Rescued Heart

by Georgia Beers

  Just because your parents’ marriage didn’t work doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try…

  This wasn’t news to Lisa, obviously, this uneven line she mentally drew that went from her parents’ divorce to the likelihood of her own. She’d been to therapy…

  Well, okay.

  She’d been “to therapy” three times. When the probing questions grazed nerves and struck sensitive areas, she’d decided she was cured and stopped going. She shook her head as she dug a hole in the middle of the potted dirt for the tomato plant. Admittedly, quitting therapy so easily probably hadn’t been the smartest move of her life. But did it really matter? She was just fine.

  “I am just fine,” she said aloud, as if trying to reassure herself. When she heard her own voice, she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly back and forth.

  But what if…?

  It was a little voice inside her, the one she’d spent years tamping down and wrestling into submission. It was back and it was scratching at her brain now.

  What if what? she thought, with no small amount of anger and stabbed her trowel into the pot of dirt. What if what?

  Suddenly, she stopped what she was doing and glanced up. Peering around, she searched for the source of…that smell.

  That scent.

  That oh-so-familiar aroma…

  Keeler raised his head and studied her, clearly puzzled by her actions.

  She held his gaze and said simply, “Cupcakes.”

  Keeler cocked his furry head to the side, as if trying to understand.

  “Yes,” she said with conviction, even as Keeler’s head swiveled inquisitively to the other side. “I feel like making cupcakes.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  For nearly two weeks, Ashley had thrown herself into every aspect of her life except Junebug Farms. Oh, she didn’t stop going completely; she was a volunteer, after all, and she’d made a commitment she intended to honor. Plus she couldn’t bear to stay away from the dogs for that long. But avoiding Lisa was a matter of prime importance, and she’d done a commendable job. Exhausting, but commendable. It involved crucial timing and lots of darting in and out of doorways or around corners like a spy. But it had worked. Avoidance. As long as she avoided Lisa, she didn’t have to deal with that kiss. Didn’t have to talk about it, didn’t have to explain it, didn’t have to deal with it.

  “If I never bring it up, and I avoid Lisa so she can’t bring it up, then it never happened.” She stared at herself in her rearview mirror as she sat in the parking lot of Junebug Farms and wondered when exactly she’d become such a prime example of insanity. With a groan of frustration, she shoved her way out of the car and headed in, scanning the lot for Lisa’s car as she walked. Relax, she told herself, forcing her attention to the world around her.

  The weather had been beautiful all week, seasonable for mid-June, and Ashley took in a deep breath of outdoor air. That it happened to contain remnants of hay and manure from the horse barn and the field across the street didn’t bother her at all. She loved the country. In fact, one day down the line, she hoped to have a house with some acreage, some space to breathe and walk and enjoy nature. She’d always lived in the city, but she was a country girl at heart.

  Inside was quiet, but that was typical for a Friday in the late afternoon. Ashley waved furtively to Bill Tracey, who absently waved back as he hurried off to fix some mysterious issue, tool belt slung low on his hips and a furrowed-brow expression on his face. She rasped a cautious greeting to Maggie, who would close the gift shop at four, as Friday in the summer was her early night. Hoping for an easy, incognito evening of walking the dogs and not having to deal with a lot of details, Ashley pushed through the doors of the dog wing.

  And collided with Lisa Drakemore.

  She knew who it was before she even saw her face, before she even reached out to maintain her own balance and catch Lisa to keep her from falling. She knew because she could smell her…that intoxicating perfume or lotion or soap. Whatever it was that Lisa used each day, Ashley could smell her, knew if she was nearby, knew if she’d been in the room first. It was disconcerting. And wildly erotic.

  “Sorry,” Ashley said at the same time Lisa said something similar. She didn’t know what it was because every bit of sound seemed to stop—or she’d gone spontaneously deaf—and all she could focus on was Lisa’s mouth.

  Lisa extricated herself from Ashley’s grip, avoided eye contact, and was through the double doors and out into the main part of the building before Ashley could think. Instead, she stood there, a cacophony of barking permeating the air, and wondered what exactly had just happened. It hit her very quickly after that thought: was Lisa avoiding her as well?

  It made perfect sense, didn’t it? Ashley found her clipboard and scanned the list, picked up a leash, all of it second nature by now. What did you think would happen? You kissed her in her aunt’s house in the middle of a work function. Of course, she’s avoiding you. Duh.

  She should do something. Shouldn’t she? It was true they had successfully avoided each other for nearly two weeks, but…was that practical? Could they keep it up? Should they? Ashley supposed she could keep track of Lisa’s work schedule and only sign herself up for times when Lisa wasn’t around, but that could prove to be tricky. Plus, Ashley liked coming in right after she left the bakery, which was generally early afternoon. It worked for her. But it also meant that it was still normal work hours for most people, including Lisa.

  So. She was going to have to apologize.

  With a heavy sigh, she headed down the aisle, weighing in her mind exactly how she’d word things. Two other volunteers were working the dog wing and Ashley nodded and smiled at both as she opened cage twenty-three and clipped the leash on an enormous black Lab who was so happy to see her, he almost knocked her over.

  “Okay, buddy. Okay. Relax.” Across the aisle was a beagle that had been barking nonstop since she arrived. He continued with his baying howl until Ashley turned to look at him. “I’ll take you next, I promise.”

  Junebug Farms had several paths that were used for walking the animals. One led to the barn. One circled around it, wove through the woods for a short stint, then wound back to the main building. One went in the opposite direction of the barn, along the parking lot, past the goat pen and toward the woods on the other side. Ashley liked the path that circled the barn the best because it was a little longer and she got to see the horses and burros as she went by. The Lab was a bit overenthusiastic, but she wound the leash snugly around her hand and held tight and after a few minutes, he eased up, seemed to understand that Ashley was in charge.

  Footsteps on gravel crunched behind her and she turned to meet the glass-framed eyes of Jason Reed. “Hey, Ashley. I thought that was you,” he said as he jogged the last few feet to catch up to her. He wore ripped jeans, work boots, and a little bit too much cologne. In his arms was a bundle of what looked to be plastic poles.

  “What are you up to?” she asked him, gesturing to his load with her eyes.

  “Oh. Agility. I’m helping Jamie set up the course.”

  “And those are for?”

  “These are weave poles. They get lined up and the dogs have to weave through them, one then the other.” He moved his hand sideways, back and forth, like he was indicating the path of a very curvy road.

  “I’ve seen that on TV,” Ashley said with a nod as she stopped to let the Lab sniff a tree. “Very cool.”

  “Yeah, we have a good-sized class tonight.” Jason used a finger to push his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

  Ashley squinted at him. “You out of school already?” She glanced at her watch. “It’s barely three.”

  “I just have finals left,” he said. “I had calculus this morning.”

  “Ugh. Just the word gives me heart palpitations.”

  Jason grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. “Math isn’t your thing?”

  “Numbers hate me,” Ashley said. “The last math class I took was trigonometry, and I
’m lucky I passed. I cried in the classroom on the daily.”

  “I love math.”

  “I’m not surprised.” Ashley smiled at him as they reached the barn. “How’d you do on your test?”

  “I aced it.”

  Ashley barked a laugh at his confidence, then said, “Good for you.” He grinned back at her.

  “Well,” he said as they passed the barn door. “This is my stop.” He gave the Lab a pet on the head and waved at Ashley. “See ya.”

  Ashley watched him go, thinking not for the first time that he was a good kid. Awkward, but a good kid.

  They circled around the barn and were headed back toward the main building when Ashley saw Tammy striding toward her from the parking lot.

  “Hey there,” she said as she met up with them, squatting to give the Lab some love. “I saw you walking with Jason. That boy has such a crush on you.”

  Ashley shrugged. “He’s sweet.”

  “Look at you, a boyfriend and a girlfriend at work. You multitasker, you.” She bumped Ashley with her shoulder to soften the joke.

  “Ha ha. Very funny.”

  “Do you want me to let you know if I see Lisa so you can dive behind a tree or something?”

  “Oh, and she gets even funnier.” Ashley shook her head, but couldn’t help but smile. “No, I’ve had enough of this avoidance thing. It’s exhausting.”

  Tammy nodded her agreement as they approached the back door of the main building. She pulled it open and held it for Ashley and the dog. “You gonna talk to her?”

  “I think I have to. I don’t know what else to do.” She and the Lab stopped in the aisle and Ashley grabbed Tammy’s elbow, suddenly nervous. In a whisper, she asked, “Any advice?”

  Tammy cocked her head and raised her eyebrows. “Yeah. Don’t kiss her.”

  Over an hour went by before Ashley was able to catch more than a glimpse of Lisa, solidifying her suspicion that Lisa was avoiding her. She felt stung. What was that saying? Turnabout is fair play? She reminded herself of this and continued on with her tasks for another ninety minutes before working up the nerve to approach Lisa, sitting behind her desk doing computer work.

  “Hi,” Ashley said softly, aware that she was shifting her weight slowly from one foot to the other, but unable to stop herself.

  “Ashley. What do you need?” Lisa asked the question without looking up and she continued to punch keys on her keyboard. Ashley smothered a sigh of frustration.

  “I need to talk to you. Just for a minute. In private.”

  The keystrokes stopped for a good three seconds before Lisa looked up at her, green eyes guarded.

  “Please,” Ashley added softly.

  Lisa glanced at her watch. “I’m leaving for the day soon. Meet me in the break room in ten minutes.”

  “Okay.” She stood for an awkward few more beats until she realized nothing more was forthcoming. Feeling her face flush hotly, she turned and walked down the aisle, no destination in mind other than “away from Lisa’s desk.” She shook her head in wonder, but was interrupted by Mark before she could think about it.

  “Hey, Ashley. Nice to see you.”

  Because his full-time job was at night, Mark generally volunteered in the mornings, so it was a rare day that he and Ashley ran into each other. They’d met at a volunteer orientation meeting because they’d started the same week, but other than that, they’d been in the building together only a handful of times. Which was too bad because Ashley liked him. “How’ve you been?” she asked as she hugged him. He smelled like spicy aftershave.

  “I’m great. You? How’s the bakery?”

  “It’s good. Busy. Very busy.”

  “Wedding season, right?” His brown eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled. His dark hair was super short and he had a habit of running his hand over the top of his head when he spoke.

  “Exactly. Then the Fourth.”

  “They keep you on your toes, don’t they?”

  “You know it. How are the kids?”

  They fell into conversation for several more minutes, Mark filling her in on a couple of new dogs that had been brought in that morning. Abuse cases.

  “God, I’m glad I wasn’t here,” Ashley said with a shake of her head. “Those cases just break my heart.”

  “I know,” Mark said. “I just don’t understand what kind of person beats on a dog that weighs ten pounds. Luckily, they’re both in okay shape and will recover. Hopefully, they’ll find homes.”

  “Fingers crossed,” Ashley agreed, then noticed the clock on the wall behind Mark’s head. “Shit.”

  “What?” Mark looked over his shoulder, lost.

  “Nothing. Just me being me,” she said with disgusted self-deprecation as she stepped around him. Clapping him on the shoulder, she said, “So good to see you, Mark. Take care.” She hustled off at a near-run. She was supposed to have been in the lounge to meet Lisa almost ten minutes ago. “Story of my life,” she muttered as she pushed through the door, fully expecting to not see Lisa waiting.

  She was wrong.

  “I know. I know,” Ashley blurted the second her eyes fell on Lisa, who was waiting in front of the Keurig, watching her coffee trickle into her travel mug. The scent of hazelnut filled the air of the lounge. “I’m sorry.”

  Lisa doctored her coffee as Ashley watched. A generous serving of half-and-half from a container in the fridge (interestingly, not the fake creamer that everybody else used). No sugar. She stirred it with a spoon and took a tentative sip and only then did she look up at Ashley and raise her eyebrows expectantly.

  “Oh. Right.” Ashley cleared her throat and walked the rest of the way into the room. She pulled out one of the four chairs around the round table in the center of the room and gestured to it. “Sit. Please.”

  Lisa studied her for a moment, then surprised her by doing as she was asked.

  Ashley took a seat in the chair across from her. Folding her hands, she set them on the table in front of her and blew out a breath. “So…”

  Lisa watched her with those eyes, and Ashley did her best not to squirm like a guilty criminal in the interrogation room on Law & Order. She was pretty sure she failed miserably.

  They sat looking at each other for what felt like ages. Ashley had rehearsed her apology in her head a dozen times in many different forms.

  I’m so sorry I kissed you.

  I had no right to put you in that situation.

  That kiss was out of line and inexcusable, not to mention inappropriate.

  I would totally understand if you want me to resign, but I’d really like to stay.

  I am terribly embarrassed and so incredibly sorry.

  “So,” she repeated.

  “You said that already.” Lisa sipped her coffee.

  “Yes. I did.” Ashley scratched the back of her head, looked off to her left. “I guess I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

  “For?”

  Ashley gaped at her. Really? She was going to make her say it? Wow. That was cold. Okay, I got this. “For kissing you.”

  “For kissing me.”

  “Yes.”

  “At the picnic.”

  Ashley arched an eyebrow. “Yes. At the picnic.” Had they kissed elsewhere and Ashley had forgotten?

  Lisa was quiet for a moment. A long one. She sipped again and this time when she looked up at Ashley, there was something else in her eyes, something Ashley couldn’t quite define, but she’d seen before. Lisa gave a slow nod and stood up. Ashley slid her chair back and rose to her feet.

  “Okay,” Lisa said quietly.

  Ashley waited for her to say more, but nothing followed, so she gave a nod of her own and echoed Lisa. “Okay.” Uncertain what more she could do, she turned and walked toward the closed lounge door.

  “Wait.” Lisa’s voice stopped her in her tracks and when she turned to look at her, Lisa was walking toward her. This time, that something in her eyes was easy to define. Obvious. Blatant.

  De
sire.

  As Lisa rapidly approached, Ashley backed up until she hit the door with a soft “oof.” And then Lisa was right there, right in her personal space and before Ashley could utter a word, Lisa’s mouth came down on hers. No preamble. No warm-up. Just a kiss. A deep, hot, wet, thorough kiss with lips and tongues and—oh, my God, Ashley was sure her legs were going to just fold beneath her and drop her on the floor like a sack of flour. To prevent that, she grabbed the front of Lisa’s shirt and held on as the kiss took everything from her. Her willpower, her control, all coherent thought. Gone. There was nothing but Lisa’s mouth. And what Lisa’s mouth was doing to her mouth.

  And just like that, it was over. Ashley blinked her eyes open, stunned by the sudden absence of Lisa’s lips on hers. Lisa’s green eyes were dark, gorgeous, as they focused on Ashley’s. Her warm hands closed over Ashley’s shoulders and gently moved her away from the door, as if they were doing a dance step. Then she swiped a fingertip along the corner of her own mouth in a move that was somehow ridiculously sexy, leaned close to Ashley, and said on a whisper, “I accept your apology.”

  And then she was gone, the only signs that she was ever there in the first place being her mug on the table and the sexy aftershocks rumbling through Ashley’s body.

  Hand out, as if she were blind, Ashley made her way back to the table and plopped down into a chair before her knees gave out completely. Lifting a shaky hand to her swollen lips, she realized with shocking clarity that her life had become so much more complicated than it had been five minutes ago.

  ***

  “You okay?” Carly asked as she took a bite of her burger.

  Ashley glanced up from her barely-touched food. “What?”

  “I asked if you’re okay. You’ve been really quiet tonight.” Carly dunked a French fry in the huge puddle of ketchup she’d squirted onto her tray and then popped it into her mouth. Her eyes stayed on Ashley the whole time, and Ashley was sure she could feel them boring into her skin, making her feel squirmy and uncomfortable.