When Tomorrow Comes, page 14
“A bear came into my neighbor’s pasture, where she has a few goats and sheep,” Baye said. She loved being the center of attention and described the event in dramatic detail.
“He actually bit the bear on the butt?” asked a second man, who had a very obedient Doberman sitting at his feet. He shook his head. “I guess bravery comes in all sizes.”
“Poor little thing,” the woman with the pit bull said.
“I’m not surprised,” the man with a chihuahua said. “I had a Jack Russell terrier once. He weighed twenty pounds, and I saw him latch onto a big rottweiler’s back leg because he was chasing our cat. That rottie yelped like he’d been shot and ran back to his own house down the street.”
They all laughed, and Baye marveled at how pets could become common ground for a group of people from all backgrounds, regardless of religious beliefs or politics. The waiting room went quiet when Connie appeared from the hallway with a groggy Badger, his head lolling against her shoulder.
“He’s all patched up but still very sleepy.” She choked out the words, a few tears escaping her bloodshot eyes.
Everyone, even the receptionist, applauded. Baye’s storytelling had made the wait seem short, and now she wrapped an arm around Connie’s shoulders.
“Well, let’s get the hero home so he can sleep it off.”
A chorus of “bye” followed them to the door.
* * *
John was sitting in a camp chair on the back side of the kennel and cathouse buildings, a shotgun laid across his knees.
“Have you seen the bear?” Teague asked. She scanned the edge of the woods for movement.
“Nope. He’s probably long gone,” John said, never taking his gaze from the woods.
“Badger bit that bear on the butt,” Tommy said.
John chuckled. “Did he now? He’s a very brave dog.”
“He’s very, very brave. That bear was big!” Tommy stared at the shotgun in John’s lap and began to sway back and forth, clearly stressed about something. “Are you going to hurt the bear if he comes here?”
“No, son. This only has salt shot in it. The salt will sting and scare it off, but not injure it.” He turned to Teague. “How’s your pup?”
“Baye called to say they were on their way home,” Teague said. “He is still sleepy, but X-rays showed no hidden damage. He only needed stitches.”
John nodded. “Tommy, why don’t you go feed the kitties, and I’ll start feeding the dogs. When we’re done, we’ll lock everything up tight. I’m going to take Buster to the cottage with us. He’ll hear that bear if he comes back.”
“Good idea,” Teague said. “I will help you feed.”
Chapter Thirteen
Baye was alone on the sofa in the den, Cappie snuggled against her chest and Mac perched on her leg, grooming himself.
Teague kept her voice low. “How is Badger?”
“Doing better than Connie. He’s technically your dog, but his heart belongs to her. She’s very upset over his injury, but I think she’s mostly scared that he could have been killed.”
She sat on the sofa next to Baye and ran a finger over Cappie’s head. He looked at her but didn’t move into her lap or on her shoulder as she expected. Mac, however, pulled her arm down with his beak so he could step onto her forearm. “I believe you have stolen the heart of my little Captain.”
“I love you,” Mac said.
“I love you, too, Mac. Give me a kiss.”
Mac bussed her lips with his beak, and then Baye reached over to turn Teague’s chin her way for a real kiss, long and soft.
Teague’s face heated, and a familiar tingle rolled through her belly. “Will you stay here tonight? I do not want you alone in your house in case the bear comes back.”
“Is the bear the only reason you want me to stay?”
“No.” Teague searched for the words to explain what she was feeling. “Today has been stressful. Being near you calms me.” She took Baye’s hand in hers. “At the same time, being near you excites me.” She stared into Baye’s hazel eyes, swirling with brilliant greens and rich browns. “It is a contradiction I do not fully understand.”
Baye stood. “Let’s put the kids to bed and see if we can explore the ‘excites me’ part.”
Teague stood, her heart beating faster and her mind racing, and offered Baye her hand to also stand. Together, they returned Mac and Cappie to their cages in the sunroom. Then Baye took Teague’s hand, and they walked to her bedroom.
Baye knew she had to take the lead because of Teague’s uncertainty. When they reached the bedroom, she kissed her with all her emotion and reassurance, then stepped back and peeled off her T-shirt.
Teague licked her lips, her eyes fixed on Baye’s sports bra.
“Will you help me?” Baye asked, lifting her arms over her head.
Teague hesitantly slipped her fingers under the chest band and lifted the bra over Baye’s head. Baye stilled to let her look, then grasped her hands and placed them on her breasts. Teague closed her eyes, and her breath hitched. Baye held Teague’s hands in place and stepped closer to kiss her long and deep until Teague responded, lifting and massaging Baye’s breasts and tweaking her nipples.
Baye moaned into Teague’s hot mouth. “That feels so good.”
Teague stepped back and stripped off her T-shirt, then shed her bra. Her breasts were small, and a flush reddened her chest.
“Tell me if I do something that makes you uncomfortable,” Baye said. “Can I touch your breasts?”
“I…I…yes.”
Baye kissed her again, lightly caressing her nipples, then breaking off their kiss to take them in her mouth. Teague trembled when Baye scraped her teeth over her hard nipples, then sucked and nipped. “Let’s get in the bed, baby.” Baye cringed at her slip of an endearment. She was so afraid of going too fast and Teague backing off. Teague did back up, but only to strip off her jeans and underwear and pull the bedcovers down.
Baye was surprised for an instant, then quickly shed the rest of her clothes, too, and climbed into the bed. They both groaned when they came together naked, nipples touching nipples, and hips melding together. Teague flipped Baye onto her back and moved down to suck Baye’s nipples, then lower to take her in her mouth. Baye was losing the battle to hold back her orgasm as Teague’s relentless tongue bathed her in all the right places. Quick. It was too quick.
Her chest heaved. “Put your fingers inside me. Please, baby.”
Teague’s long fingers filled her, and she surrendered. “Teague. Oh, God. I’m coming.” Her shoulders rose as her orgasm exploded and rolled through her belly. When her orgasm released its grip, she fell back onto the pillows, and Teague withdrew her fingers.
Before she could find her voice, Teague pushed her knees to her chest and moved to hover over her. She began to rub her sex against Baye’s, the glide hot and smooth with the lubrication from them both. Her thrusts grew frantic, and she bore down harder.
“That’s it, baby. Oh. I’m going to come again.” Just as a second orgasm overcame Baye, Teague stiffened. Their cries rang out together, Teague riding her through the aftershocks until they both collapsed, sweaty and sated, to lie side by side.
“Wow.” Baye’s heart was still pounding. She was panting like she’d run a race. Their consummation had been quick and hard, but she vowed the next time would be slower. Oh, yes. There would be a next time. And a next and a next, if she had any say.
“Wow.” Teague echoed her. “I…I.”
Baye rolled onto her side and laid her hand between Teague’s breasts. She could feel Teague’s heart beating as fast as hers, in sync with hers. “What, Teague? You can tell me. Was it too much for you?”
Teague shook her head slowly. “I have lain with women before. Twice.” Her chest rose and fell with a deep sigh. “But sex has never felt like this.” She raised her eyes to meet Baye’s and held her gaze for the longest few seconds yet. “This was more. A lot more.”
Baye brushed her lips against Teague’s and whispered, “For me, too. It’s because of the feelings we have for each other that make it more.”
“I want to hold you now, but my feelings are too big.” Her eyes begged for understanding.
Baye lay back so that only their shoulders touched. “It’s okay. It’s been an adrenaline-filled day, and we just took a big step. We can take the smaller ones later.” She felt the tension drain from Teague’s muscles.
“Will you hold my hand…like before when I had a headache?”
Baye reached for her hand and entwined their fingers. “Anything you need, baby.” The endearment slipped easily from her tongue now, and Teague didn’t flinch. “Now sleep. Everyone is safe.”
Chapter Fourteen
Teague woke to a light tapping on her bedroom door that led to the foyer. Baye was warm and soft spooned against her back, and she smiled to herself. The digital clock indicated it was seven in the morning. Damn, she never slept past five, but she didn’t want to rise from the cocoon created by Baye and the plush comforter that covered them.
A second round of tapping was louder than the first.
“Teague, are you awake? Are you okay, honey?”
Teague had been sick the few times Connie had to wake her in the mornings. “I am okay. Just a minute.” She gently disentangled herself from Baye’s grasp and slipped on her robe before opening the door a few inches. “Sorry. I guess I overslept. Is Badger okay?”
“He’s fine. Very sore, but he ate his breakfast and is napping after I gave him a pain pill,” Connie said. “The rangers are here and want to talk to you about the bear.”
She opened the door wider to peek through the vertical windows that flanked the front door. “Please ask them to give me a few minutes to get dressed.”
Connie glanced past her and smiled. “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t know you had company.”
Teague glanced over her shoulder and saw Baye still asleep, but now sprawled on top of Teague’s pillow. Although nothing immodest was on display, the comforter had slipped down to her waist, and her bare back clearly revealed she was naked. Teague’s face heated.
“I’ll ask them to wait,” Connie said, still smiling.
Teague closed the door quietly, then dressed in the jeans and T-shirt she’d shed the night before. She would shower and dress in clean clothes after talking to the ranger. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, then glanced up at the mirror. Her hair was sticking out in a dozen directions. They had made love, slept a little, and made love again. She smiled at the memory of Baye pulling at her hair as Teague devoured her. A quick brushing mostly tamed it, and she tiptoed past her still-slumbering lover.
* * *
“Hello. I am Teague Maxwell. I called you yesterday about the bear.”
The man in a park ranger’s uniform broke off his conversation with the others and held out his hand as he approached. “Hi. I’m Mike Barnes, one of the park rangers.” He pointed to an attractive blond woman, then to the other man. “This is Dr. Ann Langston, a forestry department veterinarian, and Rick Seagrove, an experienced tracker.”
She ignored the ranger’s hand but nodded to each of them. She especially didn’t like to touch strangers. “Thank you for coming.”
“We would like to park our truck here,” Ranger Barnes said. “Tom, the ranger that took your call, said he told you the bear’s collar has malfunctioned and is no longer transmitting, so we’re going to have to track and dart him. Do you have time to show us where the bear came over your fence?”
“Yes. We confined our animals to the barn last night, so I need to let them out into the pasture. Just follow me.” Snow, who Connie always fed at the house with Badger, joined them.
The three shouldered light backpacks and walked with her to the barn, where she released Lucky and Asset first, then the sheep and goats, and finally the chickens. She gave the rabbits a few extra treats since they hadn’t gotten to go out the night before. Even though they were very large rabbits, they stayed in the barn during the daytime because several eagles nested nearby and might decide to snack on them. While the others immediately began grazing or scratching among the grass for insects and worms, the goats and Asset decided to escort the ranger’s group, just in case those backpacks contained treats.
“We’re pretty sure your bear was a two-year-old male recently tagged about ten miles from here as soon as he parted from his mother. I’m sure he was looking for food and his own territory to hunt. He won’t be searching for a mate for a year or two.”
The veterinarian, Dr. Langston, stepped closer and smiled. “I bet our bear was very surprised after he climbed over your fence. You’ve got quite a squad of defenders.”
“He was after the fainting goats, which are easy prey.” She pointed to Asset, then Lucky. “Those two herded the sheep into that corner over there and stood guard.” She scratched behind Snow’s ear. “My farm hand, Tommy, is a large man. He grabbed a pitchfork, and then he and Snow confronted the bear. I was alerted when my parrot, who had been with Tommy, flew up to the house screaming. Baye and I ran to the barn and stood next to Tommy, shouting and waving our arms. The real hero is our twenty-pound terrier that bit the bear in the butt and sent him running.”
Dr. Langston put her hand on Teague’s shoulder and laughed loudly. “A terrier? Where is he?”
Teague turned to discreetly move out of Dr. Langston’s reach and pointed to the house. “He was clawed when the bear swiped at him to make him let go, so Connie has him under house arrest until he is sufficiently healed. The wound is not too serious. He only needed some stitches to patch him up.”
The two men were walking back and forth, examining the tracks left in the ground still soft from recent rain.
“Poor thing. He’s a brave little dog to go after a bear.” Dr. Langston dug into her backpack for a business card and scribbled something on the back, then handed it to Teague. “You can call me if he has any complications. Day or night. I’d be happy to come check him out.”
Teague stuffed the card into her pocket without reading it. “Thank you, but his vet says he will be fine.”
The two men approached. “Looks like he headed straight into the woods,” Rick, the tracker, said. “He might still be hanging around and double back to try some other farms along this border. I’d keep putting your animals up at night until we catch this fellow.”
“You will let me know when you do?” Teague asked.
“Give me your phone, and I’ll put my number in your contacts,” Dr. Langston said.
Teague hesitated. She couldn’t explain why, but it felt wrong to give a woman her number. “I sometimes do not answer my phone or check my voice mail for days when I am working. I will give you my house manager’s number. Or my neighbor’s number. Tommy works for both of us. He takes care of my animals in addition to the cats and dogs at Baye’s rescue center next door.”
“Ah. Baye is your neighbor?”
Teague cocked her head to consider this question. “Yes. She is also my girlfriend.” She liked how “girlfriend” rolled so easily off her tongue.
Dr. Langston shrugged and handed Teague a small notepad. “It was worth a try. If you will write Connie’s number down for me, I’ll give her a call when we find the bear.”
* * *
Teague stopped in the doorway of her bedroom and frowned. The shower was running even though the bathroom door was open, and Baye was missing from the bed. She had wanted to wake Baye up while she was still naked. Then the shower stopped while she was making the bed. She always kept neat rooms, so the cleaning agency only had to dust, vacuum, and clean the bathroom in her downstairs suite.
“Hey, you. Where’d you go?” Baye stood in the bathroom doorway, wrapped in a thick towel that barely covered her breasts and touched her thighs. “I missed you when I woke up.”
“The ranger and the people who are going to track the bear showed up early and wanted to talk to me about yesterday.” Teague stripped as she talked. “The woman veterinarian with them said we should keep the animals in the barn at night until she calls to say they caught the bear.” She pulled the business card from her pocket and handed it to Baye before tossing her jeans in the hamper.
“Did she now?” Baye turned the card over. “Is this her personal number?”
“I suppose. I did not look at it. I told her I sometimes do not answer my phone or check my voice mail for days when I am working, so she should call Connie or you. She wrote down Connie’s number but did not take yours.”
“Why not?”
“I told her you were my girlfriend.”
Baye laughed. “She was hitting on you.”
“Dr. Langston did put her hand on my shoulder.” Teague frowned. “I do not like people touching me.”
“Really?” Baye dropped her towel and pressed her breasts against Teague’s now-naked form. “You don’t like this?” She ran her hand over Teague’s butt.
Teague smiled and closed her eyes. “I do like your touch, but we do not have time for sex. Connie is cooking breakfast for us, and I need to shower.”
Baye stepped away but grabbed Teague’s hand. “I’ll wash your back.”
* * *
“Pretty, kiss Pretty,” Mac called from his perch, ruffling his feathers, bobbing his head, and swaying back and forth. Cappie scampered in from the sunroom and held his arms out for Baye to pick him up. Then she walked over to Mac to let him buss her lips with his beak.
“How quickly they abandon you for a pretty face,” Teague said.
“Glad you two could finally join us.” Connie grinned as she took two plates holding huge omelets from the oven and placed them on the kitchen island.
Teague shrugged and settled in a bar chair on the other side of the island. “Baye wanted to have sex in the shower.”
