Bedmates

by Nichole Chase

  “I guess I’ll go now. Just need to let Trina know.” I drank the rest of my water and put the cup in the bin. “I’ve already got my tools packed up.”

  “Let me clean up my stuff. We can take my truck.” He stood up with a grimace.

  “What?” I looked at him as if he was crazy.

  “You need help.” He shrugged. “I’ll help.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” I shook my head a little too hard and my ponytail whipped me in the eye. I grimaced and blinked back tears. “Ow!”

  “Here.” Jake pressed something to my eye. “It’s no big deal. This is what friends do, right?”

  “You’re still on probation,” I snapped and batted away his hand. That’s when I realized he had lifted his shirt to wipe away my tears, exposing a wide expanse of well-muscled abdomen.

  “Then I still need to work it off.” He smiled at me and my frown deepened.

  I had to stop doing stupid things around Jake Simmon. In fact I just needed to not be around Jake Simmon. Looking at him made my brain leak out my ears. Talking to him left me equally amused and tongue-tied. I couldn’t think straight around the man and he was busy chasing tail all over D.C. Yes, the last thing I needed was to spend more time with Jake while he tried to be my friend. It just muddied the waters.

  “No, no, no. I’m fine.” I waved my hands to emphasize my point as if all the no’s hadn’t made it clear.

  He reached toward my face again with his shirt. “Stop swatting at me or you’re going to get more dirt in your eyes. Be still, Madeline.”

  I froze when he used my whole name. It was rare for anyone to use my full name and when he did, something odd happened in my stomach. He dabbed at my face while I tried to ignore the way my blood pressure rocketed with his proximity.

  “Now, ten minutes and I’ll be back. Then we’ll go feed the puppies and whatever.” He moved off toward a toolbox leaving the “whatever” to hang in the air.

  There were so many fine things I could think of to fill in that whatever. That was the whole problem. It was more than a problem; it was a red hot mess. I needed Jake’s help, but I didn’t need Jake’s help. With him lurking around I’d likely stab myself with medicine meant for a dog. That was the definition of a problem.

  Trina took a second from her paperwork to wave me off before yelling at someone about the cost of lumber. I checked my phone, but still hadn’t heard back from Phoebe. My security detail for the day was waiting for me to decide what to do when Jake caught me.

  His warm hand grasped my shoulder in a friendly grip and steered me to his truck. He put his tools in the back before opening the passenger door for me. He climbed into the driver seat and turned the key before fiddling with the air-conditioner. Cool air blasted from the vents and I sighed in relief. It had been hot and muggy today.

  “Where are we going?” he asked as he put the truck in drive.

  I gave him the address and rubbed at my face. I was hot, tired, and in dire need of a good bath.

  “I’ve got some bottled water in the cooler in the back.” Jake pulled out from the worksite. Our familiar black sedan escort right behind us.

  I looked in the back row and found a bright orange cooler filled with cool bottles of water. I snagged two before turning back around in my seat just in time to see his eyes running over my ass. My cheeks heated and I took a breath. That was exactly the problem with spending time with Jake. If he didn’t seem interested in turn it would be much easier to shake off this crush I seemed to have developed.

  “Here you go.” I handed him a bottle before opening mine.

  “Thanks.” He smiled, obviously not bothered that I’d caught him looking, and untwisted the top of his drink.

  “I guess I should be thanking you.” I frowned and took another drink of my water. “I was figuring that I would have to muck stalls by myself.”

  “Muck stalls. Yeah, not fun by yourself.” His nose wrinkled. “Not fun no matter how you look at it really.”

  “Oh yeah. There are eighteen dog kennels, six dog runs, and several cats.” Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have some help. Especially if it meant Jake had to roll around in dog poop. “Of course, they also take reptiles.”

  “Reptiles?” He jerked his eyes in my direction.

  “Yeah, people abandon them. Flora takes them in and tries to find them homes. It’s better than people just letting them go in the wild. Most of them aren’t adapted to survive here.” I shrugged. “And we don’t want them to run wild. They could take over and run out the native species. This is a good alternative for people.”

  “Or, they could just not buy them.” Jake shook his head.

  I shrugged. “Kids want different things.”

  Reptiles didn’t really bother me, but not everyone appreciated them—or how much work they required.

  Feeling like I needed to fill the silence I reached for the radio. Mumford and Sons coursed through the car and I looked at Jake in surprise.

  “This is what you listen to?”

  He shrugged. “I like it.”

  “I would have had you pegged as a country music listener.” I leaned back in my seat and watched as the streets flew past.

  “I like a little bit of everything.” He smiled at me before looking back at the roads. “Just depends on my mood.”

  “And what sort of mood requires Mumford and Sons?”

  “I was feeling a little homesick.” He shrugged.

  “Virginia?” I asked.

  “Yeah. D.C. has some amazing things, but I miss the open space. Sometimes the city feels claustrophobic.” He rolled his shoulders as if the city was pressing down on them right this moment.

  “I can understand that.” I nodded my head. I missed my real home too. “We have these lives here in the capitol that are so in your face, you know? The last time I went back to Colorado I felt like I’d entered an entirely different world.”

  “Exactly.” He lifted his water bottle. “The Mumfords just ease the tension a bit.”

  I watched him as we drove and wondered when was the last time he’d gotten to go home and relax. It had been over a year since I’d been back to Colorado. The thought made my chest hurt. I couldn’t think of home without associating it with my mother.

  “I wonder if the weather has changed there, yet.” I rubbed at the dirt caked on my fingers.

  “I bet it would be cooler than here,” he said.

  “True.” I frowned. “I should go visit soon. Take some flowers for my mom.”

  “You still do that?”

  “Not as often as I should.” Guilt lodged in my throat and I had to fight to swallow it down.

  “You know, she wouldn’t care about that.” He reached over and squeezed my hand before moving back to the steering wheel.

  “Thanks.” His touch had been so sweet and gentle. “I think the act is more for those of us still here. So we don’t feel like we’re forgetting.”

  He nodded his head but didn’t say anything. I wondered how many graves he had put flowers on. Part of me wanted to dig up information on his time in the Marines and on the accident. The rest of me said that was wrong for a lot of reasons.

  We didn’t speak the rest of the drive and I let myself relax. I must have dozed off listening to the music because it wasn’t until Jake shook my shoulder that I realized we were at the shelter.

  “Are you sure you want to do this? You look exhausted.” His concerned face hovered close to mine and I blinked furiously.

  “What?” I sat up straight and rubbed at my face. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t know how to stop, do you?” He reached out and brushed some of the hair off my face. “You’ll run yourself into the ground at the pace you’ve set.”

  “Look who’s talking,” I grumbled. No one had ever accused me of being pleasant when waking up. “Why are you so close to my face?”

  “Thought I might have to kiss Sleeping Beauty awake.” He sat back and smiled so big I could see all of his t
eeth.

  “By your own admission, I’m no Sleeping Beauty. I look exhausted, remember? You can save your kisses.” I felt discombobulated when he flirted with me and I resorted to being snippy. “I’m sorry. You’re helping me and I’m being grumpy. Ignore me.”

  “Oh, I do.” He chuckled as he climbed out of the truck. “And even tired and grumpy, you’re still a beauty.”

  I didn’t know what to say to that. My skin ran hot at his comment and I wondered why just a few words from Jake could get me hot and bothered so fast. His casual comments tended to knock me off my feet. With a sigh I opened my door and hopped out, stretching my arms behind my back.

  “Maddie!” Flora ran out the front door, Puz the dog on her heels. “Thank goodness. The new volunteers are hopeless. One of them fed the dogs some cat food and I had to send them back to take the food away.”

  “I bet that went well.” I shook my head. “Flora, this is Jake Simmon. He offered to lend a hand.”

  “We’ll take it.” Flora pushed her cat-eye glasses up on her nose and shook Jake’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Jake.”

  “Happy to help.” Jake looked down at where Puz was sniffing at his pants. “I guess I’m not the only one missing a leg.”

  Puz was a poodle mix that had lost his hind leg in a car accident. He’d been such a mess the technicians had started calling him Puzzle. After the dust had settled and he’d lost his leg, the name had stuck. It had seemed appropriate considering that he was missing a piece.

  “Oh, we get a bunch of animals with missing appendages, but Puz hasn’t found his forever home.” Flora smiled down at the dog. “Sit, Puz.”

  The shaggy poodle mix sat down next to Jake and cocked his head at Flora. Puz was a medium-sized dog with nothing remarkable about his appearance except for his big eyes and friendly personality. The fact that he had taken to Jake didn’t surprise me. Flora trained service dogs and Puz had benefited from his time at her house.

  “Are you looking for a dog, Jake?” Flora smiled up at him. She’d been in the game too long to look hopeful, but I could see the wheels turning in her head.

  “Nah. I don’t have much time for a dog.” Jake shook his head. “Wouldn’t be fair to them.”

  “You’d be surprised how they make room in your life,” Flora explained. “Well, if you ever do decide to get a dog you should considering adopting.”

  “Absolutely,” he agreed.

  “I’ve got to get back to the shed. We lost a lot of supplies and I’m going to have to make a trip to the bulk store.” Flora patted her graying hair and sighed dramatically. “I’m just glad it was mainly food and not medicine that we lost. Those are locked up inside.”

  Flora fluttered back to the door with us on her heels. “Thirteen, seven, and six need insulin. Twenty needs antibiotics. Oh! And there are two cats with urinary infections. Thanks for helping, Maddie. I just can’t trust the new people with this stuff.”

  “It’s no problem,” I said.

  “I mean, they can’t even get the food right!” Flora grabbed a clipboard and shoved it in my direction. “I’ve got the outside dog runs taken care of, but the cages all need a good clean.”

  “No worries, Flora. We’ll take care of this.” I turned the frazzled woman toward the back door. “Go keep an eye on the new kids. I’ll take care of the stuff in here.”

  “C’mon Puz. Let’s see what they’re doing now.” Flora started toward the door, but Puz didn’t follow. She looked back at where the dog sat next to Jake and frowned before looking back to Jake. “Okay, fine. Stay here. Just means I won’t have to give you a bath tonight.”

  I looked down to where Puz leaned against Jake’s leg and then up to the man next to me. His face was calm, almost serene, so I wasn’t sure why Puz was behaving as if Jake was suffering from some sort of attack. Maybe the dog just took an instant liking to Jake. Maybe Jake was just one of those people that animals took to.

  “I’ll keep an eye on him, Flora.” I waved at the woman. “Go, before they order something stupid.”

  “You’re right. There’s no telling what they think cats should eat.”

  Once she was gone I gave Jake some jobs to do and went about administering the medicine listed on the clipboard and giving each of the animals a good once-over to make sure they weren’t having any problems the vet needed to be called in for. All the time, I kept a sneaky eye on Jake and Puz. The dog followed him everywhere, never letting the man leave his sight.

  As we went about the chores I mulled over what that meant. Puz could be sensing Jake’s homesickness, but his response was rather intense. Of course, Puz wasn’t a fully trained therapy dog. He’d just picked up some of the training while at Flora’s.

  Maybe Puz just liked Jake. It wouldn’t be the first time a dog had picked their human instead of the other way around. In fact, it usually worked best that way. With that thought in mind I went back to my work.

  “That’s pretty good.” Jake’s deep voice drew my attention to the back of the building. When I heard a thump and loud laugh I got up to investigate. Surely he hadn’t decided to seduce some volunteer.

  That would be a big kick in the shins. Especially since I’d been so impressed by the way he’d dove into those kennels without blinking.

  “No, don’t do that. C’mon,” Jake said. His voice was happy and I hesitated. Did I really want to see him with some girl I’d have to work with another day? “Stop licking me.”

  I frowned.

  “I said to stop.” His voice got stern and then softened. “Okay, okay. I need a bath anyway.”

  “What the hell are you doing?” I rounded the corner to see him sitting on the floor and wrestling with Puz. “Oh.”

  “What’s wrong?” Jake looked up at me and Puz mimicked him. “Are you okay?”

  “Uh. Yeah. Sorry. I, uh, didn’t know what you were doing.” I rubbed my hands on my pants.

  “So you said.” Jake ruffled the fur on Puz’s head. “This guy wanted some attention.”

  “Puz is pretty awesome and seems to really like you.” I leaned against the concrete wall.

  “He’s okay.” Jake shrugged in that way guys had when they agreed with you but didn’t want to admit it.

  “Do you have dogs back in Virginia?”

  “Some of the horse trainers do, but we never had a house dog. We were gone too much for that.” Jake held Puz still so he could look in his eyes before flipping up his gums to look at his teeth. Puz wagged his tail through the inspection. “Has a bit of an underbite.”

  “That happens from time to time.” I rolled my eyes. “Lots of people pay big bucks for dogs bred to have underbites.”

  “I didn’t say it was bad. Just an observation.” Jake shook his head.

  “Why don’t you take him home?”

  “I can’t take care of a dog. My backyard is barely five feet across.” He scratched behind Puz’s ear. “And I’m gone all the time.”

  “You could do a trial period. If it doesn’t work, then you can bring him back.”

  “That would make me feel like an ass.” He shook his head. “Better to let him stay so a family will find him.”

  “Well, if you change your mind let me know.” I didn’t bother to hide my disappointment. Puz was a great dog but I knew people were put off by the potential health issues he would deal with in old age.

  “Why don’t you take him?” Jake looked up at me and I noticed the way he draped his hand around Puz’s neck.

  “Abigail is allergic.” I shrugged. There had been a time when I’d resented that, but the woman couldn’t help having allergies. “I don’t have my own place yet, so no pets.”

  Jake stood up carefully, his face tightening as he put his weight on his prosthetic.

  “Does it still bother you?” I nodded at his leg.

  “Sometimes.” He rubbed at his knee.

  “Like after a long day of construction work and cleaning dog kennels?” I squashed the automatic guilt. He had insisted on
coming. It wasn’t like I’d asked him.

  “That’s about right.” He rolled his head back and forth on his shoulder. “Nothing a hot shower won’t help.”

  “Flora’s already gone. Let me lock up.” I headed for the front desk. It was dark outside which meant we’d been working for hours.

  I made some notes and taped the paper to the computer monitor so it wouldn’t be missed. I was worried about one of the cats but it wasn’t anything that needed immediate attention. There were a few forms to sign and I gathered up some paperwork on Puz. It wouldn’t hurt to send it home with Jake. My gut said that they were a perfect match and it had nothing to do with their missing legs.

  “Take these.” I slid the papers across the counter to Jake while I totaled the credit card slips from adoptions that had happened earlier in the day.

  “Puzzle?”

  I glanced at him quickly before going back to my work. “Yeah, Puz. Those are the forms you’ll need if you decide you want to take him home.”

  “I told you I didn’t have the time for a dog.” I noticed he was looking through the paperwork, no matter what he said. “Why did they name him Puzzle?”

  “Because he’s missing a piece.” I shrugged without looking up. I tucked a paper clip on the credit slips and shoved the bunch in the slot on the safe.

  “Poor dog.” Jake chuckled. “Tell them you’re more than the sum of your parts, Puz.”

  He reached down and scratched the dog under the chin.

  “Oh, he has everyone eating out of his hand.” I cocked my head to the side and smiled brightly. “If you aren’t going to take him home, will you put him in his pen?”

  “I thought he lived with Flora.” Jake frowned.

  “Only until he was healthy enough for adoption. Puz is a perfect little guy and ready for a home. So he stays here with the others. Flora spends a lot of time training service dogs and just can’t handle any more mouths at home.” I tossed the key for the cage at Jake. He caught it with his right hand. “He’s in number eight.”

  “C’mon, Puz.” Jake started to walk down the aisle of kennels with the dog on his heels.