Kathie DeNosky - Rescuing Christmas - Holiday Haven / Home for Christmas / A Puppy for Will

He spent his lunch break dithering over which cat trees to buy and whether he should get more than two.

Finally he settled on just two. Until the new facility was built, The Haven might not have room for more. These two could be used immediately in the existing rooms or in the portable, and after the second Kitty Condo went up, he’d buy more. Or maybe some toys. Or blankets. They seemed to use a lot of those.

Besides missing Tansy, he missed the warm and optimistic atmosphere of The Haven. He kept remembering the way the cats had played their little hearts out as they celebrated the joy of being alive. He wanted another reason to be part of that.

He left the cat trees at the store and arranged to pick them up later. A misty rain had been falling all morning and he didn’t want them sitting out in his truck getting soaked while he worked. He’d have to use a tarp when he took them over to the Haven.

He didn’t get off until six—was that too late to deliver the trees? He could always wait until Saturday, but he didn’t want to. Now that he’d bought them, he was eager to get them over there. And yeah, he was eager to see Tansy, too.

Originally he’d imagined driving up and surprising her with the cat trees. Now he realized that wasn’t such a good idea. If he arrived in the middle of a busy time, he’d only add to the confusion. She, or Faye, or someone, needed to know to expect him.

During a five-minute break in filming, he called The Haven, got Faye and told her his mission.

“That’s terrific, Ben!” She was gratifyingly excited. “The cats will love having those.”

“I can get them over there after work, but it’ll be around six-thirty.”

“We’ll be closed up by then. Do you want to wait until Saturday?”

“Not really. I was hoping—”

“Hang on. Let me check with Tansy.” Faye put him on hold and he listened to “Jingle Bells” sung by barking dogs and meowing cats. It made him smile.

“Ben?” Tansy’s voice wiped the smile right off his face and jacked up his heart rate.

“Hi. I bought these two cat trees, and I—”

“Faye told me, and we really appreciate that.”

He wished she’d said I instead of we . It was a subtle but telling difference.

“Listen,” she continued, “I don’t blame you for not wanting to interrupt your Saturday again, so let’s—”

“It’s not that.” Great. Now she thought he was worried about cutting into his weekend. “I just figured the sooner the cats have them, the better.”

“Well, that’s obviously true. They love having new furniture to explore, and we could really use one out in the portable. Anyway, I can take your delivery. That’s one of the advantages of living right next door. Give me a call when you’re on your way and I’ll come meet you. How big are they?”

“About four feet tall and a couple of feet square. I can carry them. Don’t worry about getting help to unload the things. If you want, I can even cart them out back.”

“Thanks, but that won’t be necessary.”

Ouch. She really didn’t like him anymore. He couldn’t blame her, but he wanted the other Tansy back, the one with sunshine in her eyes and a smile on her full lips. But to get that, he’d have to do more than buy a couple of cat trees. After she gave him her cell number, they ended the call.

His heart was still beating faster than normal as he put his phone on vibrate and tucked it into his jeans pocket. Even when she was frosty, she still affected him. The strong attraction was damned inconvenient. Why couldn’t he feel this way about one of the women going on the ski trip?

But he didn’t. His buddy, Justin, had brought him into the group. They were an ever-shifting singles group of six to ten members tied together by their work at the station and a love of outdoor sports. They skied in the winter and enjoyed water sports and hiking in the summer.

One of the women, a good-looking brunette named Janine who worked in the advertising department, had hinted that she’d like to be more than friends with him. Because he valued her friendship, he’d told her gently but firmly that he thought of her as a sister and nothing more. The chemistry wasn’t there for him.

Apparently he was like Max. He had his preference, and no one else would do. Tansy was it. Now that he’d experienced the bright sparkle of her personality, other women seemed colorless.

It couldn’t develop into anything, of course. But he liked knowing that she existed, that she was here in Tacoma, even if they couldn’t be close friends. Thinking of her might be frustrating sometimes, but her very presence in the world gave him joy.

A little after six, he picked up both cat trees from the pet store, wrapped a blue tarp around them and tied it down. The air was wet, misty and cold, but fortunately the hard rain that had fallen during the afternoon had stopped. After climbing back into his truck, he called Tansy.

She picked up immediately. “Hi, Ben. I forgot you were coming.”

That was a blow to his ego. “Is it still all right? I already have the cat trees in the back of my truck.”

“Sure, it’s fine. Come on ahead. I’m in the Doggie Digs mopping, and I need to get that done, so if you wouldn’t mind, could you walk down here instead of having me meet you in the office?”

“Mopping? That part of your regular cleanup?”

“Unfortunately not. We have a leak that’s only getting worse. One of our volunteers crawled up on the roof late this afternoon and put plastic down, so it’s temporarily handled, but there’s still a lot of water on the floor.”

“Didn’t anybody stay to help you mop?”

“They all offered, but it’s the Christmas season. Everybody had either parties or relatives visiting or shopping to do, and I sent them home. I can handle it.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Ben, you don’t have to help.”

“But I will. See you soon.” He disconnected and started up the truck. She might not welcome his help, but she was going to get it anyway. He wasn’t about to drop off the cat trees and leave when she had a crisis. That wasn’t his style.

But helping her tonight wasn’t the only issue. Roof leaks were common in a wet climate. If she didn’t have insurance to cover repairs…this was not good news for Tansy’s already tight budget, not good news at all.

TANSY HADN’T EXPECTED to see Ben again, so when he’d called about the cat trees, she’d had to deal with a rush of unwanted excitement. She’d forgotten that he’d taken one of the angel cards when he’d come in that Saturday morning.

She’d wondered if following through on that gesture had simply been an inconvenience for him. Maybe it was, but he’d been generous enough to get two cat trees instead of the single one listed on the angel card. Or had he gotten an extra one to soothe his guilty conscience?

Now, as she mopped up the worst of the puddles, she talked to the four dogs that had temporarily been housed together. The pie-shaped enclosures had side walls about three-and-a-half feet high with chain link above that, so the bigger dogs could put their paws on the top of the wall and look over at their neighbors. Currently all four dogs were watching her mop.

The yellow Lab and Irish setter had always been roommates in this section, but for the moment they shared the space with a husky and a black Lab. The setter, whose name was Bailey, was the only one whining. The rest seemed merely curious about what she was doing. Talking calmed Bailey, but it also helped Tansy sort through her uncomfortable thoughts.

“I screwed up, guys,” she said. “If Ben has a guilty conscience, it’s my fault.”