by Diane Leyne
“Promise me you will send Jose’s son to us for a visit. The omens are right. Send him to me as quickly as possible. As for you, you will get your answers soon. There will be a sign, and you will know it when it arrives.”
“But what is the sign?”
“You will know it when you see it. Go now.
“Jose, I am tired. Please take me home.”
Penelope and her friends watched Jose help his aunt to her feet and guide her out the door. Just before it closed, he looked back at her and smiled. “Please, I would very much like to meet my son, if you think he would want to meet an old man who loves him, and his sisters. We have lost too many years.
“And please have trust in what Abuelita says. I don’t know if she has the second sight or is just very insightful, but if she says you will have your answers soon, I would believe her.” And then he was gone, too. The women left behind scooped up the babies and scurried out without a word, leaving the three friends behind.
“Well, well, well,” said Sam.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself,” agreed Penelope. “Let’s go home.
* * * *
Oliver rolled over and fell off the couch. Damn. He’d forgotten where he was. The couch at Lena’s animal clinic was comfortable but not very big. This was the second time he fell off. He’d much prefer to be in his own bed, but Otis needed to be in the clinic and he needed to be with Otis, who had bad memories of being left there before and wouldn’t settle without Oliver nearby.
The today would be the last night, he hoped. Otis was responding well to the antibiotics and was healing well. When the bandages came off and he had a little physiotherapy, he’d be running and jumping like a young pup.
Oliver stretched and realized that he needed to pee. He yawned. It was three. He’d better get up and take care of things or he’d never get back to sleep.
Coming out of the restroom, he stopped. Something wasn’t right. He sniffed the air. He was no wolf, but that smelled like smoke and it was coming from the back, where the supplies were stored.
Grabbing the phone, he punched in 911. Once he was certain that help was on the way, he grabbed the fire extinguisher and made his way to the back. He looked through the window, but the flames were too high. Thank goodness there were no animals staying overnight except…
“Otis. I’m coming boy.”
He touched the doorknob, but it was so hot he burned his hand. He grabbed a cloth, but he couldn’t get a grip.
Just then, he heard the sirens. Firefighters. He hoped they’d arrive soon. The smoke was getting thicker and he didn’t know if he could stay conscious much longer.
* * * *
“Are you okay?” John looked down at his rival, the man he and his brother had just pulled from the burning building. He was sitting on the bumper of the fire truck taking in oxygen. He had taken in a lot of smoke, but had been conscious when they found him, clutching the small dog under one arm and holding on to a picture frame. He’d tried to make Oliver drop the frame, but even though he’d let Jack take Otis from him, he still clutched the picture frame like a life-line.
“Yes.” Oliver’s voice was rough and he wheezed a bit, but John was pretty sure he was going to be just fine, thank goodness. Oliver may be John’s rival, but he’d have to pretty petty to wish him any harm.
“You have to come with us.”
“Otis. I have to get Otis.”
“We’ll get him. You have to come with us.”
“Not without Otis. He wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for me.”
“He can’t go with you to the hospital, Oliver, and you need to get checked over.”
“Not without Otis.”
“John, get him out of here. I’ll get the pup from Tucker and drop him off at your place after you get cleared to go home.” Jack’s voice was amused. “It was love at first sight so I’m not sure if I can get your dog back, but I’ll try. You may have to fight him for the pup.”
“He actually belongs to Alex. I was just dog sitting.”
“Alex? In that case, we’ll take extra good care of him. Now get in the damned ambulance so we can get back to work.”
Jack took Oliver’s arm as he watched John heading over to where his cousin sat cuddling Otis. Oliver tried to follow, but then he was overcome by another coughing fit so hard he dropped his photo. It was only after John picked it up and retuned it that Oliver reluctantly let himself be led out. John tried to catch a glimpse of what photo was so important, but it was so soot covered it was impossible to tell what it was a photo of.
“I didn’t think you guys all worked the same shift.” Trust Oliver to try to make polite conversation even when he had just been rescued from a fire.
“We don’t, but they are worried this would spread and they called in all the guys they could reach. How did you know about the fire?”
“I was sleeping on the couch. Otis was battling an infection after surgery and needed intravenous antibiotics, and I wanted to keep an eye on him.
“I woke up and smelled the smoke and called it in. I tried to get to Otis, but I the door handle was too hot.” He held up his burned palm. “It kind of hurts.”
“I should say so. It’s a second-degree burn and you know it. Go to the damned hospital.” He turned to the paramedic who was approaching with his kit. “This man needs to be checked over for smoke inhalation and this burn needs to be treated. The man is a surgeon, so call in a specialist so he doesn’t lose any mobility.”
“No problem, John. We’ll take good care of him. Now go.”
John bundled a still-protesting Oliver into the ambulance. Once the door shut, he pounded the door twice to let the driver know it was okay to leave. Then he walked over to Tucker, who was sitting on a bench holding a small oxygen mask over Otis’s snout.
“How’s the little guy doing?”
“Pretty good. He’s low to the ground, so probably got less smoke than Oliver. I’ll put him in my truck for now and give him some water. He’s pretty tuckered out and will probably take a nap.” He gave Otis a scratch behind the ears. “He’s a nice little guy. Maybe we should keep him.”
“He belongs to Alex James.”
“In that case, let’s get him a filet mignon and maybe let him have the Master bed tonight.”
John laughed. “Now let’s not get crazy. A T-bone should be good enough.”
* * * *
Three hours later, Oliver was back at the fire scene, his hand bandaged and sitting at a safe distance from the fire and cradling Otis, whom he’d retrieved from Tucker, watching the firefighters finish work. He’d refused to let them take him to the hospital and he’d supervised as the EMT bandaged his hand and then made the man drive him back to the fire scene.
When he’d returned, he’d talked briefly to the fire marshal and got the impression that they thought the fire was deliberate. Once he heard that, he definitely wasn’t leaving. Who would want to burn down Lena’s clinic? Unless it was directed at him? But that was crazy. He was new in town. And no one knew he’d be spending the night.
Reluctantly, he called Lena to let her know what happened. After making sure he and Otis were all right, she started to cry and Alex got on the phone. Oliver assured him that the damage was contained to the one building and no one had been hurt. He also offered to deal with the insurance company and get in a builder and the architect. They were already on retainer because of the planned renovations. The hidden blessing in this was that they could do it up the way they wanted instead of dealing with the existing site’s limitations.
He also promised to make sure that all of her patients were taken care off. He’d call Moe in the morning, and between the two of them, they’d get copies of all the records from the backup system and contact the owners and the other local vets and make sure everyone was taken care off.
Lena came back on the phone again, insisting that she had to come back and take care of it herself, and he could hear Alex and his brothers in the background arguing
with her. He finally told her that if she wanted to be helpful, she could make the call to Moe and they could decide what needed to be done, and then he and Moe would execute her plan.
That finally calmed her down, well, that and letting her talk to Otis.
“I’ll think about it. But I think I need to come home.”
“Don’t even think about it. Now put Alex back on for a moment.”
They spoke for a few minutes, and as soon as he hung up, he noticed Kent walking toward him. He wanted to shake Kent’s hand to thank him, but when he was shuffling Otis to his bandaged left hand, he dropped the photo that he’d grabbed from his desk, now happier than ever that he did, as it was the only one he had.
Kent bent to pick it up. He brushed the soot off it and then froze before holding it up.
Oliver reached for it. “Thanks again.” Then he realized that Kent wasn’t actually handing it to him.
“Why do you have a photo of my mom?”
“Your mom?”
“Well, mine and Tucker’s. Or maybe John and Jack’s. It’s an old photo, and our moms are identical twins, so I’m not 100% sure which of them it is. And I have no idea who the guy is.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. That’s my mother.”
Just then, John and Jack walked over.
“Looks like it’s under control and the surrounding structures will only have a little smoke and water damage.” Jack sounded tired. “What’s that?” Kent handed it to him.
“What?”
“He says it’s a picture of his mother.”
“Nonsense. It’s our mother. Or maybe yours and Tuckers, but I don’t know the dude she’s with.”
“No, that’s definitely my mother. She died when I was born. And he’s my father. I don’t know what became of him.”
“I do.”
Chapter Ten
Five sets of shocked masculine eyes turned to Penelope, who was carrying a tray with a dozen coffee cups on it. Oliver was the first to regain his voice.
“I didn’t know you were back.”
“Got in late, crashed, and then got the call about the fire. Sorry, I wanted to come over sooner, but we wanted to be able to provide coffee and food to first responders and all the other folks impacted. But all my staff are in now, and I finally had a chance to come over myself. Drink up and tell me what’s going on.”
“Definitely arson.”
“It wasn’t an accident?”
“Nope. The Fire Marshal is still investigating, but even to my untrained eye, it was deliberate. Oliver here was lucky.”
“Lucky? What do you mean, Kent? Why was he lucky?”
“He was spending the night with Otis here, in the clinic. He was lucky he woke up before he was overcome by the smoke.”
“Oh, Oliver. Are you okay? Did you see or hear something? Is that how you got out?” Penelope frowned. “What’s wrong with your hand?”
“I burned it on the door trying to get to Otis. But it’ll be fine. It’s my left hand. I’ll be fine in the operating room.”
“Damn the operating room. I’m worried about you!”
Just then, the Fire Marshal Carson Mallory walked over to where they were talking.
“Can I ask you a few questions? Alone.”
“Anything you have to ask me, you can do so in front of these people. They are my friends.”
“Okay, why were you at the clinic? Are you living there?”
“I performed surgery on this little guy,” began Oliver, indicating Otis, “and he got an infection. I stayed there for three nights. This was going to be the last night because he was responding so well to the treatment.”
“And you were the one who called in the fire?”
“I woke up…”
“Did you hear something that woke you?”
Oliver colored. “No, I fell off the couch. It’s kind of short, and I turned and ended up on the floor. While I was awake, I decided to use the bathroom and check on Otis, and that’s when I smelled the smoke. I called 911 and then tried to get to Otis. I couldn’t get the door open to where Otis was when Kent and Tucker arrived and saved the day.
“Look, Marshal. If I were going to set a fire, I wouldn’t do it without making sure this little guy was safe.” He rubbed Otis’s head.
“No, you aren’t a suspect. We found where the fire started. It looks like someone tried to break in and steal pills, and set the fires to cover his or her tracks. You’re a doctor. You probably have better ways to get your hands on pills. And besides the dog, you are a surgeon. You wouldn’t risk your hands, and I talked to the EMTs that treated you. Your injury is real and a lot worse than you would give yourself as a cover. Look, if you can think of anything that would help, give me a call.” He handed Oliver a card and then turned to the four firefighters. “Now the four of you, you’ve been at it for a few hours now. The county guys are here and can finish things. Go get something to eat and then get some rest.”
Everyone was silent for a second as they considered what it meant. An arsonist was in Harmony?
“Well, that was interesting,” declared Penelope. “Oliver, hand me that dog. If Otis can’t walk, then I’ll carry him. You need to protect that hand. Jack, take the tray with the coffee. The rest of you, follow us. I’m going to feed you all, and then you are going home to get some rest. Understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Five masculine voices answered as meekly as five Alpha males could.
Without waiting to see if they were following, Penelope turned on her heel and headed toward her café. She walked in with Otis, health code be damned. She handed him to a startled server and went into the back, found a nice box, went to her office and grabbed a sweater, and then returned to the front and made Otis a nice little bed. Then she retrieved him from the startled waitress and laid him carefully in it. He gave a big yawn and then curled up and closed his eyes. The little guy was clearly exhausted.
“Sally, please bring out five orders of the Works and plenty of coffee. Then send Cammie down to the fire scene with more coffee. I’ll get everything together, and Cammie can deliver it.”
Once everything was organized, and her men were in the biggest booth in the place digging into their breakfasts and Cammie was dispatched with more coffee, she grabbed a cup for herself and sat down at the table between Oliver and Kent. No one spoke for a second, and then Kent reached out and turned over the grubby picture frame that was sitting facedown in the center of the table.
Penelope wasn’t sure what she was expecting to see, but the photo was of a much younger version of Jose Herrera and one of the Kenyon sisters and they looked happy.
* * * *
“That’s a photo of my mother and father, the only one I have.”
“And, as you can see, she looked exactly like a younger version of our mothers,” added Jack.
“Are you sure?” asked Oliver.
“What do you mean? Of course I’m sure. I know my own mother. It’s just that…” Jack paused, frowning. “It’s just, well, now that I think about it, I remember hearing they were originally triplets, but I never heard much about our other aunt. She died years ago. I always assumed, well, I assumed she was a child when she died.”
“She was. She was barely nineteen.”
“Man, I feel so terrible. It never occurred to me…”
“Why would it?” interjected Penelope. “She died before you guys were born, five years give or take by my calculations. And she was estranged from her parents at the time…”
“How do you know that?” Tucker’s voice was puzzled. “How do you know Aunt Rose was estranged from her parents?”
“Rose? That was my mother’s name.”
“Holy shit! Could it be possible?” Kent looked at Oliver as if he was seeing him in a new light, and then he looked back at Penelope. “How do you know all this?”
“I know, I…”
“I just don’t know how it can be true, yet the evidence is right in front of us. That photo
has to be Aunt Rose. We can go to New Harmony and talk to our mothers and grandparents, but I just know in my bones that this is true. I don’t know how I know, but I believe that Oliver is the son of our aunt. Our cousin!” John’s voice almost cracked with the strong emotions he was feeling. Oliver looked around the table and saw nothing but love and acceptance.
“And even if you are right about an estrangement, our parents never would have rejected their grandchild, never. Oliver, you have to believe this. You told us that you didn’t know about your mother’s family, but I promise you this. If they had known about you, they wouldn’t have let you be raised by strangers, no matter how loving. They would have brought you home, and then you’d have grown up with us, cousin.”
Oliver suddenly felt overcome by the emotion. His mother’s family hadn’t rejected him. Maybe.
“I don’t know…”
“You are just going to have to come with us to New Harmony and meet your grandparents and aunts, cousin,” Tucker declared. “Maybe that will convince you.”
Oliver couldn’t speak for a minute. He could feel the tears well up in his eyes. The McKays were wonderful people and he loved them all, but these were his blood and he wanted to get to know them and love them, too.
“They won’t ever replace the people who raised me. The McKays are my parents and Sue is my sister.”
“And we are your cousins. We would never try to take their place, but we are your family and you are ours. Hell, we’d like to meet the McKays. Might be nice, a big shifter get-together,” suggested John. “Although, we’d have to set some rules. I can just see the shifter touch football game. One of us shifts and runs off with the ball and then you have a dozen wolves wrestling and fighting. Hey, I’m in!”
* * * *
“Welcome to the family, doc, if you are sure you want to be a part of this crazy bunch.” Jack pounded a stunned Oliver on the back. Oliver just sat there looking stunned.
Hell, they all looked stunned. They were family. Who’d have thought that it was possible? Oliver looked nothing like them or like the man in the picture that he thought was his father, but DNA was a funny thing. He and John were twins and even shared a profession, but they had nothing else in common other than their love of Penelope. John was a complete techno-geek but he didn’t know Prada from Payless. Oliver’s wardrobe, from what he’d seen, contained more than just jeans and Ts, unlike his philistine brother.