by Judi Fennell
“We should take them to the animal shelter.”
“Again, not we. You.” She held out the box. The one with the live, defenseless baby animals inside. “You live here after all. Wasn’t that what you were saying earlier?”
Only Mac could make the correlation of living in the house with having to take care of stray pets. And they shouldn’t even be called pets, since they could barely open their eyes. He wasn’t someone’s parent for God’s sake, and with the lack of pointers from his own, he shouldn’t be.
He leaned away from the hat box. “We need to get them out of here.”
She lifted the box a little closer. “At the risk of repeating myself, Jared, there is no we. There’s you. So be my guest. Go drop them off at the shelter where they may or may not be adopted. A two-foot-square wire cage and getting separated from their siblings does beat hanging out together and having free reign of a nice old house, don’t you think?”
He wasn’t going to cave to her reverse psychology. “If you want them so much, why don’t you take them?’
“I have to work for a living. Here, as a matter of fact. I don’t have time. You, on the other hand, live here. You sit here. Aside from the occasional game of catch, you have nothing to do but rest and recuperate. Surely you can handle taking care of four tiny kittens.”
Yup, she had watched him and Chase.
He shook his head. Not what he needed to be focused on right now.
Kittens.
Here.
His.
He’d love to tell her he couldn’t do it, but, number one, he never admitted defeat, not even when it was staring at him through the windshield of a Ford F-150 pickup with his girlfriend’s lover sitting inside it, and number two was . . . He forgot what number two was because Mac was looking up at him with such hope in her eyes that it could make him say yes, and he had a feeling it just might.
“What am I supposed to feed them? It’s not like I have cat food sitting around.” He wasn’t saying yes.
“You need kitten food, and if I’m not mistaken, kitten formula. These little guys need to be bottle-fed. Probably need help going to the bathroom, too.”
“Hold on there, Princess. Bottle-fed? Are you out of your mind? I’ve never held a bottle in my life. And as for the bathroom thing, you can forget that.” It’d been humiliating when he’d had to have help in the hospital; no way was he dealing with anything having to do with that.
She grabbed his hand and placed a kitten into it, then curled his fingers gently around the soft fur.
“First time for everything, Jared. You weren’t born knowing how to throw a ball, right? So you had to learn. Might as well learn this.” She stuck the hatbox on her hip and rested her left wrist on the rim, three kittens poking their noses up over it. “I’ll look for something we can use as a litter box. You pick the location.”
He was not saying yes to this. “What about the basement?”
“These little guys can barely see. Do you really want them to have to navigate old worn stairs that lead to a stone floor? One wrong step and it’s bye-bye kitty.”
He hated that she was right.
He hated it even more that he was actually going to do this.
He’d always wanted a pet. But with his mother horrified at the prospect and Dad wanting him to focus on his training, pets had been scratched from his Christmas list every year. The betta fish he’d won at a Fourth of July carnival one year hadn’t made up for it, and with the time he had on his hands now, it’d be the perfect opportunity to get one. Or four, as the case may be.
“Fine. I can always put it in the laundry room.”
“Exactly.” She handed him another kitten. “Now you have to take them to the vet.”
“The vet? I have to fork out money for these things?”
“I’m sure a vet bill or two won’t break you. I hear pro ball players earn a decent living these days.”
That was if one was playing the game. Luckily though, his agent had earned his commission with the injury clause he’d negotiated for Jared, so money wasn’t added to the list of Jared’s worries.
Mac plopped another kitten onto his shoulder.
“What are you doing?”
The imp actually looked like she was trying not to laugh. “I’m letting them get used to your scent. Animals, cats especially, are very scent-oriented. They have glands in their cheeks and forehead that they rub against humans to mark them. Might as well start now and get the bonding process going.”
“Bonding?”
“Yes, imprinting. So they know you’re their mother.”
“I am not their mother.”
“But you are, since you’re going to be feeding them.”
Uh, maybe this wasn’t the best idea . . . “Can’t you do it, Mac? You seem to have a greater affinity for these things than I do.”
She lifted the last one from the box and rubbed her cheek against its face. “Awww, what’s the matter, Jared? Little kittens can knock you off your game? I’ve seen you pull out a grand slam in the ninth inning with two outs and an oh-and-two count. Keeping four kittens alive isn’t nearly as much pressure.”
“You saw that game?” It’d been one of the best moments of his life. When the ball had come at him, he’d known it’d go long even before he’d connected. And then, the feeling of running the bases with the win on his shoulders . . .
God, he missed the game.
“Of course I saw it. Gran always puts your games on. She and Mildred are glued to the TV when you play. They could be sports commentators.”
“Your grandmother follows baseball?”
“Why is that surprising? Why wouldn’t she? She’s friends with your grandmother, after all.”
True. Grandma was his biggest fan. Surprising that his parents weren’t, but then, he’d stopped trying to figure out his parents’ attitude toward him years ago. He didn’t get why they were so apathetic about his career when they’d put so much into it, but he’d given up expecting them to watch him play before the end of his first season.
But Mac watching him play? He had to wonder why if she was over him.
Oh for fuck’s sake, Nolan. Get over it already. Half the nation saw that play.
“Okay. Fine. I’ll do it.”
“I knew you wouldn’t let them down.” She took the kittens from him and put them back in the box, then looked around the room. “So I’m guessing you can’t drive.”
He swung his braced leg. “Good observation.”
She tapped the black one’s nose and picked up the lid she found beneath the rocking chair. “To finish my thought . . . Since you can’t drive, I guess I’ll have to.”
“Hey, don’t do me any favors.”
“Really?” She arched her eyebrow. “And you’re planning to, what? Ride your broomstick to the vet? Crutch your way there with a hat box balanced on your head? Send out a tweet asking some local fans to drive you?”
He shuddered. That last one was a nightmare waiting to happen. “Fine. You can take me.”
“No, you can go with me, since I’m the one doing you a favor.”
Jared had to wrap his brain around that logic. That was like her not telling him how to do his job.
She hiked the hat box higher on her hip and stepped over the mannequin that had started this. “We should go now. I don’t know how long they’ve been without their mom, and with animals this young, every minute counts.”
Being around Mac, Jared had the same feeling.
Chapter Six
WHAT had she done?
Mac was sitting in the close confines of the beat-up old truck that’d been her first major purchase after she’d gotten the business license. It was the perfect size for her, one of those scaled-down pickups, but with Jared in it . . . The thing was too small. Too confined.
Good
thing she hadn’t driven Bryan’s Maserati. It’d been his bet in the poker game, and while it might be a cool ride, it was even smaller inside than this.
A tour bus would be too small with Jared in it.
“Wow, Mac. Where’d you find this thing—in a kid’s meal at a fast-food joint? Carmel corn box?” Jared’s leg was at an awkward angle and when he pulled the seat belt across his chest, it was an inch shy of making it to the lock mechanism. “This isn’t going to work.” He yanked it. “I don’t get in a car without a seat belt.”
“Move the seat back. Then it should reach.”
“If I were a pretzel I could move the seat back.”
She exhaled and bent down to do the honors. Thank God the latch was on this side of his seat so she didn’t have to crawl across his lap—
She yanked the latch.
The seat flew back with a screech.
Jared braced himself with a hand on the ceiling and the other on the back of her seat. “First time?”
She shrugged, not willing to admit she’d been rattled. By his nearness or the screech, it was anyone’s guess and she wasn’t so sure she wanted to. “I don’t get many passengers, and having that seat up close works for me when I put stuff there.”
He pulled the seat belt back across him and this time it buckled. “Here’s hoping the airbags still work.”
“I’m driving to the vet, Mr. Crankypants, not on the autobahn. You’ll be fine.”
“Uh huh.” He adjusted his leg once more, then pulled the hat box from the dashboard onto his lap. “How far is it?”
“A few miles.” She put the truck in gear and backed out of Mildred’s driveway, being careful to check both ways before pulling onto the street because she understood his trepidation. He’d been injured in a car accident; he had every right to be leery about riding in one. She herself was always extra careful on the road, having firsthand knowledge of how much an accident could impact lives. Looked like she and Jared had something in common.
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t want to have anything in common with him. She was still so embarrassed about following him around all those years. He’d known and so had her brothers. Her friends had teased her, everyone thinking her “little crush” was “cute.”
“So how’d you come to start a maid service, Mac?” Jared asked, nudging the lid of the hat box back in place when the kittens poked their noses out.
“I needed money for college, and it was something I could do on my schedule. Plus it was a lot more lucrative than working at a fast-food restaurant.”
“What’d you go to college for?”
“A good education?” Not an MRS degree like he’d probably assumed, since he always seemed to think the worst about her.
“I meant, what did you study?”
“Oh.” Damn. She thought she was beyond feeling like an idiot around him. It’d been a perpetual state for her whenever he’d deigned to smile at her all those years. Which had been rare. “Business administration. I’d gone for English, but realized I’d be closer to making a living wage in fast food. And once I had a few regular cleaning clients, I saw that I could actually make a business out of this. I have four women working for me at the moment, and business is good. With my brothers helping out—even though they’re temporary—I’m hoping word of mouth will grow the client base even more.”
“So you’re using your brothers for publicity?”
Why he sounded surprised, she didn’t know. He had endorsement deals; he knew the value of celebrity. “I’m certainly not using them as long-term employees. I’m surprised Bryan could commit to a full month as it is. And Liam and Sean have their own things going on, but, yeah, I’ll take what I can get. Guys in maid outfits are a good draw.”
“So what about me? Are you planning to use me to get your name out?”
“Why would I use you?”
He raised his eyebrows. “In case it’s escaped your notice, I do tend to make the news every now and then.”
She’d noticed. Way too many times. “But you’re not one of my employees. I’m building my business on my business, not capitalizing on my clients’ names. And you’re not even my client. I’m not going to violate Mildred’s privacy by running your name through the media.”
Jared opened his mouth, then shut it.
“What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
Oh it was something. She could see it in the way he was staring at her, and it made her uncomfortable.
In two different ways.
Dammit. She hated that she was still attracted to him.
She really didn’t want to be. Didn’t want to notice him. And she certainly didn’t want him looking at her that way. In any way. She was not going to make a fool out of herself over him again. She’d grown up, knew what she wanted out of life. And it wasn’t to play second fiddle to the man she ended up with. And that’s what she’d be with Jared.
Oh, not the celebrity thing. It was a given that any woman with him would have to take a backseat to the PR machine. No, it was the fact that, by virtue of the feelings she’d worn on her sleeve all those years, he’d had all the power in their relationship. She’d been head-over-heels for him while he . . . He’d probably wanted to toss her head-over-heels. The way he’d looked at her that night she’d begged him to kiss her was a perfect example.
Mac shook the memory away before the tears stinging the back of her eyes decided to put in an appearance. At least Jared hadn’t led her on; that was a point in his favor. But she took two off for the callous way he’d turned her down.
She pulled into Dr. Bingham’s parking lot, glad to see only a few cars. Good, there wouldn’t be a long wait. She had to get busy on Mildred’s house. It needed more work than she or Mildred had thought, and since she was doing this for free, she didn’t want her bottom line to suffer. She was working this in around other clients, so that’d be less time to think about Jared. All bonuses.
“I’ll drop you at the front door, Jared, and bring the kittens with me after I park.”
“Just park the truck, Mac. I don’t need to get dropped off like an invalid.”
The anger in his voice surprised her—enough to the point that she did what he said without arguing.
She grabbed the hat box quickly, and got out of the truck without making a big production out of it.
Unfortunately, Jared Nolan in the vet’s office with a box of kittens turned out to be a very big production.
The minute he walked in, everyone knew who he was. And, seriously . . . put a hot, injured baseball player—who was single—with a box of kittens in a small office in his hometown, and it became an event. Every kid in the place wanted his autograph—which he gave out sincerely—and every woman wanted him, period. Thankfully, he didn’t act on that while she was standing next to him, but she saw the pieces of paper that presumably had phone numbers make their way into the back pocket of his shorts.
“Mr. Nolan?” The receptionist’s cocked head and soft smile were pure come-on. “Dr. Bingham will see you now.”
Mac saw the stars shining in the woman’s eyes and rolled her own. “All righty then, Jared.” She put the box of kittens on the reception desk. “I’ll be back to get you in a bit.”
“Mac.” Jared’s voice was low.
“Yes?”
“Could you . . . That is, would you mind coming back with me? In case I don’t catch everything the doc says. I’ve never done this before.”
She might have enjoyed this bit of unexpected insecurity from him if half the waiting room weren’t watching them.
And he knew it, too, and was using it. She’d look like a real piece of work if she left him here. Poor Jared Nolan, injured with a hat box full of kittens, left to his own defenses by the maid.
That wouldn’t play well in the press, and press
was what she needed right now. There might not be such a thing as bad press for someone of Jared’s celebrity, but for someone trying to build a business on word of mouth, one bad phrase could sink her reputation.
Plus, much as she hated to admit it, she felt sorry for him. It had to suck being at other people’s mercy when he’d been used to doing everything himself, and doing it well.
“Fine.” She picked up the box. “Let’s go.”
The receptionist stepped out from behind the desk and led them down the hallway. “Let me know if there’s anything you need,” the woman said to Jared as if Mac weren’t walking between the two of them.
Jared flashed his megawatt smile at the woman when they reached the exam room. “Thank you, Mimi.”
Charmer.
The woman giggled as she pulled the door shut behind her.
Giggled.
“Go ahead and take a seat, Mac,” Jared said, pointing with his crutch to the lone chair beside the exam table.
She set the box on the table and shook her head. “I’m good.” She turned the chair slightly. “You take it.”
“We aren’t doing this.”
“Doing what?”
“This. This pissing contest.”
“I am not having a pissing contest with you, Jared. I don’t do pissing contests.”
“So then have a seat.”
“What’s the big deal? Why won’t you?”
“Because you’re the woman.”
“You so did not just say that.”
“What’s wrong with it? You are. And I’m a gentleman.”
She begged to differ, but she got tripped up by the fact that he’d noticed she was female.
Too bad he hadn’t had that revelation twenty years ago.
The kittens started mewing again. “Might want to take off the top,” she said, making no attempt to do it herself. Which was hard not to. She liked kittens as much as the next person. Wanted to get two for her place, actually, so it wouldn’t be as lonely now that Gran had moved out.
Jared lifted the lid. “Geez, Mac. They’re so tiny. Helpless.”
“Haven’t you ever seen a kitten before? They’re not exactly rare.” If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was scared. Nervous. Unsure.
