Sealed With A Kiss: Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild, page 23
He’d clearly taken her aback.
“Well, as nice as that sounds, it would definitely make it difficult to pretend that this is just the start of a casual, short-term relationship.”
He turned onto the narrow dirt road that would lead them down to the water. The ground got marshy long before the actual flowing water of the bayou but there were a few areas of higher ground that looked out over the water that served as great places to watch the sunset. And do some heavy petting, as Ellie Landry would say.
“I don’t want this to be casual or short-term,” Donovan told her.
“I know. I don’t either. So I really want this TV show to go well. To be picked up so you can stay.”
He reached across the seat and took her hand lacing her fingers together. “I can stay anyway.”
“But I want you to have what you want,” Naomi went on. “The show would mean that you could stay and not…”
“Not what?”
She blew out a breath. “Regret it eventually.”
He pulled the truck to a stop, threw it into park, and turned to face her. “I am not going to regret being here with you. With everyone. This is the first place I’ve felt like I actually have a home. I have a family here. I want to stay.”
“I know.” Her voice was thick. “But you have a passion and an incredible ability to educate other people and make them care about things in a way that most people can’t. You have to do that. The animals need you to do that. If the show doesn’t grab the investors’ interest, you have to go to the Galapagos Islands. That’s a huge opportunity.”
He stared at her. He wasn’t sure he’d ever had anyone believe in him and push him the way Naomi did. He’d always been pushing himself, driven by a need to make up for Griffin’s sacrifices for him.
This felt different.
“Will you—”
The wait for me if I leave was interrupted by his phone ringing.
Not the goat phone this time. His real phone. And it was the ringtone for Bailey Wilcox, with Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. That meant there was a ninety-seven percent chance that she had an animal in need.
Dammit.
“Hold on. We’re not done with this.”
Naomi simply nodded. She knew that ring tone.
Donovan answered the call. “Hey, Bailey.”
“Hey. I’ve got a bobcat stuck in a tree with burned paws and possible other injuries,” she said without preamble.
“Burned? How?” He put the phone on speaker and shifted the truck back into drive.
Naomi reached for her seat belt and he took a second to appreciate how she was always willing to just roll with whatever came their way.
“Some stupid teenagers were out here messing around and started a campfire,” Bailey said. “It got out of their control and spread.”
“Oh, fuck.” Donovan turned out onto the main road. “But everything’s so wet yet from the storm. Is it bad?”
“Worse than it should be.” Bailey sounded pissed. “But yeah, the rain definitely helped. We needed firefighters from New Orleans though because it was too big for just Michael and J.D. alone. It’s mostly under control now and we don’t think there are too many wildlife issues. Someone spotted the cat just a few minutes ago. He’s pretty high up in the tree, but even with binoculars I can see some injuries.”
“Okay, on my way.”
She gave him the location and he disconnected and looked at Naomi. “Well, you can call Rachel and Brent. At least they’ll really like this.”
“I didn’t even think of them.” Naomi pulled out her phone. “So glad to have a silver lining,” she muttered.
“Hey.” He waited for her to look at him as she lifted the phone to her ear. “You okay?”
“I just hate that this will get them excited, you know? Like they’re vultures just sitting around waiting for bad things to happen to animals.”
“Yeah.”
“But we can definitely use this to make a point about how being irresponsible with campfires can impact wildlife right?”
Sure. That mattered. But he hated it too. “Right.”
13
The scene was, of course, chaotic even with the fire already being controlled. There were three fire trucks and two crews along with the Autre ambulance, Zander’s car, and several people just curious about what was going on.
“What are you doing here?” Michael asked Naomi when he saw her.
“Donovan was called for a stranded bobcat.”
Michael looked at Donovan. “You always have to bring her along?”
Donovan looked at her, then at her brother, and shrugged. “Yeah.”
“She needs to film every single thing you do?”
Naomi frowned. “I’m not filming. I’m here to help.”
“You’re not a firefighter or a wildlife expert.”
Naomi took a deep breath. Her brother was stressed. And probably pissed. Teenagers had set a fire. That was a bad situation no matter how quickly it had been handled. And it could have been much worse. No doubt he was holding himself back from yelling at the kids, or their parents, or at least stomping over there and making sure Zander yelled at them. Which Zander wouldn’t do.
Zander Landry certainly had a temper, but he handled his police work with a laid-back air that almost seemed indifferent at times. That wasn’t true, of course, and everyone here knew that, including Michael. But often Zander’s more passionate friends and family members wished he’d show a little more emotion.
“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine,” Naomi told her brother. “You go do your thing.”
“Well, it’s my job to worry about everyone on the scene,” Michael told her crossly. “So unless you’re going to go back to the truck and just sit there, I’m going to worry.”
“She’s very capable, Michael,” Donovan said. “She’s smart and is here for the right reasons.”
“And I’m going to be coming to more of these scenes,” Naomi said. “So get used to it.”
“I know you think this is exciting to watch, but—”
“I’m getting my wildlife rehabilitation permit. I’m going to be doing this with Donovan, not just watching.”
“You are?”
Naomi turned to Donovan. She hadn’t told him yet, but it seemed like the natural next step. “I am. If you’ll write me a letter of recommendation. I need one from a permitted Wildlife Rehabilitator and one from a veterinarian. I figure I’ve got the vet covered with Tori or Jill or Griffin. I just need you. And to take the course and pass the test. I was going to tell you about it later, but…yeah. I really want to do this.”
“Okay.” He looked a little stunned.
“Really? You’ll write me a recommendation?”
“Sure.”
“Okay, dammit. I can’t do this right now,” Michael said.
“You don’t have to do this at all,” Naomi told him. “This is happening.”
Michael frowned at Donovan. “I blame you for this.”
“I’m okay with that.”
Naomi felt her stomach flip at the look in Donovan’s eyes. It was pride and admiration. She knew that she didn’t have to take risks like this for Donovan to like her or want her or even to date her. But the fact that he’d helped her find this passion mattered. And it was a passion they could share. That was a big deal. A few months ago, she would have never believed she’d want to be the one getting dirty and possibly bit, scratched, or stung. She’d always known it was important work, but she’d never thought she could actually do it. Her past work had always been with very safe animals in very controlled environments.
With Donovan, things were not safe. It felt very out of control at times.
And she’d never felt more alive and more fulfilled by her work.
“Hey, Donovan. Hey, Naomi.” Caleb Moreau, a firefighter from New Orleans and a friend of the Landry boys, strode toward them.
Naomi smiled at him and James Reynaud, the firefighter beside him. “Hi, guys.”
“Hey, Caleb. James.” Donovan shook both their hands.
“What are you two doing out here?” James asked. “Join the fire department?”
“There’s a cat in a tree and I guess the old stereotype that firefighters get those down isn’t true,” Donovan said.
Caleb chuckled. “You’re kiddin’.”
Donovan grinned. “It’s a bobcat. Probably trying to get away from the fire. Need to bring him down and treat some burns.”
Caleb gave Donovan a look. “No shit.”
“Yep.” Donovan shrugged.
“I’ve carried a couple of humans who tried to bite me out of burning buildings, but never a wildcat,” James said.
“You’ve rescued biting humans?” Naomi asked.
“One was high,” James said with a nod. “But one was just a mean old man.”
Naomi laughed.
“So we’re okay to go in? Bailey said the cat was on the west side of everything,” Donovan said.
“Yeah, you should be okay. But we can head in that direction with you and check it out,” Caleb told him.
“Thanks, man.”
Naomi reached out and caught Donovan’s arm as he started to follow the two firefighters. “I really hate to say this, but we should probably wait for Brent and Rachel.”
Donovan grimaced. “Shit. It’s bad enough that we’re going to have to deal with going into the fire, but taking two extra people in is a pain in the ass.”
“But we’re not going into the fire,” Naomi said. “We’re going to wait for the all clear from Caleb and James.” She peered at him. “Right, Donovan?”
“We’ll wait until it’s safe enough for me to go.”
“Donovan, you were not going into a still active fire.”
“I’m not going to walk through flames, no, but the longer we wait, the better the chance the cat gets down and heads off somewhere on his own and I won’t be able to treat him.”
Naomi knew he had a point, but her heart was hammering. She hated the idea of him going in if it wasn’t entirely safe. “So what’s your plan here?”
“I’ll tranquilize it first, but I’ll have to get close enough to keep it from falling from the tree once it goes under,” Donovan said.
She swallowed. Then took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m here to help.” She spread her arms. “Show me what to do. I need to learn.”
Donovan stopped and looked down at her with a frown. “You wait for Rachel and Brent.”
“Hi, guys!”
He sighed and Naomi couldn’t help but grin as Rachel and Brent walked up.
“Okay, now what?” she asked.
“I’d rather you didn’t come,” he told her.
“Too bad.”
“I don’t like it.”
The irony did not escape Naomi. The fact that they’d gone from her worrying about him and trying to get him to be more careful to him now not liking her doing dangerous things in the name of wildlife rescue, would’ve been funny if it wasn’t annoying. And taking up time.
“Well, if you didn’t want me to do this then you shouldn’t have shown me how important it is.” She stepped around him and started after Caleb and James. “Come on, Brent and Rachel. We’ve even got hot firefighters for you in this one.”
“Awesome,” Rachel said.
Yeah, that’s what Naomi figured she’d say.
“You coming, Donovan?” Brent asked. “We kind of need you if we’re filming for the show.”
Naomi heard Donovan’s heavy sigh.
“Yeah. I’m coming.”
Twenty minutes later, Naomi found herself up in the tree, a few branches below Donovan, extending a long stick with a syringe on the end.
“Okay, I’m going to keep his attention on me, hopefully,” Donovan said. “You get that in his flank. I’ll be in position to reach him—or catch him—when he starts to relax.”
Naomi bit her lip but nodded. The cat was clearly scared and pissed off, feeling cornered, without anywhere to go. Caleb and James were on the ground keeping the cat from feeling safe to jump down. He’d gone about as high in the tree as he could and Naomi and Donovan were blocking his way back down and over to the next biggest branch. That didn’t, of course, mean that he wouldn’t lunge or take a swipe at the nearest threat—Donovan—though.
But an hour and half later they had the bobcat sedated, down from the tree, and back at the rehab facility. His paws were bandaged and he was comfortable in a pen where he’d stay a few days before being released. The fire was completely out and the teens who had started the whole mess were down at the police station with their parents and Zander.
After all of that, Naomi, Donovan, Rachel, and Brent stood in the middle of the main portion of the rehabilitation facility.
“So…I guess that’s it,” Naomi said, feeling like there should be a more exciting way to wrap it all up.
“Yeah, I need to get up to the penguin enclosure,” Donovan said. “But it’s just a regular weighing and feeding. You’ve already got that footage.” He didn’t roll his eyes but Naomi could hear the eye roll in his voice.
“Yeah, guess we’ll head back to the motel to go over the footage from the fire.” Brent and Rachel started for the door.
And Naomi just stood, watching them all go.
She was still amped up from the adrenaline and wanted to do something.
But she didn’t have anything to do.
So she went home to help her grandmother make dinner.
“What is wrong with you, girl?”
Naomi blinked and looked at her grandmother. “What?”
Rosalie moved in beside her at the stove, bumping Naomi out of the way with her hip. “This is poulet aux noix. You’ve made this a million times. You could do this in your sleep.”
Naomi looked at the stove top. Rosalie was right. So what was the problem?
But it quickly became clear that Naomi had screwed the dish up.
She ran a hand over her forehead. “I don’t know. Just a lot on my mind. We had a big rescue today. There was a fire. And there are these people in town who are demanding a lot of attention and energy. And…”
“It’s that boy.”
Naomi lifted her gaze to her grandfather who was sitting at the little table by the window with her nephew, Andre. “What?”
“It’s not the animals or the fire or anything else. You handle all kinds of things all the time. You take everything in stride. There’s only one thing that could throw a woman like you off kilter,” Armand said. He winked. “It’s the boy.”
Rosalie nodded. “Yes, it’s the boy.”
“What boy?” Naomi asked, but she knew exactly who they were talking about.
But how did they know who they were talking about?
“Donovan,” Armand said with a smile. “You’re in love with him.”
Naomi stared at her grandfather. “What? I am…”
Her first reaction was, of course, to deny it. But she couldn’t get the words out.
That was new. She downplayed or flat out kept her relationships from her family all the time. But here, right now in this moment, she couldn’t bring herself to deny her feelings for Donovan.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I am.”
Rosalie and Armand shared a smile, then looked at her.
“As you should be. He’s wonderful.” Rosalie told her.
“How did you know?” Naomi asked her grandfather.
“I know you. I’ve seen you with him. It’s obvious.”
“And you kissed him,” Andre added with a grin.
“How do you know that?” Naomi asked, planting a hand on her hip.
Rosalie laughed. “Everyone knows. We saw it on the internet. Andre showed me.”
Naomi looked at Andre. “You saw the kiss?”
Andre grinned at her. “Everyone’s seen the kisses, Naomi.”
Rosalie made a humming sound. “It was a good kiss, cher.”
Naomi sighed. There was no point in denying that. “It was a good kiss.” Then she frowned and looked at Andre. “The kisses? Do you mean more than one?”
“Both of them!” her nephew said, giggling. “The one by his truck—”
“The yummy one,” Rosalie interjected.
“And the one by his truck again.”
She frowned. “Which one?”
Andre shrugged. “Just today I think.”
Naomi straightened quickly. They’d kissed by his truck before they’d driven to the bayou. Before Bailey had called about the bobcat. “There’s a video from today? Before the fire?”
“It’s just a photo,” Andre said. “But yeah, I think today.”
Well, where the hell had that come from?
“Kissing him is a very good idea,” Rosalie told her. “Keep doing that.”
Okay, it was creepy that there was a photo of them kissing when she’d thought they were alone, but were they ever really alone? They’d been outside of Ellie’s. In broad daylight. She should have known better.
Naomi sighed. “I think I can do that.” She gave her grandmother a grin. “He is a good man. And yes, I am in love with him. He says he feels the same way.”
Armand clapped his hands together. “Excellent. Then what are you doing here having dinner with us and not him?”
Naomi suddenly wanted Donovan here. “I’ll call him to come over.”
She’d only done that once before. The one boyfriend who’d gotten serious before he decided to take the job out of town had come over one evening to meet her family.
Of course, Donovan already knew them. But it would be symbolic to them and to him if she invited him over to dinner here in her grandmother’s house.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Rosalie said. “You don’t need to share him with us. We know him. He knows my griot. Go. Be with him.”
Naomi couldn’t believe this. She looked at her grandmother. “You don’t want him here?”
“Of course I do. On my birthday. On his birthday. And Christmas. And Sunday after church. And to play checkers with your grandfather.”
“And Warriors of Easton with me!” Andre said.
Naomi smiled even as she rolled her eyes. Andre had become fast friends with Henry McCaffery and now played Henry’s favorite video game almost constantly.
