“What was that?” Jules turned her attention from the dresser toward Aspen.
“Nothing. I'm only asking if we should get him some new clothes?” Aspen queried, hoping her friend would buy it, and not ask any more questions.
“It didn’t sound like it. It sounded like you said ‘twice as hot.’” Jules smirked.
“Noooo. I meant has he got clothes?” Aspen replied, and quickly changed the subject. “So where is Maggie? I thought she was gonna be here to help?”
“Momma drove to Womack to check on any of Holt’s specific needs before bringing him home tomorrow. You and I need to make the office area into a bedroom for him,” Jules explained. Glancing up, she saw confusion show on Aspen’s face.
“Even though Holt’s legs work, with the nerve damage in his back he is not strong enough to keep going up and down the stairs. Plus, we don’t want Gunner going up too many stairs at a time, or too often. He still has a couple of months before he can get a prosthetic. Ya know what, Aspen? I got this handled here. Do you think you can go down to the office to help get it packed up?”
“Ya, of course. Anything you need. I’ll head on down and get things started. Anything I should concentrate on first?”
“Just start grabbing,” Jules laughed. “It’s a mess down there.”
Pushing open the door to the office, Aspen completely understood what Jules meant. It was truly unorganized chaos. The office was much larger than Holt’s previous room. One wall was nothing but bookshelves. Thankfully we don’t have to move those.
Grabbing a couple of boxes from the corner of the room, Aspen put a couple on the large executive oak desk and started tossing the contents of the drawers inside. She paused for a moment to get an idea of how much muscle it would take to move the desk. She pushed against the edge of the desk, but it wouldn’t budge. There is no way Jules and I can move this thing. I’d like to think we can take on the world, but this thing is four times our weight.
“Hey, Jules!” she yelled at her friend upstairs. “We are going to need help moving some of this heavy stuff. We’ll barely be able to carry the drawers, let alone budge this desk.”
“That’s why the guys from his team are also going to be here tomorrow to help move things from in here to the shed and from his bedroom down here.” Aspen jumped when Jules spoke right behind her.
Aspen waggled her brows at her friend. “Oh, really?”
“Yep! Forget it, Aspen. According to them, we are off limits.”
Baffled, Aspen replied, “No, you are off limits. Me… I am the next-door neighbor, otherwise known as fresh meat.”
For the first time that day, Jules cracked a smile. “But yes…more muscle to ogle. You can look but can’t touch!”
“So says you. I’m single and ready to mingle,” Aspen retorted, doing a little booty shake.
Jules walked by her, mumbling, “Keep dreaming, Aspen. If you ask Holt, you’re his.”
Confused, Aspen countered, “I have no idea what you are talking about. Not once has Holt ever treated me any differently than he always has. And not once has he ever told me how he feels. So, until that day, I can look and touch who I please.”
“Whatever, Aspen. I’m just telling you, and besides, I know you like him too, so just admit it and get it over with.”
“I admit nothing.” Aspen laughed. Trying to change the subject, she quickly asked, “Do you need me to go and get something special for his homecoming?”
“Yeah, I need you to admit your feelings for Holt,” Jules disputed, laughing.
“Never! But I do admit I have lots of work to get done outside. I will be back in a few minutes. I have six dogs coming in soon, so I need to get some stuff done out at the cages.”
“All right! Change the subject all you want. We aren’t finished!” Jules smiled as Aspen walked outside.
Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to get Jules’ words out of her head, making her even more confused than she was the day Holt left. I have no idea what she is talking about. Why would Holt tell everyone I was off limits? But Aspen didn’t have time to think about that. She needed to check on everything outside, and maybe when she headed back inside, Jules would be concentrating on getting the office ready instead of playing Cupid.
9
Aspen
* * *
It was almost three a.m., and they were all still packing Holt’s belongings to move them downstairs. Everybody was bushed. Instead of making the drive home and waking her father, Aspen decided to crash in the room Maggie had set up as hers when she was younger. When she got there, she was reminded of the day Maggie had taken her upstairs and presented her with a room, specially decorated just for her.
Before that day, Aspen had always crashed out on the floor of Jules’ room, especially on the nights when her daddy was working late. Maggie had decorated the room perfectly, and that was the day when Aspen felt more at home on the Lawson farm than anywhere else.
At her house, alone, with Helen lurking around, she was scared all the time. And since Daddy did not trust Helen any farther than he could throw her, especially where Aspen was concerned, he was grateful to Maggie for all she did.
The next morning, Aspen was roused by the smell of coffee and cinnamon filling her room. Slipping into her robe, she checked her hair in the dresser mirror. I can’t believe Julia is up already! Thank God for the en suite. There was no way I was going downstairs looking like this—it’s sure to be filled with testosterone laden men. On most days, I would be down there in two seconds, but not after last night. I am a mess, and I need a shower.
Once she cleaned up and headed downstairs, her first order of business was to grab the biggest cup of coffee and one of Jules’ famous cinnamon rolls. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, Aspen heard the sounds of laughter filling the house. Peeping around the door frame, she saw Holt’s unit buddies along with three new faces she had yet to meet.
“Good morning, Aspen,” Jules announced.
“Good morning! Wow, I didn’t expect a full house so early,” Aspen replied as she moved through the kitchen to the coffee maker. She poured herself a cup as Julia put her arm around the first of the new faces.
“Well, let me try to introduce everyone. Most you probably already met, but I will introduce them anyway. This is Chief Fitzgerald and his… girlfriend? Samantha.”
Chief chuckled. “Yeah, that’s right. Sammy is my girl, and I’m proud to claim her,” he replied, wrapping his arm around the tall, beautiful blonde who turned to kiss his cheek.
“You had better be proud to claim me.” She smiled as another of the new faces, a tall, unshaven, muscle-bound hunk interrupted Jules and admonished the love birds.
“All right you two, get a room. Jules, I’ll take over intros,” he cut in with a half-cocked grin. “I’m Logan Macalister, this is my lovely lady, Mackenzie, and that big lug there is Andrew Bryant. He’s rich and single, by the way. And over on the other side of the table is our Ares Team leader, Tanner Jacobson, and his wife Britney.” Logan was interrupted when the backdoor slammed open, shaking the chandelier over the table. A young boy stood at the door, his excitement painted all over his body and a smile stretched across his face. Tanner turned and gave the young man a scowling glance.
The child, not once losing his smile even after the silent scolding, exclaimed, “Sorry, Daddy, I’m excited. Did you know they have some horses? And a there’s a litter of puppies out in a barn that want me to come play, but I thought I better ask first.” Tanner gave the young boy a smirk. “Aspen, I would like you to meet our son, Wesley.”
Aspen smiled at Wesley. “Nice to meet you, Wesley, and I would be happy to introduce you to the litter after I grab a little something to eat.”
Wesley’s face lit up with the biggest smile. “Daddy is it okay? Can I, please?”
“Bud, if Aspen is good with it, I am good with it. Please try to stay outta trouble. We have a ton of work to do before Holt comes home, and your momma can’t be chasin’
ya around the farm so stay close. In fact, it’s already getting past time, so the guy’s and I are going to get started up in Holt’s room. Now, be good for your momma and Aspen.”
“I will, Daddy!” the boy announced proudly. “I will keep the women in line.” He smiled proudly as the room erupted in laughter.
Tanner glanced back as he and the four other men headed up the stairs. “Aspen, he is going to be your biggest fan by the end of today. I’m sure before the day is out, he will be begging for a puppy.”
Aspen smiled and winked. “If you want, we can keep an eye on him today and see if any of the puppies take to him. If he bonds with one, they will be ready to go by next week.”
Tanner glanced at Britney as she returned his gaze with a half-smile while giving Aspen a wink. “We will talk about it at the end of the day. If…he bonds with one.”
“I won’t let him take just any pup; I have to see a connection. It’s the only way I can let them go.” Aspen gave Britney a gentle reassuring pat on the shoulder on her way to pour another cup of coffee and grab another sticky bun.
Jules interjected to try to explain. “She doesn’t mean anything against you, Britney. Aspen takes everything to heart once she has rescued any fur babies.”
Pouring her coffee, Aspen replied, realizing she had once again made an ass of herself. “Please, I hope I didn’t offend? If I recognize that there is a bond, they will respond and be lifelong friends. And if you don’t mind, Britney, I would like to introduce whichever pup it happens to be to the baby you're expecting. They can sense your baby, and you will be amazed at the response you will get once he or she is born.”
“Of course. I understand completely. It’s refreshing to see there are still caring people out there like yourself that take the time to rescue and rehabilitate sick, injured, and mistreated animals. There are so many people in this world that treat animals as pieces of property. They should be treated as family members, just like any other family member would be treated. I can assure you that if Wes and a puppy bond, that puppy will be treated as well as one of our children,” Britney replied as three of the men barreled down the stairs.
“Well, on that note, let’s get this furniture moved.” Fitz led the other two men toward the office.
“Hey Fitz, not that we don’t think you can handle it, but Sam had us grab furniture dollies from base supply for the day.” Bryant grinned. “Sammy doesn’t want you injured anymore.”
Samantha strolled behind Fitz as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “That’s right, darlin’. How are we going to get through the rest of this work thing we have going on if you keep opening up your wound?”
He leaned back and whispered, “Your butt is mine when we get back to the room. I think red will be a nice color on those cheeks.” She grinned at him, circled to face him, and kissed him on the cheek. “We’ll see.”
“I’ll hold ya to that, darlin’,” he replied as he slapped her on the backside. Turning toward the office that was being transformed into a bedroom, he called, “Let’s get this done, boys.”
When Aspen and Jules reached the office, the sounds of groans echoed throughout the farmhouse. Jules giggled. “Now you see why I called for muscle.” Another groan was the only answer.
“Aspen and I helped. At least we took out the drawers, and believe me, those were heavy enough.”
Bryant appeared around the corner again. “All right ladies, show me where we are putting that behemoth so we aren’t wasting our backs.”
Jules’ face reddened, making it apparent that she was smitten, but Aspen kept that to herself and smiled.
“Right this way,” Jules replied, her voice hitching. Jules’ face was red, making it apparent to Aspen that the girl was smitten with Bryant. But she kept that to herself and tried not to laugh as she sat and sipped her coffee.
Britney sighed uncomfortably. “If you don’t mind, I think I am going to sit in a more comfortable chair. My back and feet are killing me already.”
“Of course we don’t mind. There’s a recliner in the living room if you want to sit in there and put your feet up.” Aspen glanced over to Wesley. “Can I take Wes out with me to feed the animals?”
“Yes, please!” It took Britney all of two seconds to respond before she turned to Wesley, telling him, “You mind Aspen out there and do what you’re told, ya hear?”
“Yes ma’am, I will! Come on Aspen, let’s go.” As the young boy ran through the kitchen and out the door, his laughter following him and echoing throughout the house, she stopped and grabbed an apple off the counter, sat down to slip on her boots, then quickly caught up with the boy.
10
“Let’s feed Sass first.”
They strolled over to the pen and Sass greeted them by reaching her head over the fence, begging for her scratch. Wesley happily obliged her, petting her head as she gave a soft whinny. Taking a few forks of hay from the bale and a scoop of grain, Aspen filled the horse’s feeder then greeted her.
“Hey girl, how are you this morning?” Sass responded by raising her head and giving a little stomp, turning her attention to her meal.
While offering her horse a pat, Aspen was greeted by another visitor. A tug at her pant leg was followed by a high-pitched bark and a growl. She laughed, and watched a small puppy pull at her pant leg, growling the whole time. “You little twerp, quit pulling on my pants. We are heading your way now to feed you.”
There were a couple of escapees; one of the them was sitting by Wesley’s feet, pawing at his knee. As he kneeled down and rubbed behind her ear, he smiled. “Hey little one. Aren’t you a cute little girl? Are you hungry?” She pawed at his hand.
“Pick her up. I think she wants some attention.”
Wes picked her up, and she snuggled right up under his neck before letting out a contented sigh. “Does she have a name?”
Patting the puppy’s head, Aspen told him, “I’ve been calling her Penny because of her color.”
“Penny. I can see that. Come on, Penny, let’s go get you some breakfast.”
They walked into the barn where momma-dog was waiting with the rest of her litter. She was looking much better and her ribs weren’t showing like they had been when she was found.
“Hey girl, we have a couple of escapees.”
Wes helped Aspen pour their food into their dishes, and the dogs hungrily attacked the food. “Well Wes, let them eat, and you can come out a little later when their energy returns so you can play.”
“All right,” he replied as he placed Penny on the ground. She ran to the food dish and pushed her way through.
“Aspen, why is she so skinny?” he asked, patting momma-dog on the head.
Setting her hand on his shoulder, she explained, “Well, little man, I found her on the side of the road. I didn’t find any tags, and she had a big cut on her right hip like she had been attacked. I took her in and slowly nursed her back to health and it wasn’t long after that these guys were born.”
Staring up at her with sad, innocent eyes, Wes said, “I’m glad you saved her so I could meet Penny. Thank you, Aspen.” He enveloped her in his small hug. She smiled, never having experienced that kind of innocent acceptance before. What a special kid he is.
“Well, little man, we had better get inside to help out a little bit. Whatta ya say?”
“Yeah, I guess.” He waved at the dogs and said, “Bye, Penny. Bye, puppies. Bye, momma. We gotta go inside but we will be back.”
By the time they got back to the house, the desk had been moved and the bed and dresser were in place. The girls were giggling as they unpacked linen and made the bed. Jules made sure that the box of old clothes had been stored in the attic, so Aspen decided to brew another pot of coffee and do some clean up before they all poured into the kitchen again.
Aspen finished up the last dish in the sink when she heard a yip at the door. Glancing through the screen door, she noticed a little copper head that could only be Penny peering back at her. She had escaped
again. “I’m going to start calling you Houdini, little one. Come on, I know who you want.” Opening the door, Penny made a beeline for Wesley, who was sitting in front of the television watching a cartoon. When Penny hopped into his lap it was clear they were meant for each other. Wesley’s face lit up, and he giggled as the young pup licked his face.
Watching the two wrestle on the floor, Aspen whispered, “Wes, why don’t you introduce her to your mom?” Britney had dozed off in the recliner until the ruckus had started but was fully awake and rubbing her stomach.
“Are you all right?”
She gave a tired laugh. “I think so. This munchkin loves to use my insides as a trampoline. I just need to get her to calm down.”
“It’s a girl?”
“Oh, I don’t exactly know it’s a girl, but it’s better than calling her an it. Reminds me too much of the Addams Family.” Britney laughed.
“Makes sense,” Aspen responded, turning her attention back to Wesley. He was lying flat on the floor, and had Penny laying on his chest as she licked his face. “Hey Wesley, bring Penny here for a minute. Let’s put Penny on your momma’s lap.”
Britney sat up in the recliner. The baby’s movements were quite visible as Wesley placed the puppy in her lap. “I want you to rest with the puppy against your tummy. If what I suspect is true, this little one will be able to calm the baby down. Penny has shown the same kind of characteristics as emotional support animals. The others in the litter have also, but Penny more than most.”
Penny settled in on Britney’s stomach and placed her chin directly over the baby’s movements. She made a low puppy whimper, the same as she would with her litter mates, and the baby’s movements slowed down until they eventually stopped.
“Wesley, let’s leave Penny here with your mom and the baby so they can get a little nap together. We can go get some fruit snacks in the kitchen.”
Healing Holt Page 5
