“No.”
“Why not?”
Todd crossed his arms in front of his chest. “I’m looking after Max. One shelter animal is enough.”
“You said yourself that he loves your new foal. You could adopt another dog or two. Maybe even a cat to keep the rats and mice out of your barn.”
“I don’t need a cat.”
Sally frowned. “Everyone needs a cat.” When he didn’t reply she smiled. “Maybe two. I need a hot drink. Do you want to wait here or come into the kitchen with me?”
“Do you have more animals in there?”
Sally smiled and his heart gave one of its nervous stutters. “You’re safe. The only animals are in the photos on my wall.”
Todd followed Sally into the kitchen. A large board leaned against the kitchen counter. Someone had taken photos of all kinds of animals; cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, horses, and if he wasn’t mistaken, a snake.
Sally opened cookie jar. “They’re all of the animals I’ve found homes for. I’ve still got to add Max’s photo. Tess made these chocolate chip cookies. Do you want one?”
She wiggled the container under his nose and he took one. “Aren’t you having one?”
Sally put the jar back on the counter. “I can’t. I’ve got five pounds to lose before Annie and Tess’ weddings.”
Todd stopped eating. “You’re kidding?”
Sally shook her head. “I wish I was. The two dresses I’ve chosen to wear are beautiful, but they’re made from satin. The sheen is unforgiving in photos.”
Todd didn’t know what she was talking about, but it seemed important to her. “You could always exercise more.” He clamped his lips shut to stop another profound observation erupting from his mouth.
Sally didn’t notice his blunder. She filled a cup with hot water and cut a lemon in half. “I’ve tried that. I end up heavier.”
Todd didn’t like to point out that muscle weighed heavier than fat. He could get himself into serious trouble if he kept discussing her non-existent weight issue.
“Are you sure you don’t want a hot drink?” she asked.
“No thanks.” Todd watched her squeeze the lemon juice into her mug.
She took a sip of her drink and smiled. “Twelve people are arriving at the shelter at nine o’clock with their trucks. We’re going to move the animals all at once. Molly and I will be at the shelter from eight-thirty, putting the kittens and cats into crates. If you want to give us a hand to take the animals to Pastor Steven’s church, we wouldn’t say no.”
Todd watched her take another sip of her lemon drink. “You like that stuff?”
“Tess said it will cleanse my liver. I’m cutting back on coffee, too. Do you want my cell phone number in case something happens and you can’t make it?”
Todd didn’t imagine there’d be much keeping him away from the animal shelter or Pastor Steven’s church. But he nodded, anyway. Her number might come in handy if he ever needed to be rescued from Max.
“I’ll put it straight into my contact list.” He pulled his phone out and looked at the text message Dylan had sent. The guy had a warped sense of humor if he thought anything was happening between Sally and him. “Do you need me to bring anything with me?”
Sally scribbled her phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “What about an open mind to adopting more animals?”
The grin on her face made him remember, just for a minute, what it was like to have a normal relationship with someone. “You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”
“Not often.” She took another sip from her cup and winced. “I don’t know if I can keep drinking hot lemon drinks. They taste as though they’re too good for me.”
Todd bit into his chocolate chip cookie. On one level, he admired the way Sally threw herself into finding homes for abandoned animals.
On another level, she confused the hell out of him.
***
Sally looked around Pastor Steven’s backyard. The pet adoption day was a huge success. Half of the animals they’d brought across from the shelter had already found homes.
She passed a fluffy white rabbit to the little girl standing in front of her. “Oscar is eight months old. He loves being cuddled.”
The little girl’s face glowed. She held Oscar close to her chest and looked at the lady standing beside her. “Can we take him home with us, mom? Benji and Oscar could be friends. I’d look after him and feed him every day.”
“I know you would, Charlotte. I’m just not sure if Benji is ready for another rabbit in his hutch. He’s been alone for a long time.”
“That’s why he needs a friend,” the little girl persisted. “Oscar is so soft and warm. They could look after each other when it gets cold.”
Sally passed Charlotte’s mom a pamphlet about the animal shelter. “You can always bring Oscar back if it doesn’t work out with Benji.”
The lady patted Oscar, then looked behind her. “What do you think, Tony? Do we have room for another rabbit?”
Oscar snuggled against Charlotte’s shoulder. “Please, dad. I’ll look after him. I promise. Benji will like him just as much as I do.”
Charlotte’s dad looked between his wife and daughter. “As long as Benji doesn’t get worried about having Oscar living with him, then I guess we could look after him. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll bring him straight back.”
“Oscar will be happy with us, dad. Just you wait and see.”
Sally patted Oscar and smiled at Charlotte’s parents. “If you want to take Oscar home today, I’ve got a box you could use.”
Charlotte’s mom smiled. “Thank you. I don’t think Charlotte’s going to let Oscar out of her arms.”
As Charlotte’s mom and dad worked out the logistics of getting a new rabbit home, Sally’s gaze traveled over the people looking at the shelter animals. Today had been worth every minute of the extra time needed to make it a success.
She smiled at Todd as he handed a teenage boy a small dog of dubious origin. Motley had been living at the shelter for three months. The mixed breed dog would never be pretty, but he had character by the bucketload.
Sally didn’t think Todd would have hung around after the shelter animals had been put in their special enclosures. But he’d done more than stay. He’d helped the other volunteers match children and adults with the animals they could take home and love. He hadn’t run a mile as the first wave of children had descended on them. And he hadn’t looked uncomfortable when he’d been surrounded by families wanting to know how to look after their new-found pets.
Todd Randall was an enigma, one of those mysterious forces of nature that you occasionally met and remembered for life.
“Who’s the hunky hero in the blue jeans and black leather jacket?” Molly whispered in Sally’s ear.
Heat streaked across Sally’s face. She purposely dragged her gaze off Todd and looked around Pastor Steven’s yard. “Nearly every man here is wearing jeans,” Sally whispered back. “And there’s more than one leather jacket.”
“But there’s only one man you’ve been staring at for the last five minutes.”
Sally frowned at her friend. “I have not been staring at him. I’ve been contemplating Todd’s transformation.”
Molly laughed. “Is that a fancy way of saying he’s hot?”
“I think so.” Sally sighed as the teenager clicked a leash around Motley’s neck. “But don’t tell anyone I said so. If my brothers think I’m even mildly interested in him, they’ll start digging into his life quicker than anything you’ve ever seen.”
“Sean and Matthew are harmless.”
“Yeah, as harmless as rattlesnakes in long grass. My brothers aren’t known for being subtle.”
Molly looked across at Todd. He glanced their way and a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth.
“Something tells me Todd can look after himself,” Molly said with a softness in her voice. “He’s a fine man.”
Sally thought so, too. But he had things he
was hiding, a sadness deep inside him that worried her. She looked at Molly and plastered a smile on her face. “Are you going to surprise me and take one of our lovely animals home?”
Molly shook her head. “My sister would kill me, but I thought I’d come and help. Pastor Steven has got me on coffee duty. Can I interest you in a cup of strong, black caffeine to keep you going?”
Sally picked up her water bottle. “I’m okay with this. Have you seen Rachel? She said she’d meet me here today.”
“I don’t know what Rachel looks like,” Molly said.
“She’s shorter than me and she’s got blonde hair.”
Molly smiled. “And that’s supposed to help me find her?”
Sally looked at the people around them. Her description of Rachel was about as accurate as Molly’s description of Todd. “I see what you mean. How about I introduce you when she arrives?”
“Sounds like a fine plan. I’ll come back after I’ve done the coffee rounds of the volunteers.” Molly disappeared into the crowd, as much as a six-foot tall, dark-haired, Irish beauty could.
Sally checked Charlotte’s parents to make sure they had everything they needed before they left. She had a feeling that Oscar the rabbit would be very happy with Charlotte’s family. She turned to the people on her right and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end.
“How’s everything going?”
Todd stood beside her, looking even hotter than he had from a distance. Life was so unfair. If anyone could give out an I’m-not-interested-in-a-relationship vibe, it was Todd. Hot or not, he wasn’t the man for her. Not that she was looking for a relationship with anyone. Not much, anyway.
She bent down and lifted a guinea pig out of its pen. “So far, it’s been a great day. I don’t think we’ll be taking many animals back to the shelter this afternoon.”
“Pastor Steven is thinking about adopting the black cat with half an ear.”
“Pirate?”
Todd smiled and Sally held her breath. He was utterly gorgeous and he didn’t know it.
The smile slipped off his face. “Is everything okay?”
Sally shook the cobwebs out of her brain and cleared her throat. “Did the teenager decide to take Motley home?”
Todd nodded. “Motley is no longer homeless. I don’t know who was more relieved - Motley or me.”
Sally passed the guinea pig in her arms to a little boy tugging on her shirt. She smiled at his parents and nearly missed the redhead walking quickly toward her. She tried to remember where she’d seen her face before, then realized she was one of the brides they’d helped. Her name was Carol or Carolyn. Sally couldn’t remember when she was getting married, but it couldn’t be far away.
“Thank goodness I’ve found you,” the soon-to-be-bride said. “Tess said to come and see you. I’m Carolyn. The Bridesmaids Club gave us our dresses.”
Sally smiled. “I remember. Your two sisters and a friend are your bridesmaids. You must be getting married soon?”
“That’s why I’m here. Tess thought you might have an idea about what we could do.”
Sally saw tears gathering in Carolyn’s eyes. “What’s happened?”
“There was a big fire in the Emerson Center last night. Wayne and I were supposed to get married there in three weeks’ time. Everything else in town is booked and we can’t find another venue.”
Todd touched Sally’s arm. “I’ve got to go back to the puppy area. I’ll see you later.”
Carolyn looked up at Todd and frowned. “I’m sorry. I was so caught up in finding Sally that I didn’t realize I was…”
“It doesn’t matter,” Todd reassured her. “I can see Sally anytime. I hope you find somewhere to hold your wedding.” He glanced at Sally, then walked away.
“Wow,” Carolyn said. “He seems like a nice person.”
Sally kept her eyes on Todd’s back as he wove through the crowd. “He is nice.” She took a deep breath and refocused her brain. “Tell me about your wedding.”
Sally listened to what Carolyn had to say. Halfway through their conversation, she grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started making notes. Carolyn was desperate. They’d already tried to contact all of the venues Sally thought of. The ones that had answered their phones were fully booked. She had a feeling that Carolyn wouldn’t have much luck with the other venues either.
By the time Carolyn had finished, Sally knew what she had to do. “I need to call an emergency meeting of The Bridesmaids Club. Molly has been taking photos all over Bozeman and Annie knows the places that have catering options available. I’ll try and get everyone together tonight and give you a call when we’re finished. How does that sound?”
“It sounds wonderful. Thank you.” Carolyn hugged Sally tight. “Let me know if you need any more information.”
“I will. Now go and enjoy the pet adoption day. You don’t need a fluffy rabbit, do you?”
“Maybe after we move into our own home.” Carolyn leaned toward Sally and smiled. “Ask the man you were talking to,” she whispered. “He looks like the type who would fill his house with lots of abandoned animals.”
Sally thought about Max and the new foal on Todd’s ranch. With a big empty barn and enough space to get lost in, Todd could make more animals very happy. She’d have to work on his enthusiasm for adopting animals, but if anyone was up for the challenge, it was her.
All she needed were some cute and cuddly animals and a deaf ear when he said no.
CHAPTER THREE
Molly looked at the computer screen in front of her. “I can’t believe how much damage an electrical fire can cause. It’s going to take a long time to fix everything.”
Sally peered over her shoulder. The photo of the blackened ballroom sent chills down her spine. “I’m just happy no one was in the building when it caught fire. Imagine if there’d been a wedding or a big event in there? Someone could have been hurt.”
“I wonder how many other weddings have been affected by the fire?” Tess said. “Carolyn and Wayne can’t be the only couple that booked the venue.”
Sally glanced at the notes she’d made. “I don’t know about the other couples, but I do know it’s going to be hard to find somewhere to hold Carolyn’s wedding.”
“Especially if other couples are in the same situation,” Molly added. “How big does the venue need to be?”
“They’ve got one hundred guests coming. Carolyn’s already called most of the hotels and lodges in the area. I spoke with Pastor Steven and his church is booked.”
“What about our school auditorium?” Rachel asked. “It doesn’t look like a wedding venue now, but with a little decoration it might work.”
Rachel and Sally were teachers at the same elementary school. They’d both worked on staging the hall for different student performances and events, so they knew how good it could look.
“Good idea.” Sally picked up her pen and wrote, Bozeman Elementary School, on the bottom of the page in front of her.
“Not so good,” Rachel said with a sigh. “I’ve just remembered that the science fair entries are being set up in there soon. They won’t be down in time for the wedding.”
Molly looked at Rachel. “Could we take the entries down on the Friday evening before the wedding and put them back up on Sunday?”
Rachel shook her head. “It wouldn’t work. The students have invited their friends and family to see the experiments on the same Saturday as the wedding.”
Sally drew a black line through the school’s name. “What about other venues? There must be something we haven’t thought of?”
Tess bit into a cookie. “Angel Wings Café is too small. Annie’s not here, but I think Dylan’s warehouse would be too ugly.”
“And too full of people’s stuff,” Sally added. “The storage units have been really popular. They’re starting stage two of the remodel ahead of time, so the big area out the back is a disaster zone.”
Sally closed her notebook and gazed at her friends. A
nnie wasn’t able to make the emergency meeting, but Tess, Molly, and Rachel were there to help. “How about I email everyone tomorrow night with a venue update? Carolyn would have gotten back to me by then.”
Tess nodded. “And in the meantime, if anyone sees or hears of another place Carolyn could use, let Sally know right away.”
“Can we move onto other wedding things now?” Rachel asked.
“Keep talking,” Sally said. “I’m going to get another drink, but I can hear you from the kitchen.” She rushed out of the living room and headed into the kitchen. Muggles and Jetson were busy eating their cat food. Tabitha, her cuddly orange and white striped cat, was nowhere to be seen. “You haven’t been ganging up on each other again, have you?” Sally asked the two cats.
Muggles and Jetson looked up, crunched their food between their teeth, then went back to their bowls. Tabitha wondered into the kitchen and sat in front of another bowl, munching her food as if she didn’t have a care in the world.
“I guess everything is happy in your cat world,” Sally said to her fluffy trio. She poured hot water into a mug and added the juice out of half a lemon. By the time she got back to the living room, Rachel was showing everyone the letters she’d written for people who contacted The Bridesmaids Club.
“The first letter is for companies offering their services for wedding things. The second letter is for people who contact you about bridesmaids’ dresses. They’re only draft letters, so let me know if I need to change anything.”
Tess and Molly read their copies of the letters.
“They look good to me,” Tess said.
Molly handed Sally the letters. “They’ve got a friendly tone and are easy to read. I think they’re great.”
Sally quickly read the letters and smiled. “They’re perfect.”
Rachel sat back in her chair. “Phew. I didn’t know whether you wanted to say anything more. Are you okay with me going through the box of letters and sending replies to everyone?”
“Are you kidding?” Sally asked. “We’d love you to do that. If you find anything urgent, let us know. We can make time to see anyone we’ve missed.”
Head Over Heels (The Bridesmaids Club Book 3) Page 4
