with their ideal human companions, and her instincts told her Ben would be perfect for those two dogs. He appeared to have the calmness Ewok needed and the athleticism to play with Wookie.

But there was something else, something more subtle that she’d picked up from watching the television clip. He obviously saw the dogs as creatures worthy of notice and respect. Not everyone did, and it was a trait she admired.

She really hoped he’d take Ewok and Wookie, but for some reason he wasn’t rising to the bait. Maybe he needed help to figure out that these dogs were meant for him. “Do you have any animals at home?”

“Nope.”

She was taken aback by his definitive tone. “Not interested?” Her spirits spiraled downward.

He shook his head.

She waited for an explanation. When none came, her disappointment bloomed out of all proportion to the situation. She wanted to blame Rose, who had woven fantasies all week long about how Ben could be her Prince Charming.

But she was a grown woman of twenty-eight who shouldn’t allow anyone to plant ideas in her head. And they’d both been wrong about Ben. He could be the most desirable man in the world, but if he didn’t want to share his life with companion animals, he was not the guy for her.

Animals were her life, had been ever since she was a little girl. Although it might sound corny, she felt that she had a calling to love and protect them. The concept of euthanizing those deemed unadoptable was blasphemy to her, which dictated that she had to work for a no-kill shelter.

Rose’s instincts and that wonderful film clip to the contrary, Ben wasn’t willing to offer his home to an animal, and he wouldn’t reveal why. She couldn’t imagine having a close friendship, let alone a romantic relationship, with someone who had that attitude.

She had to write him off as her prince and quit daydreaming. He was here to do a job, and once he had, she’d put him totally out of her mind.

“All the photo ops will be in the buildings out back,” she said. “Let me get my coat, and I’ll show you the—whoops, hello, Max.” She turned to greet the orange tabby that appeared unexpectedly, hopping up from behind the counter. “I’m surprised you made an appearance, kitty-cat.”

Max sat on the tan Formica, tail curled around his haunches as he fastened his green-eyed gaze on Ben.

“Max is our office cat,” Tansy explained. “Most people think that’s funny because office cats are supposed to be friendly and Max certainly isn’t. He takes aloofness to a whole new level. If I were to try and pet him now, he’d probably walk away. He’s never checked out a visitor, either.”

A soft rumble came from Max’s chest.

Tansy stared at the cat, who continued to focus on Ben. “Now you’re purring? What’s up with that?” She looked over at Ben. “Max hardly ever purrs.”

“Maybe I remind him of somebody he used to know.”

“I suppose that’s possible. He was a stray, so we don’t know his story. Since he’s both standoffish and neurotic, it’s unlikely he’ll be adopted, so we’ve designated him as our unfriendly office cat.”

“What’s neurotic about him?”

“When he’s stressed, he’ll chase his tail and chew on it. Sometimes we have to bandage it and make him wear the cone of shame so he won’t chew the bandage.” Tansy shook her head and sighed. “But I love him, anyway.”

“That’s why you’re good at your job. You probably have something you love about every dog and cat in the place.”

“I do. They’re each special in their own way, even curmudgeons like Max.” She consulted the clock hanging on the wall. “But enough about that. We’d better get moving if we’re going to have any time at all for you to take pictures this morning.”

“And I want to make sure I get them before the morning naps start.”

“Good thought. Let me get my coat and we’ll be off.”

So he knows animals tend to grab a midmorning nap. She thought about that as she walked around to her desk and picked up the dark blue parka she’d draped over the back of her chair. He might not want animals in his house, but he was familiar with their habits.

She shoved her arms into the sleeves of her coat and glanced down as she fumbled with the zipper. When she had it engaged, she raised her head, intending to tell Ben to follow her down the back hallway to the rear door.

Her breath caught. He stood at the counter scratching behind Max’s ears. Nobody scratched behind Max’s ears. He never allowed it.

But the cat was relishing the attention now, and Ben was a natural at giving that attention. Tansy could tell when someone wasn’t used to interacting with animals—their movements were hesitant and awkward. Ben might not have any animals now, but he’d been close to at least one cat in the past, a cat he’d loved. Maybe she shouldn’t put much stock in that, but…she did.

Turning away so Ben wouldn’t catch her staring, she zipped her parka in one noisy motion. By the time she finished, he’d moved away from the counter and Max, who still seemed mesmerized by the man in the sheepskin coat and cowboy hat. Now she was really curious about what had happened to Ben that kept him from wanting pets. If she kept her eyes, ears and even her heart open, she might be able to find out.

Taking a deep breath, she met his gaze. “Ready to explore The Haven?”

“Lead the way.”

“We’ll visit the cats first.” She’d thought maybe Ewok and Wookie would touch him the most, but perhaps not. If he could warm up to Max, then he’d be a sucker for the sweethearts he was about to meet.

IN THE GRAY LIGHT OF DAWN, Ben followed Tansy out the back door of the house to the lighted buildings behind it. He hoped she hadn’t noticed him petting Max, because she might read too much into it. He should have resisted the impulse.

But Tansy’s comment that Max wouldn’t let anyone pet him had been a challenge. He’d wanted to test that, especially because Max had looked at him exactly the way his childhood cat, Mickey, used to, with a silent plea for attention.

Mickey had only been able to make that plea with one eye instead of two because he’d lost the right one in a fight. Ben later learned that male cats should be neutered so they wouldn’t fight or breed. But as a kid he hadn’t known that, and his aunt and uncle certainly wouldn’t have wanted the expense of a vet bill.

So he’d allowed Mickey to roam the streets of whatever town they moved to in their vagabond life. Max looked so much like Mickey that if Ben believed in kitty reincarnation, he’d wonder if Mickey had somehow come back in the body of this cat. With his eye repaired.

Didn’t really matter if he had, though. Mickey’s life had been cut short by a car. He’d been ten—not so bad, actually, for a cat, especially an outdoor one. Ben had heard of indoor cats like Max making it past twenty, or even twenty-five, but that still wasn’t long enough to suit Ben. He wasn’t into long-lived animals like parrots or tortoises, so he was better off staying out of the game.

Scratching behind Max’s ears had felt achingly familiar, though. This gig was already testing his resolve not to form attachments. But petting one orange tabby wasn’t the same as forming an attachment, he told himself. It changed nothing.

A light snow the night before had turned to slush, but someone had shoveled the lighted walkway that led from the back of the house to a couple of octagonal buildings. A signpost pointed left to the larger one, christened the Doggie Digs, and to the right for the smaller octagon named the Kitty Condo. Beyond that stood a boxy portable building that must be where the cats from the hoarder were being kept.

The signs designating the cat and dog areas were cute but unnecessary. A chorus of barks from the larger octagon would have clued him in.

“It’s feeding time.” Tansy paused and glanced toward the Doggie Digs. “One of the high points of their day, obviously.”

“I’m partial to a good meal, myself.”

She graced him with one of her million-dollar smiles. “Me, too.”

And here he was, once again gazing at her expressive face and wishing…what? That he could figure out some stupid reason to spend more time with her? So he could become dependent on that smile for his happiness? No way.

“I should buy you lunch sometime, to thank you for doing this,” she said.

“That’s a generous offer.” Was she asking him out? If she was as interested in him as he was in her, it would be hard to keep her at arm’s length. “But I hope you don’t think I volunteered my time for this. The station’s paying me.”

“Well, sure, I thought they probably were, since they insisted on sending someone out to get better shots. But even so, you’re giving up your Saturday morning.”

“I don’t mind.” And that was the crux of his dilemma. He’d looked forward to coming out here. Professional pride had something to do with it, because he liked the idea of improving on the photos she’d provided. But he’d also just wanted to see her.

Maybe he’d hoped that she wouldn’t be as appealing today as she had been on Monday. Wrong. She fascinated him more than ever. He couldn’t figure out how she maintained her bright optimism given the realities of her job. How could she love these animals with all she had when she knew that loving them would also bring pain?

“Sorry.” She gave him an apologetic glance. “I’m wasting time gabbing about lunch instead of giving you the tour I promised. Do you have any questions so far?”

He had a million of them, all about her and how she had come to be the person she was. But that would invite questions about himself, and she would want him to reveal things he’d kept hidden for years. “No questions,” he said. Then he decided that sounded abrupt. “I take that back. What about the shape of these buildings? I’ve never seen an octagon used for an animal shelter before.”

She brightened. “Aren’t they amazing? We built the Doggie Digs first. We borrowed the octagon concept from a no-kill shelter in Utah called Best Friends Animal Society. I spent a week there and was so inspired. The design allows us to have a central area for organizing food and meds. The pie-shaped enclosures branch out from the center.”

Ben nodded. “Looks efficient.”

“It is. Once we saw how well it worked, we used the same design, slightly modified, for our Kitty Condo.” She walked toward the door leading into the cat building. A sign warned Caution, Loose Cats. She opened it a crack and warm air spilled out. “All clear?”

“All clear,” called a female voice from the other side of the door. “I’m cuddling Brutus, and he’s the only one out here right now.”

Tansy opened the door wider and stepped inside. “Good. I’ve brought the cameraman from KFOR.”

Ben followed her through the door and closed it again. The octagonal room was about the size of an average kitchen and resembled one, too, with its countertops, cabinets, refrigerator, washer and dryer. There was no stove, but he noticed a microwave and a toaster oven. Both the washer and dryer were running.

“Ben Rhodes, meet Cindy Stanton, one of our valuable weekend volunteers. Cindy’s a senior in high school, so her weekdays are full, but she comes over every Saturday and Sunday morning to help feed the cats and scoop the litter boxes, even when it’s cold and dark outside.”

“I want to be here, no matter what the weather is.” Cindy, a lanky teenager with a blond ponytail, was wearing a practical outfit of jeans and a long-sleeved rock band T-shirt. She sat on the floor cradling a small black cat with white tuxedo markings. She glanced up at Ben with interest. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Rhodes. Is it okay if I don’t move? Brutus finally settled down, and I—”

“Please don’t get up.” Ben crouched down, reached over and gently stroked a finger down Brutus’s soft fur. “He’s young.”

“He’s young and he’s a maniac. I’m working to socialize him so he won’t bite and scratch people.”

Ben looked closer and noticed small red welts on the backs of Cindy’s hands. “That’s dedication.”

“That’s love. I adore this little guy. My whole family’s allergic except me, or I’d take him home in a second.” She grinned. “Actually, I’d take a bunch of them home. When I get my own place, I’m so going to have lots of cats, and maybe foster, too.”

“I’m going to hold you to that,” Tansy said, a smile in her voice.

“No worries. I can hardly wait.” She glanced at Ben, who was still stroking the cat. “I’m so glad KFOR is helping us with this campaign and that they sent you to take some pictures. Nothing against you, Miss Dexter, but you really need better ones for the promo spots. What they used this week? Kinda lame.”

Tansy laughed as if she wasn’t the least bit insulted. “I know.”

Cindy returned her attention to Ben. “So where’s your camera?”

“I left it in the van. I wanted to get my bearings before I started shooting.”

She nodded. “Makes sense, but you might as well go back and get it before you head into one of the cat rooms.”

“Oh?” Ben continued to run a finger along Brutus’s silky fur. He’d forgotten the pleasure of such a simple caress. “Why is that?”

“Have you ever been in a roomful of cats, cats with toys and branches to climb on, not to mention tunnels, and shelves and all that stuff?”

“Can’t say that I have.” He was intrigued by the concept. “Don’t they fight?”

Cindy gave a shrug. “Not so much.”

“But they do fight sometimes,” Tansy said. “We watch for that and only allow the aggressive ones in for short visits until they settle down.”

“Even if they fight a little,” Cindy said, “it’s still so much better than cages.”

Ben levered himself to his feet. “Then I’d better go get my camera.”

“Good.” Cindy seemed pleased with that decision. “If you don’t, you’re gonna kick yourself, because you’ll get in there, and one of the cats, like Moppet or Nifty, will be doing something adorable, because they are constantly doing funny stuff, and you’ll miss it.”

Tansy unzipped her parka as if she meant to stay here while he retrieved his equipment. “I didn’t think to ask,” she said. “Are you going to take video or stills?”

“Both, but if I get something with the video camera, I’ll use a single frame, not a sequence. We’re only putting one shot up on the screen at a time.”

“Which is why they have to be really fantastic shots,” Cindy said.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Tansy shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and smiled at him. “We need someone with a magic touch.”

Ben’s heart lurched. Unless his instincts were wrong, she was flirting with him. The invitation in her eyes was subtle, but his response wasn’t. He wanted to accept the invitation. Good thing Cindy was there, because he had no business accepting anything from Tansy.

But that didn’t stop his traitorous mind from imagining what it would be like to step closer and cradle her face in both hands. And then he’d kiss her, very gently, taking it slow at first. After that—

“Ben, do you want me to go with you? I think you can find your way easy enough. There’s a sidewalk that leads around the house to the parking lot.”

He snapped out of his dangerous daydream. “Not if you have something to do here.”

“There’s always something to do here. There are path lights, but if you want me to show you I’ll be happy to go along.”

“I’m sure I can find my way. It’s getting lighter every minute. I’ll get my equipment and be right back.” He slipped out the door, cursing himself for being a fool. Kissing Tansy would be a huge mistake, both personally and professionally.

He was a cameraman on a job, and that did not include getting cozy with the subject. He could get fired for that, and rightly so. But even without considering his job security, he couldn’t afford to get carried away.

Kissing her would open him up to God-knows-what. Yes, he was drawn to her and wanted to find out what made her tick. But then she would demand to know what made him tick, and he wasn’t about to let her or anyone get that close. If she tempted him, he’d just have to get over it.

CHAPTER THREE

“I LIKE BEN. HE’S CUTE.” Cindy held Brutus in the crook of her arm as she carefully got to her feet. The little cat worked his way up to nestle against her shoulder but didn’t try to squirm away.

“I suppose.” Tansy congratulated herself on that neutral response when two minutes ago she’d been on the verge of flinging herself into Ben’s arms. Cindy had been an excellent chaperone, for which Tansy was grateful. Mostly.

She took off her parka and hung it on a hook beside the door before walking over to check the towels in the dryer. Ben was not immune to the charms of animals. She’d known that from the way he’d cradled Ewok against his chest on Monday morning, and today he’d voluntarily made overtures to both Max and Brutus. Ben was a real puzzle, one she desperately wanted to solve.

“I think he likes you.”

Tansy ducked her head and began pulling towels out of the dryer because she didn’t want Cindy to see her blush. “He’s just a friendly person doing his job.”

“Maybe so, but when he looks at you, there’s more than friendship going on. You may have missed it because you haven’t been dating recently. I have, and I know that look.”

Tansy folded towels as if her life depended on it. “Have you been talking to Rose, by any chance?”

“As a matter of fact, she called me last night.”

Tansy stopped folding and turned to stare at the teenager. “About Ben?”

“Yep. We both agree you need a love life, and she wanted me to check this guy out and see what I thought of him. I think he’s pretty cool.”

Tansy shouldn’t be surprised that the two were in cahoots on this. Of all the shelter volunteers, she was closest to Rose and Cindy. “Are you supposed to report back to Rose?”

“Of course. She’d promised that gentleman friend of hers, Mr. Hobson, that she’d help with his Christmas shopping or she would have found an excuse to drop by this morning. She’s dying of curiosity.”

Tansy picked up the stack of warm towels and hugged them to her chest. “Then tell Rose that we have a potential glitch.”

“He’s in a relationship?”

“I’m not sure. If he is, that would be a deal killer. I don’t poach.”

“If he’s in a relationship, then he has no business looking at you the way he did. I say he’s not. So what’s the potential glitch?”

“When he first arrived this morning, he told me point-blank that he’s not interested in having animals in his life.”

Cindy’s mouth dropped open. “Really? After the way he was loving on Brutus?”

“I can’t explain that. Or the fact that I caught him scratching Max’s head.”

“You’re making that up. Max never lets us pet him.”

“I know, but he hopped up on the counter and started purring while Ben and I were in the office looking around. That was surprising enough, but then I went to get my coat, and when I turned back, there was Ben, scratching behind Max’s ears.”

“So why doesn’t he want animals? Maybe he lives with somebody who’s allergic. Not a girlfriend, but somebody else. I know what that’s like.”

Tansy considered the possibility and rejected it. “He would have said so. I mean, take you, for example. You tell everybody that’s why you don’t have animals at home.”

“Yeah, I do. Wow, it makes no sense.”

“It doesn’t.”

“I’ll stick around while he’s filming. Maybe I can figure out what his problem is.”

“That’s an excellent idea.” Tansy opened a cupboard above the counter and laid the clean towels inside. “You can supervise while I go back to the office. I need to post an update on our Facebook page and talk to Faye about a few things.”

“Wait. I didn’t mean for you to leave.”

“I know.” She grabbed her parka and put it on. “The truth is that I am attracted to the guy.”

“Aha!”

“But if he’s really closed to the idea of having animals around, then it’s better if I don’t spend too much time with him.”

“I guess. If I find out anything, I’ll—” She stopped speaking when the door opened a crack, letting in a swirl of cold air.

“All clear?”

Tansy wished hearing his voice didn’t make her flush with pleasure. She glanced at Cindy. “Got a tight grip on Brutus?”

“He’s secure.” She clutched Brutus against her shoulder.

“Come on in, Ben.” Tansy’s heart thumped as she zipped her jacket. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a strong physical reaction to a man. Ben made her feel as if she were Cindy’s age again and had developed a major crush on the captain of the football team.

The intensity of her feelings for someone she’d only just met wasn’t all that unusual for her. She’d always had good instincts, both for people and animals, and she sensed Ben was a kind person. But there was some issue keeping him from opening his heart. And until she figured out what that was, letting Cindy help with the photography session was the smart thing to do.

Ben came through the door with a digital camera on a strap around his neck and a camcorder in his hand. He looked puzzled when he saw Tansy with her coat on. “Aren’t you staying?”

“I have a ton of work to do in the office,” she said. “I’m leaving Cindy in charge. You’ll be in good hands with her.”

“I’m sure I will, but I thought…” His expression went from confusion to resignation. “No worries. I’m sure Cindy can take me over to the dog area when I finish up here.”

Tansy nodded. “Absolutely. She’s one of our most capable volunteers.”

“Do you want to preview what I’ve done before I go, or should I just head on to the station when I have plenty of shots?” His tone was conversational, as if he didn’t care one way or the other.