Chapter 4
Brent leaned over the door and peered into the stall. Nicole stepped onto a hay bale to see what had his attention. Her arm brushed against his. “They told you one pig, huh?”
They watched as the mama pig shifted on the hay, four piglets vying for space at her teats as they made little oinks and snorts.
He laughed and shook his head. “Yeah. And I’m pretty sure these are pot-bellied.” He checked the paperwork he had in his hands. “According to Carl, the mama’s name is Winnie.” She gave him a sorrowful look. Brent knew next to nothing about pot-bellied pigs, much less how to care for five of them. This wasn’t at all what he was expecting. “I’ll have to do some research. I have no idea when the piglets will be old enough to wean.”
Nicole giggled. “Between these and having only one horse instead of two, I guess you’re lucky there weren’t more surprises.”
“Isn’t that the truth?” They migrated down to the stalls at the far end of the barn. The brown donkey moved closer to them, and Brent reached in to scratch his fuzzy ears. Carl had named the animal Kong, something they’d all gotten a good chuckle out of.
Kong obviously enjoyed the attention while the horse in the next stall eyed them nervously and backed away.
Nicole frowned. “What’s wrong, big guy?”
The buckskin gelding just shook his head and snorted.
“Careful.” Brent read the information he had about the horse again. “His name is Chance. Carl rescued the poor guy from an abusive situation, and it sounds like it took a while for Chance to settle down.” Sadly, another change of hands might prove too much for the skittish horse. When Brent stepped closer to Nicole, Chance jerked and tried to back even further into the stall.
Brent held up two hands and moved away. He noticed that the more distance he put between himself and Chance, the less agitated the horse appeared. While Chance didn’t seem to want Nicole to pet him, he also didn’t appear to mind her as much. Maybe the gelding had issues with men? He’d make a note to caution Walt about the possibility.
“Hey, Mom!” Tony’s voice called to them from one of the other stalls in the barn. “These Pygmy goats are awesome. I wish we had a farm. I’d totally want to take one of them home.”
Brent followed Nicole, and they all laughed at the antics of the goat duo. Brent had to admit they were funny to watch. Prancing around and craving attention, they reminded him of dogs.
Ten chickens had come in with the other animals as well. But there was no way that he’d risk putting them with the other flock they were caring for already. If he did, odds were there’d be casualties. Brent did his best to create a makeshift coop outdoors. He hoped it’d hold them for a while.
Nicole turned her head and looked at Brent. A strand of hair blocked her view, and she tucked it behind an ear. “What’s the plan?”
“Get through the next couple of days until Rob drops by on Friday. I’ll have him examine all the animals and make sure everyone’s healthy. Though it seems they were well taken care of.”
Nicole nodded. “They do look good. And if they’re given a clean bill of health?”
“I’ll probably put pictures up on the website this week. It’d be best if I can find them homes before the festival.” He tapped the side of the stall. “These guys look set for now. We need to get back to the farmhouse.”
Tony hopped down. “Can I go visit the big dogs for a few minutes?”
Brent waited for Nicole’s nod of approval before replying. “Go ahead. But don’t let any of the dogs out of their kennels. If you’d like to help with them, Walt should be back from lunch shortly and maybe you can help him. Let Walt manage the two largest dogs.”
“Yes, sir. Thanks, Mom!” Tony raced out of the barn with a grin on his face.
Brent had to wrangle the barn door closed. He walked side-by-side with Nicole back to the house.
Nicole cleared her throat. “Last week, you mentioned there were repairs that needed to be done. I can tell the barn is included in the list. What else?”
Brent took in a deep breath. More needed repairs than he wanted to admit. But money was limited, and there were only so many minutes in the day. It was one of the things that frustrated him most. “The house needs new paint. We need a new roof on the dog kennels outside, and we desperately need a second set of kennels to get those smaller dogs out, too. If they had indoor/outdoor kennels, it would reduce time spent walking them every day.” He stopped walking and took in the surrounding land. “Mr. Rice wanted me to use this place for animal rescue, and I’m doing that. But by not keeping the place up to snuff, I feel like I’m failing him.”
“I doubt that’s true. One person can only do so much.”
“Yeah, I know. But still, he never would’ve allowed it to get this bad.”
Nicole nudged him in the arm with her elbow. “You’ve transformed this place from an old farmhouse to a sanctuary for animals that have nowhere else to go. I’m certain Mr. Rice would be proud of that.”
She was watching him now, her blue eyes almost the same shade as the bits of sky peeking through the clouds. A breeze blew some of her red hair into her face. On instinct, he reached out and swept it away from her cheek.
The pulse in her neck quickened and seemed to match the way his heart was pounding inside his chest.
Nicole worried her bottom lip between her teeth and his attention went right to it. It was completely irrational, but Brent wanted to kiss her. He took a step and leaned toward her, her gaze drawing him in.
The distant sound of laughter floated to them from the kennels. Nicole inhaled sharply, her gaze fell, and Brent’s heart dropped along with it. What had he been thinking?
~*~
Nicole took a deep breath and a big step back, realizing only then just how close they’d been. Wordlessly, they continued their walk.
Goosebumps peppered Nicole’s arms, and she resisted the urge to cross them. Instead, she focused on the house drawing closer as they made their way across the field behind it. She heard the dogs barking from the kennel area. The sound of Tony laughing had pulled her back to reality moments before.
But even more, she was hyper aware of Brent walking beside her. He’d been about to kiss her, she was sure of it. And the worst part? She’d wanted him to.
Why did that scare her more than anything else? Talking to her mom the other day certainly hadn’t helped. There’d only been a handful of guys interested in her over the last ten years. Every time she opened herself up to the possibility, their interest disappeared the moment they found out she had a son. Which was fine with her, because if they didn’t want to be a part of Tony’s life, she didn’t want them to be in hers, either.
Not that she wanted to get back into the dating scene. She’d been content for years with the knowledge it would be just her and Tony. It was better that way, and no one got hurt.
So, what was going on with Brent? He obviously knew about Tony. Was Brent really interested? Or had that almost kiss taken him by surprise as much as it had her?
Maybe she’d read way too much into the moment. What if it’d been all her? Her face heated and now she doubted herself. It was best to move forward as if nothing happened. Because nothing had — it was all in her head.
Nicole bit back a groan of frustration and a twinge of disappointment. As they re-entered the farmhouse, she glanced at the clock. Forty-five minutes until she and Tony would return home. “I’ll go check on the critters quickly.”
Brent gave her a small nod, and she hurried down the hallway.
The moment she entered the cat room, the calico stood from her spot at the back of her kennel and came forward, meowing. Nicole sank to the floor and opened the door, more than happy to welcome the warm ball of fur onto her lap. The cat had no name on the crate, but Nicole had started calling her Callie.
“Hey, girl,” Nicole whispered as she ran a hand over the cat’s silky fur. “I hope you don’t mind if I hide out for a few minutes.” She took in Callie’s contentment and wished she could set her own worries aside so easily.
It’d be simpler if what happened — or nearly happened — with Brent was all in her head. Otherwise, it could be a long two weeks if things got awkward between them. For the first time, Nicole doubted her decision to volunteer nine hours a week.
The kitty nuzzled Nicole’s chin and purred. It was exactly what she needed. What they both needed.
~*~
“I wish we could do more to help the shelter.” Tony appeared thoughtful as they ate a late dinner.
Nicole understood completely. They’d both left the shelter exhausted after all the excitement of the incoming livestock. Throw in the emotional turmoil from the almost, but probably non-existent, kiss, and Nicole was blinking to keep her eyes open. “There’s a lot Mr. Todd needs to do around that place.”
Tony nodded. “And not enough time, that’s for sure.” He scooped up a big forkful of spaghetti and slurped it. “Too bad we can’t go for the whole weekend and help out.”
Nicole should’ve reprimanded him about the slurping, but she let it slide. Besides, her mind was churning over what Tony had said. She wasn’t sure how much help she and Tony would be. But what if they brought in extra hands? Within moments, different possibilities built upon themselves.
By the next morning, she had a plan of attack in place. Jim was always talking about building team spirit and working together. When she pitched her idea to him, he thought it was great. In fact, there wasn’t a hockey game this Saturday. It would be the perfect day for the team to help the shelter. Jim agreed to call parents and arrange everything as soon as she checked with Brent. Everything was coming together faster than she’d thought possible.
Brent. Sentiments swirled around each other as if caught in a blender. She couldn’t wait to tell him about Saturday and see what he thought. Yet, what if she went in there and things were horribly awkward after yesterday? In that case, spending a large part of Saturday together probably wasn’t the best idea.
Nicole tried to squelch her apprehension and straightened her spine. This was for Finding Forever and all the animals in need of homes. She could deal with her emotional mess for two more weeks.
When they arrived at the shelter, Tony ran off to take care of the dogs like he’d been doing every day. He’d gotten to where, once he finished playing with the smaller dogs, he’d help Walt with the larger breeds after lunch.
Before Nicole left to check on the cats, she cleared her throat. “Brent, I had something I wanted to run past you.”
“Oh?” Brent’s brows rose in curiosity. He leaned against the counter and gave her his full attention.
Two more weeks. Just two more weeks. “As you know, Jim’s always wanting to build up team spirit with the Wildcats.” She slipped her hands into her pockets to keep from fidgeting. “I spoke with him, and he thought a team-building activity was just what the boys needed.” She paused when Brent’s eyes revealed his confusion. She hurried on to explain. “If it works out okay for you, a bunch of the boys would like to come on Saturday and help you with any repairs you might need. We’ve spoken with Sam over at Romance Hardware, and he’s donating the supplies you need to repaint the main house.”
Brent’s mouth opened and then closed again. “Are you serious?”
Nicole grinned. “Absolutely. We want to spend Saturday painting the house, repairing anything that needs it, mowing, trimming bushes. Put a list of things together and be prepared to delegate.”
Brent seemed lost. And for a moment, Nicole wondered if she’d completely overstepped her bounds. She pulled her hands back out of her pockets and held one up. “If you’d rather we didn’t come in and mess things up…”
“Oh, no. This is incredible. Seriously. Thank you, Nicole.”
“You’re welcome.” Nicole couldn’t take her gaze from his face. He looked relaxed, as if a giant weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “You never know, maybe some of the kids will want to come back and volunteer on a regular basis.”
“That would be awesome.” Brent rubbed his cheek with his hand, hiding his dimple, and shook his head. “You’re amazing.”
Nicole ducked her chin. “It wasn’t just me. You’re doing a lot of good here, and both Tony and I want to see it continue.” She pulled her phone out of her pocket. “I’ll text Jim and let him know we’re good to go for Saturday.”
Maybe the next two weeks wouldn’t be as uncomfortable as she’d feared they’d be. Hope bubbled up inside and Nicole smiled. See? She and Brent could work together for the sake of the rescue center.
~*~
Brent watched as Nicole sent a text to Jim. He couldn’t believe she’d done this for the shelter. For him. If they got the repairs made and spruced the place up a little… Well, it would put the center that much closer to having a stable future again. Maybe, if they got enough funds from the festival, he could even get that second set of kennels built sometime this coming spring. They’d have this place in shape again soon. Brent pictured Mr. Rice nodding his head in satisfaction and smiled to himself.
He rummaged in a drawer for a piece of paper and jotted down the various jobs he had in mind for the boys on Saturday. He should probably feed them, especially if they worked all day long.
As if Nicole were reading his mind, she slipped her phone back into a pocket. “Della’s Diner is donating lunch. Someone will deliver sub sandwiches along with chips and drinks.”
Wow. She’d considered everything.
She gave him another smile and pointed toward the hall. “I’ll go get started.”
He watched her disappear. He’d been afraid things would be awkward after yesterday. But she’d come in with a way to help save Finding Forever. Not to mention that smile he couldn’t get out of his head no matter what he did. It seemed everything was okay. Was it possible she felt the same pull between them that he did?
He spent a while composing his list of things he hoped to get accomplished on Saturday and then went to find Nicole. She was sitting on the floor of the cat room, the calico curled up in her lap. She kept running a hand over the cat’s fur, a far-off look in her eyes.
“You’re deep in thought.”
His voice startled her and the cat. Both turned their heads to study him. Nicole shrugged. “Sorry, I know I’m taking too long in here today.” She stood and eased the calico back into her temporary home. “I got distracted.”
“Are you kidding?” Brent took several steps nearer. “You arranged a miracle for this place. You deserve a few minutes to take a breather.” He looked around the room. “Mr. Rice would get a kick out of the kids coming to help on Saturday. If he were still here, I have no doubt he’d welcome them with jugs of lemonade and lollipop trees.”
Nicole looked amused. “Lollipop trees?”
Brent nodded and moved to lean against the wall. “He used to create them every Halloween. He’d buy lollipops that came in strips of plastic. The handles would stick either to the left or the right. If you wanted a lollipop, you just walked up and pulled it out of the plastic packaging.” He grinned. “Mr. Rice would hang those all over the trees out front, and he’d tell the little kids the lollipops actually grew on trees. Everyone who trick-or-treated at his house was welcome to take one.”
“That sounds really neat. Every neighborhood needs a guy like Mr. Rice.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Mr. Rice would’ve liked Nicole. In fact, Brent could easily imagine Mr. Rice teasing him, insisting Nicole was a looker and Brent should snag her before some other guy did.
Yep, Mr. Rice would’ve been right, too. Brent would be an idiot to not want to spend more time with her.