As she approached Nell’s pen, the puppy recognized her, leaping out of bed to run over and greet her at the gate. “Well! Good morning to you too, sunshine. What a lovely, cheerful surprise. Did you miss me, huh?” Mac knelt down and ruffled the puppy’s ears. “Hey, wanna try out your new lead this morning?” The puppy’s tail was wagging.
“Okay, what say we go over to the play pen and have some fun, huh?” The puppy didn’t care where she was going, she was just happy to be going with Mac. Mac picked her up and carried her over to the play pen. It was quiet and furnished with lovely soft grass. This was the area that the girls used for special one-on-one training with the dogs. It also acted as a quiet place where they could take potential owners to meet the animals they were interested in adopting as their own. It was away from the pens and close to the office.
Mac walked in and shut the gate behind her. She put Nell on the ground and sat on the grass, letting Nell sniff and explore the new place. All she wanted to do today was to make a start with the concept of sit and get Nell used to the lead. She’d read on the Internet that you could get a collar that vibrated to get a deaf dog’s attention. One day next week she thought she might make some inquiries at the local pet store to see if they had one. Today, though, she opted to keep it simple and start slowly.
Nell had finally finished exploring, returning cheerfully for a pat. Mac slowly raised her hand with a finger pointed and put it at Nell’s eyebrow level so the puppy had to tilt her head back a little. With her other hand she gently pushed down on Nell’s hips. “Sit.” Mac pointed again and lightly pushed on Nell’s rump. “Sit.” The puppy sank down onto her haunches, still looking up at Mac. Mac reached into her pocket and gave her a treat, ruffling her ears. “Good girl!” They repeated this manoeuvre a few more times, with all successes rewarded with treats and praise.
They had a quick break and played with a ball, and then had a few more goes at sitting, before Mac tried a game using the lead. Her aim was to get Nell to think of the lead as a fun thing. They played tug of war and chase the snake, the puppy pouncing joyfully upon the lead and chasing it tirelessly. Then Mac clipped the lead onto Nell’s collar and just let her walk around and play, with it dragging behind her. At first the puppy reacted to the weirdness of it, but with a few more treats offered to her she soon took no notice of it. Mac stood and was about to try holding on to the lead when she heard a quiet throat being cleared.
Mac turned to the sound behind her.
There, at the gate, were three sets of smiling eyes, watching her and Nell.
Maree had the biggest smile on her face. “Hey, sorry to bother you, but I just thought you might like to know…”
Mac knew Maree was saying something to her but she wasn’t really taking it in. She couldn’t get past the vision of Sarah, holding Thomas’s hand while they were both looking at her. Terri was right. Sarah was the whole damn package. She was fit looking, but soft in all the right ways. Her hair was gently blowing with the breeze and shining in the morning sun. Her eyes were covered in smoked sunglasses, which was probably just as well, as it saved Mac from potentially drowning in them.
“Is that okay?” she heard Maree say.
Focus Mac. Focus! “Umm, sorry?”
Maree chuckled quietly. “The concrete will be here a bit after ten. Is that okay?”
“Ten? Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks.”
“Mac, can you do me a favour please? Some people have just pulled up and want to have a look at some puppies. Can I leave Sarah and Thomas with you for a little bit while I sort these other people out?”
Mac looked at Maree. She was smiling ever so sweetly at her. She glanced over at Sarah and Thomas, looking expectantly at her. How could she say no? “Yeah, sure, I can do that.”
Maree openly grinned and turned with a wave. “Thanks. I’ll come back when I’ve finished.” As she turned to leave, she winked at Mac.
Mac was still in a bit of shock at Sarah’s unexpected reappearance, but she was conscious enough to sign for Thomas. “Hello, Sarah. Hello, Thomas.”
Sarah gave a little wave to Mac. “Hello, again. This is a lovely surprise.”
It was a lovely surprise for Mac too.
“Jean’s gone into town for the morning, so Thomas and I thought we would come out for another look around, if that’s okay?”
“No, that’s fine. It’s lovely to see you both again. Did you both enjoy yesterday?”
Thomas eagerly signed back, “Yes. I met a lot of dogs. Then we went and saw the cats and the kittens. And Maree told me they each had stories.”
“And who was your favourite animal yesterday?”
Thomas didn’t hesitate. “Henry.”
Mac looked at Sarah and Sarah’s hands went up in a search-me gesture.
“Who is Henry?” asked Mac.
Thomas’s face lit up. “The tiniest kitten of them all. He was grey, with green eyes, white toes, and a white chest.”
Just then, Nell, who had been sitting patiently by Mac’s side, decided she couldn’t wait any longer and raised a paw and tapped Mac on the leg as if to say Hey, remember me? Mac laughed and leaned down to pat Nell on the head and tell her she was a good girl, then gave her a treat. Mac looked over at Thomas who was captivated. She signed to him, “Thomas, this is my friend Nell. Would you like to come and say hello to her?”
Thomas looked up at his Aunt Sarah and she nodded.
Mac pointed her chin over to her left to Sarah. “Come on in, the gate is over there next to the wall.”
Sarah and Thomas came in and stood next to Mac and Nell. Mac knelt down next to Nell and Thomas. “I was teaching Nell how to sit, so that when she grows up, she has good manners.” Thomas nodded sagely. “When I want Nell to do something, like sit, then I use my voice.” Mac saw Thomas’s face fall slightly as he knew he could never do that. Mac gently touched Thomas on the leg to get his attention. “But I also have to use sign language as well.”
Thomas looked first at Mac and then at Sarah in confusion. Sarah shrugged her shoulders as well. They both looked expectantly at Mac to explain.
“Nell is a very special puppy. I use sign language with Nell, because she’s deaf.”
Both Thomas’s and Sarah’s eyes opened wide at the revelation.
Thomas signed, “So she’s like me?”
Mac smiled and signed back. “That’s right. I use my voice so she can feel the vibrations, but I use sign language to ask her to do things. Today, I’m teaching Nell to sit. Would you like to have a go?” Thomas vigorously nodded. Mac looked to Sarah. “We’ll need your help too, to be Thomas’s voice. You okay with that?”
Sarah had no voice. She felt like she was a puppet as she nodded at Mac that she would join in. It was a morning of surprises for Sarah. She had talked herself into coming, thinking yesterday was a one-off and that she would not run into Mac again. And here she was, Mac, looking cleaner than yesterday, and twice as gorgeous. Mac had her hair tied back, with a cap on and sunglasses on top of the cap. She was wearing old faded jeans that hugged her perfectly and an oversized T-shirt. Her face had a slight blush to it, probably from too much sun yesterday. Her eyes were the blue of the Aegean Sea. Mac was the picture of fitness and health. Sarah was never one to swoon, but even she had to admit, Mac made her head spin.
Mac showed Thomas how to hold his hand with the finger pointed. “You need to hold it just over the top of her head, so she has to tilt her head back, then you push down gently on her bottom and your Aunt Sarah says sit. And if Nell sits, you have to tell her she is a clever girl and then give her a treat.” Both Sarah and Thomas were a captive audience. “How about I show you once, and then you both have a go?” Both Thomas and Sarah nodded. Mac showed them, then handed Thomas a treat to put in his pocket. She stepped back. “Okay, now your turn.”
Sarah and Thomas stepped forward together. Thomas looked up at Sarah, who smiled and nodded. He stood in front of Nell and got his hand signal ready. He looked to Sarah as if to cue her. S
arah said sit and Thomas pointed at Nell and pushed gently down on her rump. Nell sat obediently. Sarah smiled both at Thomas and Nell and at Mac, who stood there beaming like a proud parent.
Mac signed to Thomas, “Tell Nell how clever she is and offer her a treat.” Both Sarah and Thomas made a fuss over Nell, who lapped it up with equal enthusiasm.
Mac smiled and applauded and signed to them both. “Well done, everyone. That was super.” Thomas looked up at Mac. “Because Nell is only a baby, we have to make the lessons short. So in between lessons, she can have some play. Do you want to play with her for a few minutes?” Thomas nodded, and he and Nell took off with a couple of the balls and tug toys in the yard and were having a whale of a time.
Mac and Sarah sat down on the grass together and watched them play. Sarah turned to Mac. “That was really lovely of you, showing Thomas how to teach Nell. Thank you.”
Mac blushed and found a loose thread on her jeans. “That’s okay. It’s nice to see them hit it off together.”
There was a brief silence before Mac heard Sarah take a deep breath. “You know, this might sound really weird, and I can’t believe I’m saying it out loud, but I’ve only met you a couple of times, and each time you surprise the hell out of me. It’s in places I don’t expect and in contexts that are all completely different.”
Mac smiled shyly.
Sarah had started. She decided if she was going to have egg on her face, it wouldn’t matter if it was one egg or the whole damn carton, so she decided to keep going. “This is probably going to sound weird, and maybe there won’t be time, I mean you’ll probably be busy and everything, and it’s okay if you don’t want to, I mean, I completely understand, but I wondered if you’d like to go out for coffee or something on Monday, after the inspections at the hospital.” There. She’d said it. Okay, it was rushed and probably garbled, but she’d said it. She’d asked her out. Just like she promised Jean.
There was silence.
Great. So much for dignity. I should have just kept my mouth shut. What was I thinking?
“I’d like that very much.”
Sarah looked up startled. Did she just say yes?
“Coffee with you, on Monday. That sounds lovely. Thank you.”
She said yes! Sarah smiled so hard she thought her face would split.
Thomas and Nell both came bounding up together, saving Sarah from melting down completely. She and Mac stood up and Mac signed, “Nell has had a big morning, but she’s still only a baby. So we should take her back to her kennel so she can have a rest. Would you like to pick her up and carry her to the kennel for me?” Thomas nodded and picked up Nell, cradling her as if she were the most precious thing in the world and he her personal protector. He stood near the gate and waited for Sarah to open it for him. They walked through and followed Mac over to run six, where they deposited Nell back into her pen. They left her with the remaining treats in her bed. As they left, Nell was contently chewing on the last of the nibbles with heavy eyelids.
As they walked back, Maree intercepted them and offered to take Sarah and Thomas off to the kitten wing of the cat house. As they were leaving, Sarah turned to Mac, who was standing by the pathway formwork. “Are you here for a while?”
Mac nodded. “Yeah, I’m just waiting on the cement truck. I’ll probably be here up to my eyeballs in concrete when you come back.”
Sarah smiled. “Okay, we might see you on the way out, then.”
Mac smiled back. “I’ll be here.”
And with that, Sarah turned and went with Maree and Thomas to see Henry and friends in the kitten wing.
An hour later, Maree, Sarah, and Thomas came outside to watch the last of the concrete pour. Thomas was no different to most boys and was fascinated by the truck. Mac waved Thomas over. “Would you like to have a go raking the cement?”
Thomas signed, “Can I?”
Sarah gave the okay sign, and Mac handed Thomas the rake, showing him how to drag from the centre and pull to the sides so that the concrete spread evenly. With his tongue sticking out in concentration, Thomas dutifully fulfilled his brief, huffing and puffing with the effort.
Maree paid the cement man and waved as the truck headed back to town.
Terri leaned on her rake and gestured to Maree and Sarah. “How about you two pristine beauties grab rakes and keep going on the sides here, while Mac and I do the dirty stuff and start to smooth it out a bit with the floats?”
Maree and Sarah looked at each other with raised eyebrows, smothering grins. Sarah chimed in, “I think we can manage that.”
The small group worked away at the cement for a good hour and a half until, finally, Mac stood up, stretched her back, and declared the job finished. “All we need now is time to allow it to dry.”
Maree brushed her hands together. “How about I make us some lunch, while you guys wash up?”
Terri’s stomach grumbled. “That’s sounds great. I’m starving.”
Maree turned to Sarah and Thomas. “Would you like to stay for lunch? There’s plenty to go around and it would be our way of saying thanks for all your hard work this morning.”
Thomas tugged on Sarah’s sleeve to translate, which she did. And he signed, “Can we? Please?”
Sarah looked over at Mac, who was watching with interest. “I don’t see why not, although we don’t need payment. Thomas and I have had a wonderful morning. It should be us thanking you. I’ll just text Jean and let her know.”
Mac cleared her throat. “Before you all go, all the workers need to sign off on the job.” Everyone looked at her. Mac picked up a stick and walked over to the corner of the path, writing her initials in the cement. She held the stick out to Thomas, who came over and added his initials. He in turn gave the stick to Sarah, and then it was passed to Terri and then Maree.
They stood and admired their handiwork. Terri piped up, “Okay, clean-up time, gang.”
Twenty minutes later they all converged in the sunny dining room. Thomas was setting the table with Maree, Terri was cutting up bread, while Sarah was stirring something delicious smelling in a pot on the stove.
Mac went over to see what Sarah was stirring. She leaned closer to the pot. “Wow, that smells great.”
Sarah chuckled. “I confess, I cannot take any credit for this, other than stirring it.”
“Maree and Terri are whizzes in the kitchen. One of the many reasons I love helping out here. I can’t stay away from their cooking.”
Sarah chuckled.
Mac frowned. “What’s so funny?”
Sarah leaned over and touched Mac’s chin gently. “You have a dob of cement on your chin.”
“Oh, bugger.”
Mac raised her hand to rub it off, but Sarah intercepted her hand, pulling a clean hanky from her pocket. “Here, let me.” Sarah cupped Mac’s face with her left hand and gently wiped off the smudge on Mac’s chin with her right. When she was done, they both stood there looking at each other, barely breathing. Sarah’s hands were shaking.
Mac recovered first and whispered, “Thank you.”
Just then the hiss and spit of the pot’s contents boiling over could be heard. “Shit!” Sarah turned to quickly stir the contents and turn the heat down a little.
Mac turned and silently left the room.
Sarah’s heart was pounding and her legs were shaking. What the hell just happened? She followed Mac through a door that led to a verandah. “Mac, are you all right? I turned around and you were gone.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that.”
“Are you okay?”
Mac nodded.
Sarah raised a hand to Mac’s cheek. “You’re very flushed.” She left it there.
Mac raised her hand and placed it over Sarah’s. “Am I?”
“Mm, you are.” Sarah’s thumb gently caressed Mac’s cheekbone.
“Must have been too much sun.” Mac’s voice was hoarse.
Sarah smiled and whispered back, “You think?”
&nb
sp; They heard the door open and turned to see Terri’s head sticking out. “When you two are ready, we need a translator in here for Thomas.”
Sarah stepped back, grinned sheepishly, and felt her face flush. “Ah yes, sorry. Coming.” Terri held the door open for Sarah as she walked through.
*
Lunch was a cheerful affair. Maree and Terri told Thomas some of the animals’ stories, while Sarah translated. This worked well for Mac as she could just sit back and get her act together. She watched as Sarah signed for Thomas. Sarah had strong hands with long fingers and was very expressive as she conveyed the conversations to her nephew.
Mac was beginning to understand the saying like a moth to a flame. There was something happening here with Sarah. Mac could feel it pulling at her, drawing her in. Every now and then, she would catch Sarah looking at her. Did she feel it too? She was beginning to feel a bit out of control. And she hated feeling out of control. If she was to be honest, it unnerved her. But like the moth, it was like she couldn’t resist.
Mac’s thoughts were interrupted as her pager went off. There was a grass fire just out of town, heading towards a small stretch of bushland. Even though the paid part of her work had changed for the next month, as a volunteer, she could still attend call-outs on weekends and after hours.
“Sorry, guys, gotta go.”
Maree gave her a hug. “No worries, we’ll finish up here. You be careful out there, okay?”
Mac kissed her on the cheek. “Always.” She turned to the group and signed. “Thanks for a great morning. I had lots of fun.”
Sarah waved. “See you Monday?”
Mac smiled and waved back. “See you Monday.” She jogged outside to her truck, grabbed her kit bag from the storage space from the back, put it on the front seat, and headed off to the fire.
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