20. Names Will Never Hurt You
CHAPTER 20
Names Will Never Hurt You
A week later
Kimi smiled as she checked her email. The lab where she’d sent Onigis’s bloodwork had been backed up, and it had taken far more than the usual two weeks to get the results.
She clicked open the email and studied the chart. Definite evidence of illegal steroid use. She’d expected Wade Hendry to be the kind of trainer who would stoop to that level, and he’d proven her right.
She documented the information for her own files and forwarded the results, along with her own testing and data, to the appropriate authorities in New York. Hendry should be out of business in short order.
In her email, she offered to assist with the care of any horses that would be seized. Being in a different state meant she’d have to jump a few hoops, but her reputation and Garrett’s newly minted therapy business should be enough. As long as the horses went to safe places, she didn’t care where. She hadn’t met any of them yet, so she wasn’t attached.
Which brought her thoughts back to Astro. She had talked with Terese several times to get updates on all the dogs, but especially the one who’d stolen their hearts .
The dogs were being cared for by vets and people with experience with traumatized animals. They didn’t want any of the dogs up for adoption until they were assured they wouldn’t act aggressively. She’d put in a request for Astro and offered to help with rehabilitation for other dogs as needed. She hoped assisting with the FBI op would help her case, even if she was in a different state.
Done with her paperwork for the day, she left her office and headed to the stall containing the cats and rabbits. The animals were content together, and this space would be great for winter, but they needed a better summertime option for the bunnies.
For now, she was going to test the most outgoing kitten over in Garrett’s barn with the horses. She grabbed Bill from where he sat on top of the hay bales that were supposed to keep them contained. “Now that you’re all old enough, I guess it’s time to take down the hay bales and let you explore. We’ll do that later. For now, how about we introduce you to some horses?”
Bill curled into her, and she headed outside. They stopped and spoke with Onigis. “I think it’s moving day for you as well. How would you like to move in with Kitty, Oscar, and Grover? We can do that this evening when traffic on the road should be lighter.”
“Or she could take the shortcut.” Garrett’s arms wrapped around her from behind, and he ran one hand over Bill. “Is it moving day for all of them?”
She grinned. “Bill’s my guinea pig. I want to see how he reacts to the horses and to your barn.”
“Glad we got the shortcut finished in time, then.”
“What shortcut?”
With his arms still around her, he turned so that she was facing his property. Sean, Marcus, Levi, Troy, and Heath all stood at the fence, grinning broadly. Olaf sat beside Animosh, both looking pleased as well. “What have you guys been up to? I thought you were working on the brewery today.”
Garrett moved to her side, but kept his arm around her. “We will be, but first we had to finish the shortcut.”
As they moved forward, the guys shifted so that she could see they’d made a gate in the fence separating their two properties. Joy lit her up. If she needed further proof that Garrett was thinking long-term, this was it. He’d connected their lands.
She reached up and pulled him down for a kiss, careful not to release the curious cat. When the guys started cheering, she pulled back. “Great idea.”
Troy called out. “We helped too. Scooby shouldn’t get all the credit.”
Grinning, she crossed and gave Troy a big smacking kiss on the lips, making them all laugh. The gate had two sections. If they needed to drive a trailer through, they could open both, but for people and individual animals, they would only need one.
Garrett grabbed a halter and then led Onigis out of her paddock and across the yard, with Olaf walking on his other side. The mare looked over the other men but didn’t panic. Their friends were in and out of each other’s places enough that they were familiar. She didn’t mind Olaf’s presence either, as the dog was always in Garrett’s shadow.
Onigis held her head up, and her ears flickered with interest. She didn’t shy away from the people or the new place. Kimi swallowed the lump in her throat at the change in the mare. She was confident in herself and in the humans around her. And when her three goats bounced through the fence to follow her, Kimi laughed. Onigis had her very own menagerie.
Garrett smiled. “Do you want to try her in the barn or out in the field with the others?”
“Let’s head to the field and see how she copes with more space and freedom. Her leg is good, and if she wants to run, she can. Hopefully, the open area doesn’t freak her out.”
Heath opened the gate to the backfield where Kitty stood across the yard, not far from the geldings. She was another horse who was much happier these days. Garrett slipped off the halter and stroked Onigis while talking to her softly. Heath latched the gate, and they all watched over the fence.
Onigis turned her head in all directions but kept returning her gaze to Kitty. The two mares had become good friends with the time they’d spent together .
When Onigis whinnied and shook out her mane, Garrett laughed and patted her flank. “Go on, girl. Play with your friends.”
Kitty turned her head and ambled across the field toward them while Onigis moved more slowly into the field, stopping often to check out her surroundings.
When they reached each other, the two horses bumped noses and nuzzled each other. Then they stood and grazed, side by side.
Garrett leapt the fence and pulled Kimi into a hug. Laughing, he wiped her face, brushing away tears she hadn’t realized she’d shed. “You did it.”
She hugged him with the arm not holding Bill. “We did it.”
They watched the horses for a while when Levi turned to them. “When are you getting a horse to ride, Scooby? I’d like to get back on a horse once in a while.”
Levi had grown up on a farm and was another one who pulled off the whole sexy cowboy look. Not as well as Garrett, obviously, but she figured Isla wouldn’t agree with that.
Garrett grinned. “I’m looking for a couple. For a few ponies, too.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow. “You going to have a whole zoo going on here?”
Kimi laughed. “That’s the idea. We want to have a place where people can come and check out all kinds of animals. It’s easier to care about them once you get to know them.”
Garrett nodded. “I plan to get in some horses that would be good for people with disabilities as well.”
This was the first time they’d shared their whole vision with others, and she was gratified that these men all approved of the plan and were willing to help.
Troy tapped on the fence. “Piper’s going to love this idea. You’re going to get a couple of new pages for the town’s website. I bet you could even get some school visits once you’re set up. You’re going to need a name for the place.”
She smiled. “I’ve got that covered.”
Garrett looked at her, eyebrows up. “Care to share?”
She shook her head. “Not yet. Soon, though.” And she hoped she hadn’t screwed it up.
G arrett wondered what name Kimi had come up with for their place and why she wasn’t ready to share. He wouldn’t be surprised if Nina had a hand in it as well. The girl loved to name things.
He and the guys headed to work on the brewery, although he snuck in another kiss before he left. He’d never get enough of this woman. Now he fully understood how his buddies felt about the ladies in their lives and how his grandparents had felt. And why CC had been willing to sell the ranch for more time with his Kath.
Walking into the barn had Garrett and his five friends grinning. Just like old times.
Not only did he now know the names of all the equipment, he understood the process and could read all the machinery. He and Heath had both aced the online course and were official Vermont brewmasters.
Garrett slapped Troy on the back. “I’m glad you kept being a pain in the ass to get us all to come here.”
Troy protested. “I was not a pain in the ass.”
They all laughed, and he shrugged. “It worked, didn’t it? And now we have a new business together and a whole pile of other businesses, too.”
He didn’t add and women to love , but Garrett imagined most of them thought it. Marcus was the only single man standing.
Garrett remembered the woman back in Afghanistan who ran the school for girls. Elina. There’d been something about the way she and Arrow had looked at each other. In other circumstances, that could have bloomed into something.
But after the hellish day when Garrett had lost Shaggy and Marcus had lost his foot, he’d never seen her or heard about her again. He sometimes wondered if Arrow had managed to keep in contact but hadn’t asked. After Shaggy’s death, he’d been dealing with overwhelming grief and guilt. He hadn’t wanted to add to the load Marcus carried.
The man himself slapped him on the shoulder. “We lose you, Scooby? ”
Garrett shook himself out of his thoughts. “Yeah. Sorry about that, just thinking.”
Marcus nodded, but Garrett wondered if he knew more of Garrett’s thoughts than were comfortable.
They spent the next few hours loading up and starting the process for the first batch of beer in the new setup. It would take another few weeks to ferment and condition, but the task was started.
After that, they would get it into kegs and the bottles they’d ordered. It would be awhile before the batch would be ready to sell.
When they were done, Sean surveyed the barn. “This is a good place, Heath. Thanks for letting us use it. The barn behind the farmhouse has too much going on to have the room. This is perfect.”
That other barn housed Sean’s construction business and Levi’s farm equipment for growing the hops. Troy’s original plan had been to use it for the brewery but there hadn’t been enough space. Heath had wanted the farmhouse on this land for his family but didn’t have plans for the barn, so this had been the perfect solution.
Now they had five interconnected properties starting with Isla and Levi’s on the north end, the farmhouse with its fields of hops, Heath’s with this barn, and Garrett and Kimi with their animals on the south.
Troy’s plan to get the gang together and help grow his town had definitely worked.
Once the fermentation process had begun, there was nothing to do but wait for a couple of weeks. Garrett walked back to his own property as the guys headed out to theirs.
He spotted the old beat-up truck Aisling Gallagher from Midnight Lake called Buffy parked in Kimi’s yard. He was going to let them do their thing while he worked on setting up a stall for Onigis when another vehicle pulled into Kimi’s yard. This one he didn’t know.
The mess with John Mead might be over, but he wouldn’t ever lower his vigilance when it came to Kimi’s safety. The car parked beyond the truck, blocking his view of the driver.
Instead of wasting time opening the gate, he hopped over and into the yard. Nerves had picked up by the time he rounded Aisling’s truck and realized the driver was no threat .
Terese Fleury, the FBI forensic veterinarian, looked up and smiled. “Hello Garrett, nice to see you again.”
He returned the greeting as the vet got out of her SUV.
Olaf hid behind Garrett’s legs, and the vet squatted down. “Hey there. I’ve heard about you, and I’m so glad you’re healing nicely. You found yourself a pretty good home, didn’t you, boy?”
When Olaf edged closer, she held out her hand for him to sniff but didn’t encroach on his space. It only took him a minute to move in and get her to pet him. She grinned up at him. “He’s socializing well. Good job.” After a few more pets, she stood and looked around the yard. “Is Kimi in?”
He nodded and led the way into the barn with Olaf at his side.
“Roberta Bondar. Roberta Bondar.”
Garrett grinned at Terese as she laughed. “This is Canuck. He only says the names of Canadian celebrities. I haven’t heard that name before.”
Terese grinned. “I can help with that one. I’m a space nerd. Roberta Bondar was the first Canadian woman to go to space.”
“This bird knows more than I do some days.”
He heard movement and turned to see Kimi and Aisling coming into the room from the storage room behind her office. Aisling’s dog Willow bounced over to greet Olaf, then him and Terese.
After being introduced to the other vet, they chatted for a few minutes, and then Aisling patted her lab’s head. “Come on, girl. Time to go.”
Once Aisling had headed off, Terese smiled. “I won’t make you wait and wonder. I’ve got a surprise for you in the SUV. Come on.”
Kimi’s eyes lit with hope, and Garrett tamped down his own in case they were wrong. Kimi grabbed his hand, and he could feel her excitement through the touch.
At the SUV, Terese moved to the back and popped the trunk. He and Kimi shared a glance and then took the final steps to peek into the vehicle.
Kimi squeezed his hand and then leaned into his side. “Astro. You brought us Astro. ”
The pittie lifted his head as soon as Kimi spoke. He bounced to his feet, tail wagging and hitting the bars of his kennel.
Kimi reached forward to stroke Astro’s head through the bars. “Hey there, Astro. Welcome to your home.” She glanced at Terese. “We get to keep him, right?”
The naked hope in her eyes had Garrett deciding that he’d do almost anything to make sure Astro stayed. But Terese was already nodding. “You get to keep him.”
Olaf lifted his front legs onto the tailgate and peeked into the SUV as Kimi sat on the edge of the vehicle and unlatched the kennel. Astro walked right into her lap, licking her face.
He and Olaf stared at each other for a long moment, then Astro wagged his tail and yipped. Olaf repeated the actions and wiggled until Garrett lifted him onto the tailgate as well. He kept his hands on him, and Kimi placed her arms around Astro while the two pit bulls checked each other out.
Neither seemed bothered by the other and after a few moments, they both looked to their respective humans as if to say, We’re good. What’s the big deal?
Olaf turned his attention to the back of the SUV and Garrett realized there was a second kennel tucked in behind. “Who’s the other one?”
Kimi looked up, and he watched her smile widen. “Two? We get two?”
Terese laughed. “And this is why I wanted to surprise you. I wanted to see the joy I knew I’d see. If you have the space and time, we’ve got a second little one for you. She’s not from the Mead group. This little lady was dumped at the vet where Astro was staying, and he’s become pretty attached to her.”
Garrett reached in and opened the second kennel. “Hey, little girl. Do you want to come and live with us, too?”
She didn’t recoil from his touch, and in a few seconds, she was nuzzling into his hand. She wasn’t a puppy but a small dog for the breed. Probably the runt of her litter. She walked out of the crate and sat beside Astro, who immediately turned and licked her head .
Not to be outdone, Olaf reached forward and did the same. She took it all in as her due.
Kimi laughed and patted her. “What’s her name?”
Terese pointed at the pattern on her back. “We’ve been calling her Star for a couple of reasons. This section of her fur looks like a starburst. And the name matches with Astro.”
Garrett laughed. “I’m pretty sure Nina, our neighbor who named Astro and Olaf, will approve. Hi Star. Welcome home.” He picked her up, and she snuggled in.
The new dogs weren’t used to freedom, so they leashed them both while they showed Terese around the property and introduced her to the animals.
Olaf alternated between dogging Garrett’s heels and sneaking closer to his two new friends.
The forensic vet smiled the entire time. “This is amazing. You can bet I’m going to be sending more friends your way when I find any who would be a good fit.”
That sounded perfect.
K imi wanted to share her surprise with Garrett, but she wanted to do it in private for a couple of reasons. First off, she wasn’t sure he’d like it, and if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have to fake it with just her there. Second, if it made him emotional, she didn’t want him to have to hide it.
Once Terese had gone, she tugged him back into her office. They unleashed the two new dogs and waited to see how they would react. Her office was animal-proofed, so she wasn’t worried about them getting into something dangerous or destroying anything.
The dogs’ personalities appeared to mesh well, but it was too soon to tell for sure. Sometimes, animals didn’t get along, just like people.
“Stay here. I’ll just be a minute. I have something to show you.”
She ignored his questions and opened the room to the storage area. This place was definitely not pet-friendly, so she closed the door behind her. It would only take curious dogs a few seconds to make a mess in here or to get into something dangerous.
At the back of the room, she grabbed the dolly holding her sign. She and Aisling had moved it together, but it was too heavy for Kimi to lift alone.
She maneuvered the dolly back to the main room and peeked out. Garrett sat on a visitor’s chair with Olaf beside him. Astro and Star sniffed around the edge of the room. Canuck perched on her desk and watched the new dogs.
She grinned at Garrett. “Close your eyes. It won’t be for long.”
His eyebrows shot up, but he complied and leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The sexy cowboy look almost had her abandoning her surprise in favor of straddling him, but she forced herself to move the dolly before the dogs tried to go through the door.
Once the door was closed, she angled the dolly so Garrett would see it as soon as he opened his eyes. Astro and Star moved over to inspect it, and Olaf cocked his head to study it.
“I need you to be honest. If you hate it, it’s perfectly fine. I mean that. My feelings won’t be hurt in the least.”
Garrett frowned slightly. “Okay.” He drew the word out into about five syllables, and Kimi figured she was making it harder than it needed to be.
She moved to the side so he wouldn’t focus on her first. She wanted to see his gut reaction. “Open your eyes.”
His face remained in that slight frown as he opened his eyes to see the sign she’d had Aisling make for the therapy program.
Garrett’s eyes widened, but for a long moment, he showed no other reaction. His fingers clenched for a moment, and her heart dropped. She’d wanted this to be a happy surprise for him, but she’d got it wrong.
She started to move, to speak, but he shook his head sharply and leaned forward to study the sign. His gaze tracked from one end to the other, tracing each letter with his eyes.
He stood from the chair, and Olaf kept to his side as he moved across the room. When he stopped about a foot from the sign, the frown remained.
He reached forward and touched the first letter, brushing his finger over the S. “Shaggy’s Place.” His gruff voice shook with emotion, and she wished she’d never had the idea.
“I’m sorry. I thought it would be a happy name. We’ll come up with something else.” This was exactly why she’d shown him in private.
He shook his head again, and she unglued her feet from the floor. She wished she’d brought in the drop cloth Aisling had wrapped it in so she could cover it back up again.
Kimi moved to go around the back of the sign, but Garrett was quicker. He stopped her with a touch on her arm and then he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in her hair.
“Thank you. It’s perfect.”
“No. It’s not. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you pain. I hoped the name would bring you joy, but I was wrong. We’ll get a new one after we find a new name.”
He shook his head, drew a deep breath, and then leaned back to look at her while keeping his hands on her shoulders. “It’s perfect, and we’re not changing it.”
“Garrett. I saw how it hit you.”
His hands moved to cup her face. “Then I didn’t show my feelings very well. Yes, it punched me in the heart, but in a good way. In a way that reminded me I can carry Shaggy with me every single day.”
He brushed his thumbs over her cheeks, wiping the tears she’d tried to keep back. Then he kissed her forehead and pulled her close again. “I love it. Honestly and truly. Shaggy would love this place. She’d love you and the menagerie you’re collecting.”
“We can change it.”
He laughed. “Nope. Not a chance.”
This time, she was the one to lean back to study him. “Are you sure?”
He let her look. “Positive. It fits, and it feels right. I know the guys will love it too. Shaggy spent almost a decade with our team, and everyone loved her.”
Relief swamped her, and she hugged him tightly. “I’m glad, but anytime you want to change the name, we’ll do it.”
He hugged her back as Star stood on her hind legs to sniff at the sign. “Even a month ago, I wouldn’t have been able to cope with the idea of naming this place after her. Now I can, and I love it. That’s thanks to you. You don’t just heal the animals, Kimi. You’ve taken my shattered heart and stitched it back together like you did Olaf’s body.”
Olaf yipped at the sound of his name, making them both laugh.
Garrett patted the dog and then turned those serious eyes on her. “If I hadn’t shown up in Phail and moved next door to you, I’d still be a mess of a human being. You’ve made me feel whole again. I love you so damn much.”
And those pesky tears started streaming again. “I think we’ve healed each other. I love you right back, Stetson.”