But she might not be willing to have him teach her photography techniques and loan her cameras. Judging from her quick retreat this morning, she’d decided against spending time with a guy who was so obviously wrong for her. Smart move on her part.
He would take his cue from her, show her the pictures and head on out of this place. But the image of those cats frolicking together in an open play area would stay with him for a long time. And the memory of Tansy’s bright eyes would stay even longer, though he’d do well to erase it.
As he opened the back door and started down the hallway toward what had been a deserted reception area early this morning, the hum of voices and an occasional dog bark drifted toward him. He walked in on a much different scene than the one he’d left.
On the far side of the counter, two dogs, one a black Lab and the other a cocker spaniel, tugged at their leashes. Because each dog had at least one kid fussing over it, Ben decided these were new adoptions, not animals being surrendered to the shelter.
A plump red-haired woman worked behind the counter, dealing with forms and answering questions. Tansy was helping her, bestowing warm smiles on the adults signing the forms and pulling out their checkbooks. The adults and kids all seemed to know each other, so Ben decided two families had come in together to adopt.
He waded into the confusion, introduced himself and asked if he could film the happy families and their new canine friends. Everyone seemed pleased about the idea, so he got some more footage. Maybe the station could use it and maybe not, but the excitement of the moment was contagious and he thought capturing it might be useful for…something.
Apparently he’d come in on the tail end of the procedure, because within fifteen minutes, the families had driven off with their dogs and the reception area grew quiet again.
Tansy beckoned him over to the counter. “Ben Rhodes, this is Faye Barnard, who presides over the front desk and creates order from chaos.”
Ben shook her hand. “I could tell that this was a red-letter day for those two families.”
“It was.” Faye’s cheeks dimpled and her green eyes glowed with satisfaction. “This is what it’s all about, settling previously unwanted animals with families who are crazy about them. It’s so rewarding.”
“And thank you for capturing it,” Tansy said. “Do you think KFOR would run something like that?”
“I don’t know. I saw an opportunity and grabbed it, but I’m not in charge of what gets shown and what doesn’t. I’d love to see that air, though. It would inspire more people to adopt.”
“Yes, it would.” Tansy’s gaze met his, and the question was there, the same question that had always been there. Had it inspired him? Was he ready to take in a homeless dog or cat?
She didn’t say that out loud, though, which meant he could pretend he hadn’t picked up on her unspoken plea. “Do you have a minute to look at what I have here?”
Tansy glanced at Faye. “Can you handle the phone for a little while?”
“Be happy to.”
“Then come on back to my desk, Ben.” Tansy motioned him around the end of the counter. “Nobody’s scheduled to come in for at least another thirty minutes, but you never know. Anything can happen around here, and usually does.”
“I’ve got it under control,” Faye said. “Go preview those pictures. I know you’re dying to see them.”
“I am.”
“I think I got some you’ll like.” Ben followed Tansy to a desk in the far right-hand corner. Her computer was on and several folders were stacked beside the monitor. A rigid plastic chair sat next to her desk, and he commandeered it, bringing it over so it was close to her chair.
“Was Cindy helpful?” She sat down and swiveled to face him.
“She was great.” Setting both the digital camera and the camcorder on the desk, he shrugged out of his coat and hung it on the back of the chair. Then he took off his hat and looked for a place to put it.
“Let me have it,” Tansy said.” He handed her the hat and she set it down on top of the folders. “I’m glad Cindy was there. She’s so good with the animals.”
“She is. She played with both the cats and the dogs so I got some terrific action shots.” Settling onto the chair, he picked up the digital camera and clicked the preview button so the first one appeared in the small screen. “Can you see that? Here, take the camera and use that button to jump to the next one.” He leaned toward her and did his best to concentrate on the images.
But he’d like to see the man who could do that and ignore the flowery scent of her skin and the tickle of her warm breath on his cheek. If he made a half turn, his lips would meet hers. But kissing her at all would be inappropriate, not to mention kissing her in a public office space under the watchful eye of her receptionist.
He reminded himself that he enjoyed his job and would not care to lose it because he’d behaved unprofessionally while on assignment.
She wasn’t helping, though, with her little gasps of delight as she scrolled through the pictures. The noises she made sounded way too much like a woman responding to a lover. Knowing how joyfully she embraced life, he imagined she’d be equally joyful when she made love.
“Oh, Ben, these are great!” She clicked to the next frame and sucked in a breath. “Look at those blue eyes. All Siamese are stunning, but Hyacinth has the most amazing eyes.”
So do you, Tansy. But he couldn’t say that now, and probably not ever.
Eventually she got to the dog section. At one point she actually moaned with happiness. “Wonderful. Just wonderful. You have such a talent.”
He’d been told he had talents in other areas, too, but he’d bet money that kind of expertise wasn’t Tansy’s top priority. Openness would be important to her, and he wasn’t a tell-all kind of guy.
So he fought his natural response to being achingly close to her. Anyone would think he hadn’t been with a woman in quite a while. And anyone would be right.
Yes, he’d been out of the dating scene for a few months, but that wasn’t the problem. He wasn’t some sex-starved adolescent who couldn’t go without it. His current need was specifically for Tansy.
He wanted to kiss her until they were both senseless with desire. They had obvious chemistry, so that part of their relationship would go just fine. It was the pillow talk that scared the devil out of him.
As he battled his demons, he was startled by the orange tabby, Max. The cat appeared from nowhere and jumped into his lap. Ben spoke without thinking, giving an automatic response ingrained years ago. “Get down, Mickey.” He realized his mistake immediately. “I mean, Max.”
Tansy’s head whipped around and her eyes grew wide. “He’s on your lap.”
“So it seems.” He started to remove the cat.
“Ben, you don’t understand. I’ve never seen him get onto someone’s lap. Could you…could you let him stay there for a little while? I want to encourage that behavior.”
“I guess.” So instead of lifting the cat down to the floor, he began stroking him. Max purred and kneaded his claws into the denim of Ben’s jeans.
“That’s amazing. He’s acting like a regular cat.”
Using both hands, Ben caressed Max in a remembered pattern, beginning at his chin and working his way to the base of his tail. “He probably was a regular cat before something happened to make him unfriendly.”
“I’m