by Laurel Kerr
“Wilson helped,” Magnus said. His voice was stilted, and June knew he was doing his darndest not to stutter. She also didn’t miss that he’d switched to Bowie’s last name to skirt the plosive b sound. Luckily, her daddy understood. June’s brother, August, used to do the same thing until he stopped relying on avoidances to hide his disfluency.
Her father bent to inspect the installation. He jiggled the chair with that officious shake all men seemed to employ when checking out equipment. He grunted in approval and started playing with the buttons. He rode the chair for a complete circuit and then gave Magnus a curt nod. “Looks good. How much do we owe you? These things aren’t cheap.”
Magnus shook his head. “I got it on Craigslist, so I didn’t pay full price.”
“I looked there too,” her father said. “I was planning on getting one before my wife and I left town. They’re still steep, even used.”
“Don’t worry about it. M-m-most of my royalty checks sit in the bank. I don’t have family myself, and I’d like to spend it on a fellow islander from T-T-T-Tammay…and for June.”
A look passed between the two men. Finally, her father gave another stiff nod. “All right, then.”
Magnus visibly relaxed, and June sensed something had changed between the two. By letting Magnus pay for the stair lift, her father had given him tacit approval, and Magnus knew it.
They adjourned to the tea shop where they could hear June’s grandmother if she called. Magnus excused himself to head back to the zoo, and June’s mama volunteered to keep watch over Nan while June and her daddy made sure they had the upstairs apartment properly set up.
As June rushed back and forth between the tea shop and her nan’s house, she thought back to what Magnus had said. She couldn’t imagine living alone like he did with no family. Even when moving from military base to military base, June had always had her parents and brother. When Nan had collapsed and June hadn’t had any close relatives nearby, she’d never felt so alone and vulnerable.
But that…that was Magnus’s reality. His everyday existence.
And that tore at June’s heart.
Magnus deserved family. Any man who would remain with her in the hospital day after day after day had a true a capacity for love. And the knowledge he lived in such isolation destroyed June.
With Nan back home, June needed to do more research on Magnus’s mama. So far, she’d only learned through genealogy sites that her maiden name was Mady Budge. It was a start. Although June could never repay the man for all he’d done for her family, maybe she could help him reunite with his own.
Chapter 12
Magnus chuckled as Sorcha squeaked and pulled on the ear of the stuffed animal he’d purchased a few weeks ago from the hospital gift shop. He’d been looking for a trinket for June when he’d spied the stuffed grizzly bear. It looked a bit like Frida, so he’d bought it along with a necklace for June. The little bear had immediately taken to the toy. Although her back legs still dragged occasionally when she crawled, the wee beastie was growing feistier by the day. In the wild, it would only be a couple more weeks before she would emerge from the den with her mum.
“Are you ready for your visit with Frida?” Magnus asked. The little cub turned her black eyes on Magnus and let out another high-pitched squawk. She bumbled over to him and used her teeth to pull at his sleeve. The wee whalp loved fabric.
“Aye, you need a bear to play with,” he told her as he gently lifted her up and placed her into the carrier. Bowie and Lou wanted to wait until Sorcha was at least three months old before placing her in the same enclosure with Frida. Although the elderly bear seemed intent on mothering the wee cub, they didn’t want to risk Sorcha getting hurt. If Frida suddenly attacked, no one could stop three-hunrdred-and-thirty pounds of enraged bear, especially not the fifteen pound Sorcha.
Right now, they took Sorcha for evening visits after the zoo closed for the day. They kept the two separated, but it gave the bruins a chance to learn each other’s scent. The daily meeting had become one of the highlights of Magnus’s job. Abby had been begging to join them, but Bowie wanted to limit the number of distractions. And Magnus knew the zookeeper didn’t want his daughter anywhere near the bear enclosure if Frida attempted to attack the wee bairn. Even with the gate separating the bears, watching a full-grown grizzly charge could be a terrifying thing. If the lassie screamed, it would make the situation worse. Even though Frida hadn’t shown any signs of aggression, Bowie was still proceeding slowly with the bruins’ introduction.
Magnus whistled happily as he and Sorcha entered the indoor facility. He removed the blanket he’d draped over the crate. Although Sorcha no longer needed the nursery as warm as she had upon her arrival, she wasn’t ready for the chill of a high-desert winter. Bowie had made sure that Frida’s indoor shelter was set at sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit, which translated to approximately eighteen degrees Celsius. Even after a month and a half of living in the States, Magnus still had trouble adapting to the American measurement system.
Frida must have already smelled Sorcha because she appeared at the opening to her shelter. As she had the last few days, she immediately lay down and pushed her snout through the space between the bottom of the gate and the ground. Although Magnus was not a cuddly sort of bloke, part of him wanted to pet the massive beastie’s head. However, since his profession required his fingers be on a keyboard and not in a bear’s stomach, he didn’t get too close. Instead, he rested his back against the wall as he watched the bears interact.
At the sight of the bigger bear, Sorcha began to squeak enthusiastically, and Magnus grinned at the sound. “Do you hear that, Frida? The peedie cub wants to have a play. Are you up for a wee scuffle?”
A giant claw slid under the gate. Aye, the bear did want to tussle. Magnus had no doubt that the grizzly would be gentle with the cub, but he understood why Bowie and Lou wanted to proceed cautiously. Frida was a wild animal, and there was no telling how she’d react when Sorcha was no longer on the other side of the metal grate.
As the bears regarded each other, Magnus pulled out his tablet and mobile. He’d begun to use Sorcha’s and Frida’s playtime as a chance to practice the tips from Self-Therapy for the Stutterer. One of the tasks was to practice in front of a mirror while phoning stores to request information. Magnus made it a little more high-tech with the use of his tablet’s camera. Focusing the lens on himself, he dutifully rang several places and asked questions about the merchandise. Over the past week, it had become slightly easier. Slightly.
When Magnus finished his self-assigned task, he leaned back to regard the bears. “June sends her love.”
Both ignored him. Frida remained focused on Sorcha, while the peedie bruin had turned her attention to playing with the metal sides of her carrier.
“She wishes she could visit you, but she can’t leave her nan,” Magnus continued. He was worried about June and her gran. Even with her folks still in town, the lass seemed as worn down as a four-hundred-year-old front stoop. “It would do them both good to come to the zoo. June’s been wanting to see you and wee Savannah too. With her parents leaving the next morn, I don’t think the lass will have time to pop by for a long while.”
Sorcha made a plaintive sound, and Magnus glanced at his watch. It was getting near feeding time. Hoisting the crate, Magnus said to Frida, “It’s time to say goodbye.”
At the sight of the cub being lifted, the elderly bear emitted a sound between a growl and a whine. Magnus ignored the protest. “Don’t fash yourself. I’ll watch over the bairn.”
Frida clawed at the ground beneath the gate. Ignoring the grizzly’s dramatics, Magnus turned from the facility. As he left the building, he peeked under the blanket to check on Sorcha.
“You’re such a peedie thing. I wish I could take you to June’s tea shop myself,” Magnus said as the cub stared back at him with dark eyes framed by fluffy white fur. Her coat ha
d grown thicker, preparing her for life outside the den. Although the hibernating animals emerged in late spring, they entered a world still encased in ice, and they followed the floes north to their hunting grounds.
“Even if you’re built for adventures, we cannot take a risk with you. You’re very important, you know. As tough as you bears are, there’s only a grain of you left, and we don’t want to lose a single one of you.”
Sorcha appeared unimpressed. Magnus dropped the blanket over the carrier as he made the short trip back to the nursery. He lifted the cub from the crate. The wee lassie snuggled into his arms, her powerful jaws opening into an adorable yawn. Her teeth had already started to erupt, foreshadowing the mighty predator she’d become.
“Och, all the visiting has made you wabbit,” Magnus said. Laying the cub down next to Sylvia, he headed over to the counter to mix up the cub’s evening meal. Combining formula with wet cat food, he scooped the contents into a syringe. After carefully measuring the amount so he could record what Sorcha ate, he squirted a little in a dog bowl. As soon as he laid the dish on the ground, the little cub scrambled to her feet and padded across the mats Bowie and Magnus had placed on the floor to give her more traction. Her pink tongue darted out of her black-lipped mouth as she greedily scarfed down the food. Impatient, she licked the end of the syringe, ready for more.
Once the little bairn had her fill, Magnus gave her a bowl of water. Sorcha started to dunk her entire head into the dish. Chuckling, Magnus pulled her back. “Now, lassie, we’ve had a talk about this. You’re not ready for swimming just yet.”
When Sorcha finished drinking, she wandered back over to Sylvia. With another adorable yawn, she flopped down on the capybara. A contented look drifted over the wee bear’s face as her black eyes closed. Aye, she was a cute whalp. Sylvia lifted her head to check on the cub, but soon joined her charge in slumber. Leaving the two animals in peace, Magnus turned to leave. He grabbed the carrier on his way out. As he lugged the crate to the supply closet, an idea hit him like a sudden spray of salt water.
He couldn’t take Sorcha to June’s tea shop, but she wasn’t the only baby animal in residence. He needed to ask Bowie for permission and to make sure the zoo had the right permits, but the idea could work.
* * *
June was about to hand a spiced chai latte to Mrs. Mabel Saunders when a buzz stole over the tea shop. Even Nan noticed the excitement as she straightened in her rocking chair. June’s parents had left the night before, and this was the first time her grandmother would be spending the entire day with June. During the last week and a half, her parents had stayed upstairs with Nan since crowds overwhelmed her. But they’d brought her down to the shop every day to get her accustomed again to the noise and people. Although they’d tried to build up her tolerance by gradually increasing the length of Nan’s stays, June still worried.
She hadn’t mentioned her concerns to her parents, though. They were already feeling guilty about leaving her alone to care for Nan. Although they’d discussed relocating her grandmother to DC, June didn’t like that idea. Sagebrush had become home to Nan over the decades, and she took so much pride in the tea shop. Plus, both of June’s parents worked away from the house. Sure, it would be a struggle for June to watch her grandmother while running two businesses, but it wasn’t impossible… At least that’s what she kept telling herself.
They’d also briefly considered placing Nan in a personal care home either in Sagebrush Flats or in DC, but June had immediately rejected the idea. Poor Nan’s mind was as fuzzy as a freshly picked peach, and living in a strange place would only confuse her more. Although Nan was still nervous, her terrors had lessened since she’d come home from the hospital, and June didn’t want to make any decisions that might cause her grandmother to backslide. If the time came when June couldn’t give Nan the care she needed, then she and her parents would make the necessary call. But not now. Not yet.
Last night, she’d confided her worries to Magnus as they chatted over the phone. In his typical fashion, he hadn’t said much, but what he did add had possessed the poignancy only a writer could deliver. June, your nan lived through the b-b-beginning of the Blitz. That forged a strength of spirit that cannot be daunted.
“Now that isn’t a sight you see every day,” Buck observed, jarring June out of her reverie.
Stanley turned around to wave at June. “You’ve got to see this. Clara too.”
June turned to exchange a look with her nan, before remembering her grandmother wouldn’t understand how to respond to nonverbal communications anymore. Instead, June switched to a smile as she headed over to the rocking chair. “Nan, would you like to take a look?”
“Do I have to?” Nan appeared downright grumpy at the prospect.
“You might enjoy it.” June kept her voice bright. Nan scowled, but she allowed June to help her up. When they reached the large picture window, June gasped in delight. Outside her shop stood three camels. Magnus and Abby sat astride Hank, with Lulubelle and Savannah following behind. Despite the glass separating them, Lulubelle seemed to sense Nan’s approach because she swung her massive head and stared straight at the older woman. June swore the animal gave her grandmother a silly grin as she batted her dark eyelashes. Wondering how her gran would react, June turned her head. Joy shot through her as she spied a smile on Nan’s face.
By the time Magnus had dismounted and helped Abby down, a crowd had gathered. Locals mixed with college students in town for budget ski vacations. With the preteen’s help, Magnus tied the camels to the hitching post June had bought at an antique store and installed in front of her tea shop for some Old West ambience. Although a couple of local ranchers used it for their horses, no one had ever tied camels to it.
Leaving Abby with the camels, Magnus pushed his way through the growing throng, or rather, he moved forward and people immediately stepped back at the sight of his bulk. He opened the door, his eyes focused on June with an intensity that made her shiver.
“Since your nan couldn’t come to the zoo, I’d thought I’d b-b-bring it to her.”
She smiled. “You sure did. How did little Savannah do with the walk?”
“As long as she’s following after her mum, she’s fine,” Magnus said. “Do you think your nan would like to come out and see the p-p-peedie camel?”
June nodded. “Just let me get her coat. It’s a bit brisk outside for her.” She turned to Buck and Stanley. “Can you watch over her while I go upstairs to grab her things?”
The men nodded, and June dashed off and gathered up her grandmother’s warmest peacoat and hat. It wasn’t too terribly cold outside, but Nan chilled easily. As soon as June had the elderly woman suitably bundled, Magnus made his way back into the shop and helped the two of them navigate the crowd. When he’d safely escorted them to the camels, he hurried back into the shop for her grandmother’s rocking chair and favorite blanket.
“Isn’t this awesome!” Abby bounced on her feet. “When Magnus told Dad about his idea, I begged to come. Since it’s Saturday, Dad agreed. You should’ve seen everybody’s faces when we rode through town. I even saw five of my classmates!”
June laughed at the girl’s excitement. “Well, y’all certainly surprised us. Isn’t that right, Nan?”
Her grandmother didn’t answer. Instead, she glanced around the crowd, her eyes large and frightened. Concerned, June gave her hand a reassuring pat. Luckily, Magnus returned with the chair. No sooner had June arranged the throw around Nan than Lulubelle bent her head to greet the elderly woman. Although June worried the huge animal might scare her grandmother, Nan just smiled softly. Lulubelle carefully nuzzled the ninety-year-old as if she understood the older human required gentleness. Savannah followed her mother’s example and started to nose June’s grandmother as well. Magnus tightly held the lead rope in case the little girl became too curious.
The tourists in the crowd pelted Magnus with qu
estions. Where did the camels come from? What was the one-humped species called again? How old was the baby? What were their names?
With her typical enthusiasm, Abby tried to answer, but her voice got drowned out. Magnus did his best to ignore the situation, but June could spy the tension in his shoulders. He detested crowds, and this one had begun to press in on them. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder and bent close to his ear. “Why don’t you try speaking to them?”
The look he sent her could have melted metal. She ignored his bluster. After all, she’d seen behind it. “This would be great for your vlog, darlin’. I’ll start taping. I just have my camera phone, so it will be rough. But that’ll just add to the atmosphere. We could call the episode, ‘Taking the Zoo to the Streets.’”
Magnus looked dubious, and June gave him a little nudge with her shoulder. “It could be fun.”
He snorted. “For you p-p-p-perhaps.”
“Just give it a shot, honey. If you need me to take over, I’m right by your side. I’ve been around the zoo long enough that I’ll be just fine fielding questions.”
“I always stutter in crowds,” Magnus admitted quietly.
“Try doing it on purpose like before. Then you’ll get it over and done with.”
Magnus frowned. She could see the doubt swirling like rain clouds in his blue eyes. She reached down and squeezed his hand. It was her turn to give support.
“You’ve got this, Magnus. I believe in you.”
* * *
June was a modern Mary, Queen of Scots. One look from her grass-green eyes, and the lass could bewitch men. But she had the intelligence of Queen Elizabeth I—a deadly combination to be sure.
Magnus felt her slight hand press against his. Over the past few weeks, he’d become accustomed to her touch. It had become as familiar to him as the smell of gorse mixed with sea and the gentle low of cattle. And it had the same steadying effect.
