Chapter 35
CHAPTER 35
S tark glanced out the den window before pulling up Rayna’s name in his messages. He hesitated, staring at the warm light spilling from her windows. It was Friday night, and he hadn’t seen or talked to Rayna since Tuesday night.
Hell, this was the first time he’d seen her vehicle in the driveway since Wednesday morning. It didn’t seem to matter how often he checked to see if she was home, her house stayed dark, and her driveway remained empty. If it weren’t for the fresh tire tracks in the snow leading out of her driveway every morning, he would have assumed she hadn’t been home at all.
Worry gnawed at his insides. Was she avoiding him again? And if so, why?
Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re not friends. She knows you want her house. Why should she have anything to do with you beyond scratching an occasional itch?
His inner voice was right, but it didn’t stop him from sending a text to Rayna.
Stark
Hey. I’m a little worried about one of Molly’s babies. Its eye is a bit squinty. Can you come over and take a look at it?
He stared out the den window again as if he might actually see Rayna responding to his text. When five minutes passed, and there was no reply, he made himself return to the kitchen. He hadn’t eaten yet, but any appetite he’d felt earlier had disappeared with Rayna’s lack of response to his text.
It’s been five minutes, asshole. Chill out. Besides, what will you do if she does come over? There’s nothing wrong with that baby’s eye, and you know it. You’re straight up lying because you’re that desperate to be laid.
So what if he was a little desperate? Could you blame him? He and Rayna had insane chemistry, and their no-strings-attached sex was precisely what he liked.
It used to be.
He ignored his inner voice and opened the fridge to study its meager contents. He wasn’t much of a cook and often ordered in, but even that didn’t appeal to him at the moment. His phone buzzed, and he yanked it out of his pocket, scanning the screen eagerly.
Rayna
Sure. Give me five minutes.
He managed not to fist pump the air in triumph but couldn’t stop the grin from breaking out on his face. He quickly brushed his teeth before changing into one of his tighter t-shirts that highlighted his dedication to exercise. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror as his doorbell rang, and he was slightly embarrassed by the little boy’s look of eagerness on his face.
Telling himself to rein it the fuck in, he opened the front door. “Hey, come in.”
It was bitterly cold tonight, and Rayna wore a thick winter jacket with the hood up. She removed her boots and pushed the hood back, and his smile faded.
“What’s wrong?”
She unzipped her jacket, shrugged it off, and hung it on the coat tree. “Nothing’s wrong.”
“Something’s wrong,” he said. “You look exhausted and worried.”
“Aren’t you the charmer,” she said, but it wasn’t accompanied by her usual eye roll, as if she didn’t even have the energy to be annoyed.
She pushed past him, and he followed her to his bedroom, worry eating at his stomach. She’d obviously just gotten out of the shower. Her wet hair was in a messy bun, and she wasn’t wearing a bra under her t-shirt. But his usual erection at even the thought of Rayna braless wasn’t happening, his lust buried under a thick layer of concern. What had happened the last few days?
A sudden thought struck him as they entered his bedroom. “Is it Louis?”
She paused by the bed as Molly hopped out of the plastic container with a happy chirp. “What?”
“Are you upset because of Louis? Did he do something or say something? Did he show up on your property again?”
“No,” she said. “He hasn’t been around since I took out the restraining order on him.”
She petted Molly, giving her a few chin scratches. “Hi, sweet girl. You’re looking so good.”
Molly rubbed up against her as Rayna studied the babies. “Which one has the squinty eye?”
“Oh, uh, the grey tabby,” he lied.
She scooped up the baby, a soft smile crossing her face as she glanced down at Molly. “They’re getting so big. Good job, Mama.”
“She’s a great mom,” Stark said.
“She is,” Rayna said as she carefully examined the baby’s face.
He tried to keep his face neutral as she gently ran her finger over the baby’s head. “Which eye was it?”
“The right,” he said.
She brought the baby up to her face, holding it closer to the light and doing another careful examination. “It looks fine to me now.” She flipped the baby over and checked his bottom. “He’s a boy.” She studied his face a third time. “His eye isn’t red, there isn’t any discharge, and he isn’t squinting now.”
“Oh, okay, well, that’s good, then,” he said.
She nodded and put the baby back before taking the other two out and giving them a quick look over. “Both boys and they’re looking great.”
She petted all three a final time before giving Molly a few more pets. “If you want to name the babies, feel free. Just let me know what their names are so we can add them to the foster database.”
“Sure,” he said. “Will you tell me what’s wrong?”
“It’s all good,” she said. “But I do have a busy night, so I need to get back to my place.”
He caught her arm as she walked past him and drew her closer before sliding his arm around her waist. “Please tell me what’s wrong, Rayna.”
She sighed. “Honestly, there isn’t anything wrong. I’ve just had a crazy few days.”
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Wednesday afternoon, Deputy Ian did a welfare check on an elderly woman. The neighbours hadn’t seen her in a couple of days, and her dogs were barking nonstop.”
“Uh oh,” Stark said.
“She’s okay,” Rayna said. “Well, she fell and broke her hip, but she’s in the hospital and doing well. However, when Ian went into the house, he discovered she had a lot of dogs.”
“How many?” Stark asked.
“Twenty-seven,” she said.
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah. They’re all Shih-tzu crosses, and all of them have matted fur and overgrown nails, and a bunch of them have eye infections. The house smelled terrible.” Rayna shuddered in his arms. “Urine and feces were ankle deep on the floor.”
“That’s awful,” he said.
“It really is,” she said. “The poor woman was honestly trying her best with the dogs, but she got overwhelmed, and it devolved into a hoarding problem.”
He rubbed her lower back as she sighed. “For the last few days, I’ve been working on getting the dogs examined by a vet, having the more severely matted ones groomed, and trying to find a place for them to go. The woman has agreed to surrender all of the dogs, but Little Whiskers doesn’t have the financial capacity or the number of fosters needed to help all of them.”
“Where are they now?” he asked.
“Still at the house,” she said, her face twisting. “I feel terrible about that, but we don’t have anywhere else for them to go currently. Myself and other volunteers go to the house every few hours to take them outside and check on them, but it’s still a pretty awful environment for them.”
She hesitated before resting her forehead on his chest. He continued to rub her back, and they stood in silence, the only sound in the room the rasp of Molly's tongue as she groomed her babies.
When Rayna slid her arms around his waist and let her whole body lean against him, warmth flooded his chest. He hated that she’d had such a terrible few days but loved that she was seeking comfort from him.
Her voice muffled, Rayna said, “Between my regular job, the normal rescue stuff I take care of, and trying to help these dogs, it’s been a really long fucking week.”
“What can I do to help?” he asked. “I could keep a couple of the dogs here if that helps.”
She lifted her head to smile at him. “I appreciate the offer, but I’ve found a rescue that’s willing to take all of the dogs.”
“That’s great,” he said.
“It is, but the rescue is in New York, which means I need to find a way to get the dogs to them,” she said. “Between myself and two other volunteers, we can drive all of the dogs to New Cassel this weekend, but getting them from New Cassel to New York isn’t as easy. I’ve already talked to my boss and am taking vacation days on Monday and Tuesday, but my driver volunteers only have Sunday to help, and that isn’t enough time to drive all of the dogs to New York and return home.”
She leaned her head against his chest again, and he kneaded the back of her neck. She made a soft groan of relief. “That feels good. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Sorry to dump all of this on you,” she said.
“It’s fine.”
Her stomach growled loudly, and she grimaced.
“When did you eat last?” he asked.
“I had some toast for breakfast.” She pushed away from him, and he was surprised by his intense desire to pull her back into his arms immediately.
“I need to go.” She glanced at her watch. “I have a few different people in the rescue community that I can contact who might be able to help arrange a dog transport train to New York. But it’s a huge coordination effort, and the rescue in New York wants them there by Tuesday at the latest. Otherwise, they won’t be able to help.”
“Why not?” he asked.
She rubbed her forehead, another look of weariness crossing her face. “I have no idea, and I didn’t ask. I lucked out that they’ll even take the dogs, and I don’t want to do anything to annoy them.”
She turned to leave, and he caught her hand. “I haven’t eaten dinner either. Why don’t you relax on the couch, and I’ll order us something?”
“That’s okay,” she said. “I’ll grab some cereal at home.”
He frowned. “That isn’t enough, Rayna.”
She just shrugged, and he said, “You have to eat.”
“I know,” she said, with another glance at her watch, “but I also really need to get this dog train thing sorted out, and I don’t have time to sit and wait for food to arrive. I’m not trying to be rude, I swear, but I just… I have a lot to do.”
“All right,” he said. “We’ll go to your house. I’ll order the food, and you can work while we wait for it to arrive.”
“I don’t have time to,” she hesitated, soft pink rising in her cheeks, “socialize tonight.”
“I know,” he said. “I have some work to do as well.”
She chewed at her bottom lip as he waited with more anxiety than he should have felt for her to say yes. His need to spend time with her tonight, even if they weren’t having sex, had become a bright flame impossible to ignore.
“Okay,” she said before giving him a faint smile. “It’ll be nice to have some company while I beg strangers for help.”
“Let’s go then,” he said and held out his hand.
She stared at it for a moment before sliding her hand into his. Still holding hands, they left his bedroom.
* * *
“Don’t you dare quit on me, you bastard.” Rayna lifted her laptop and smacked the bottom of it with her hand.
Instead of stopping, the laptop's whirring and groaning sounds grew steadily louder.
“No, no, no,” she chanted before whacking it again. The screen flickered rapidly and then turned black, accompanied by a rapid popping sound, and the smell of fried electrical circuits drifted out of it.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rayna dropped her dead laptop on the table, blinking back the hot tears. She rarely cried, but the frustration and exhaustion had her emotions on edge.
“What’s wrong?” Stark walked into the kitchen, tucking his phone into his pocket as his nose wrinkled. “Why does something smell like it’s burning?”
“My stupid laptop just died.” Rayna bit the inside of her cheek, willing herself not to cry.
“I’m not surprised,” Stark said, examining the laptop. “This thing looks older than me.”
Rayna stared at Bea, who was asleep on her bed in the kitchen. Her frustration was overwhelming. A tear escaped, and she quickly brushed it away, but it wasn’t fast enough to hide from Stark.
“Shit,” Stark said, crouching in front of her. He wiped away the second tear sliding down her cheek with his thumb. “Baby, don’t cry.”
“I’m not crying,” Rayna said. “My eyes are aggressively watering.”
He laughed and sat in a chair before pulling her into his lap. “Come here.”
She sat in his lap and put her arms around his shoulders before burying her face in his throat. She took a few deep breaths as Stark rubbed her back with his big, warm hand. He’d been unbelievably sweet to her all evening, ordering in from her favourite restaurant, cleaning up after they ate, and even feeding Bea and letting her out into the backyard a few times.
Bea had spent more time alone this week than she should have, and she’d spent most of the evening sitting on Stark’s feet every time he stopped moving and whining for him to pet her. He’d been patient and gentle with her, giving her lots of attention while Rayna worked to find transport.
Speaking of which… she made herself sit up. As much as she wanted to sit in Stark’s lap all night - forget that, what she really wanted was to take him to her bed - she couldn’t use orgasms as a procrastination tool. Not when she had twenty-seven dogs waiting for her to save them.
Are you sure we couldn’t just get one from him? It’s a great stress buster, right?
She sighed inwardly, wishing she could give in to what she wanted, but she was rapidly running out of time to get the dogs to New York. And with her laptop dead, that left her with just her phone to make arrangements and holy shit, that was about to be a right pain in her ass.
She tried to slide off Stark’s lap, staring at him when he tightened his hold around her waist. “I have to get back to work. I’m still waiting to hear back from three different people about possibly transporting from New Cassel to New York, and I haven’t gotten a solid yes from a single person, which means -”
“I’ve arranged to get the dogs from New Cassel to New York on Sunday afternoon,” he said.
She stared at him. “I’m sorry, what?”
He kissed her upper chest. “I’ve booked a private plane to fly the dogs to New York. We need to have them at the airport in New Cassel by eleven am on Sunday morning.”
Her jaw dropped. “You booked a private plane?”
He nodded. “Yes. Sorry it took so long to get it done. Andrew wasn’t replying to my texts.”
“I… who’s Andrew?” She sounded like a rhino had knocked her over.
“He owns the company I use to charter private flights,” Stark said. “The office is closed for the night, so I texted him directly. He was at dinner with his family, so it took him a while to get back to me. But the flight is booked and confirmed, so you can go ahead and contact the New York rescue.”
She stared silently at him, and when he leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her chest again, she said, “Isaac, you seriously booked a private plane?”
“I did,” he said.
“They’re not going to let you bring twenty-seven dogs onto a private plane,” she said.
“Baby, I’m rich. They let me do whatever the fuck I want,” he laughed.
“I can’t… I mean, that’s amazing, but there’s no way the rescue can afford a private plane to fly these dogs,” she said.
“The rescue isn’t paying for it. I am,” he said.
“Isaac, that is so incredibly generous of you, but I can’t -”
“You can and you will,” he said firmly. “I want to do this, Rayna. It’s my gift to you.”
“I think I’m kind of terrible at graciously accepting gifts,” she said.
He laughed and squeezed her hip. “You’re welcome?”
Confident she was about to start crying again, Rayna hugged Stark hard. “Thank you, Isaac. Truly. This is the nicest thing anyone’s ever done for me, and I don’t know how I’ll return the favour, but I -”
“It’s a gift,” he said. “You aren’t supposed to return the favour.”
She cupped his face and kissed him, slipping her tongue into his mouth when his lips parted. He pulled back and grinned at her. “Unless you want me to carry you to your bedroom like a caveman, you need to stop kissing me like that and call the New York rescue.”
She pressed another quick kiss against his lips before sliding off his lap and grabbing her phone. Stark leaned down to pet Bea, who had woken up and left her bed to sit on his feet again.
She watched him stroke Bea’s ears with infinite gentleness as the old dog panted happily. Warmth bloomed in her chest, and she clutched her phone tightly. She was feeling something for Stark that she had no right to feel, and she quickly left the kitchen before Stark saw those emotions on her face.
She stared at herself in the mirror in the hallway before taking a deep breath and blowing it out in a hard rush.
“It’s fine,” she muttered to her reflection. “Everything’s fine. You’re just feeling overwhelmed by and grateful for Stark’s generosity.”
Her face didn’t look like it believed her, but she took another deep breath and said softly, “You are not falling in love with Isaac Stark.”