“All right.”
They continued working and Carlie was impressed that Luke was being such a good sport about the whole thing. Yet she also had the strangest conviction he wanted to say something and was taking a long time getting around to it.
“Is something on your mind?” she asked finally.
“Uh, Beth and Annie might not want to go to the dinner without you. Will you be our guest?”
“I have a ticket for Friday, so you can tell them I’ll be there. Anything else?” she prompted.
“Not exactly. Well, I’ve been thinking about something that happened the day we drove up to Glimmer Creek. Annie got sick in the limousine. She wouldn’t let me help her, either then or afterward. She pushed me away. I’m her father and she pushed me away. It’s the same with Beth and her nightmares.”
The anguish on his face and in his voice was heartrending.
Carlie finished another package and put it on the growing pile of wrapped gifts.
She sneaked a glance at Luke, still convinced he wasn’t telling her the whole story, and equally convinced he wasn’t going to. It was strange to feel bad for the guy. He’d been a thorn in her side since his arrival, however fond she’d grown of Annie and Beth. He was also extraordinarily attractive, a fact her body kept taking notice of, much to the disgust of her brain.
“I can’t speak for Annie,” she said slowly, “but I drove my mother crazy when I got sick as a kid. She wanted to do the hovering-mother thing and I just wanted to be left alone. My brothers loved being waited on, but I didn’t. Mom still complains about it.”
Luke shook his head. “I hope that’s all it is with Annie. I worry because she’s so much quieter than Beth.”
“They’re individuals. Being quieter isn’t necessarily something to be concerned about.”
“Hey, it’s easier to worry about everything. It really takes the pressure off deciding what is and isn’t a problem.”
The sly wit made Carlie grin. Who would have guessed that Luke Forrester could crack a joke?
CHAPTER TEN
GIDEON SMILED AT the little girl standing next to her mother by the examination table.
“Pedro is a very healthy bunny rabbit,” he pronounced solemnly. Technically it was an American fuzzy lop, but Maria wasn’t in the 4-H club and didn’t care which breed her new pet bunny might be.
Maria shyly put her hand out so Pedro could sniff it.
The Alvarez family was one of Gideon’s favorites. The older children each had a pet and were faithfully taught how to care for them. They asked thoughtful questions at the annual health exams and plainly loved them. The youngest, Maria, was four and had just been deemed old enough to handle some of the basics of animal husbandry.
“But I’ll tell you a secret,” Gideon whispered, leaning closer. Maria stretched up on her toes to listen. “Pedro is going to have babies.”
“Goody,” Maria exclaimed.
Her mother began laughing. “They said it was a male.”
“Someone doesn’t know their Y chromosomes from their X’s.”
“And then they let the rooster loose in the henhouse. Or vice versa, as the case may be.”
Gideon chuckled appreciatively. Gloria Alvarez was an attractive woman with a warm sense of humor. She and her husband owned one of the local animal feed stores. Like many small towns, Glimmer Creek had a number of nurseries, animal feed stores and beauty salons, but no computer services, and medical care was limited to a single clinic. It didn’t bother Gideon, though having a few more organic products available would be nice.
Gideon returned Pedro to the carrier. “You should call the breeder and let them know there was an error. Where did you get her?”
“At a place in the valley. At least they were right about Pedro being trained to use the litter box. We brought him—that is, her—home yesterday and she’s used the box faithfully.”
“Maybe she’ll train her babies to use it, too.”
Mrs. Alvarez let out a good-natured groan as she left with the carrier and her daughter.
Gideon was adding a couple of notes to the electronic file when his veterinary assistant stuck her head around the door. “Urgent case in B.”
“Thanks, Sandra.”
A curious sense of foreboding struck him as he strode into the room next door. It was Nicole Forrester. Déjà vu all over again flitted through his brain. But while he’d expected to see Chico in dire straits, it was a different kitten huddled on the table. Black-and-white and so listless from malnutrition it didn’t have the energy to spit, though its fear was unmistakable.
“I found him in the same area as Chico,” Nicole explained tearfully. “I’ve been putting food out and searching every day, but I didn’t find him until this morning. That is, I think it’s a ‘him.’”
“It is,” Gideon said, examining the painfully thin kitten. “Did he bite you?”
“No, not even a scratch.”
Sandra returned with a warming pad, which they slid underneath to help maintain the kitten’s body heat, then handed him a syringe with glucose. He rubbed some on the cat’s gums and continued with the exam. There was an abscess on its shoulder, grossly swollen.
Gideon glanced at Nicole. Judging from her tear-streaked face, she knew the kitten was in bad shape.
“We’ll have to keep him here. He needs IV fluids, antibiotics and monitoring for the best chance of survival.”
“W-will he make it?”
“No promises, but we’ll try.”
“I just don’t want him to...to suffer. If only I’d found him sooner.” More tears spilled down Nicole’s cheeks and he could tell she felt responsible, though God knew, it wasn’t her fault.
“You did everything you could.”
“It wasn’t enough.”
* * *
NICOLE WATCHED AS Gideon and his assistant worked with the kitten, doing some things she understood and others she didn’t. But what struck her was Gideon’s gentleness with the terrified animal.
She hadn’t seen it with Chico, but now he coaxed and soothed and seemed to do everything possible to alleviate the kitten’s discomfort as blood was drawn and the infected lump treated.
Best chance of survival...
The phrase kept running through Nicole’s head. The kitten could die.
The results of the blood tests were reviewed and she heard a reassuring “good, kidney function normal,” along with more esoteric remarks.
Either they didn’t notice or decided not to protest when she followed them to the rear of the clinic and watched them put the kitten in a sort of incubator. A faint meow of protest sounded when an intravenous needle was inserted and his mouth opened for the first time in a faint hiss.
“Getting some feisty back, eh?” Gideon said, sounding pleased. “You’re a tough little guy. That’s good.”
The veterinary assistant wrote “no name” on the ID card, but Nicole shook her head. “Put Bandit.”
The other woman looked at her sympathetically. “You might want to wait before choosing a name. It could make it even harder if...”
If they lost him.
Nicole understood, but this tiny scrap of a feline deserved a name. A name represented belonging and home. If there was any chance Bandit could sense the difference, it might help.
“His name is Bandit,” she insisted as she brushed away more tears.
She’d never had pets or been around animals that often, and now she was turning into a waterfall because of an abandoned kitten.
The assistant smiled sympathetically and filled out another card. “Okay, Bandit it is. What made you choose that?”
“The black and white markings on his face remind me of a mask and I was thinking about Joaquin Murrieta when I was out walking. I’d rea
d that he might be just a legend, not a real outlaw.”
“Then why not call him Joaquin or Murrieta?” Gideon asked in a low voice.
Nicole jumped. She was entirely too nervous around Gideon Cartwright. “I want something easy for Beth and Annie to pronounce, but please don’t mention him if you see them. It would be too upsetting if he doesn’t make it. They...they lost their mother last year, so they’re especially vulnerable.”
She rarely mentioned her sister-in-law’s death to anyone in case they knew about the family’s history. It seemed all right with Carlie, but some people looked for any opening to ask questions about Erika and Luke. It was horrible. What was left to ask? The media had covered every aspect of the terrible story, leaping light-years beyond anyone’s “need to know.” What remained was intimate and personal and nobody else’s business.
“I won’t say anything,” Gideon promised quietly.
He listened to Bandit’s chest with his stethoscope again.
“We’ve done what we can for now,” he said, straightening. “Try not to worry. An attendant is here around the clock.”
“How do I visit him after the clinic is closed?”
* * *
GIDEON BRIEFLY CLOSED his eyes, praying for patience.
“Be reasonable, Nicole. We aren’t set up for after-hours visitation. Few veterinary clinics are.”
“But what’s the problem if someone is always here? I’ll be happy to pay a fee if that’s the issue. I’m sure Bandit already recognizes me and I can’t let him feel abandoned again.”
“He’s weak and barely aware of what’s going on.”
Nicole defiantly reached out and rubbed behind the kitten’s ear, murmuring softly. An uneven purr rose.
“See?” she demanded. “He hissed at you, but he purrs for me.”
Gideon was torn between frustration and amusement. However prejudiced he might be against Nicole, she’d gone to considerable lengths to help a distressed animal. And despite her tears, she hadn’t distracted them from working with the kitten. As a rule he wouldn’t have allowed a client to stay during the treatment, but it had worked out all right.
“Very well—you can visit,” he conceded reluctantly. “I’ll let the after-hours staff know I’ve authorized it. There’s a side door with a bell and intercom. Explain who you are and they’ll let you in for a short time. A short time,” he emphasized. “The kitten needs quiet and rest in his condition.”
“I realize that. I just want him to feel loved.”
“I’m sure he’d still feel that way from a distance, but I’m not going to argue. I’ll show you to the waiting room.”
Gideon led the way to the front of the clinic. He held the door open and Nicole stepped into the reception area, only to shrink against him as a resounding “woof” echoed through the air.
“No, Godzilla!” Rita Jenkins yelled, hanging on to the German shepherd’s leash.
Gideon let out a sharp, authoritative “Down, boy.”
The dog sank back with a wounded expression. He was a large, rambunctious puppy with a habit of getting into trouble. But he was also thoroughly good-natured.
“I’m surprised you don’t carry pepper spray if you’re that afraid of animals,” he murmured to Nicole.
She didn’t answer, just edged along the wall and out the door to where a cab from the local taxi service was waiting.
Still burning with the imprint of her body against his, Gideon let out a breath and turned his attention to his patient, who’d probably eaten something he shouldn’t have. The German shepherd’s tongue lolled to one side and his tail was wagging so hard that his entire butt moved on the floor.
“All right, Godzilla, what have you gotten into now?”
* * *
CARLIE WAS RETURNING from judging a snow-person-making contest when she saw Nicole Forrester.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” she asked, alarmed by the tearstains on the other woman’s face.
“I found a second kitten, but it may not survive. He has to stay at the clinic for treatment, so now I’m going out to search again to see if there are any others.”
“I’ll go with you,” Carlie offered instantly.
They headed for the wild area south of Poppy Gold and began hunting around every bush and rock, calling, “Kitty, kitty,” and other entreaties.
“Dr. Cartwright was relatively pleasant part of the time today,” Nicole muttered breathlessly as they climbed a steep slope. “But he didn’t want to let me see Bandit during off-hours, even though someone is always there on duty. He told me to ‘be reasonable’ in such a patronizing tone of voice I wanted to scream.”
“That’s so strange. He’s always friendly whenever I’ve seen him.”
“Strange or not, I insisted on being able to visit and he finally agreed. I was proud of myself, thinking I’d shown him I was strong and independent.”
“You are strong and independent.”
Nicole looked embarrassed. “Actually, I’m a terrible coward. And my bravado didn’t hold up when a giant dog barked at me in the waiting room. I almost freaked and Gideon saw, so now he knows it was just an act.”
“I’m not crazy about big dogs, either,” Carlie said firmly. “And you can’t be a coward when you’re such a good skater. You do things on the ice I’d never try.”
Nicole’s expression became more thoughtful. “I never thought of it that way. I feel so free when I’m skating, I don’t think about falling or if I look ridiculous.”
“Well, you’re amazing. Oh, by the way, if it’s convenient for you, I’ll come over tomorrow evening to make cookies with Annie and Beth. I sent your brother out for the supplies this morning.”
Nicole blinked. “You sent Luke grocery shopping?”
“Why not? It’s for Annie and Beth’s benefit and I wasn’t sure I could get away when the market was open. Besides, I was under the impression he’d planned to spend all his free hours taking care of his business concerns, but he’s come to my office several times when the girls are with Mrs. Cabrera.”
“I can explain that—he’s outside the company firewall on the computer here, so he can’t do as much. But he still works at night and a lot of other times, too. I’m not sure when he sleeps. Luke has always been driven, but since Erika died, he’s had a compulsive need to stay busy.”
That’s depressing, Carlie thought, though she didn’t have any illusions that Luke was coming around because he’d developed a romantic interest in her.
“Um, he told me about your parents and how you grew up.”
Nicole pursed her mouth. “That’s unusual. He usually doesn’t talk about that stuff.”
“He was trying to explain why he’d acted like a—” Carlie stopped abruptly, deciding she probably shouldn’t call Luke a jackass to his sister.
“Jerk?” Nicole contributed sweetly. “While I love my brother dearly, he can be a challenge. Did you know the media used to called Luke and Erika ‘the Beauty and the Autocrat’?”
“That’s harsh.”
“Yes. And while I hate to admit it, he can be high-handed. It’s gotten worse since losing Erika. But he means well and it’s only from believing he knows what’s best.”
Carlie got even more depressed, though it was unreasonable. She already knew that Luke was autocratic. Who wanted to be with a man who acted that way, even from good intentions? If she ever fell in love again, she wanted it to be with someone who was looking for a real partner.
Pushing the thought away, Carlie peered into a drainage pipe by the road, wishing she had the small flashlight on her key chain. Unfortunately, she’d loaned her car to Luke, which meant he had both the keys and the flashlight.
“Kitty, kitty,” she called and then listened intently. “Nicole, where did you find the second kitten?”
r /> “Down the hill. I’d looked there before, so he must have been moving around.”
They continued searching, covering every inch of the area, chatting about both the charms and drawbacks of living in a small community like Glimmer Creek.
“The stores are limited,” Carlie admitted when Nicole mentioned needing more casual clothes. “That’s why online shopping is so popular here. It’s that or driving down to the valley. I can loan you jeans and sweats while you’re waiting for an order to arrive. Nothing fancy, just knock-around clothes.”
“That would be great. I really feel out of place in the stuff I brought.” Nicole tugged at her linen slacks. “Yesterday I found sweatshirts and tops in the gift shops for me and the girls, but I want to wash them first.”
Carlie brushed her hands off. “I have an idea. I’ll talk to Uncle Liam about putting live traps out to catch any other cats. He uses them to relocate wild critters that get overly friendly at Poppy Gold. I should have thought of it when you first found Chico.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
“No problem. Now let’s go have tea or coffee in the Poppy Gold library and get warm,” Carlie suggested. “Unless you need to go back and watch the girls...?”
Nicole shook her head. “Luke has arranged with Mrs. Cabrera to stay if we aren’t there and I don’t want Beth and Annie to see me before I can get cleaned up. They might be upset and start asking questions. Bandit is strictly a secret until we know he’s going to recover.”
We?
Though it was probably just an innocent comment, Carlie kept thinking about it as they walked toward Old City Hall. Nicole had talked a fair amount about Gideon Cartwright and obviously wasn’t the least bit neutral about the town veterinarian.
Was it possible she was attracted to him?
* * *
NICOLE CHOSE TEA along with Carlie and they settled down in front of the crackling fire in the library, kicking off their shoes.
“This is wonderful,” Nicole moaned, instantly growing sleepy.
The stress of getting Bandit to the clinic had taken its toll. Not to mention dealing with Gideon Cartwright again. At least he hadn’t seemed disgusted by the way she’d cried the entire time, though why that mattered was beyond her.
Christmas with Carlie Page 14