Four-Footed Angels

by J. T. Livingston

  Amanda had returned to her job on the Tampa police force, but her heart wasn’t really in it. She made sure to visit her angels at least one weekend every month and discussed her thoughts about quitting the force and going back to school to become a veterinarian. The angels listened to her, but were careful to keep their opinions to themselves. They knew better than to interfere with whatever God’s plan had in store for their sweet Amanda. Amanda had spent Thanksgiving with the angels, and celebrated with Amos and Izzie when they announced their plan to marry. She was so happy for them, but in the back of her mind, she wondered when it would be her turn to find that special someone. She thought she had found that person when she met Tyler Foster, but she had only heard from him about once a month since he and Sam had rescued her from Little John in late October.

  Amanda returned to Monticello for the Christmas holidays and wept with joy during the small wedding ceremony for Amos and Izzie. Max, Bertie, and Doug had showered her with attention and gifts; they even had gifts for Buster, who had gained another ten pounds over the past couple of months. Max had suggested that Amanda stop by the Foster Farm on her way home to say hello to the family, and Amanda had reluctantly agreed to do just that. She had been received warmly by the entire family, even by Tyler, and loved spending time with all the rescued animals. They had convinced her to spend New Year’s Eve with them and she agreed. When the ball dropped in New York City, celebratory kisses and hugs went around the entire room. Amanda quickly found herself locked in Tyler’s embrace and had closed her eyes in anticipation of the kiss. She had felt the hesitation in Tyler’s body and tried not to cry when he pulled her toward him and kissed the top of her forehead.

  Tyler called her twice in January and again in February, to say hello and to see how she was doing. Their conversations were always long and filled with easy, non-committal subjects. It took everything Amanda had not to just come out and ask him what the hell was going on, but she managed to bite her tongue and continued to go with the flow. If all he wanted was friendship from her, then she would have to be satisfied with that kind of relationship.

  March brought a new man into Amanda’s life. He was ten years older than Amanda; his name was Jason, and he was an undercover detective that had transferred to Tampa from Atlanta. They began dating on a fairly regular basis, and Amanda even took him to meet her angels when spring arrived in March 2014. Once again, the angels had to keep their opinions to themselves and not interfere with the decisions Amanda made for her life.

  The Heavenly Grille had another visitor the weekend after Amanda and Jason visited…Tyler Foster. Tyler had traveled to Thomasville to go over his testimony again with the prosecutors, specifically about his role in the illegal dog fighting, the subsequent sting operation, and the rescue of Amanda from her kidnapper. He decided to stop and enjoy some of Max’s cooking on the way back home. Bertie had been quick to feel him out, get all of the latest gossip on his love life, and, to let him know that Amanda was dating Jason. She had punched him hard on the arm when he left and suggested that he do a better job of keeping in touch…with everyone!

  Tyler had been fighting his own demons regarding Amanda. Part of him was being stubborn because everyone in his family was constantly telling him that he had better not let that one get away…that there was something special about her. Tyler had spent the past four months trying to get Amanda out of his head, and…yes, out of his heart, too. He didn’t know when she had managed to wedge herself into his heart, but she had, and he had continually fought against the desire to keep her there. He had dated several different women since he returned home, some of whom, he had slept with on occasion…none of whom, had he felt any real connection. On those rare occasions when he dreamed, the dreams were always about Amanda Turner. Those were the times when he would break down and call her, to say hello, and to see how she was doing…to hear her voice…to remember her kisses. Something finally began to break in him when he stopped by the Heavenly Grille in March for a meal, and to talk with Max, Bertie, and Doug. That was when Bertie made it a point to let him know that Amanda was seeing another man; that was, also, when Tyler’s phone calls to Amanda began to increase. Instead of once or twice a month, his calls gradually increased to once a week; by the end of April, he was calling her on a daily basis.

  Amanda was volunteering at Pet Haven Rescue in Tampa on Saturday, April 26. Earl Stocker had passed away in his sleep two months earlier, and Amanda spent more time than usual helping out his wife, Sharon. Pet Haven was in the process of closing down and Sharon Stocker was determined to find good homes for the last few dogs she had. Amanda had volunteered to drive six of the remaining twelve dogs to the Foster Farm, in Brooksville. B.B. Foster had offered to take all twelve dogs, but Sharon Stocker felt confident that she would be able to find local families for six of them before she had to shut down her rescue organization.

  Amanda had recently called things off with Jason, after an episode when she saw him shoving Buster. She had walked in to her bedroom for a sweater, and had left Buster sleeping on the couch beside Jason. The bedroom door was left ajar, and she heard a soft thump coming from the living room. She started to shout out and ask what was going on, but instead, she moved to the bedroom door and glanced out in time to see Buster sprawled on the living room floor. He attempted to jump back up to his comfortable spot and blanket on the couch, when Jason shoved him away again. Amanda had stormed out of her room and told Jason to leave. He had made some comment about it being “just a dog”, and it took all of her self-control not to hurl the television at him. Needless to say, things had been a little uncomfortable between them at work since the incident happened.

  Buster had grown considerably over the past six months and still enjoyed riding shotgun beside his sweet Amanda. His ears and jowls flapped happily as he extended his head out the window to enjoy the warm, spring air rush against his face. Amanda enjoyed the hour-long ride to Brooksville even more by listening to her father’s collection of Patsy Cline CDs. She was still singing along with Patsy when she pulled the van into the long drive way that led to the Foster’s log home.

  She honked her horn when she saw the entire clan gathered on the large front porch. Everyone had gathered for a family cookout. All the Foster sons…Scott, Rick, Matthew…and their wives and children were playing games on the porch and in the front yard. Jean was sitting in B.B.’s lap, and Spartacus was lying beside the huge rocking chair they sat in. Amanda performed a rapid scan of the entire area until she spotted the person for whom she was really searching.

  Tyler straddled one of the wide railings on the porch and had his Atlanta Braves baseball cap pulled low over his eyes. She watched carefully for his reaction when she and Buster exited the van. She had specifically told the Fosters not to tell Tyler she was coming today; she wanted to surprise him. Her palms felt clammy, and she felt like a school girl experiencing her very first crush; and, she thought she might be physically sick from the queasiness that settled in the pit of her stomach.

  Tyler jumped off the railing and adjusted his cap. A wide grin spread across his face when he saw Amanda. He laughed when Buster began barking and running around in circles. Spartacus looked over at him and Tyler nodded, “Go get him, fella!”

  “I’ve missed that little fella!” Spartacus barked and ran to meet up with Buster. He stopped long enough to accept hugs and kisses from the pretty blond woman who owned the boisterous pup.

  Jean got up off her husband’s lap and smiled over at Tyler. “Well, would you look who’s here!”

  B.B. shook his head and feigned surprise at Amanda’s arrival. “Yep…it’s Amanda Turner alright. It’s good to see you, young lady. Come on over here and give me a hug. We’ve missed you…and Buster!”

  Amanda exchanged hugs with all of them, saving Tyler for last. “It’s really good to see all of you again…it’s been a long time.”

  “Too long…” Tyler mumbled too softly for anyone to hear. He moved between his mother and father and
walked down the steps to meet Amanda at the bottom. “Hey there, you,” he smiled at her and relaxed when she eagerly accepted his hug.

  Amanda squinted up at him and smiled back. “It’s one thing to hear your voice every day, but it’s even better to finally see you in person again…”

  It was another couple of hours before everyone had eaten and split up into various groups…some resumed game playing while others relaxed in comfortable chairs on the porch. Amanda and Tyler took the opportunity to slip away and go for a walk along the lake behind the main house. Tyler pointed to an old canoe on the bank. “Want to take it out?”

  “You bet I do!” Amanda laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I was in one of these. My Dad use to take me fishing in an old one he had.”

  “I didn’t know you knew how to fish,” Tyler grinned.

  “Well, I don’t, really,” Amanda shrugged. “My Dad would always bait my lines for me, and I always felt so sorry for the poor fish when he hauled them in…I couldn’t stand to see that hook in their mouths, and the look on their scared faces…so, I would cry until he took the hook out and threw the fish back into the water. It was really more about spending time with my Dad than it was about fishing, I guess.”

  “Hmmm…” Tyler mocked. “Does that mean you want to spend time with me, too?”

  Amanda put her hands on her slim hips and stared up at him. “I think we’ve pussy-footed long enough, don’t you, Tyler Foster?”

  Tyler pushed the canoe half-way into the water and took her hand in his. “Care to elaborate, Amanda Turner?”

  Amanda stepped into the canoe, sat down, and waited for Tyler to push off and hop in. She watched the muscles flex in his arms while he rowed them to the middle of the lake. “Sure, I’ll elaborate…be happy to. I don’t know why you distanced yourself from me after the dog-fighting sting last October, but you did. At first, I decided to give you the space you needed, and some time to adjust being back home. I didn’t understand why you didn’t want to see me…”

  Tyler locked the oars in place and stretched his shoulders. “It’s hard to explain, Amanda. I felt like everyone expected us to be together…like I didn’t have any say in the matter…I was confused about how or what I felt about you. I dated other women, but found myself comparing them to you…none of them ever measured up. None of them made me…laugh. My family was pushing me to see you, and the more they pushed, the more I was determined that I wasn’t going to allow them to make that decision for me.”

  “Hmmm…” Amanda nodded. “So, I guess you didn’t believe what I said when we first met…when I told you that you and I were going to be married one day?”

  Tyler shook his head. “No…I never really believed that…well…maybe, I did, for a brief moment when we rescued you from Abbott. I have to tell you…that whole episode had me scared to death…thinking about what he might have done to you…”

  “So…you saved my life and then ran like hell from me, huh?”

  Tyler exhaled. “I guess I did, but…something changed when I stopped in to see Max, Bertie, and Doug last month.”

  “I didn’t know you had seen them,” Amanda began. “I see them at least once a month…they never mentioned seeing you.

  “They told me that you were seeing someone special…and, something clicked inside this empty head of mine when Bertie told me that…something unpleasant…I didn’t know why I was feeling the way I was…angry, hurt, disappointed. It took me a few days to realize that I didn’t have anyone but myself to blame for those feelings. I had pushed you away enough times, until you found someone else to fill my spot.”

  Amanda shrugged. “Yeah…well…that man is definitely not in the picture any more…”

  Tyler perked up and grinned a victor’s grin. “He’s not? What happened? I mean…it’s none of my business really, but…”

  Amanda waved him off. “The man doesn’t like animals, specifically, my Buster. He’s lucky I didn’t give him a concussion when I saw him shove my sweet boy!”

  Tyler looked out at the golden red sky. He would always remember this day…April 26…as the day he finally acknowledged to himself that he loved the dizzy blond sitting across from him. He didn’t know what the future held for them, but he knew beyond all doubt that they could face anything…as long as they were together.

  “Amanda…” he cleared his throat. “Your Dad isn’t here for me to do the honorable thing, so if you would like, I could row us back to shore and get Buster.”

  “What are you talking about, Tyler Foster?” Amanda laughed.

  “Well, he’s the main man in your life, so I think it only right that he be the one that I should ask for your hand in marriage…”

  Amanda jumped up and dragged Tyler along with her. The old canoe rocked dangerously from side to side, and within mere seconds, they both fell sideways into the lake. Tyler surfaced first and looked around for Amanda. She bounced to the surface seconds later, spitting water from her nose and mouth. She looked down and was shocked to find herself holding a small fish in her hands. She looked back and forth from Tyler and the flopping fish before bursting out in laughter. She threw the fish back into the lake and looked toward Heaven, before locking her arms around Tyler’s neck. “I think that was my Dad’s sick sense of humor…giving his own approval!”

  Tyler held her around her waist as they treaded water, and slowly lowered his mouth to hers. It was a kiss worth waiting for…when their lips finally parted and they had caught their breaths, he smiled down at her and asked, “Then…does that mean…?”

  Amanda laughed out loud again before dunking his head beneath the water. She was still laughing when he bobbed up again and shook the water off. “YESSSSS! Yes, Tyler Foster…I will most definitely marry you!”

  At that precise moment, the dinner crowd was pushing through the front door of the Heavenly Grille Café. Bertie tensed, grinned broadly, and winked at Max who was watching her from the kitchen. “Well, I’ll be damned!” she beamed as she punched one of the truckers hard against his massive forearm.

  “B-E-R-T-I-E!!!”

  “Oops…” Bertie whispered. “My bad…”

  The End…Until the Next Angelic Encounter!

  Author’s Request:

  Our four-legged friends depend on us to be their voice. Please don’t be afraid to step forward and get involved if you see one of them being neglected, abused, or abandoned. Contact your local shelter and/or law enforcement and report your findings. If you suspect any animal is being used for illegal dogfighting, pick up your phone and call the national Dog Fighting Hotline, sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States: 1-877-847-4787.

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  Star-Spangled Rejects

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  The Heavenly Grille Café

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