When tomorrow comes, p.11
When Tomorrow Comes, page 11
“That sounds great,” Baye said, then looked to Libby. “You go ahead. I’ll walk home across the pasture in a little bit,” she said, taking another brownie and popping it into her mouth.
Libby was already trying to unlock the decorative wrought-iron door that kept the animals from the rest of the house, so Teague opened it for her.
“Thanks,” Libby said as she waved over her shoulder. “I can see myself out.”
The front door opened, then closed as Libby escaped, and Teague turned back to Baye. “She does not like animals?”
“Not like you and I do,” Baye said. “Grandma left the farm to both of us so Libby could handle the finances and, well, my finances. Having very little impulse control is part of having ADHD. I have difficulty managing money.”
Teague needed to read more about ADHD. She sat on the sofa next to Baye. “Can you give me an example?”
Baye’s face flushed pink. “Sometimes I spend money on unnecessary things like a new cat tree, forgetting the light bill needs to be paid instead. I’m not proud of it. I just have trouble controlling my impulse unless someone is in my ear, like Libby, reminding me I have to pay it.”
“So, Libby makes sure the mortgage and utilities are taken care of?” An adult being unable to manage their household bills puzzled her.
“And the animals are fed and their medical needs met. Grandma left a trust that pays for upkeep on the farm, taxes, and insurance. She knew we wanted to start a rescue center, so she designated money to start up Heavy Petting, and the trust allots so much a month for operating expenses. Neither of us anticipated the volume of animals that needed rescuing, and the monthly trust allotment barely covers food for them.”
“What is your role at the rescue?”
Baye brightened. “Oh, I built the website and handle marketing, adoptions, and help John clean the kennels and cathouse.” She paused. “Well, I’m supposed to help. I forget sometimes when something else distracts me. I’m good at marketing and creative stuff.”
Teague turned this information over in her mind. “What would help you?”
“This contract, your money will help a lot. We can pay off our debt to our veterinarian. Libby can quit her waitressing job and work full time at the rescue. And we may be able to hire some part-time help.”
“Yes. I have asked Bruce to see if another veterinary student might be interested in the job.” Teague shook her head. “But I meant to say, how can I help you? I am fortunate enough to have the resources to build an environment around myself that helps me deal with my disability. Now, I want to help you.”
Baye’s expression was pained. She looked down at her hands clasped in her lap. “You don’t want to get involved with me, Teague. A lot of people have tried, but ultimately, they give up on me and walk away.”
“What I do is my decision.” She took Baye’s hands in hers. “I do not have friends. I have only Connie and Aunt Margaret, and maybe Mary Anne. Yet I have been comfortable with you since the day we met.” She stared down at their linked hands and whispered her confession. “I may want to be more than friends.” Heat flushed her chest and neck. “I liked our kiss last night.”
“I did, too. Very much,” Baye said just as quietly. “I’m just afraid I will do something to let you down or drive you away.”
She glanced, trying to hold Baye’s gaze for a long second. “I am afraid I will not have time enough to explore our connection. I do not like people to touch me, yet I want to touch you and let you touch me every minute I am with you. I want to kiss you again.”
Baye’s expression turned from pained to delighted. “I want to kiss you, too.” And she did.
The kiss was soft at first, then hungry—Baye’s lips were so soft, her tongue was warm, and her mouth tasted of the peppermint-bark candy she’d just eaten. Warmth spread throughout Teague, her lower belly did a slow roll that would have bucked her hips if she’d been lying down, and her heart pounded in her ears. Her heart. She jerked back, her hand on her chest.
Baye’s eyes were wide, and she placed her hand over Teague’s chest. “Are you all right?”
“My heart is pounding. It might burst.” She began to hyperventilate. Her breaths quickened, but her lungs were still starved.
Baye cupped Teague’s face in her hands. “Deep breath. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Good. Another. And another.”
Her heart began to slow, and the tightness squeezing her lungs lessened. She was sweating, but she could breathe again. She opened her eyes. “I think I am okay.”
Baye smiled. “Oh, honey. My heart was beating hard and fast, too. It was the kiss.”
She frowned. “I know about arousal. I am not a forty-year-old virgin.”
“Yes. You said you dated other women. But when you have real feelings for someone, everything is so much more—kissing, touching, sex. Have you had feelings for another woman or a man before?”
She thought this over. “No. My brain does not process emotions.”
Baye shook her head. “Who told you that? I’ve seen you angry, and I’ve seen you display affection for your animals. You obviously love Connie, and I can feel the bond developing between us. Those are all emotions.”
She was doubtful. “My parents said I was diagnosed as a child. They were told my aversion to being touched was because I was autistic and did not feel emotion.”
“Those doctors were either wrong, or you’ve progressed as you grew older.”
“I still do not like for anyone to touch me.”
“Really? I’ve seen you let Connie hug you and Cappie groom your hair.” Baye moved to sit in her lap. “How do you feel when I touch you?”
She reflexively wrapped her arms loosely around Baye’s waist. “I told you. I like it when you touch me. I like touching you, too.”
That tingling sensation started again as Baye kissed her neck, and her heartbeat quickened. “My heart—” She again pressed her hand to her chest and stood so fast, Baye fell unceremoniously onto the floor. Teague scrambled to help her stand. “I am very sorry. My heart was beating too fast again.”
Baye only laughed. “Okay. I get the message.” She let Teague help her up from the floor. “No heavy kissing or petting until your MRI. When is it scheduled?”
“I am not sure. There is a high demand in this area, and mine is preventative rather than diagnostic, so it is a low priority.”
“Will they give you the results right away?”
“Normally, they do not. However, I am paying for this outside insurance, and my parents made substantial donations to the children’s wing, so a neurologist and cardiologist may be present to immediately read the results.”
“I want to go with you.”
Teague was surprised. “You cannot go into the MRI room with me. You would have to sit in a waiting room.”
“Can I be with you when they tell you the results?”
Teague considered this request. “Yes. I suppose you can.”
“Then I’d like to go with you.”
She started to refuse, but the confines of the MRI machine were stressful. Perhaps Baye’s presence would calm her. “I think I would like that.”
Baye touched her cheek. “Good. Now how about walking me home?”
“Will there be more kissing?”
“Just a peck. I promise.”
“Okay, then.”
Chapter Ten
I can’t believe you’re still asleep. Get up. It’s one o’clock in the afternoon.” Libby hit Baye in the face with one of the small decorative pillows.
“Ow.” Baye rubbed her eyes, then glared at her cousin. “I was up almost all night looking for chat groups or social media posts involving parrots or pigs. I’m trying to find possible homes for Mac and Flower.”
Libby looked skeptical. “Really?”
“Check my web history if you want.” She was feeling grumpy from lack of sleep and very little progress. She sat up and rubbed her eyes again. She really shouldn’t take it out on Libby. She deserved Libby’s distrust, given her history of abusing her Adderall prescription, then crashing for a day or even two. “I’m sorry. I’m really trying hard to help Teague.”
Libby, chewing her lower lip, stared at her. “No. I’m sorry. You like her a lot, don’t you?”
Baye slumped against the sofa’s cushioned arm. “We have a connection I can’t explain. Maybe it’s because neither of us is perfect. We both struggle in a world that says we’re not normal.” She finally smiled. “And, damn, she’s a great kisser.”
Libby’s answering smile was soft. “I hope it works out for you, cuz. You’re different around her…more settled. And you deserve some peace in your life.”
Baye stood and hugged her. “Thank you. I know sticking by me hasn’t been easy for you.” She paused when her throat tightened. “I love you.”
“Stop. You’re going to make me cry,” Libby said. “Although you’re exasperating sometimes, I do love you.”
“Did you bring food for me?” She eyed the tray Libby had placed on the coffee table before rudely waking her. It held a bag from their favorite burger joint and two sodas.
Libby released her with a laugh. “You know I did because you never have anything to eat in this house.”
“Yum.” She grabbed the bag and dug out a cheeseburger, unwrapped it, and took a huge bite before reaching back in for a serving of French fries.
“I have news.” Libby retrieved her burger and fries in a less ravenous manner. “The money showed up in our account yesterday, but when I called Dr. Jayne to pay off our vet bill, her receptionist said someone had already paid it off.”
Baye shook her head. “It had to be Teague. I told her we planned to use some of the five thousand to pay our vet.” She munched a couple of fries. “Did you quit your job?”
“I gave notice. I hate the job, but my boss is really nice, so I didn’t want to walk out before she has a chance to hire someone in my place. That shouldn’t take long, considering that college students are always looking for a part-time job.”
“Great. Teague’s part-time guy is going to send me the name of a fellow vet student to clean kennels for us.”
“Good. Because I am not cleaning kennels. I can take over the adoption applications from you and handle the finances. You can work on the Teague project, do the event planning, keep the website updated, and oversee enrichment activities for the cats and dogs.”
Baye nodded. She hated paperwork but loved anything that involved direct contact with the animals and social media or web related. “That sounds good. In fact, I think I’ll go visit our furry friends now. I have a surprise for the dogs.”
* * *
“I have to fill up these pups’ water bowl several times each day,” John said.
Teague studied the kennel and the elderly man, his back bent with arthritis, who dragged over a long, heavy hose to fill the bowl in a kennel that held four very young Labrador-mix puppies. Their water bowl was large and built so it wouldn’t easily tip over. “If they are drinking that much, maybe they have a medical problem. Where is their mother?”
“Hit by a car and killed. A good Samaritan saw her body in the road, and when he got out to move her to the side so cars wouldn’t keep running over her, he noticed she had full teats and found the litter of puppies nearby in the woods. He’s a student and didn’t have a place to keep them, so he brought them here. Luckily, they were old enough to wean.”
Teague frowned. “And your vet has checked them out? One or more of them could be diabetic if they are drinking a lot of water.”
“Oh, yes. Baye’s in charge of intake. She makes sure Dr. Jayne sees any new animals. It’s not that they drink too much. They play in the water and slosh it out of the bowl.”
She thought about offering to take them to her pond for a romp, but it might be dangerous for pups that young. They needed a wading pool. For that matter, she could design automatic waterers so John wouldn’t have to drag that heavy hose down the long hallway that had kennels on both sides.
John took down a leash hanging on the door to the run that contained a large, overweight pit bull. “Time for this one to get some exercise. You might want to stand back. Buster’s friendly but hates being confined. Sometimes, I can’t hold on to him when he rushes to the play yard.”
“Please, let me take him for you.”
“Are you sure? He’s really strong and has pulled me down several times.”
“Yes. I can handle him.” She looped the slip-leash around his nose and neck. Buster started to bolt toward the fenced play yard, but the leash tugged at his chin, rather than his muscular neck, and he stopped. “Good boy,” Teague said, rewarding him with a pat on the head before walking him to one of three twenty-by-forty-yard fenced areas. His tail whipped back and forth as he bounced on his front feet, but he stopped pulling after several tries. He stood quietly when she opened the gate, then sprinted away when she released him from the leash.
They were watching him run, jump into the air, and joyfully roll in the grass when Baye called out to them. She was dragging a six-foot-round plastic child’s wading pool toward them.
“Teague. Hey. I didn’t know you were coming over. You should have texted me,” she said.
Teague turned, and her belly did a little flip at Baye’s wide smile. “I did text this morning, but you did not reply. I came to tell you I have found some kennel help for you. Bruce will bring him here at two o’clock.” She glanced at her watch. “In ten minutes.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry. I was up until six this morning scanning social media sites and the web for people who might provide good homes for your pets. I fell asleep around seven, and Libby woke me up only an hour ago. I didn’t see your message.” She dropped the pool and entwined her fingers with Teague’s to tug her close and buss her on the cheek. “At any rate, I’m very pleased to see you.”
The warmth that suffused Teague was becoming familiar now. It happened every time she was near Baye. “I am pleased to see you, too,” she said.
“So, is that for the dogs?” John asked, pointing to the pool.
“Yes, it is,” Baye said. “Since the days are getting warmer, I thought they might like some water fun.” She went back to the pool. “Can you guys pitch this over the fence while I get the hose?”
Teague and John picked up the lightweight pool and tossed it where Baye had pointed, then went through the gate to position it.
“How far does the hose reach?” Teague asked John as they set it on a thick patch of grass.
“An outdoor spigot is right over there by the last play yard,” he said, pointing.
John filled the pool while Teague and Baye retrieved the four Labrador puppies that had gone into the indoor part of their kennel.
“How’s your heart today?” Baye asked, taking her hand again as they entered the pups’ kennel.
“My heart is good.” The question surprised her.
“Let’s see.” Baye pressed Teague against the concrete wall while the puppies jumped against their legs to be petted. She wrapped her hand firmly around Teague’s nape and guided her down for a long, deep kiss.
She reflexively wrapped her arms around Baye and pressed their hips together. Baye finally pulled back and patted Teague’s chest. “I think we should do that occasionally to exercise that organ you think might be weak.”
Teague laid her hand over Baye’s and held it to her wildly beating heart. “You will either kill me or make it stronger, but I am thinking it may be worth the risk.”
Baye grinned. “Let’s go see if the puppies like their new pool.”
* * *
The pool was an instant hit with the puppies, who splashed and wrestled in the water. John chuckled at their antics, and Buster, in the adjoining play yard, whined and ran in circles.
“He wants to join them.” The voice that sounded behind them was deep, but somehow contained a childlike quality.
Baye turned to see Bruce and a mountain of a man with a bushy beard standing at the fence.
Bruce waved. “Hi. The lady in the house said to come on back.”
Baye smiled. “That’s my cousin, Libby. She co-owns this place with me.” She walked over to the fence and realized the man was younger than he appeared at a distance. She held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Baye.”
“Go ahead. Shake her hand and tell her your name. She’s very nice,” Bruce prompted the man.
He was gentle as he briefly clasped her hand. “My name is Tommy. I want to help take care of your dogs.”
While his appearance was a little intimidating, he was obviously mentally handicapped and a little shy. Baye instantly liked him. “Hi, Tommy. We have cats, too.”
“I love kitties.” His face lit up like she’d said Santa Claus was in the cathouse. He pointed to the puppies frolicking in the pool. “I love puppies, too.”
“We’ll have to show them to you,” Baye said. John and Teague joined them. “Tommy, this is my neighbor, Teague, and this is John. He’s our gardener but helps with the animals, too.”
He nodded but wrung his hands together rather than offer a handshake. “Nice to meet you, Miss Teague and Mr. John.” His gaze wandered to Buster, who was watching the puppies and jumping up and down. “He wants to play in the pool, too. Can I go pet him?”
“Sure. John, can you get the gate for him?” Baye watched Tommy follow John to the other yard.
Teague stared after him. “Bruce?”
“I know he might look a little rough, but he’s kind and gentle and a very hard worker.”
“How do you know him?” Baye asked.
