Megan drew her finger across her chest. “I cross my heart.”
“All right then, I’ll go.”
Thank goodness. Megan stood. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning to help you pack.”
Mrs. Crockett stood, as well. When they reached the front door, she gave Megan a hug. “You’re a good girl, Megan. I hope you find a family soon, too.”
Megan nodded. After fourteen years of searching and not finding one, she knew it wasn’t going to be nearly as easy as finding families for the animals.
Chapter Three
As Megan turned onto the gravel parking lot of Furever Paws Animal Rescue, her eyes drifted down the road toward Whitaker Acres. She couldn’t help but remember yesterday, and her eyes shot to the place where she’d seen Cade Battle wrestling with the giant pig. She wouldn’t mind getting another view of Cade’s sculpted, shirtless torso. Unfortunately he was nowhere in sight.
The animal shelter was in a sturdy, sunny-yellow one-story building with a silhouette of a cat and a dog inside a heart on the front. The logo was clearly designed to assure everyone who brought in strays or pets they could no longer care for that those animals would be well loved.
Megan stepped inside and was immediately greeted by a smiling volunteer who was manning the front desk. “Hi. I’m Megan Jennings. I was hoping to see Rebekah, if she’s not too busy at the moment?”
“Let me check for you,” the cheery woman said. She picked up a phone and spoke briefly then hung up. “Go on back. Hers is the office on the left.”
Megan thanked the woman and walked to the office. Rebekah was sitting at her desk and waved for Megan to come in. The other woman looked green around the gills, and Megan remembered the Whitaker sisters’ concern for her health. Maybe they were right to be worried.
“Are you okay?” Megan asked as she sat down in the chair in front of Rebekah’s desk.
Rebekah lifted a water bottle to her mouth and took a sip. Her hand shook. “I’m fine.”
Megan had only lived in town a couple of months, so although she and Rebekah were friendly, Megan didn’t know the other woman well enough to press for a deeper answer. Foster care had taught her not to force herself into spaces where she hadn’t been invited. Since Rebekah didn’t seem inclined to confide in her, Megan got down to business. “Good. I wanted to talk to you a bit about the process for bringing animals into the shelter.”
Rebekah blinked as if surprised by the change in subject and then smiled. “Of course. All of the animals have to be examined by a veterinarian before they’re allowed to stay here. We need to make sure they have had all of their vaccinations. We also spay or neuter them if that’s necessary. Until then, they’re quarantined. We have to make sure they don’t have communicable diseases. Once we’re sure that they’re healthy, they’re either fostered or taken into the shelter. Do you have an animal that you want to bring in?”
“No. My neighbor is moving and won’t be able to take her pets with her.”
“Pets as in plural? How many are we talking about?”
“Sixteen. Eight dogs and eight cats.”
Rebekah leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “I’m sorry. We can’t accommodate that many animals right now. Right now we don’t have room for even one.”
Megan sighed, disheartened. “I promised that I would help her find homes for her animals. I can’t go back on my word. And even though she’s on the verge of being evicted, she won’t move unless she knows her pets are going to be taken care of. I’ll pay for the examinations and vaccinations if that makes a difference.”
“It doesn’t. The cost isn’t the problem. Our volunteer vet, Doc J, is a good friend of Birdie and Bunny, so he does all of the examinations for free. The problem is the lack of space. We just don’t have room for that many animals right now.”
“I understand.” Megan stood.
“I’m sorry we can’t help,” Rebekah said, standing as well. At least Rebekah no longer looked pale.
“So am I.” As Megan left the sanctuary, her mind whirled. There had to be a solution. She couldn’t tell Mrs. Crockett that her pets would be homeless. Megan wished she could take them in herself, but it wasn’t practical. Unlike Mrs. Crockett, she didn’t have a fenced-in backyard, so she couldn’t let the animals outside on their own. They might wander off and get lost, or worse, hit by a car. Leaving them indoors wouldn’t work either, since Megan worked and the animals would be cooped up inside most days. That wouldn’t be fair to the cats and dogs. Still, there had to be a solution.
She was opening her car door when she heard Birdie calling to her. Smiling, Megan closed the door and waited for the older woman to reach her. Megan wondered if Birdie and her sister had reached a decision about whether to prosecute their brother. Personally Megan hoped they’d throw the book at him, but it wasn’t up to her.
“Hello,” Birdie said as she drew near. “What brings you out here on this lovely Saturday?”
“I was hoping that I could drop off a few animals at the shelter. Unfortunately there isn’t enough room for them.”
“No? How many are you talking about?”
“Sixteen. They’re Mrs. Crockett’s. She’s moving and needs to find a home for them.”
“Hmm.” Birdie tapped her chin and a bit of mischief flickered in her eyes, then disappeared so quickly Megan might have imagined it. “I might know someone who can help you.”
“Really? That would be great.” Because there was no way she was telling Mrs. Crockett that her “babies” weren’t going to be taken care of after all.
“Yes. The sanctuary often gets too many animals that we can’t take care of. When that happens, we call on a couple of good friends of ours with an enormous farm and they take them in. You met the son the other day. I’m sure Reginald and Cade will be more than happy to house the animals while we work to find homes for them.”
Megan’s heart skipped at Cade’s name. What was that about? It was one thing to appreciate a good-looking man. Any woman with eyes would do that. It was another thing entirely to start to feel something—anything—like interest or attraction for a man who’d made it abundantly clear not once but twice that he didn’t like her. The wise thing to do was avoid Cade at all costs. But she had to think about the animals.
“Do you think they’ll be willing? It’s one thing to take in a pig, which is actually a farm animal, and another to take on sixteen cats and dogs. Some of them don’t even get along.”
“Cade and Reginald are sweethearts. They haven’t let me down once. They understand what it means to be a good neighbor.”
Megan bit her tongue. Cade might know what it meant to be a good neighbor, but you couldn’t tell it by the way he’d treated her. Or maybe he didn’t think of her as his neighbor. Maybe he was one of those people who looked at anyone who wasn’t born locally as an outsider.
Not that she disagreed with that description. She was an outsider and had been since she was fourteen and her entire family had been wiped out. The four years she’d spent in foster homes had taught her that no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t squeeze yourself into a unit that didn’t want to include you. But this wasn’t about her. This was about the animals, so she needed to put her doubts aside. “If you’re sure.”
“I’m positive. If you want, I’ll give you directions to Battle Lands Farm.”
“Thank you.” Megan scribbled the information in the notepad she always kept with her. She’d drop by the farm after work on Monday. She’d always preferred to have important conversations in person. She thought about asking Birdie if she and Bunny had reached a decision about their brother, then decided against it. This visit didn’t have anything to do with that case. In fact, had Birdie not approached her, they wouldn’t have spoken today. Megan didn’t want Birdie to feel pressured. “See you soon.”
Birdie waved as she walked away. Megan watc
hed until the older woman stepped inside the building, and then she got in her car and drove away. It looked like she had a place to take the animals after all. That is, if the grumpy pig-wrestling farmer agreed.
* * *
Cade was closing the barn door when he heard a car motor, and he turned around. He recognized the luxury sedan as belonging to Megan Jennings. The blood began to pulse in his veins as her image flashed in his mind. Despite knowing that she wasn’t right for him, he couldn’t help noticing how beautiful she was. Tall and curvaceous, she was physically everything that appealed to him. Too bad everything else about her was absolutely wrong. Yet as he stood and waited for her car to reach him, he couldn’t slow the pounding of his heart.
He watched as she parked and then got out of her car. As one high heel emerged from the vehicle, he shook his head. Who wore four-inch pumps on a working farm? A woman who didn’t belong, that’s who. He had to give her credit, though. She walked in them easily, her sexy hips swaying with each step, and he had to force his eyes to her face.
There was only one word that could describe her face and that was breathtaking. It wasn’t a word that he used often, but it was the only one that adequately defined the difficulty he had breathing when looking at her. She really did take his breath away.
When his eyes met hers, his rebellious heart skipped a beat. He crossed his arms over his chest in an unfriendly pose as if warning his heart that being attracted to Megan was unacceptable.
“What can I do for you, Ms. Jennings?” he said as soon as she was close enough to hear him. The light in her eyes dimmed and he felt a twinge of guilt at his cool tone. She hadn’t hurt him.
“It’s Megan. And I’ve come to ask a favor.”
“A favor?”
“That’s right.”
“What is it you think I can do for you?” he asked when she didn’t elaborate.
“It’s not actually for me. I’m here on behalf of my neighbor, Mrs. Crockett. She’s moving and I told her that I would find homes for her cats and dogs. I thought they might be able to take them at Furever Paws, but they can’t. Birdie suggested that you might house the animals temporarily until permanent homes can be found for them.”
“No way. This is a working farm, not an animal shelter. You wasted your time coming here.” He turned to walk away.
“It wouldn’t be for long,” she said, grabbing his arm. His skin burned where her slender fingers made contact and he gritted his teeth. He was not falling for another city girl. He might not be the smartest man in the world, but surely he had enough sense not to make the same mistake again. So why didn’t his body get the message?
He untangled her fingers from his arm and took a step back. “I don’t have the time to look after a bunch of pets.”
He heard the back door open and cursed under his breath. His father walked down the stairs and joined them, giving Megan a wide smile. “Why hello, young lady. I’m Reginald Battle, Cade’s dad. I don’t think we’ve met.”
Megan smiled in return and held out her hand. Her nails were perfectly manicured and painted a bright pink. Cade wanted to kick himself for noticing. “Hello, sir. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Megan Jennings. I haven’t lived in Spring Forest very long. Just a couple of months.”
“You don’t say. Well, the town is definitely more beautiful with you around.”
Cade scowled, annoyed by his father’s comment.
Megan giggled, and her light brown skin turned an attractive shade of pink. “Thank you.”
“So what brings you out to our farm? You and Cade don’t have a date, do you?” Reginald sounded a bit too hopeful for Cade’s liking. Surely his father didn’t think Cade should start dating again so soon.
“No.” If she thought the question was outrageous, she didn’t show it. “I was actually here to ask a favor of your son. Sadly he isn’t able to help me.”
“What kind of favor?” Reginald asked, and Cade mentally groaned. He already knew what was about to happen.
“My neighbor is moving into a senior center and I’m looking for someone to foster her pets until I can find good homes for them.”
“Did you try Furever Paws? That’s what they do.”
“They don’t have the space to handle Mrs. Crockett’s animals.”
Reginald rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “How many animals are you talking about?”
Megan blew out a breath. “Sixteen. Eight cats and eight dogs.”
Reginald looked around the farm, and Cade knew what he was seeing. Although most of the acreage was dedicated to growing their organic produce or allowing space for their free-range chickens and grass-fed cows to wander, the ten acres immediately surrounding the house had no such purpose. It was simply grass and trees with a good-sized vegetable garden. There was plenty of space for dogs and cats to roam and play. The old barn could easily house the animals.
“We have plenty of room here,” Reginald said. “The dogs can run around to their hearts’ content and the cats can do whatever it is that cats do. And if you are worried about the dogs getting out, the corral fence can easily be modified to create a dog run.”
Megan glanced back and forth between him and his father without speaking. He waited for her to pounce on Reginald’s offer, but she didn’t. Perhaps she didn’t want to cause conflict between him and his father.
“I don’t have time to take care of them, Dad.”
Reginald clapped a hand on Cade’s shoulder. “We always have time to help friends. This Mrs. Crockett needs help with her pets, and since we’re in a position to provide it, don’t you think we should? After all, we’ve benefitted from kind neighbors a time or two.”
Cade sighed. His dad was right. A year ago Cade’s mother had been ill with breast cancer. In the weeks before she’d succumbed to her illness, friends and neighbors had helped the family in every way imaginable. They’d brought food for every meal and kept house. They’d sat with Rose when she’d been up for company. They’d helped care for the animals and see to the other farm tasks, to free Cade and his father to stay at her bedside. They’d just been there.
“Okay. The animals can stay,” Cade said reluctantly. He tried not to notice the way that Megan’s face lit up as she smiled happily.
“Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. Of course I’ll buy all of the food and litter, so it won’t cost you anything but space.”
“That’s not necessary,” Cade said. “Food for sixteen and litter for eight will add up to a pretty penny. We can absorb the cost more easily than you can.”
“Wow. Are you sure?” Now she looked from him to his dad.
“Of course,” Reginald said. “Friends help each other, which is something you obviously know since you’re helping Mrs. Crockett. And now that we’ve met, you can count us among your friends, Megan.”
The smile Megan gave Cade’s father could only be described as wistful, and despite telling himself he didn’t care, Cade wondered about the emotion behind that expression.
“Thank you,” she said quietly.
Reginald nodded and looked at Cade. “I came out here to let you know dinner’s ready, Cade. And I made plenty, so Megan, you’re more than welcome to join us.”
“Thank you for the offer, but I have other plans.”
Cade fought back a strange sense of jealousy that reared its head. What was that about? Megan wasn’t his girlfriend. She was the last woman he should consider having a relationship with.
“Another time, then,” Reginald said before he went back into the house.
“Is it really okay with you if Mrs. Crockett’s animals stay here?” Megan asked Cade. She nibbled on her bottom lip.
“Yes. But I wasn’t kidding about not having time to care for them. This is a working farm and I’m busy twelve or thirteen hours a day. They can stay here, but you’ll have to feed them and
clean up after them. I’m talking litter boxes for the cats and cleaning up any packages the dogs leave in the lawn. That’s nonnegotiable.”
“I can do that,” she said without hesitation.
Her response surprised him. He couldn’t imagine a woman like her with her expensive clothes and perfect hair being willing to clean up after animals. Of course, she might only be saying what she knew he wanted to hear. He’d believe it when he actually saw her in action. “Every day. You won’t get weekends off.”
She compressed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Still she looked ridiculously attractive. “I know. I’ll be here. I’ll come by every day after work.”
“And Saturdays and Sundays.”
“Yes. Then, too.”
“When would you like to bring the animals out?”
“I need to have them examined by Doc J first. Birdie arranged for him to do it this Saturday. That way they can be adopted through Furever Paws. Would it be possible for you to help me bring the animals out here in your truck?”
“Don’t want to put the animals in your Mercedes?” He would be the first to admit the car was beautiful, but it would be totally impractical for a farmer to own. Still, he guessed it would work well enough in Spring Forest.
She frowned. “They won’t all fit.”
“I’ll help. Do you need help getting them to the shelter?”
“No. Birdie took care of that.”
“Fine. Give me a call when you’re ready and I’ll meet you at the sanctuary.”
This time her brilliant smile was just for him. Despite himself, he smiled in return. They exchanged numbers in case something came up before their scheduled date.
“I’ll call you Saturday,” Megan said and then got back into her car.
“Saturday,” he repeated. No matter how sternly he told himself she was wrong for him, his body stirred in anticipation of seeing her again.
Chapter Four
Megan leaned close to the whimpering dog, murmuring comforting words as Doc J examined him. The dog, an old beagle, turned his eyes to Megan. She easily read the sorrow there. “I know you don’t like this, Linus, but it’s good for you. Right, Doc?”
The City Girl's Homecoming Page 4