3. ANGUS
Chapter three
ANGUS
“You’re home late.” My mom called as I ran up the stairs.
“Let me get ready for work, and I’ll fill you in.” I was covered in dust after sitting in it for hours. There was no way I could spend the evening working when I was afraid a cloud would show up if I shook my head.
North and South were now safe and would get the care they needed.
I had a trail cam and went through the footage for thirty-six hours.
Sadly, there was no sign of Storm after she moved them into the shed, and the kits needed food.
I knew that taking them to the sanctuary was the right thing to do.
Eion seemed—I really couldn’t come up with a word.
Efficient? Certainly not nice, but he did handle the little guys carefully and cared for all the other animals.
I heard him talk to his residents while he was in their enclosures.
I was confident that he would take care of my boys, and I hoped I had left him enough money to give them everything they needed for the month.
How much does it even cost to care for a single raccoon for their life?
I'd better make sure I send money each month so North and South live long, happy lives with him.
I took a quick look in the mirror before I went downstairs.
Today I wore a red velvet vest over my black shirt.
My coworkers say I am a walking thirst trap for the bar, and half our guests were there only to get a good look at me.
I didn’t get it, but I was happy to be me, the geeky guy who worked at a bar, rescued raccoons, and built LEGO as his hobby.
“Mom, how much does it cost to feed a raccoon for a year?”
She turned and looked at me, narrowing her eyes.
“Son? How would I know the answer to that question?” I walked over and tried to grab a piece of meat out of the pot she had on the stove.
Her wooden spoon slapped the back of my hand.
“Mind your manners. Why are we looking at the financial needs of raccoons?”
“I took those kits to the Sanctuary in the next town over. I want to make sure they are cared for during their lifetime.” She smiled at me.
“Do they have more than the two you dropped off?”
Eion had mentioned something about several acres for them. “I think so. The person you talked to didn’t give you specifics?”
“The guy I talked to barely gave me his name, and I had to ask for that. I get the feeling he doesn’t like people, but he was nice to the animals. There was a bear I talked to for a long time. I think her name was Bethany, but I wasn’t introduced.”
“Why don’t we put them on the foundations’ donations list? What’s the name of the Sanctuary, dear?” She was looking down at her phone, obviously texting.
“Second Chances Sanctuary and Rehabilitation.”
“What a lovely name. Okay, starting tomorrow, they will get fifteen thousand dollars a month for the raccoons.” She looked up and smiled. “If they need more, let me know. Do you have time to eat?”
“Yeah, I have a few minutes.” Ramsey came over and begged for love. He didn’t get to go out with me today, and I felt a little guilty. “I promise we will go for a long walk tomorrow.”
“Here. Eat.” A plate was set in front of me with two peanut butter sandwiches and some apple slices. “You feed me like I am still five.”
“Do you not like this food suddenly?”
“Besides the point. Should we get a chef and make you something fancy for every meal? Is what your mother makes not enough?”
“Calm down, Mom. This is perfectly fine, and thank you.” I ate quickly. Then, I gave Ramsey a few bites. “Can you take him for a walk?”
“Of course.” She handed me a stuffed tote bag. “Your dinner. Pulled pork with macaroni and cheese. There is enough there to share with Spark, West, and Tyler.”
I took the tote and headed to my truck. As I got settled in, I took a few minutes to breathe.
My life was charmed, and I knew it. I had an amazing job, great friends, and a mother who loved me.
Plus, I had enough money that there was nothing in life I would ever need.
My mother's great-great-great-grandfather invented a life-changing piece of medical equipment, along with several other medical gadgets. That money was then invested in assets like oil, real estate, and stocks, creating a dynasty. Each grandchild had a trust fund, but there was a general family foundation that my mother currently controlled. That being said, we lived frugally by choice, donated as much as we could, and didn’t talk much about our money.
When I walked into The Dapper Duck, I ran into my boss, who was also my best friend.
“Sup?” He gave me an up nod as I entered the back door.
“Call Tyler to join us for dinner tonight. Mom sent dinner for all of us.”
“On it. He’ll be glad, since he has a client meeting tonight.”
My friends had been adopted by my mother, and they loved it. It made me happy that I could share her with them, and that my mom had some other people to care for, because when it was only me, it was a lot. Around 10:00 p.m. I sat in West’s office with his husband, Tyler.
“You’d better make a small plate for me to take home to East,” Tyler said while he shoveled another mouthful of meat into his mouth.
I looked at him. “I should?”
“Yeah. I’m eating, and you eat like this all the time.”
“I suppose that’s fair.” I made a plate and set it on the desk.
“The guy at the Second Chances Sanctuary has the cutest boxer.”
West looked at me. “What were you doing up there?”
“I was dropping off North and South. They were abandoned by their mother.”
“Who?” Both men looked at me. Tyler had his fork halfway to his mouth.
“They are twins.” I grinned at West. “So I named them North and South.”
“What’s wrong with you?”
I chuckled. “I thought the names were cute. Anyhow, he had this dog. Ramsey would love him. Name was Barnaby.”
“I am somewhat afraid to ask, but North and South are what?”
“Oh. Raccoons. Adorable little guys.”
“Thank god. I was afraid they were snakes or something.”
“The guy who runs the place was hot and has an excellent ass.”
Tyler raised an eyebrow at me. “Qualities that are necessary for animal care.”
“Honestly, I can’t really tell you what his personality is like. He was noticeably closed off.”
“Well, as long as you feel like they will be taken care of.” He pointed to the food with his fork. “This is amazing, by the way. Tell your mom thank you.”
“I’ll let her know. I’m going to visit them a few times a week now that they’re family. And I am sure they will be well cared for.”
Tyler smiled at me. “You’re a good man, Angus.”
“Thank you for joining me for dinner. It makes Mom happy to know I’m not eating alone.”
“Since you brought it up,” Tyler gave me that look I knew meant I wasn’t going to like it. “I met this guy who I think you might like.”
“Leave the man alone.” West jumped in, and I could have kissed him for it.
Tyler stopped talking and looked dejected. “Alright.”
After work, I slept soundly, only to be reminded when I got up that I had dinner with Tom and Mom tonight.
I didn’t look forward to it, but he was important to her.
Fortunately, most men didn’t recognize the MacGregor name, which meant they didn’t know about her wealth.
And as long as the guy she dated was okay with her living with her son and respectful of her and her money, I would have no problem with him.
After dinner, Ramsey and I went to the dog park, and I threw the ball until he would walk back to me instead of running.
A sure sign that he was finally tired. He still trotted happily home, watching for anything evil that might cross his path.
He viciously attacked a few leaves that dared to blow in front of him.
At home, Ramsey drank his weight in water, then headed to my bedroom, where he sacked out on the bed, clearly done for the day. I went to my study and spent some time there, letting the clicking soothe me. The stress from the day and my worry over North and South all slipped off my shoulders.
I finally lay on my bed and reviewed the day.
Dinner went well, and I still didn’t love the idea of seeing him in my kitchen in the morning, but he seemed to be a nice enough guy.
I knew the raccoon kits were safe for another night.
When I couldn’t keep my eyes open, I set an alarm because I planned to visit the raccoon kits before work.
When I got to the Sanctuary in the early afternoon, I didn’t see Eion around, but I did smile when I saw the black bear sniffing around her enclosure.
I stood a few feet from the fence. “Hello, sweet bear. I think you are a girl bear. Bethany?” I was pretty sure I had heard Eion call her that.
“You still look beautiful. Do you happen to know where Mr. Eion is? Is it Dr. Eion?” He did say he was a vet.
Looking around, I wasn’t sure whether to yell or wait.
I walked a few feet toward the enclosure behind the bear, where I could see the alpacas.
“Do you want something?”
It was that same disembodied voice as last time, but I knew now it was certainly not Bethany talking to me. “Oh, hi. Eion?”
“Do you want something?”
He wasn’t exactly friendly, was he? “I came to see North and South.”
“Fine. You can go see them. They are still in quarantine. Same room they were in when you left.”
“Okay. Thanks.” He didn’t respond again.
The room was a lot like a doctor’s exam room, with cages lining the wall, and I easily located my sweet raccoon kids.
“Hi guys!” I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to take them out or pet them.
I’d have to ask next time what the rules were.
Looking around, I stuck my finger through the bars and rubbed behind North’s ear.
He already looked bigger than when I brought him in.
All but one other cage was empty, and inside was a fox.
It had a cone on its head, like the kind you put on a dog.
There was a long incision on its hip with a row of staples holding it closed.
Some other parts of its coat had been shaved, and there were stitches.
I knelt down in front of the cage. “Hi there, gorgeous. You’ve had a rough go, eh?
” My heart broke a little for the animal.
There was no way to know what had happened without asking, but it appeared Dr. Eion had performed surgery on her hip.
How did he deal with hurt animals all the time?
It takes someone with a huge heart to handle these babies and keep moving forward.
There was a tiny crack in my heart for the grumpy, silent man who ran the Sanctuary.
Two days later, I returned and went through the same process. I stood in front of Bethany. “Hello?” This was apparently how we were going to interact, which was fine, but before I went to see the boys, I pulled out a notepad with a few questions I hoped he would answer.
“Why are you here?” He made it difficult for me to like him.
“Same reason as last time.” This was my third time here. I would think he’d know by now.
“You can go see them. You know where they are. Don’t bother asking if you come back.”
“Oh, I will come back, Dr. Eion. But right now I have questions.”
“What?”
“I have questions.”
“I heard you the first time. What are the questions?”
Unable to help myself, I huffed. Would it really hurt to come talk to me? I assumed he was busy with the animals, which was why he wouldn’t talk to me face-to-face. I pushed ahead before he got mad. “Do you know the gender of South? You referred to North as he, so I am guessing.”
“Yes. South is also male. They will need to be neutered when they are older.”
Okay, well, that’s good to know, and I’d been thinking of them as male.
“What’s the name of the fox? And what happened?”
“Did you say something else?” I could tell by his tone that he wasn’t happy.
“Yeah. Sorry. I was asking about the fox. Does it have a name? What happened?”
“No name. Not sure what happened. She was in a box on my doorstep the other morning. I assume it was hit by a car. Is that all?”
“Yeah. Dr. Eion, thanks for taking care of these animals. They are lucky to have you.”
Per usual, he didn’t say anything else, but I suspected he heard me. I went and spent some time talking to North and South, then visited with the fox a little, and before I left, I talked to Bethany. I smiled on my way out because I was getting to know more of the residents each time I visited.
North and South were going to be fine and had a great place to live out their lives.