by L. P. Maxa
Ten minutes later he stepped back into the laundry room and saw she had spread out a folded quilt to cushion the tile floor and lined up some pillows against the wall to lean on. “I did a quick assessment of the rest of the house—”
“You rifled through my home? My things? Who gave you permission to do that?” That temper had a hair trigger.
Noah swallowed down his first response before saying, “No, Lucy, I did not rifle though anything. I took a quick look to see if all windows were shuttered and to check if there were any signs of leaks in the roof.”
“Oh,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. Normally, I’m a bit more stable, but all this…” she waved one hand in the direction of Chessie, “couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Forgive me, deputy…? What was your name again?”
“Tindall. Noah Tindall, and I believe we have another pup on the way.” He nodded his head in the direction of the laboring dog.
“Pull up a pillow and watch the show.” She patted the quilt beside her, then pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them. “It really is quite miraculous. And so far, I haven’t had to do a thing but be a cheerleader. She’s doing a great job.”
Noah slid to the floor next to her, took the pillow she offered, and leaned against the wall. Fifteen minutes later he could feel a serious case of stir-crazy coming on. He wasn’t used to doing nothing. Even when he watched TV he was planning his next project around the house or his next camping trip with friends. Noah began to regret that he’d cleaned out the Jeep the week before and removed the mess he could now use to combat boredom. He glanced around the close quarters and noted the make of the washer and dryer and how many settings each one had, counted the number of tiles visible on the floor, spied a dead palmetto bug in one corner, and wondered how his dog was managing alone at home.
Usually, he would call his neighbor Edna Sloan to check on his pup, but she and everyone else with half a brain had pulled out two days ago and left Cypress Acres abandoned, except for him and his dog. He was well trained, but not perfect. Noah considered leaving briefly, but he feared Lucy might not let him back in the house. He would hope for the best and deal with any doggie mess later.
He was the first to break the silence after running out of things to occupy his mind. “So, it’s good you have this space for the dogs. Tile floor is easy to clean. And it’s pretty roomy.”
“Uh-huh,” Lucy muttered, never taking her eyes off Chessie.
“It’s interior too. No windows. Makes a good safe room, just in case,” he continued.
“Of what?” Lucy shifted to face him. “Just in case of what?”
Noah shut his eyes and exhaled heavily. So much for not causing panic. Should he tell her the truth or sugarcoat it? It probably wouldn’t happen here, but it had in other areas during hurricane activity. Better for her to have knowledge and be prepared.
“Tornadoes. In case of tornadoes. They can spin off a hurricane once the storm makes landfall. And a windowless interior room is the safest place to be in the house.”
Her eyes grew wide. “But that won’t happen, right?”
“I don’t know exact odds, but—”
Lucy leaned back and pounded her head lightly against the wall. “Why didn’t I move her two days ago?” she groaned. “What possessed me to ignore the warning?”
“You said it yourself. This island hasn’t had a hurricane since the thirties. And up until a few days ago, most people thought Dolly would give St. Magnus a pass.”
Lucy huffed loudly. “You’re being too kind. But I’ve put you and the dogs in danger.”
Noah didn’t miss that she had left herself out of the equation.
Maybe she was nuts. Pretty, but plain old garden-variety cray-cray.
Whatever. He was going to get her to higher ground and make certain neither she nor the dogs were casualties of Dolly on his watch.
Lucy glanced at her wrist, then crinkled her nose. “It’s taking longer for the third one. What’s wrong?”
“Chessie doesn’t appear to be in any distress. Maybe it’s a bigger puppy that needs a little more time?” Noah was grasping at straws. Anything to keep Lucy from losing it.
“That sounds reasonable.” She settled against the wall and let her head fall back. Noah sneaked peeks and soon saw her eyelids begin to flutter.
Within twenty minutes, Chessie had birthed a third pup and Lucy had fallen asleep, snoring softly, her limp body sliding next to Noah. Her head had fallen on his shoulder and he snaked his arm around her to keep her from slumping to the floor.
Her hair smelled like summer flowers, and the fragrance tickled Noah’s nostrils with each inhaled breath. He glanced down to admire her shapely legs, and admitted under other circumstances, having a soft, beautiful woman lying against him was no hardship.
When he shifted to make himself more comfortable, she stirred, mumbled something unintelligible, and then curled into his body. A few minutes later, when he shifted because his arm had fallen asleep, Lucy stirred then came fully awake.
“Hmmm. Sorry for zoning out.” She swiped at his shirt with her fingers. “And drooling all over you.”
“Don’t worry about it. A little drool never hurt anyone.” He grinned.
“Yeah, but you could extract my DNA from that and…and…” She shrugged and held out her hands, palms up.
“You’ve been watching way too much television,” Noah said with a laugh. “But while you snoozed, your dog had two more puppies. Only one left. And her labor seems to have sped up. I should be able to evacuate you by midnight.” No way would he let her or the dogs remain this close to the ocean any longer than necessary.
“Have you found a place that will take us?” she asked, sitting up and inching away. Noah instantly missed her warmth and fragrance. “I signed a foster agreement, and I won’t shirk my responsibility to her and her babies.”
Noah admired her commitment. He wished everyone were as responsible about their animals. The previous month he had rescued an abandoned dog from the causeway. The German Shepherd mix had a broken leg, most likely from being clipped by a passing car. Noah had lured the scared creature with part of his chicken sandwich, and discovered the name Rambo on the dog’s collar, but no tag to indicate ownership. Once at the animal shelter, he was scanned for a chip, but the dog didn’t have a chip either.
Noah had checked on Rambo earlier in the week and found him well on the road to recovery. The dog was well trained and good-natured, and if Noah hadn’t already owned a large dog, he would have taken Rambo in a heartbeat. Noah shuddered to think what would have happened to the animal had he not stopped that day.
“I’m still contemplating the options.”
“How many options can there be at this point if it’s as dangerous as you make it out to be?” Lucy cut him a look, and once again the headlamp shone directly in his eyes. Noah scooted forward and reached to switch it off.
“This thing’s going to blind me. There’s plenty of light without it,” he explained, pointing to the battery lanterns on either end of the room. “And I have a couple places in mind. I’ll radio in once we’re ready to leave and firm things up.” Noah knew he was stretching the truth. He had contemplated where to put the dogs in his house, and had no intention of exacerbating the situation by telling her where she and the dogs were going.
“I suppose you know what you’re—”
Chessie began to whine and this time it was different. She panted more, strained, whimpered and looked at the two of them as if to ask for help.
Lucy approached the side of the kiddie pool quietly. She leaned over to check on the dog, and her round ass went up, giving Noah all kinds of ideas. He licked his lips, then shook his head. Damn.
“What’s wrong, girl? This should be your last pup and then it will all be over. And then this nice man is going to help you move so you’ll be safe.” Lucy’s voice was soft and reassuring, but Noah didn’t miss she hadn’t included herself again. He refused to fight with her
—she was coming with him no matter what.
The dog let out another whine, this time louder and more intense. Dread settled into the pit of Noah’s stomach. He scooted across the floor and found Chessie lying on her side straining to deliver the last puppy.
He looked over to Lucy, who was chewing her lower lip, then asked, “You have any books about this? I’d Google it but there’s no cell service.”
“I have a couple pamphlets and brochures the shelter vet gave me and some info I printed from the Internet. They’re in this box along with some other things they said I might need.” She reached behind and pulled a small cardboard box toward her.
While Lucy rummaged through the box, Noah spoke gently to the Beagle and rubbed her head. “Don’t worry, mama. We’re going to take good care of you.” He hoped he wasn’t making a promise he couldn’t keep.
“Here,” Lucy said, thrusting a sheaf of papers into his hands.
Noah scanned the information then read aloud, “You may need to assist the bitch by inserting a gloved finger into the birth canal to aid the puppy’s delivery.”
Lucy’s eyes grew wide and she looked uncertain. Even in the low light Noah could see she had paled considerably. “I… I don’t think I can do that. You have to. We can’t let her or the puppy die. We just can’t.”
“Do you have any latex gloves?”
She nodded and looked at him hopefully. “Here, in the box. Have you delivered puppies before?”
He shook his head. “But I’ve delivered several human babies, so I can probably deliver a puppy.”
“Really? You’ve delivered a baby? You’re not saying that to make me feel better, are you?”
“I have. Really.” Noah put his hand over hers and squeezed encouragingly. “I’d never lie about that. I’m the proud godfather of two boys and a girl,” he replied, yanking on a pair of gloves.
Noah focused his attention on Chessie, continuing to speak calmly to her, and minutes later he helped ease out the last puppy. He sat back on his heels, stripped off the gloves, and let Chessie take over. Once the puppy had started breathing, Chessie lifted her head and nuzzled Noah’s hand, lapping at his palm.
“I think you have her undying love and gratitude.” Lucy gave him a warm smile.
Noah rubbed the dog’s nose. “She’s such a sweet dog. I can’t believe someone abandoned her.”
“The shelter said Beagles are high on the list of abandoned breeds. Pregnant, the poor thing didn’t have a chance. Her owner probably didn’t want to be bothered with the puppies. They didn’t have her spayed, then didn’t want the consequences. The shelter told me she had been well cared for and wasn’t a stray. I guess some folks have no heart.”
“None at all,” Noah muttered, thinking about Rambo and his own dog who was a rescue as well. Noah glanced at his watch. Eleven forty-five. “We’re not going to make our midnight departure since the last pup took longer than expected. But we should still be able to get away well before the worst hits.”
“Have you figured out where yet?”
Noah took in a fortifying breath. “Uh-huh. I’m taking you to my house.”
“Your house? All that contemplating and your house is the best option?” Lucy’s voice rose. “I can’t stay with a strange man. I mean, you’re not strange strange. It’s…well, you know. I never met you before tonight.”
Noah shook his head. They’d been alone for hours. If he was going to do something to her, it would’ve happened already. He didn’t think mentioning this reality would help.
“Yes, my house. You said it yourself. A shelter won’t take you with all these dogs. My house is in the middle of the island, about twelve more feet above sea level than yours.” He hoped that would quiet her objections. The eye wall was supposed to arrive around six in the morning—a little more than seven hours away. And, of course, Dolly would arrive at high tide, which would make flooding worse.
“Well,” she said primly, “that’s kind of you. I guess we need to find something smaller to put the puppies in to move them.”
“No problem. We can use one of those empty boxes I saw in the garage.”
Lucy nodded. “Look on the outside wall. The bigger boxes are there. And I have some old towels we can use to line it.”
They worked together and soon had the puppies transferred to their makeshift travel carrier. Chessie didn’t balk, probably sensing the storm and knowing they were there to protect her and her pups.
“Follow me in your car,” Noah directed after loading the pool into the back of his Jeep. “Safer at my house.”
“Okay.” Lucy’s reply sounded a little too perky, and Noah began to suspect she had no intention of leaving her house. He picked up the box holding the puppies, and Chessie got to her feet and moved to his side.
“I can’t force you to come short of arresting you, putting you in cuffs and throwing you over my shoulder.” He raised a brow as he thought about how much he’d love to let out his inner caveman.
Her expression remained stoic, and while he hadn’t wanted to frighten her, perhaps it was time to make her realize the gravity of the situation.
“Dolly is a category one hurricane right now. And she’s set to make landfall in about seven hours or so, right at high tide. That means about ten feet of cold, nasty salt water, maybe more, will come rushing up the beach, across that road, and right into this house. And nothing will stop it. At that point you won’t be able get out, and the water level will rise to…” He glanced up to note the ceiling height. “This room will be like a giant saltwater aquarium, and you’ll be Dory.”
Noah saw the moment the risk finally pinged on her radar. A lone tear spilled down her cheek, and he felt like an ass. But she had to understand the consequences of remaining here.
“Do I have time to pack?” Her voice trembled, and her throat worked as she swallowed. “I need to put a few things into an overnight bag.”
He could give her some time, but not much. “Yeah. I’ll start loading the dogs and all their gear into my car while you pack.”
“This really is nice of you,” she murmured. “We’ll try not to be in your way.”
Noah bit back a chuckle. His two-bedroom house was spacious enough for him and his dog, but add in Lucy, Chessie and her litter….Noah was sure everyone would be in each other’s way.
“And as soon as the storm passes, we’ll leave,” she continued.
Noah refrained from informing her they’d probably be under the same roof for quite some time. Even if this house was lucky enough to avoid being flooded, she wouldn’t be able to get to it for several days due to downed trees, power lines, and flooded streets.
He’d save that for later.
It took her thirty minutes to pack, then the two-car caravan made its way to Cypress Street with their precious cargo. Noah didn’t have a crystal ball to predict the storm’s impact so he chose not to say more than he had to.
More critically, being in close quarters with a beautiful, curvy woman was going to test all his willpower.
Chapter Four
“Hey. I’m home,” Noah called loudly as soon as they came through the back door. Lucy could tell by the light from her headlamp they were in the kitchen. “Are you awake?” he continued. “Baby? I’m home.”
Baby?
The hair on the back of Lucy’s neck stood on end. Had this man brought her into the house where he lived with his wife? She could feel her heart begin to race and she bit her lip to keep from yelling something obscene at him. She had slept with this man. Well, sort of. She’d used him as a pillow and drooled all over him. Even had a few yummy-naughty thoughts about his body.
Why hadn’t his wife evacuated with everyone else if the situation was as dire as he’d painted it? Then another possibility slammed into her. Maybe the wife was gone. Maybe “Baby” was his mistress, and they’d planned a little storm watch hanky-panky. Boy was she an idiot. When the wife found out about all this, Lucy would be called as a witness in their divorce trial
and dragged into their ugliness and the resulting blowback could hurt her business. And dammit, that joke about drool DNA might prove to be anything but a joke.
And here she’d thought Noah Tindall was a pretty stand-up guy, especially after he had helped with Chessie. No one was who they appeared to be. Dammit.
Lucy’s internal monologue was interrupted by a loud, rumbling bark, and within seconds she was face-to-face with the biggest dog she had ever encountered. Chessie whimpered pitifully and tried to wedge herself between Lucy’s legs.
“Come here, Baby,” Noah crooned. “Sit. Stay. Good boy.”
Baby? This enormous animal was Baby?
The dog obeyed the commands, which made Lucy feel a tiny bit better in light of its size.
“Don’t mind the dog. He’s harmless.” Noah set the box holding Chessie’s pups on the kitchen island, then switched on a high-powered LED lantern that lit the kitchen. Noah then turned his attention back to the gigantic dog and scratched him behind the ears. Baby responded by licking Noah with a tongue that appeared to be at least a foot long. Lucy had never minded Chessie’s kisses. She was small. But this behemoth? Lucy shuddered at the thought.
“Dog? That is not a dog. That is a small horse.” Lucy stepped back, careful to avoid Chessie while clutching her overnight duffel to her chest.
“He’s a dog all right, but he doesn’t know it. He thinks he’s human and he’s exactly like his name—a big baby. But he pretty much rules the roost here.”
“Well, keep him away from Chessie and the puppies. He could eat them for lunch. In one bite,” she added with conviction.
“Nah. Baby wouldn’t do that, would you, boy?” Noah cupped the dog’s snout in his palm. “Besides, he’s a vegetarian.”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “A vegetarian dog? Isn’t that a little weird? And you? A hunky, er, hulking, big deputy sheriff? No way is that dog a vegetarian.”
“Gotcha.” Noah gave her a disarming grin and waggled his eyebrows. “But seriously, he won’t hurt a fly. He’ll be curious about Chessie and the puppies. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to make sure Baby is separated from them so they won’t get stressed.”
