by Noelle Hart
“Anything specific in mind?”
A response. It meant he was actually considering it, and that gave Kim's idea wings. “Trendy stuff but with an innovative twist. Chocolate swirls with berry centers, miniature scones that look like little beehives. We'd use all natural ingredients with low fat and sugar. We could do mini versions of your pies in a variety pack. Those will fly off the shelves for sure.”
Lyle nodded. “I like it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to crunch numbers, see what it'll take to be profitable.”
“Already done that,” said Will as he entered the kitchen. Dino got up from his bed and sniffed at Will's feet. “It's looking good on paper, but there are logistics to work out. The time factor for one. I'm thinking the solution is to hire a sous chef for the new location who specializes in desserts.”
Lyle put down his mixing bowl. “Makes sense. Once a routine is established we can figure out a baking schedule. Are we going to hit our target date for opening?”
“Al gave me a green light. The landscaper comes in this week so we'll be opening right after Hallowe'en. Lyle, how's Jolene coming along with her training?”
“Her kitchen skills outshine her waitress expertise, so I guess you can say she's a natural. We're doing inventory tonight.”
“Perfect.” Will ushered Dino back onto his bed and left them to their fun.
*
Having worked through the lunch hour keying data onto spreadsheets in her makeshift office of table and chair and a power outlet, Kylie left the temperature controlled greenhouse and headed for the Big Red Barn. The cold autumn air took a bite out of her, but inside the Barn where they were doing a brisk business, it was pleasantly temperate.
Kylie found Olivia helping a customer load her cart with an assortment of plants. Although her smile was intact, it bore tension at it's edges.
“How are you getting along?” Kylie asked when the customer moved away.
“Well enough. I've known my way around plants most of my life. I enjoy helping people decide which ones work best for them.”
“Margie says you're a natural at it.”
Olivia shuffled, understandably edgy. “The Detective told me about your obstetrician and her husband. Thank God it didn't turn out worse than it did.” She offered her a thin smile. “I can't say it enough. I'm so sorry for all of this.”
“It's not your fault. The police profiler says Drew has tapped into a part of himself that was probably there all along, something he may have been struggling with his entire life. Apparently violent tendencies can manifest in a number of ways, and me getting pregnant may have been his trigger.”
Olivia's sad smile did not falter. “It's all guesswork, isn't it, the workings of the mind, how it evolves, how it copes. For some it's like walking a tight rope I imagine, the inevitable fall up to fate.”
“Sometimes fate can be given a nudge in the right direction. Still in AA?”
“Every evening. One day at a time.”
“It's all we can do, isn't it?”
Olivia met her gaze with conviction, knowing they weren't talking about AA anymore. “Yes, it is.”
*
Jolene and Lyle were in the storage room.
Lyle was all business as he punched data into his tablet. Watching him move around in snug jeans and a casual shirt that flattered his muscular physique, she felt a familiar pull on her heartstrings. Not to mention other body parts.
“Uh, baby? Can we switch gears for a minute?”
He frowned. “We're not ready for the canned goods yet.”
“I'm not talking inventory.” Her tone had lowered to a sexy growl and his gaze snapped to hers. In this neon lit interior her copper curls emphasized the gold in her hazel eyes. Her body seemed to vibrate, magnetize, pulling him in. He felt a twinge of desire and slowly put down his clipboard.
“What is it?”
She moved seductively toward him and he knew he was a lost man. Lost to this woman, her warmth, her depth, her strongly assertive emotions. She'd already proven she was a fiercely loyal friend. A weaker woman with a roommate under the kind of fire Kylie Lambert was experiencing may have run for cover by now. Instead she'd insisted on being there for her, and that stood for something. It meant she had staying power. Wasn't that his biggest concern, that she might want to leave him if things got dicey? Hadn't that been the one thing that had made him swear off of marriage?
She'd crushed his concerns with unwavering love. Looking at her now, he didn't just see a vital, sexy woman he could take to bed and tumble with for a few hours, but rather a mate, his most intimate friend in the world, someone he could say anything to and not be judged. Someone he couldn't live without.
Wouldn't live without, he decided. Relationships involved give and take. It was time for him to give.
She raised her arms to circle his neck. They rubbed noses, an Eskimo kiss he knew it was called, and sighed in the sweet knowledge that they had each other.
“You know I love you. I want you to be my forever man. The man I'll grow old with, the one I'll stand by no matter what.”
That she had just echoed his thoughts did not phase or surprise him. It was how they had become, a unified front.
“So...” he murmured, taking little nips at her mouth, “you'll be my main ingredient in the grand recipe of life?”
She laughed at his chef-like analogy. “That's one way of putting it.”
It wasn't recklessness, nor an impulse, but rather what he'd probably known all along but had been too stubborn to admit. “How about us getting hitched after the grand opening? That way we'll be a team in every sense of the word.”
She gaped. Even having longed for it and then half expected it, his proposal had the power to jolt.
He disengaged from her and went to a shelf, tore off a piece of tin foil from a package. When he turned back he went down on one knee on the cold cement floor.
“Let's make it official. Will you, Jolene Sparta, build a life together with me as my wife?”
She was all beams of sunshine. “Yes! Yes!” He couldn't have worded it better.
He took her hand and rolled his makeshift tin foil ring onto her finger. “This is just a symbol. A much nicer one will replace it when I get a chance.”
Jolene's eyes filled. “This one is perfect,” she sputtered, and pulling him to his feet, threw her arms around him, with Dino dancing at their feet in celebration.
*
“This one is perfect!”
Kylie kept walking along the row of cages, leaving Rita and Jolene to play with the dalmatian puppy they were cooing over.
“She is perfect, but you know male pride, and this one will grow much bigger than Dino and make him feel inferior,” came Jolene's logic. She rose and tagged along behind Kylie.
“You realize this is killing me,” Kylie told her.
“Yeah,” Jolene agreed. “I want to take them all.”
“I can't look them in the eyes. They're all so hopeful.”
Cage after cage of dogs, some of recognizable breed, others street urchins, all incredibly desperate. It weighed heavily.
Rita caught up with them.
The attendant appeared, a stick thin young man with a buzz cut and elaborate tattoo work on his arms. His soft, polite voice belied his appearance.
“Find one you like?” he asked.
“Are there any female fox terriers?” Jolene asked.
“There's one, but she's got issues. Our squad shut down a puppy mill where she was slated as a breeder,” he explained. “She grew up in a cage. Skin and bones, coat infested, sores, ingrown toenails and raging diarrhea. You can imagine how bad her outlook was on life. We've found homes for most of the other dogs, but even healthy now, she's not social. Stays in a corner. We think it's 'cuz she's never known anything else.”
Sight unseen, Jolene made her decision. “She deserves to know what love feels like. I'll take her!”
“Whoa.” The attendant held up a hand. “Don't
you want to see her first?”
“Lead me to her, but I don't care what she looks like.”
Kylie and Rita exchanged impressed looks.
The young man led them to a cage in the rear. A dachshund and a maltese clamored for attention, while the terrier pressed herself into a corner, her eyes lackluster as though hope had never lived there. Her markings were typical, short, white fur with brown and black patches on her head. She burrowed her long snout into the fold of her legs and closed her eyes to shut out the world.
“Can you get her out?” asked Jolene, now more determined than ever.
He went in. Ears laid back, she cowered. Her tail thumped once, then she tucked it between her legs defensively. The young man held the back of his hand to her nose. Satisfied that she scented no danger, her head rose tentatively and her eyes focused for the first time on the three women standing outside the cage. Her attention diverted, he clipped a leash to her collar and coaxed her to her feet. Slowly she came out of the enclosure and sat timidly at the young man's feet.
Jolene squatted. “Does she have a name?”
“The owner had her listed as number twenty four.”
The implications of that number and how many more there might have been were not lost on them.
Using the attendant's example, Jolene held out her hand. The little terrier sniffed extensively, then, surprising them all, snuffled into her palm and licked.
“I know what this is,” Jolene murmured quietly. “It's Dino. She smells him on me. I was holding him just before you came to get me. Promised I'd bring him back a sweetheart.”
Kylie squatted too while Rita wandered off in the direction of the dalmatian. “Looks like you've found her. What will you call her?”
Jolene quickly met her eyes. “Why, number one, that's what!”
Kylie chuckled. “That might give Dino an inferiority complex. How about Cookie? It's sweet and Lyle will like it.”
“Well, technically she'll be mine. Once Lyle and me get married, we'll be a foursome.” Her eyes momentarily glazed. “Every time I say that it sounds like I'm talking about somebody else.”
Cookie submitted herself to the women and their gentle, stroking hands. Ever so carefully Jolene took her into her arms, all the while murmuring sweet nothings in her ear.
“She doesn't seem to object, so Cookie it is.” Jolene turned to the young man. “Can I take her home today?”
“Not today. You fill out a form and we send someone to see your place of residence, make sure you'll be providing her with a good home. Can't take any chances of her ending up the same way we found her.”
“I can't just put her back in that cage and walk away. She's in need of immediate love. Isn't there a way to spring her today?” She batted her eyes and pouted a little, and the attendant hesitated.
“Well, she does seem to like you. That's a first.”
“I want to make a donation, so maybe that will speed things up. Who do I need to speak with?”
“My supervisor. She's in her office.”
Holding Cookie firmly, Jolene marched off with the attendant. Kylie joined her mother who was making kissy noises at the dalmatian puppy.
“Jolene is in love.”
Rita's laugh tinkled. “Ah well, who wouldn't love that big ape of a man? He's not only gorgeous, but he can cook Julia Child under the table if you ask me.”
“I meant Cookie.” At Rita's puzzled look. “The dog. Her name's Cookie.”
“Oh. Rats.”
“Why do you say that?”
“That's what I was going to call this little cutie. I've decided it's high time your father and I get a little furry companion. And don't look at me like that. I know she'll grow up and get big and maybe slobbery, and I'll have poops to deal with and cursing to do. But I just can't leave this poor little sweetie here. They euthanize the ones who aren't claimed after a certain amount of time. Little Oreo will have a good, long life instead.”
“Oreo?”
“My backup name. Suits her, doesn't it, with her black spots on white.”
They found Jolene seated at a desk opposite a formidable looking woman with a shock of thick, gray hair and piercing, ice blue malamute eyes.
Rita wasted no time. “I'm Rita, this is my daughter Kylie.”
“Victoria Stillwater.” She shook the proffered hand. “Call me Vickie.”
“We want to take home two dogs today. I understand there are rules, but you know what they say about those, right?”
“Ma'am, the rules are in place to protect the animals. Many are traumatized and we...”
“You're welcome to come and inspect my home as well as Jolene's today,” Rita interrupted. “Let's get started right away. Who's in charge of the evaluation?”
“No one right now. That's the problem. We had a recent set-back and haven't been able to get back on our feet yet.”
“Oh? What kind of set-back?”
“One of our volunteer veterinarians was... is not able to come in anymore, so we've had to shuffle some of the duties around.”
Dead silence prevailed for about five seconds. Then Kylie spoke quietly. “That veterinarian, was it Gina Kirby?”
“Why, yes. How...?” Her eyes suddenly welled with tears.
“Vickie,” Rita said, handing her a tissue, “we know what happened to her. Jolene has a male terrier waiting to welcome home little Cookie. He was the dog she was treating the night Miss Kirby got... well, the night she died.”
Vickie rose accusing eyes to Kylie. “I thought I'd recognized you. You're the one in the papers, the one that maniac is harassing. It's because of you that Gina's dead.”
The statement impacted Kylie like a sucker punch.
Jolene intervened. “The newspapers sell sensationalism. They vamp things up to reach sales quotas. The real fact is that Kylie's a heroine who saved a young boy from being one of his victims. Being a maniac's target doesn't make it your fault.” She hugged Cookie tighter who didn't seem to mind. “All the more reason to hand over these dogs. We need protection.”
All three women stared at Jolene whose little terrier would more than likely be the one needing protection. Vickie's tears dissolved to laughter. Infectious, Jolene's unwitting remark provided the humor that at last broke the ice.
Vickie dabbed her eyes with a tissue. “Alright ladies, let's see what we can do.” She got on her computer and pulled up a file. “Let's go over the dalmatian's history first.”
*
Officially engaged to Lyle, Jolene rarely showed up at the girls' apartment. He'd replaced her tin foil ring with a sapphire encrusted gold band, and although thrilled with the piece she'd tucked away the tin foil version, claiming she would keep it forever.
Will got his vehicle back from the police yard and later from his mechanic with a new break fluid line installed. He wouldn't leave Kylie on her own. Today was no exception when he convinced her to accompany him to the Langford diner. On the way Kylie was distant, her gaze turned inward as the waning sun played over her profile, dapples of pale light on even paler skin. The recent events had cut her appetite and to Will's mind she couldn't afford to lose more weight. Her spirits were dipping below a healthy line.
Understandable.
“What's going through that gorgeous head of yours?”
She tuned back in with haunted eyes. “I was thinking about my Mom and Dad. They have a puppy. Never thought I'd see the day. My Dad has always been in neutral with animals, but if you would've seen him a couple of days ago when my Mom presented him with Oreo; there are no words to describe his actual joy.”
“I have an uncle who swears his dog is the best psychiatrist ever. He pours out his problems to the hound and before he knows it he's totally de-stressed. Works every time. Said his dog forces him to exercise too. If he doesn't take him for a walk every day he feels guilty. He's in pretty good shape for an old geezer.”
“Who? Your uncle or the hound?”
Good. Her sense of humor was still intact. �
�Let's hope it's both.”
“My parents' new motto is, life is too short to go without the things within reach. Procrastination has flown out the window.”
“Must be a side effect of almost losing their daughter to a psycho.”
“How's Max doing?”
That had come out of left field. “Julia says he's settled into the idea of having Tom around. He's back in school so his days are busy. It's costing us an arm and a leg, but his hockey team is happy to have him for another year.”
“Huh. Well, it's good he's back to normal activities, but what I meant was...”
“He's a hardy soul. Besides, how many kids have that kind of story to tell about how they spent their summer?”
“He's not writing an essay on it, is he?”
“Don't think the teacher would encourage that. But I'm pretty sure he's popular as cool kids go right now.”
“Guess the wow factor overrides the harsh reality.”
“Or makes it easier to deal with.”
“And life goes on. But here we are, still in limbo.”
The tension crept back in no matter how many light moments he could breathe into her day. Frankly he was too busy to want to give Drew Hammond another thought. Having disappeared down whatever hole he was hiding in, Hammond was lulling them all into a false sense of security. Will realized his attitude had unwittingly become too lackadaisical.
Kylie was back in her pensive world as he pulled into the Langford Diner's now paved lot. He started to get out but Kylie laid a hand on his arm decisively. The pained look on her face had his guard up immediately.
“Will, we've been through things that most people will never experience in their lifetime.”
He tried to speak but she shushed him. “Hear me out. I put your child in mortal danger. I brought this real life horror show into your home and business. You say you love me and I know you mean it, but if you're living in the moment, taking it one day at a time like you mentioned at some point, you might decide you don't want anything more to do with me. You could rue the day you met me in so many ways you might never recover.”
