by Mayer, Dale
"Or he's decided he likes the way you look and is planning on coming back to meet you in person - at night."
The heat of the peppers combined with her stomach acids and threatened to shoot back up. Sourly, she said, "Thanks for that. As if I didn't have enough to worry about."
"It would be foolish not to consider it. Why else would he have kept the picture?"
"Maybe whoever it was tossed the picture first, thinking to keep the frame and then decided the frame wasn't worth keeping, either. Personally, I like the sound of that option much better." She popped the last of her sandwich into her mouth and washed it down with a large drink of water.
"Naive."
She stiffened. It's one thing for Mosey to talk, but it was another thing for him to speak like an English major.
"What I don't want you to do is talk yourself down so much that you relax about the intruder. If he's a bad ass, then we have to do something to keep you safe. Surely when Stuart comes back you could borrow..." she motioned at the mess of canines lying on the floor, "a dog. Just in case..."
Ninna thought about that, her thoughts brightening. That was a great idea. "I hadn't considered that. I wonder how he'd feel about it?"
"These guys aren't his per se, right? So it would be the same as if you fostered the animals for the center. You'd just be fostering one or two of these dogs."
"Me, pick me." From the corner of her eye, she could see Mosey swinging his big head, his ears slapping up against his head. How did he do that?
"That lab is gentle, but I bet he's a great watchdog. Then that little white dog probably would never shut up. They'd be great together." Jane considered the animals around them, her gaze sharp and assessing.
Ninna shook her head. She had to admit the weekend had opened her eyes to the benefits and maybe joy of having a pet. She just didn't know if she was up to a full time commitment. That was a responsibility she had yet to take on. Even her past relationships had stalled at that same point.
"Of course, it will also keep you nicely connected to Stuart. He looks like a nice man. A slow, steady kind of guy."
Slow? Hell no. Especially not after the morning phone conversation. And she had to admit staying connected sounded pretty damn good. She stayed silent while Jane continued on with her assessment of Stuart.
"He's going to take some time to put the moves on you. You want to be ready when he does."
Heat crept up Ninna's face. She got up to refill her water glass, trying to stop the blush from totally taking over her face. Jane would jump on her in an instant.
"Of course, if you aren't interested, let me know. Because I just might have to mine that ground myself."
Ninna spun around to stare at her friend. Jane could sometimes be so dense as to be unbelievable.
"Ha, gotcha!"
The flush returned tenfold. "Oh you."
"Do you really think I didn't notice how interested you are? Jesus, girl, credit me with some smarts. That's the only reason I stayed to visit the first night - to check out what he was like. Make sure he was good enough for you."
Ninna stared at her over her glass of water. "Really?"
"Really." She grinned. "Admit it. You thought I was putting the moves on him, didn't you?"
Ninna stepped over the lab to flop back on her kitchen chair. "Yeah, kinda."
"Look, when I put the moves on, that guy gets moved my way, if you know what I mean. No. I wanted to make sure he was decent. You've had a rough year. You need to have someone put some fun back in your life. You need to live a little. Now this Stuart, he's got a nice bit of cash, he's decent, single and he looks after his own." She motioned at Tiny still huddled on the table. "You can always tell what a guy is like by checking out how he cares for his animals."
"He does look after them, doesn't he?" Surveying the spotless kitchen, Ninna realized the animals hadn't made much of a mess. Anywhere. What had she been worried about?
"So when will he be back?"
"Maybe tonight. He didn't know exactly when he called this morning."
"Cool. Stay here and you'll be at the right place at the right time." Jane waggled her eyebrows in a way that always made Ninna laugh.
"We're hardly to that stage yet."
"Honey, this stage you can jump into any time. It moves all the rest forward at top speed, too."
Ninna shook her head. "So not happening. I probably will sleep here, because Stuart might not come back tonight. Then I won't worry about the animals."
"Whatever reason you tell yourself is fine with me." Jane smirked, snatched up the paper wrappings from the subs and tossed them into the garbage. "Dishes done. So now what?"
"No idea, you?"
"Let's do a girl's afternoon and go to the mall."
Ninna groaned. "You and your shopping trips. I don't have any money to shop with, remember?"
"You're working now, remember?" Jane sauntered into the living room. "First, though, I'm going to explore." She ran upstairs with several of the dogs running to keep up with her.
Ninna contemplated following, then decided against it. Jane didn't need any encouragement. Instead, she busied herself washing the animals' food dishes and wiping up the table and counters.
Until the scream ripped through the house.
Jane flew down the hallway, her face white, her hands flapping in front of her. "Oh, my God, he's got a snake. There's a damn snake in the house."
Ninna grinned, started to laugh before bending over howling. "You should see your face. It serves you right for snooping. Yes, he's got a snake, but thankfully, the snake has been fed, so I don't have to do the honors."
Jane's gaze widened with horror. "Feed it? Oh, gross!"
"Yeah, I told him I wasn't having anything to do with this house if it meant dropping a live mouse in there."
Jane's face paled even further. "Live mouse? Oh my God. Isn't there a law against that?"
"I doubt it. Snakes are entitled to live, too, you know."
Jane reared back and stared at her. "Is this you speaking?" She shook her head. "There's no way in hell a snake should be given life over a little mouse."
Ninna laughed. "I'm not going to argue that point."
A loud roar of a vehicle sounded. The dogs went crazy. Ninna raised her eyebrows and walked over to the front window. "It's not Stuart." As she approached the front door, it opened in front of her. The dogs swarmed the stranger, overwhelming him with joy.
A tall broad-shouldered man walked in and stopped when he caught sight of the two women. "Uhm, hi?"
"Hi back." Ninna studied the red hair and lanky build and remembered what Stuart had said. "Don't suppose you're Stuart's brother, by any chance?"
His grin flashed, sheer devilment shining across the room. Ninna blinked, while Jane shifted into action. She slid closer. "Hi, I'm Jane."
Male appreciation lit the deep blue eyes. "I'm Ian. Stuart is my older brother. And this is my house."
Jane lit up brighter - if that was possible. Such information was gold to her ears. Ninna stepped forward. "Hi, I'm Ninna. I don't know if Stuart told you, but I'm looking after the animals while he's gone."
Surprise washed over his face. "Then I didn't need to rush over here. We've been playing phone tag all weekend. I was supposed to look after these guys, but wasn't sure I could make it to town."
"And I live just across the street, so it seemed like an easy solution."
"And I live just a couple of blocks away." Jane stepped between them. "Are you a vet, too?"
Ian laughed. "Not likely. I'm in construction. I like these animals just fine, but there's no way I could deal with all the hurt and injured ones." He stepped into the house and reached down to greet each dog. "I like these guys. They've all got a story of some kind to tell."
"In construction? Did you build this house?" Jane wouldn't be sidetracked. She was also busy feasting her eyes on Ian.
Ninna grinned. "I understand from Stuart that he's building a bigger house on acreage close by.
Are you building that house for him?"
Ian grinned. "Yes and yes." He walked down the hallway, spied Tiny on the table and snagged him up for a big hug. "These guys are going to love the new place. Over 8 acres, fenced, with a big yard, runs, and a huge space that will eventually be somewhere Stuart can look after the injured animals. The yard has been specifically designed to maximize the space for Stuart's never ending stream of pets in need, as he calls them. We both own the lot beside his house, so if need be, we can expand."
"Wow." Jane said it softly, her admiration obvious.
"He's got some plans." Ninna wasn't sure it was sensible to build with an idea of expanding. Why not just build the bigger space in the first place. Then again, budgets could only go so far.
"It's got nothing to do with money. Stuart's loaded." Ninna almost answered but caught herself at the last moment. She shot a glare at Mosey, hoping he'd shut up again.
"Not likely. Can't wait to get to the new house. Then we can spend more time outside. It's time for another walk, you know."
"So, does this mean, I'm off the hook then?" Ninna couldn't quell the sense of disappointment. She'd been looking forward to seeing Stuart...and maybe having a quiet evening with him. Ian looked like a lot of fun, but he was almost too dynamic for her tastes.
"No way. If you're here, then I'm free to go to town and enjoy myself."
Jane lit up. "Wow. Sounds like fun. It is Saturday after all."
"It is, and I have tickets to tonight's concert. Wasn't sure I'd be able to make it. Now, however, I'm so going." He grinned. "Can't say thanks enough to you for staying here. I have a place to crash in town, so no need to worry."
Jane's shoulders deflated.
"I have two tickets, if someone wants to come along?" He stared directly at Jane, easily cutting Ninna out of that loop. She hadn't expected the relief at being rejected. Jane, on the other hand, grinned and said, "I do. We can leave Ninna here to look after the animals."
Ninna rolled her eyes. "Sure, leave the babysitter home, while the children go off and play."
Jane was immediately contrite. "I'm sorry. You don't really mind, do you? I know you're a little freaked over that whole intruder thing, but you'll be safe here with the dogs."
"Intruder?" Ian frowned, walking over to the fridge and pouring himself a glass of milk. "I think I remember Stuart mentioning something about a mess of break-ins."
"I called the cops last night."
"And..." Jane filled him in on the picture frame.
Ian leaned back against the sink, his arms folded across his chest, his milk in his hand. "I definitely don't like the sound of that. Please stay here until Stuart gets home. Talk to the police and maybe talk to Stuart about a watchdog. I'm not sure you should be alone after that, either."
"And what am I supposed to about that long term. That's my house. My home. I can't just not go back." Ninna tried to sound reasonable. She wasn't like Ian and Stuart. She didn't have hefty bank accounts to just stay somewhere else.
"Can you beef up your security system? Something that will stop this guy. A good system is a great deterrent." He filled his glass with water and left it in the sink. "Whatever you have there right now obviously isn't enough. It also worries me that this guy entered and left, yet you didn't know. What's the chance he's done it before?"
Shivers raced down her spine. "I have no idea. I don't want to even think about that possibility."
"But you said yourself there'd been a couple of evenings when you wondered if someone was outside. Maybe, someone is stalking you? A peeping Tom?"
"Okay, now you're creeping me out. That's not helping, you know. I can't just stay here with Stuart all the time."
"Still, you might consider that." Ian checked his watch. "So, the concert starts in a couple of hours. I could use a meal before then." He lifted his head, eyed Jane up and down once, and added, "I suppose you're going to need to change?"
Jane widened her eyes. "Hell, yeah. I have wheels parked at her place."
"Why don't we take my truck, we'll go to your place so you can change, then head out for dinner and then the concert. I can drop you off back home afterwards."
The two walked to the front door, so into each other and how to handle the logistics of two sets of wheels, they barely said good bye to Ninna. Within moments, Ian had backed down the driveway and taken off with her best friend.
He was like a heavy north wind. Blew in, picked up what he wanted and blew right back out again. Jane was his perfect match.
Ninna, on the other hand, she was more like a warm summer breeze. She wafted in, checked things out and wafted back and around again. Stuart was more like she was. At least she hoped he was less like his brother.
The phone rang while she served up dinner for the dogs. It must cost him a fortune to feed this many mouths.
"Hi, Stuart."
"Hi, how's the day been, and where are you? Your place or mine?" Instantly that suggestive phrase went through her. For all his brother's debonair devil may care, let's-live-while-we're-young attitude caught Jane's interest, it had left Ninna cold. Stuart, on the other hand, was making her insides melt.
"I'm at your place. Your brother just blew in and blew out with Jane on his arm."
A shocked moment was followed by a bellow of laughter. "That's a perfect description of him. Jane seems his style. "
Ninna walked to the living room and curled up on the couch to visit. "True enough. And where are you?"
"At the airport. With any luck, I'll be home tonight. I'm not counting on it, yet. Not until the plane takes off."
Excitement bounced around her insides. She'd see him tonight. "And if all goes well, what time do you think you'll get here?"
"A couple of hours, three at the most." His voice sharpened, "And, no, I don't want you leaving feeling like you're not needed there."
As she'd been thinking the opposite, she had to laugh. "How'd you know?"
"I think I have a good idea of who you are inside. I'm hoping to see you tonight. They're calling passengers for my flight. I have to go." He hung up. Ninna stared at the phone in her hand. Happy butterflies danced in her stomach.
"Oh brother. Are you going to moon around after him now? It's walk time, you know."
Even the nudge from Mosey didn't detract from the joy in her heart. She might actually have met someone who liked her as much as she liked him. Wouldn't that be great for a change? Checking out the food dishes, she realized all had been emptied already. The lab was apparently happy to lick the last bits from each bowl. She'd take them back to the park, on the other side this time, maybe even pick up a coffee, if there was a baseball game happening and sit outside for an hour or so. She picked up the leashes and the dogs came running.
She could get used to this.
Chapter Six
Ninna fell asleep on the couch, the TV still on and the dogs at her feet around ten. She hadn't intended on it. A noise woke her. She lay still for a moment, trying to reorient herself. Deciding the noise was on the street, she stretched out and contemplated making the shift to her bed upstairs. She had to smile. Tiny had moved over in the evening to curl up on the back of the couch. He looked so cute.
Knowing there couldn't be anything wrong with the dogs so unconcerned, she decided to stay where she was a little longer. The dogs got up and sniffed the doors and wandered around the house. They didn't bark, but disturbed her with their unusual actions.
She got up and checked out the window. As far as she could see, there was nothing outside. The dogs went from one door to the next,sniffing. When they made it to the garage door, the lab and Brie, the boxer, started growling, deep harsh sounds that scared her almost as much as the reason for them did. She pressed her ear against the door but still couldn't hear anything. Mosey curled his lip and the growl ripped out of his throat. Ninna checked that the door was locked before returning to the kitchen. She stayed away from the window just in case someone was watching.
Where was Stuart? He'
d thought he'd be done at this time. She wanted him home now. She hated this. She ran to check the locks and set the security system, something she should have done once Jane and Ian had left. Heart pounding, she whipped through the various checks and then, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. Turning around at the last stop, she realized every dog and cat had followed her on her journey. Now they sat, not a growl or curled lip amongst them.
"Last trip outside, then bed." They all looked up at her, innocence on their faces.
The backyard was in virtual blackness. Finding the light on the inside wall, she clicked on a large spotlight that lit up the bulk of it. The dogs welcomed the chance to sniff around, scattering to find their favourite patches and a last chance to lift a leg. Not one growled or barked. She relaxed slightly until she realized there was no sign of Mosey.
