A wet nose nuzzled his hand and Jessie whined in agreement. She was ready to stand by his side and protect those she loved, too. Lucas’s face softened, and he stroked her head. “Good girl.” Her tail thumped on the floor. They were more suited than he could ever imagine.
But so were he and Ronni. Partners forever.
Chapter Nineteen – Ronni
“Thank you all for coming.” They were all squeezed into the front reception office and the back room at the animal sanctuary. Ronni looked around at all the faces who were eager to help, and her heart swelled with gratitude. Particularly when her eyes rested on the handsome face of the man she loved. “Perhaps we could get an update on where we’re at with the auction. Sian?”
Two weeks had passed since she’d met Lucas. Two weeks since the day Kevin Jones had dropped the bombshell on the animal shelter that the land was to be sold. The clock was ticking on the deal she’d made with him, made even tenser by the arrival of Matthew Lewis in town. Although, since visiting the shelter and posing as a potential adopter, they hadn’t seen him again.
Perhaps he’d found out the deal Ronni had made with Kevin was unbreakable. Not by law, but by loyalty. Kevin was a son who wanted to honor his father’s wishes.
So here they were. With only hours to go until the auction began, gathered in the place where this all started. Ronni looked around the room with a heart filled with pride and gratitude. They were going to pull it off. They were going to save the shelter and all the animals that called it home.
Yes. After a crazy mad rush, the auction was jam-packed with goods, services, and promises, all meticulously cataloged by Simon.
It was this catalog that Sian held in her hand as she stood up to address everyone present. Calm and confident, Sian had agreed to stand on stage and make all the announcements this evening, since Ronni’s knees turned to Jell-O every time she stepped onto the stage at the museum. The bidding itself was being handled by Simon, who was excited to be stepping out from the shadow of retirement.
Sian cleared her voice, and everyone ended their conversations. She had a powerful presence and Ronni could only imagine how good she was at her old job and how difficult it must be to walk away from all that and live a quiet life in Bear Creek. But Sian seemed happy, and so did her two daughters, Ella and Rachel, who were a common sight at the shelter due to their regular visits to the kittens they would be taking home in time for Christmas.
“Okay, this is our final meeting. We need to make sure we all know our jobs and what to do if something goes wrong.” Sian held her hand out toward Ronni. “Ronni is in charge of organization off-stage tonight. If you have any problems, she’s the one you need to contact.”
Ronni picked up a stack of cards and began handing them out. “These have my cell phone number on them. They also have Lucas’s number so if you can’t get ahold of me or if I’m busy, he’s the backup.”
Jessie, who was seated on the floor next to Lucas, wagged her tail enthusiastically and barked up at Lucas as if she understood every word. “Jessie here is going to make sure I’m in the right place at the right time. She’s highly organized.” A ripple of laughter went around the room.
Lucas wasn’t joking, over the last couple of weeks, Jessie had become a valuable member of the team. She bustled around organizing them even when they didn’t need it. Ronni joked that Jessie must have been a sheepdog in a former life, she enjoyed herding people, and the kittens, who were a handful for their momma as they got older and ventured further away from their mother’s side.
Although, since they were transferred to the large cat kennel Ronni fondly called the nursery, because it was twice the size of the other kennels, Jessie had spent less time having to pick them up delicately in her mouth and carry them back to the momma cat, who had gained weight and settled in to her new life. Helped by the ready supply of food.
Ronni snapped her attention back to the auction. She was tired, the auction had taken over their lives, but she’d still had the full-time duties of running the sanctuary to cope with. In fact, the shelter had been busier than ever with more people coming to adopt animals as word of the auction spread. It was as if they suddenly realized there was a supply of pets who all needed homes. Even some of the animals the staff at the shelter thought would never find a home. Including a rather exuberant dog named Timber, who had a thing for chewing up shoes. Any and all shoes, it was a fetish, but one his new owner was determined to cope with.
Everything was turning out perfectly. Maybe too perfectly.
And what’s wrong with that? her bear asked.
Nothing. Although Ronni could not shake the feeling something was going to come along and screw everything up. Or someone.
The image of Matthew Lewis flitted across her mind. Had the guy seriously just walked away after that day he came here to fake adopt a pet?
Relax, her bear told her. Tonight we’ll raise the money we need to buy the land from Kevin. Then even the likes of Matthew Lewis can’t sabotage the shelter.
Sabotage. She’d never considered that. What if he tried to sabotage the auction?
How? Her bear shook her head. You are overreacting.
Her bear was right. The whole auction had her nerves on edge. Ronni had discovered that while she was happy talking to people in an informal manner, anything concerning stages and microphones was out of her comfort zone.
“So, if we’re all clear on what you have to do, let’s get to it.” Sian’s upbeat voice noted the end of her speech and Ronni pulled herself together, knowing that the only person who could sabotage the evening was her if she let doubts and worries creep in.
“Thanks, Sian.” Ronni joined her as the others all filed out of the office and headed to their cars.
“It’s hard to imagine this will all be over in a few hours’ time.” Sian’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Ronni, “You look as if you need a vacation.”
“I’m just a little nervous,” Ronni admitted. “So much work and effort has gone into tonight. I hope we pull it off.”
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t,” Lucas assured her. “Sian has us all ultra-organized.”
“Listen to your fiancé.” Sian grabbed hold of Ronni’s left hand and studied her engagement ring for the hundredth time. “I can’t tell you how happy I am for you two.”
“Perhaps once the auction is over, I can start planning the wedding.” Ronni linked arms with Lucas. “It’s a good thing you are a patient man.”
Lucas grinned and rubbed his back. “I’ll be glad when I no longer have to sleep on that sofa.”
“If things go according to plan there should be enough money from the auction to buy the land and fund the building of a staff cottage. If you’re sure you want to live on-site. When you guys have children, you might want some time away from here,” Sian suggested.
“Not a chance,” Ronni insisted. “I want our children to grow up knowing all about the work we do here. Perhaps one day they will take over from me, just as I took over from Martha.”
“That’s a good plan,” Lucas agreed. “But if we don’t get moving, we’ll never raise the money we need.”
“Okay.” Sian crossed over to her desk and picked up a clipboard. She ran through it before nodding thoughtfully. “I’m certain we have everything covered. I just need you to go over to Carter Eden’s place and pick up the beer he donated.”
“I will see you all later.” Lucas’s eyes lit up and he grabbed his keys and snuck out the door before anyone could stop him.
“Are you sure you are okay?” Sian asked. “You look a little flushed.”
“I’m fine, I’m just anxious about the whole thing.” She looked out of the window as Lucas drove off.
“This is about Matthew Lewis still, isn’t it?” Sian asked, going to the back room and pouring two cups of coffee. “Here, let’s take a five-minute break.”
“Thanks.” Ronni nursed her cup in her hands. “I don’t know. It seemed weird to go to all that trouble of
coming over here and then walking away. But perhaps he saw we were not going to go down without a fight.”
“Perhaps.” Sian blew on her coffee before she took a sip. “I asked around, no one seems to have seen or heard of him for days.”
“Maybe he left then, right?” Ronni swiveled around and looked at Sian.
“Possibly.” She looked up into the mountains. “Or perhaps that’s what he wants us to think. He might be lying low.”
“Now I know how paranoid I sound.” Ronni drank her coffee in silence. Then she sighed and stood up. “What can he do? Short of getting the museum shut down, there’s nothing he can do to stop the auction. It’s a like tsunami of goodwill heading right for us. When Lucas drove through Bear Creek this morning, he said there are a lot of new faces in town. Whatever you did to raise awareness seems to have worked.”
“I created a huge social media frenzy and pulled in some favors at a couple of newspapers. There are a lot of eyes on us.” Sian patted Ronni’s arm as her face paled. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
Ronni rubbed her stomach. “I’m not sure if I ate something bad, but I feel a little queasy.”
Sian raised an eyebrow. “Are you pregnant?”
“No.” She shook her head, but she wasn’t so sure. “How soon can you tell?”
“Soon.” Sian grabbed her purse. “I have to go into town and pick up the cake from the bakery. Why don’t I get you a pregnancy test, too?”
Ronni sat down heavily behind her desk. “I can’t be.”
“Have you been taking precautions?” Sian asked in a motherly fashion.
“No.”
“Then you could be pregnant.” Sian crouched down in front of Ronni and took hold of her hands. “Listen, it’ll be okay.”
Ronni shook her head. “No, it’s not that I don’t want a baby. We haven’t been not trying. We just…” Ronni slid her hands through her messy hair. She was supposed to be heading home to wash her hair, so her mom could help her straighten it for tonight. “It’s just…”
“Lucas will be fine with it, won’t he?” Sian asked with concern.
“He’ll be ecstatic.” Ronni dashed away a tear.
“My husband, Peter, didn’t want children,” Sian confided. “But they truly are the best thing in the world. You give birth to this new person, and then you get to watch them grow and blossom.”
“I didn’t realize your husband didn’t want children. But you have two amazing daughters.” Ronni admired Sian for moving to Bear Creek and raising her daughters alone through their teenage years.
“I have. I’m so very proud of them. But Peter was…is self-centered and wanted our lives to revolve around him and his career. Over the years as the girls grew up, he couldn’t deal with not being the most important thing in my life.” She gave a short laugh. “The stupid thing is, if he’d made an effort to love the girls and be part of their lives, then he would have been a bigger part of my life. Instead, he chose to find solace in the arms of another woman.”
“Wow.”
Sian gave a guilty smile. “I guess I still have some anger stored up about him.”
“I still believe there’s a nice shifter out there for you. One who will be a husband to you and a father to the girls.” They walked to the door and looked out toward the mountains. Ronni breathed in the cold air. It made her feel better. She no longer felt queasy. “I don’t think I need that pregnancy test after all.”
Sian grabbed her purse and ran back to the door. As she slipped past Ronni, she said, “I’m getting one anyway. Perhaps Santa has decided to give you an early gift.”
“Really, Santa slipped a child inside me?” Ronni asked.
“I need to believe in a little Christmas magic.” Sian’s bottom lip trembled before she replaced it with a smile. “It’s the first Christmas on my own with the girls and I’m feeling the pressure to get it right. I don’t have the spare money to throw at gifts; until the divorce is finalized, we’re almost broke.”
“I didn’t realize things were so tough,” Ronni admitted. “I’m sorry we can’t pay you for the shifts you work here.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. And I love the work I do here. I needed a mental break before I had a mental breakdown. But now I’m ready to throw myself into the pet pampering business.” She stood up. “I should get going.”
“The girls will be fine,” Ronni assured her. “They have a great mom and, believe me, that is one of the greatest gifts they could ever have.”
“I hope so.” Sian shouldered her purse. “Okay, I will see you later. Be good and don’t worry.”
“I will, and I won’t,” Ronni promised as Sian left. Ronni was in charge of the shelter for most of the day while the others completed their jobs for the auction. Although there was little to do, the volunteers had worked hard before the meeting to ensure everything was clean and tidy and all the animals were fed and watered.
Perhaps if she were fed and watered herself, she might feel a little better, Ronni mused.
Going to the fridge, she pulled out the apple pie Sian had brought in for them to share. She cut herself a small piece and poured herself a cup of coffee before heading back to her desk to catch up on all the admin she’d neglected over the last couple of days. It had been hectic, but fun. Although, she would be glad when everything returned to normal.
Or as normal as it could be since Will Frasier intended to start building the staff house as soon as they had purchased the land.
A wave of nerves swept over Ronni once more. What if they failed? What if the animals all became homeless? There was no contingency plan, it had been abandoned as soon as Kevin agreed on a price for the land.
Stop worrying, her bear told her firmly.
Ronni bit into her apple pie. It was delicious. So good that Ronni had told Sian she should open a bakery instead of a pet grooming salon.
Sian had replied there was already one amazing bakery in Bear Creek and she didn’t want to enter into cake wars.
A smile replaced Ronni’s frown as she imagined exactly what cake wars might look like. She was still smiling when the phone rang, and she picked it up. “Hello, Bear Creek Animal Shelter, can I help you?”
“Hi, Ronni. It’s Miriam Stafford.” Miriam worked for the council and was responsible for ensuring businesses abided by the law. She regularly inspected the animal shelter and always left with glowing praise for Ronni and the volunteers.
“Hi, Miriam, how can I help you?” Ronni asked, taking a gulp of her coffee while she waited for a reply.
“There’s no easy way to say this, Ronni. I’m sorry, but I’ve had a complaint about the animal shelter.”
Ronni nearly sprayed her coffee across the desk. “What kind of complaint?” she asked in a choked voice as she swallowed her coffee down.
“Noise. A local resident said he is fed up of dogs barking at all hours and that the animal feed is attracting rats because it’s not stored properly.” Miriam’s voice carried an apologetic tone, but that wasn’t enough for the complaint to just go away. “As you know, I have to investigate the complaints.”
“A local resident?” Ronni echoed. “The only person who lives close enough to the shelter to hear the dogs is Kevin Jones. Not that they bark a lot.”
“I can’t divulge any further information. I’m sorry,” Miriam repeated.
“I understand. Why don’t you come over tomorrow? I have nothing to hide.” Ronni checked the calendar. The only thing written down for tomorrow, in Sian’s neat handwriting, was buy land.
“Ten o’clock okay?” Miriam asked as she turned the page of her own calendar.
“Perfect.”
“And good luck for tonight, Ronni. I know there’s a lot riding on the auction. I have my eye on the tour around Carter Eden’s brewery.” She paused and gave a girlish giggle. “Only so I can drool over Carter. In a non-inappropriate way, of course.”
“Of course. I think there will be more Carter Eden fans on that tour than Bear Cr
eek Honey Beer fans.” They ended the call and Ronni got up and went to the door leading outside. Pulling it open, she listened. The dogs hardly ever barked. It was something the shelter prided itself on. Of course, newcomers often took a couple of days to settle in, but Kevin had never complained before. So why now?
She shoved it to the back of her mind. That could wait for tomorrow. Today was all about raising the money they needed for the animals.
Which was why she made a decision not to tell anyone else about the complaint until after the auction.
Going back to her desk, Ronni submerged herself in paperwork and tried not to let her nerves get the better of her. Tonight had to be a success.
Chapter Twenty – Lucas
“What?” Lucas asked when Ronni pulled him to one side and told him about the complaint.
“Someone complained about the noise and said there were rats in the feed storeroom.” Ronni smoothed her smart black dress down over her thighs, Lucas’s eyes followed the motion with a hunger he longed to satisfy. She looked gorgeous. Not that she didn’t every day. Even in her coveralls with her hair pulled back into a ponytail, she looked stunning.
“Who would do such a thing?” As he said the words, Matthew Lewis walked into the museum looking every inch a billionaire property tycoon. Ronni was facing away from the entrance and hadn’t seen him, and Lucas wanted it to stay that way.
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “I was going to ask Kevin, but when I went over to his place he wasn’t in.”
“He wouldn’t do something like that. Not when he agreed to sell the land because of how much it meant to his father.” Lucas had his own idea of who was responsible. And he intended to confront him right now. “Why don’t you go and check on the others and I’ll meet up with you later.”
“I was going to go and greet people as they came in.” She gave him a rueful smile. “I might freeze when I’m on stage, but I can talk to people face to face.”
He kissed her cheek. “Go charm the money out of their pockets.”
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