Ouch. She really didn’t like him anymore. He couldn’t blame her, but he wanted the other Tansy back, the one with sunshine in her eyes and a smile on her full lips. But to get that, he’d have to do more than buy a couple of cat trees. After she gave him her cell number, they ended the call.
His heart was still beating faster than normal as he put his phone on vibrate and tucked it into his jeans pocket. Even when she was frosty, she still affected him. The strong attraction was damned inconvenient. Why couldn’t he feel this way about one of the women going on the ski trip?
But he didn’t. His buddy, Justin, had brought him into the group. They were an ever-shifting singles group of six to ten members tied together by their work at the station and a love of outdoor sports. They skied in the winter and enjoyed water sports and hiking in the summer.
One of the women, a good-looking brunette named Janine who worked in the advertising department, had hinted that she’d like to be more than friends with him. Because he valued her friendship, he’d told her gently but firmly that he thought of her as a sister and nothing more. The chemistry wasn’t there for him.
Apparently he was like Max. He had his preference, and no one else would do. Tansy was it. Now that he’d experienced the bright sparkle of her personality, other women seemed colorless.
It couldn’t develop into anything, of course. But he liked knowing that she existed, that she was here in Tacoma, even if they couldn’t be close friends. Thinking of her might be frustrating sometimes, but her very presence in the world gave him joy.
A little after six, he picked up both cat trees from the pet store, wrapped a blue tarp around them and tied it down. The air was wet, misty and cold, but fortunately the hard rain that had fallen during the afternoon had stopped. After climbing back into his truck, he called Tansy.
She picked up immediately. “Hi, Ben. I forgot you were coming.”
That was a blow to his ego. “Is it still all right? I already have the cat trees in the back of my truck.”
“Sure, it’s fine. Come on ahead. I’m in the Doggie Digs mopping, and I need to get that done, so if you wouldn’t mind, could you walk down here instead of having me meet you in the office?”
“Mopping? That part of your regular cleanup?”
“Unfortunately not. We have a leak that’s only getting worse. One of our volunteers crawled up on the roof late this afternoon and put plastic down, so it’s temporarily handled, but there’s still a lot of water on the floor.”
“Didn’t anybody stay to help you mop?”
“They all offered, but it’s the Christmas season. Everybody had either parties or relatives visiting or shopping to do, and I sent them home. I can handle it.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Ben, you don’t have to help.”
“But I will. See you soon.” He disconnected and started up the truck. She might not welcome his help, but she was going to get it anyway. He wasn’t about to drop off the cat trees and leave when she had a crisis. That wasn’t his style.
But helping her tonight wasn’t the only issue. Roof leaks were common in a wet climate. If she didn’t have insurance to cover repairs…this was not good news for Tansy’s already tight budget, not good news at all.
TANSY HADN’T EXPECTED to see Ben again, so when he’d called about the cat trees, she’d had to deal with a rush of unwanted excitement. She’d forgotten that he’d taken one of the angel cards when he’d come in that Saturday morning.
She’d wondered if following through on that gesture had simply been an inconvenience for him. Maybe it was, but he’d been generous enough to get two cat trees instead of the single one listed on the angel card. Or had he gotten an extra one to soothe his guilty conscience?
Now, as she mopped up the worst of the puddles, she talked to the four dogs that had temporarily been housed together. The pie-shaped enclosures had side walls about three-and-a-half feet high with chain link above that, so the bigger dogs could put their paws on the top of the wall and look over at their neighbors. Currently all four dogs were watching her mop.
The yellow Lab and Irish setter had always been roommates in this section, but for the moment they shared the space with a husky and a black Lab. The setter, whose name was Bailey, was the only one whining. The rest seemed merely curious about what she was doing. Talking calmed Bailey, but it also helped Tansy sort through her uncomfortable thoughts.
“I screwed up, guys,” she said. “If Ben has a guilty conscience, it’s my fault.”
The yellow Lab named Nugget barked once as if agreeing with her.
“Exactly, Nugget. You never want to bully someone into taking a furry friend home. They could resent being talked into something they weren’t ready to do.”
The black Lab sneezed.
“Bless you, Charcoal. Anyway, there’s no excuse for the way I acted. Maybe Ben has a wonderful way with animals, and maybe I have a little crush on him and wish he’d change his mind about adopting. I’d hoped it would help him deal with the pain in his past. But none of that gives me the right to suggest he has an obligation to take Max home for the holidays.”
Squeezing out her mop, she slapped it back down on the floor. “My one little word of sorry doesn’t cut it. Now that he’s on his way here, I’ll grab this opportunity to tell him I was out of line. It won’t be easy, but I’ll make myself do it.”
“Anybody home?”
Awareness skittered up her spine at the sound of his voice. The dogs barked in response, so she had to shout. “In here!” Leaning the mop handle against the wall, she walked through the door of the pen into the center section and nearly collided with Ben. She quickly stepped back and staggered.
“Easy.” Ben caught her, his gloved hands firm as they gripped her arms.
“Thanks.” She gazed into dark eyes that had the power to make her forget her own name. Wow, he was as gorgeous as ever. Same sheepskin coat and brown felt cowboy hat. He rocked that look.
“No problem.” He held on to her a little longer than was necessary. Then he let go and moved away. “Got another mop?”
“Ben, you really don’t have to help me with the floor. I can take a break from this and open up the Kitty Condo so we can put the cat trees in there and you can be on your way.”
He went very still. “Do you want me to be on my way?”
No. “I hate to hold you up. I’m sure you have things you’d rather do than help me mop the floor.”
He tipped back his hat and regarded her steadily. “Actually, I don’t. But last time we talked, you were upset with me. Maybe you’d prefer that I drop off my donations and leave.”
“No, I would not prefer that.” She took a deep breath. Now or never. “I had no right to be upset with you. And I had no right to put pressure on you to take Max for the holidays. I violated my own rule by doing that, and I hope you’ll forgive me. It was inexcusable.”
His expression relaxed. “Not inexcusable,” he said. “You adore these animals. You love Max and want the best for him. You saw a chance for him to bond with someone, and you wanted to encourage it.”
“Loading you up with guilt in the process.”
“No, I don’t feel guilty, Tansy. I’m only sorry that I’m not the ideal match you and Max think I am.”
“Me,