Rescue Me, page 6
“But you got them all out, and they’re going to be okay.” Beau’s voice broke a little.
Mitchell didn’t react because he was just as overwhelmed and strong feelings had to come out no matter how much we might want to keep them bottled up. Beau’s breathing grew measured and forcibly steady. Mitchell knew exactly how he felt. It wasn’t a huge leap from hurt and abused animals to the residual pain and hurt of how they had been treated. It left Mitchell cold, and he expected Beau was working through his own feelings.
Maybe asking for his help wasn’t the best idea. Hell, there had been times when Mitchell had his own emotions battering at his defenses—he could only imagine how Beau was feeling at this moment.
Mitchell nodded and took a measured breath of his own, hoping his voice didn’t crack and give away the near flood of anger and hurt inside him. “I did, and I’m going to find them all really nice families as soon as I can. Red is getting a judge to sign off on an order so the dogs can’t be returned, and charges of animal neglect and abuse are being leveled. Once that happens, I can find those babies new homes.” He hoped it happened quickly so they could all move forward.
“Should we get some dinner? I can place an order and have something delivered,” Beau offered.
“That would be nice,” Mitchell answered, and Beau’s arms slipped away. Mitchell felt the loss immediately and wanted to ask Beau to stay just a little longer, but he had no right.
“Let’s get you inside so you can sit down. It’s late, and the dogs are settled for the night. They need their rest, and so do you.” Beau pulled the barn door closed.
Mitchell trudged toward the house. It had been a while since he’d been this tired and emotionally drained. He had been expecting a half day off and yet had worked harder than he did most full days in the clinic. Not that he regretted it for a second.
Beau took his hand, and Mitchell was so grateful for the touch and the silent support. He wondered what they could order that would be delivered out here. Pizza was an option.
Mitchell opened the door to the sweetest, most amazing scent that had ever tickled his nose. “Val…,” Mitchell breathed as his appetite kicked in. God, that smelled good.
“It’s just some chicken corn soup,” she said softly, holding a sleeping Jessica. “This little one was a total angel. I changed and fed her half an hour ago, and she went right back to sleep.” Val stayed seated with Randi right next to her, watching over the baby like she always did. “I’ve kept it on low heat, so you two go on in and eat.” She gently passed Jessica to Beau, who practically glowed as he held his daughter. Some of the tension in his face flowed away as he cradled her, rocking gently.
“Come on.” Val took command of Mitchell’s kitchen and fixed them bowls of soup, along with fresh toasted bread that she must have brought with her.
“This is wonderful,” Beau said as Jessica slept on. Mitchell supposed that one of the skills a parent had to master was eating one-handed. He ate as well, letting the warmth and richness of the soup soothe his jangled nerves.
“I’m glad you like it,” Val said. Mitchell more than liked it—this was a bowl of heaven. “How did it go with the dogs?”
Mitchell shivered and set down his spoon. “They’re all going to be okay.” That was all he wanted to say right now. He had had enough of that place. Thinking about it threatened to ruin his appetite. Maybe in a few days he could tell her more, but at the moment, everything was too close to the surface. It was all he could do to keep his hands steady and not spill his food all over the table. “The one that was worst off is eating, and we were able to rehydrate her. Red is going to adopt her in a few days once she’s out of isolation.” That was the one bright spot of the entire ordeal. “He fell in love with her and stayed with her while she was being treated. I can help them with their wounds and get them healthy, but some of those dogs are going to carry scars on the inside for a long time.”
“They’ll be okay as long as they get the love they need.” She smiled. “You’re a good doctor and you care a great deal. But I think you need some more help. Caring for all these dogs and keeping the hours at the clinic that you do doesn’t give you much time for yourself.” Mitchell noticed the way her gaze shifted to Beau. “You need to be able to have something and someone for yourself.” She reached across the table and gently patted each of their arms. “Let me take her while you finish eating, and then I’ll head on home.” Val rocked Jessica gently as she went into the other room, with Randi padding along behind.
“I think your daughter has two admirers,” Mitchell teased as he took a few seconds to watch Beau. Heck, he could spend hours looking, following the contours of his neck, the wave of his hair, and the way his lips curved at the corners. Beau was something to see, and Mitchell could feast his eyes for a very long time.
“Yeah. I wish I had some of that kind of easy friend-making ability.” Beau finished his soup and set down the spoon, then took a bite of his toast. “I always found it hard to make friends when I was growing up. My father….” He took another bite of toast. “My dad worked irregular hours sometimes, since he often got the shifts other employees didn’t want. Dad usually did what he needed to do. He wasn’t dumb, just always looking for the big score I guess, so we ended up moving when he had to get a new job every now and then. When times got tough, he was the first one they let go. I attended a number of schools and was the new kid all the time. I guess I didn’t have time to make friends before we’d have to move again.”
That must have made for a very lonely life. Mitchell understood a little more about Beau now, and yeah, maybe that past had opened Beau to a guy like Gerome.
Mitchell clenched his hand under the table. What really sucked was how ever-present their exes seemed to be right now. Sometimes it felt like Luke was in the same room with him, looking over his shoulder. Just the idea gave him the creeps, and he actually turned just to make sure.
“Why didn’t your dad just find a new job in the same place?” Mitchell asked.
Beau pushed back the bowl. “Because Dad always thought he was the greatest gift to any employer he worked for. When they fired him, he always decided to get even somehow, and word got around really fast. Once he tried to set the business on fire. Dad said they were wrong and that he was getting gasoline to fill up the car, but….” He sighed, and Mitchell groaned softly.
“Dad and I didn’t always get along. He had his ideas, and I had mine. Pretty typical stupid kid stuff. I always thought I had better ideas than he did and wondered why Dad never listened. But I loved him, and he did his best for us.” It was hard for Mitchell to comprehend the kind of childhood that Beau must have had. His dad sometimes yelled, but he was a good man overall and he provided Mitchell with a safe place to live and a good childhood. It was strange—they had fought sometimes, but now that his dad was gone, Mitchell missed him a great deal.
“Did he get to see you as a vet?”
“Yeah. He passed away a year after I graduated. I think it was the proudest I had ever seen him.” There were times when he would give anything to see that expression again… to see anything of his mom and dad once more. “I miss him.”
Beau shrugged. “I wish I could say the same. Mine lives a thousand miles away, and that’s too danged close for me. He has a new family, but keeps trying to get in contact. The last time he visited, Dad spent the entire three days trying to convince me to put some money in this business venture he was trying to get started. I didn’t, and he was none too happy about it, but he keeps trying. Dad and Gerome always got along, and I think that should have been a clue of the kind of ass my ex was.” Beau cleared his throat, and Mitchell took his hand. He could understand his frustration. “It seems like my life is filled with people who only want something from me.”
“I’m sorry. That must have been really difficult.”
Beau nodded. “I wouldn’t have any idea how a parent is supposed to act if it weren’t for my grandparents. My mom is great and always did her best, but her folks were wonderful. They used to take me for a month each summer. We always had fun, and I never wanted to go back home. They had money, and my dad was always trying to get his hands on it. He would put my mother up to asking them for help all the time. But they figured it out.” Beau smirked. “When they died, they left their estate in trust for me. Dad was so angry, and I think Mom was disappointed. I think they had been counting on that money, but it was tied up and they couldn’t get at any of it.”
“They didn’t leave them anything?” Mitchell asked.
“A few thousand dollars and that was it.” Beau’s gaze became tougher. “That’s why I need to sell that property I have with Gerome, so I can get that money back and go on with my life.” He pulled his hand away and stood to take the dishes to the sink. His back was straight, his steps tight; the tension rolled off him. Mitchell wanted to ask questions, but he got the idea that Beau had said all he was going to. “I should probably take Jessica home. She’s going to need to be changed and fed again soon, and then I should get her ready for bed.”
Mitchell cleared the rest of the dishes before joining Beau and Val in the other room.
“Thank you for watching her,” Beau was saying while he packed up the diaper bag.
Val passed the baby into his arms, and Beau put her over his shoulder and pulled out his wallet to pay her.
“Any time, young man.” She took the bills and peered at the baby. “This little one is just the cutest….” She grinned and smiled at the sleeping baby before getting her purse. “I’ll see you at the office.”
“Thank you,” Mitchell said as Val left the house. Mitchell helped Beau get his things and followed him outside. Randi tried to go along, but Mitchell kept her inside. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way we planned them.”
Beau got Jessica secured in the car seat and closed the back door. “It was a good day.” He turned toward the front door, and Mitchell leaned forward and kissed him lightly. He had wanted to do that all day long, and to his delight, Beau returned his soft kiss. It sent a zing of delight running all the way through him.
Mitchell pulled back as they ended the kiss, breathless and a little dizzy. He had expected the kiss to be nice, but he hadn’t counted on Beau’s earthy taste and the way he made Mitchell’s head spin.
Chapter 6
“GOOD NIGHT,” Beau whispered. He stopped to watch Jessica sleep for a few seconds before partially closing the door. He walked quietly away from her room, and once in the living room, he checked that the baby monitor was working. He placed it next to his computer at his desk and got to work. He had hours of tasks he wanted to get done, and the best time was when Jessica was in bed.
He cleared his few emails and then set about his tasks, but his mind refused to settle. All evening, he’d thought about Mitchell’s kiss, wondering what it meant. They had been close, and Beau had comforted Mitchell after he’d returned with the dogs. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t liked the kiss—he had. It was wonderful. That was the problem. Beau’s record with relationships was complete crap, and he was still dealing with the fallout from the last one.
Beau stared at the screen and forced his mind onto the tasks at hand. He only had so much time to get things done, and he needed to focus. But as he thought about the kiss by the car, his lips tingled once again, and without thinking about it, he lightly touched them with his finger.
Okay, he was being ridiculous. Yes, Mitchell had kissed him, and he had liked it, a lot, but it didn’t mean anything. Mitchell had had a really difficult afternoon and evening with the dogs, and he was probably just relieved that it was over and grateful for Beau’s help.
Beau swallowed hard as his fingers hovered over the keyboard. “Come on, get your head where it belongs,” he said out loud and did his best to get to work.
It took a while, but Beau was able to get his work done for the night. It was after eleven by the time he pushed his chair away from the desk and stretched his back. He was about to close his computer when an email appeared in the inbox. He narrowed his gaze slightly.
“I see you’re still up,” the subject read, with the body of the message blank. Beau checked the sender address but didn’t recognize it. It was a Gmail address that didn’t mean anything in particular.
Beau closed the message and shut down his computer before checking out the windows. Someone was watching him, and it left him feeling cold. He thought about messaging Gerome to tell him to leave him alone. This had to be part of his pressure campaign to get Beau to step back on selling the property. That was something he had no intention of doing.
Beau checked that all the doors were locked and turned out the lights, then went through the dark house one last time, checking out the windows once more. He didn’t see anyone lurking near the road or on the property; no dark figure moved in the darkness. But he still felt as though Gerome was out there somewhere. Beau could practically feel his ex’s eyes on him. Still, he had no intention of letting Gerome win, so he went upstairs, cleaned up, and got ready for bed. He checked that Jessica was okay and then returned to his room.
He got into bed and lay quietly, listening for any noises in the house. There was nothing. He thought about getting up to check outside once more, but he stayed where he was. If Gerome was sending him notes, then he was getting desperate. He lay there, listening and worrying, until he dozed off, only to wake with a start when he heard Jessica fussing through the baby monitor.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Beau said when he came to her. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open, but he changed her and carried her through the house and heated a bottle for her. He fed her as he took her back upstairs, where he sat in the rocking chair in her room, soothing her while she sucked on her bottle.
Beau wished he could soothe himself that easily.
Once she was asleep, he placed her in the crib, covered her up, and sat back in the chair. He didn’t want to be alone. He pulled a blanket up over himself and rocked slowly until he fell asleep again.
Light filtered around the curtains in Jessica’s room when he woke again. Jessica was still asleep, and Beau took advantage of the peace to make himself some coffee. He had just gotten downstairs when Jessica’s little wails came through the baby monitor.
“I’m coming, sweetheart,” Beau said and hurried upstairs. Her crying stopped as soon as she saw him.
Beau grinned and lifted her up as he spoke quietly. He had learned it didn’t matter what he said—it was his tone that she responded to. “Let’s get you changed, and then we can eat.” He considered himself lucky that she had only been up once in the night. “I had good dreams last night.” He smiled at her as he unsnapped her pajamas and then got them off. The diaper followed as she blew bubbles and chewed on her hand. “It was about Mitchell, and it was a really nice dream.” He gave her little belly a raspberry and got a baby giggle in return. Then he put on a fresh diaper, followed by a onesie and light pants and a shirt. “What did you dream about? An endless stream of bottles? I bet you did.” He carried her downstairs and made up a bottle just as she started to fuss again.
A knock on the door interrupted him, and Beau tensed. He gave Jessica the bottle and carried her as he went to answer the door. Beau half expected it to be Gerome with another episode of badgering, but Mitchell stood on the stoop with a smile, carrying a small box. “Good morning,” Mitchell said as soon as he opened the door. “How is the prettiest little girl in town?”
“She’s good, and so is her daddy. I actually slept most of the night, if a little roughly.” He stepped back. “What are you doing here?” He was surprised and pleased. Beau had spent a lot of the night thinking about those dogs as well as Mitchell and how fragile he had seemed at times. He hated to leave him all alone, but with Jessica, he hadn’t had much choice.
“I finished with all the dogs, and Randi wanted some exercise, so I thought I’d walk over and make you breakfast as a thank-you for all your help yesterday. I hope it’s not too early. If I’m being too pushy, just say so.” He paused but seemed full of jittery energy, judging by the way he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Beau wondered how much coffee he had already drunk. “I figured you wouldn’t get a chance to cook for yourself very often.” Mitchell’s gaze raked downward, and Beau remembered he was wearing just boxers and a T-shirt. “God, I’m sorry. I guess I got the idea in my head to thank you, and I should have called.” Mitchell’s cheeks grew beet red. “I should go and let you wake up and….” He swallowed. “Maybe get dressed.” He turned to go.
Beau’s belly rumbled, and he stepped back. “It’s okay. I appreciate the thought, and a home-cooked breakfast would be lovely.” Part of him had wanted to let Mitchell go, but the other was flattered and thrilled that he was here. It had been a somewhat restless night, after Gerome sending that email. Probably his subconscious making the connection between him and the dogs Mitchell had rescued. “Come on in. I need to go change. The kitchen is right through there.” He pointed and carried Jessica away from the door.
“Is it okay if Randi comes in?” Mitchell asked.
“Sure.” He was already heading toward his bedroom. “We’ll be right back.”
Mitchell snickered behind him. “Don’t change on my account… please.” Beau turned as Mitchell grinned. “What? The view is spectacular.” Mitchell headed toward the kitchen with his box, and Beau hurried to his bedroom with Randi tagging along.
Getting dressed while holding a baby was not easy. He ended up sitting on the bed until Jessica had finished her bottle. Then he dressed and returned to the kitchen. Randi bounded around his legs, jumping up in frantic delight. The reception was nice until he remembered it was likely for Jessica. Beau buckled her in her swing with some toys, and she bounced and laughed while the kitchen filled with the scent of bacon and eggs—a simple breakfast that had his mouth watering.
