Flaming Hearts (Beyond Reality Book 2)

by Stoker, Susan

  Becky hadn’t seen Dean on the set that day, but knew he’d be at the refuge when they arrived. He’d said that his family owned it, so she figured he’d be there as well. She looked around to see if Jonathan was one of the camera operators assigned to the outing and when she didn’t see him, she assumed he’d be staying back at the production house. She was a little disappointed. She didn’t really know Jonathan, but she liked what she knew about him. She had time to watch people in the house each day, partly because it was boring as hell just sitting around all the time, but also because no one cared much about what she did, especially if Marissa was around.

  She’d watched as Jonathan would help the other camera operators move equipment around. He always did his part and never let anyone struggle with anything on their own. He volunteered for the shifts she knew others didn’t like. She’d even noticed him watching Kina with an interested look in his eye, but she never saw them actually talking.

  Becky turned her attention back to the refuge they were approaching. As they neared the gate, Becky could see a ten foot high fence stretching as far as her eye could see. It lined the road and disappeared off into the distance. The property was huge and it looked like a wonderful place for coyotes and other animals to spend out their lives. She didn’t know a lot about coyotes, but what she did know, fascinated her.

  They pulled up to a huge house with a large white porch that surrounded the entire front of the building. There was a big red barn off to the side and a series of gates leading into the enclosure. Becky saw a man and a woman standing on the porch, obviously waiting for them. As they all stumbled out of the vans and the camera operators started setting up their equipment, she saw Eddie and the director walk over to the couple on the porch.

  It wasn’t long before they all came over to where she and Marissa were standing with their dates. Eddie introduced the couple as Steve and Bethany. Marissa shook their hands, but was obviously not interested much in them, she was too engrossed in her dates and Becky’s dates and trying to keep hold of all of their interests.

  In direct opposition to the way Marissa had acted when meeting the couple, Becky shook both Steve and Bethany’s hands and expressed delight they’d allowed them to come to their refuge.

  “It’s our pleasure, Becky,” Bethany said, holding on to Becky’s hand a bit longer than was socially acceptable. Becky dropped her eyes at the intense gaze of the woman. It wasn’t disrespectful, but Becky thought it best she didn’t hold her eyes. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt like the right thing to do. Bethany nodded, beamed, and dropped Becky’s hand.

  She squeezed her husband’s hand in approval.

  “We need to discuss a bit more with Eddie about the plans for the shoot today and what exactly we’ll be doing. Please,” Steve said, gesturing to the property, “look around, but don’t go inside the gates, for obvious reasons, or the barn. We’ll give you an official tour later.”

  They all nodded their heads. Marissa and her dates walked toward the production truck, intending to sit inside until shooting was ready to begin. Becky turned to Dexter and John, her dates for the day, and asked if they’d like to walk around. They looked back at Marissa, engrossed in conversation with David and Derek, shrugged their shoulders and agreed. The three of them, with a camera following, wandered over to the fence line near the barn. She didn’t really want to spend time with the two men, but she figured since it was expected of her, she’d better at least try to look like she was enjoying the show. Better ratings and all that.

  “I wonder if we’ll see any of the coyotes today,” Becky mused, straining her eyes to see any movement on the other side of the fence. There was a large pasture around the house, then a line of trees and a wood line. The coyotes were probably off in the woods doing whatever it was that coyotes did, but she sure hoped they’d get to see some of them.

  The men finally got bored with her inane conversation and wandered off to the production truck where Marissa was holding court with the other men. Becky didn’t care. She’d stay right where she was in the hopes of a glimpse of a coyote. She resisted the urge to look around for Dean. If he was there, he was there, but she didn’t want to seem desperate to see him.

  Dean found her about ten minutes later. She was sitting on the ground, legs crossed, with her elbows resting on her knees, her chin in her hands, scanning the countryside. He smiled. He was so in love with her. Hell, he had no idea why or how he’d fallen so fast, but there it was. Just looking at her made his heart beat faster and made him want to protect her from any and all threats. He never wanted her to be hurt. Ever.

  He’d never understood how his dad and granddad fell in love so fast when they found their One, but now he knew. It was just there. That feeling of rightness and contentedness, and yes, love.

  Dean walked over to Becky with his dad following close behind. He knew he wanted his father to approve of his woman. This was a big moment for him. He’d never wanted anything so badly in all of his life than for his dad to meet and like Becky. He didn’t think it’d be a problem, but there was always that doubt. If they didn’t like or approve of her it’d make coming home awkward. He loved his family and hoped they’d love Becky and vice versa.

  Becky stood up when she saw the men coming toward her. She wiped her hands on her jeans and tried to knock off any stray grass or dirt she’d picked up by sitting on the ground. She hoped she wasn’t doing anything wrong. She hadn’t gone near the barn, but she couldn’t read the expression on either one of their faces.

  At seeing the nervous look Becky had on her face there was nothing more that Dean wanted to do than to sweep his woman up in a huge reassuring hug, but he knew he had to show some decorum, especially with all the production crew hanging around, not to mention the director and Eddie as well.

  “Hi, Dean,” Becky said shyly as they walked up to her.

  Dean reached over, took her hand and squeezed it tightly in his.

  “I know you met my parents earlier, but I wanted to introduce you myself.” He turned to Steve and dipped in a formal little bow. “Steve, this is Becky.” Then he turned toward Becky. “Becky, this is Steve.”

  Becky didn’t know why Dean was being so formal in introducing her to his dad, but she unconsciously mirrored Dean’s motions and bowed a bit when she took his dad’s hand. She knew somehow this was an important moment, but she wasn’t sure why or how. All she knew was that she hoped Steve liked her since he was Dean’s father and it seemed so important to him.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Baker, and I’m so thankful you let us all come out today. I know it’s terribly intrusive for all the cameras and such, and I’m sure you’ll be bored to tears once they actually do start filming. Your place is beautiful and the animals are so lucky to be able to call this home and be safe here.”

  She looked up at Dean’s dad and watched him smile at her.

  “You’re right, Becky, they’re lucky, but we’re lucky too. We get to watch them get healthy and know they’re safe for the rest of their lives. And please know that as Dean’s girlfriend you’re welcome here anytime. You come back with Dean after the show is over and we’ll have dinner…okay? But I only have one condition.” He paused for dramatic affect and continued quickly when he saw Dean frown. “You have to call me Steve, not Mr. Baker.”

  They all laughed and Becky readily agreed.

  Dean smiled as his dad slapped him good naturedly on the back.

  “Thank you, Dad...just…thank you,” he told him sincerely, not quite able to hold back the emotion in his voice. His dad seemed to like Becky. All would be right in their world as soon as the damn reality show was over.

  As the tension seemed to be over, Becky couldn’t hold her excitement back anymore and blurted out, “Where are all the animals? Will we get to see them today?”

  Dean and his dad chuckled together.

  “Patience, little one,” Steve told her. “They’ll come. You’ll see lots of animals today.”

  Just t
hen they heard Eddie call for attention over a bullhorn and proclaim they’d start shooting in twenty minutes.

  “I’d better go,” Becky said, looking over her shoulder at the group gathering near the production truck. “Seriously…” she said nervously, “this is going to be really boring…you don’t want to watch, do you?”

  She hoped he wouldn’t, that no one else would have to watch her in this stupid show and see her be humiliated.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Dean told her soothingly. “Remember what I told you yesterday.”

  Becky sighed. “Okay, well…thanks again, Steve. It was so nice to meet you. You’ve undertaken something of great importance here and I’ll try to make sure it gets across on the show.” She turned around and walked toward the others.

  Steve looked at his son. “I like her, Dean, I like her a lot.”

  Dean grinned. “So do I, Dad, so do I!”

  * * *

  The show got started about forty minutes later. They were supposed to walk around the fence toward the barn. Then once they got in the barn, they were supposed to be shown how the food was prepared. Once that was wrapped up they’d be given a chance to feed some of the animals, including the coyotes. They were reassured that the coyotes knew the sound of the dinner bell, for lack of a better term for it, and would show up for the food.

  From the moment the cameras started Marissa became lively and energetic…and claimed the spotlight. She exclaimed how beautiful the refuge was and wondered if the coyotes would be scary…and Becky knew what was to come. When they did finally see them she’d play the damsel in distress and get all the men to reassure her that she was safe.

  For once Becky didn’t care what Marissa did, she was just so happy to be here at all. This really was a chance of a lifetime. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Dean it was her dream to own a place like this. She’d always loved animals and it’d be such a privilege to be able to help them when they needed it.

  Becky listened as their guide, Sarah, took them around and explained the process of how the various animals came to be at the refuge and what they did once they were here. She talked about the horses that were abused and neglected, she told stories about some of the dogs and cats and how they ended up with them. She even explained how coyotes don’t necessarily mate for life like wolves do, but that the mated pair would usually stay together for a number of years before they went their separate ways.

  The refuge even had some cubs born on the property in the past as well. Sarah explained how they prepared the food and how they even had some live food out in the boundary as well. They didn’t want the coyotes to be bored or get too used to people, which could happen if they were always fed prepared slabs of meat. There were plenty of squirrels, mice, birds, snakes and other live animals they could feed on.

  “Are you ever scared of the coyotes or other animals?” Marissa interrupted, not being able to stand not being the center of attention.

  “Not really,” answered Sarah. “We learn to read them pretty well and know the signs if they are feeling aggressive and when we should avoid them.”

  “Do you go into the pen?” asked Becky, unable to keep her questions to herself anymore.

  Sarah smiled at Becky. She knew all about Becky and how she was Dean’s woman, even if Becky herself didn’t know it yet. It was good she was showing interest and asking questions since she’d be in the family soon.

  “We do,” she answered. “You have to understand, these are wild coyotes, but some have been here a while and do recognize us. They are not domestic dogs, as some people like to think, but they’re also not aggressive killing machines as others believe either.”

  Becky smiled and the little group continued walking around, observing some of the other animals and generally getting a tour of the property. As soon as they walked into the barn Marissa couldn’t stop complaining about the smell. She’d pretended to gag and covered her nose and mouth with her hand.

  David happened to have a handkerchief with him and gave it to her. Becky thought it was extremely rude. The barn smelled like…well, a barn. Becky thought to herself that Marissa was born to be melodramatic.

  Sarah rang the bell that hung outside the back of the barn and soon Becky saw shapes running toward them from the tree line.

  “Oh my gosh,” she said quietly, “they’re beautiful.”

  Ten coyotes came running to the fence. They were different shapes and sizes and even ages. They did look a lot like dogs. Becky couldn’t take her eyes off of them. She stepped up to the fence and grasped the chain link and just stared. She didn’t notice the crowd of people off to the side. Many of the employees at the refuge wanted to meet the woman Dean had claimed, and even more so because she was on a television show.

  They weren’t sure what to think, especially after seeing how Marissa acted with the men and her attitude toward all of them. The employees all hoped Becky was good enough for their employer’s son. They were all relieved to hear Steve approved of her, but they also wanted to see for themselves.

  “Would you like to feed them?” Sarah asked the group.

  “Ick!” Marissa immediately said disgustingly. “No way!”

  The men agreed, which was no surprise, they wouldn’t disagree with anything Marissa said.

  Sarah looked expectantly at Becky.

  “I’d love to,” Becky said quietly. “Will they let me? I mean, they don’t know me.”

  Sarah nodded. “I’ll be right next to you, it’ll be fine.”

  Marissa and her dates, at least that was how Becky thought of the men at this point, sat on a set of bleachers nearby. They were set up for demonstrations such as this one when groups came to the refuge. Marissa was between her dates and not paying any attention to the coyotes or anything Becky was doing. She’d turn from one man to another, flirting with all of them, trying to hold all of their attentions.

  Becky followed Sarah into the pen, oblivious to the crowd of people. She’d gotten so used to so many people being around the shoot that she tended to just ignore them all. Dean stood with his mom and dad along with some of the other employees and watched the interaction between Sarah, his woman, and the coyotes.

  Becky watched carefully how Sarah threw the meat toward the group of coyotes, then stepped back. When it was time, Sarah told her to go ahead and throw the meat toward the coyotes. Becky threw it exactly where Sarah told her to aim.

  The coyotes basically ignored the humans and feasted on their meal. Becky noticed a small coyote slinking toward the others. She hadn’t noticed it before. It was smaller than the others and hesitant. Becky asked Sarah about it.

  “Oh, that’s our newest arrival,” Sarah told her. “We don’t know her story yet, but we think she was a part of a traveling zoo. She was kept in a small box and beaten by the humans who kept her locked up. Eventually the zoo was raided by the humane society and the cops and she was freed. We were contacted and she came here to live. She doesn’t trust us, and she doesn’t trust the other coyotes in the sanctuary yet either. We aren’t sure what to do about her. If she’s not accepted by the other coyotes then we can’t leave her here. They’ll turn against her and she’ll be worse off than she was before.”

  Becky thought that was the saddest thing she’d ever heard. For an animal to live through all that abuse and then not be accepted into the group of coyotes here at the refuge was just so awful.

  “How long has she been here?” Becky asked, not taking her eyes off the coyote.

  “For about two weeks,” Sarah told her.

  Becky gasped. “Has she eaten at all since she’s arrived?” It certainly didn’t look like it as the coyote was very skinny.

  “I’m not sure,” Sarah answered honestly. “She might be catching some of the small rodents and animals that are around their penned in area, but we have no way of knowing for sure.”

  Sarah knew she and the other employees at the refuge had tried everything they could to get the coyote to trust them. They’d tried t
o approach her, but the animal was so scared that she wouldn’t let them anywhere near her. They’d even thrown the food so it would land right in front of her, but she always ignored it and another one of the coyotes ended up eating it instead. Sarah had told Becky the truth. They weren’t sure what to do with the little coyote. It was breaking their hearts, but if she couldn’t bond with them or the other coyotes, she’d have to go elsewhere for her own safety.

  Becky continued to look at the little coyote. She could see she was scared to death, and had only come near the other animals and the fence because she was probably starving. Becky couldn’t stand it anymore.

  “Do you think I could try to feed her?” she asked Sarah. Sarah looked at Dean’s woman. The match couldn’t have been more perfect. Sarah knew Dean liked to protect people and even made a career out of it. Becky was trying to protect the little coyote as best she knew how. Sarah thought she’d do Steve’s family proud. She didn’t think she’d be successful with the little coyote, but it wouldn’t hurt for her to try.

  “Of course you can, Becky, just don’t feel bad if she won’t come near you or if she won’t eat.”

  Sarah went over with her again about the proper way to feed a coyote and what to do. She didn’t think Becky was really listening to her, though, and finally just told her to go ahead.

  Becky didn’t know what she was doing. She only knew that if she didn’t try to help this little coyote she’d regret it forever. The animal didn’t deserve to be in a traveling zoo. She didn’t deserve to go through her life rejected and not trusting. Becky watched the coyote flinch when Marissa’s shrill laugh suddenly sounded loud in the clearing. She took her eyes off the enclosure long enough to glare at the woman, only to see Steve striding over to the woman and her dates. Thank God. Steve would take care of her and make her shut up.

  After entering the fenced-in area Becky walked about forty feet away from the feeding area. Far enough away that she’d be in big trouble if the coyotes decided they wanted to eat her, but she didn’t care. She was focused on the little scared coyote. She thought it’d be best to get it away from the humans, the barn, and the other animals. She sat down cross-legged with her back to the barn and the people. Becky knew they were all still there, watching her, but she didn’t care, she was solely focused on the sad little animal in front of her.