Last Chance Hero, page 28
Mike put on his poker face and gave the infuriating woman a smile. “We’ll try to do better in the future, but for now, the cat is sick.”
“It’s a kind of herpes virus that causes this, you know. Once your cat gets it he’ll have it for life.”
Great. Rainbow’s cat had herpes. It figured. It had lived in one of the poorest and meanest neighborhoods in Chicago. Mike remained calm and continued to give the receptionist the blank, emotionless stare that he used in poker games. “I’m happy to pay for emergency services. Are you the vet?”
The cat sneezed again, and the woman peered over the side of the reception desk at Rainbow, who seemed to know exactly what was required of her. She stood there looking pitiful with tears running down her cheeks.
“Oh, you poor thing,” the woman said. “I’ll just buzz Dr. Polk and see if she can see y’all. She’s got a meeting she needs to get to, but I know she’ll make time. In the meantime, fill in this paperwork.” The receptionist handed Mike a clipboard with a patient form.
It didn’t take Mike more than a few seconds to realize that he couldn’t fill in most of the blanks on the form. He only knew the animal’s name because the cat had a collar with a name tag and rabies vaccination date. On the opposite side of the name tag was a phone number that didn’t belong to anyone. He had no idea about Tigger’s age or whether the cat had been fixed. And since Rainbow refused to talk, Mike was in the dark.
He couldn’t even fill out an address because he didn’t know where the cat would ultimately end up. The cat should have been sent to the animal shelter. But Rainbow had pitched a fit, and Rachel Sanger, her caseworker in the Chicago Department of Social Services, was a cat lover. Ms. Sanger had broken all the rules and found a way for Rainbow to take the cat with her to the foster home where she’d stayed for a week before they were able to locate Mike.
And really, now that she’d lost her stuffed elephant, the cat represented an important link to Rainbow’s former life. Not that living in the slums with Angie had been all that idyllic.
Hopefully, Timmy could take both the kid and her cat. The management of the hotel where Mike hung his hat didn’t allow cats. And besides, a man who made his living as a professional poker player and part-time day trader didn’t need a cat.
Or, for that matter, an unhappy little girl named Rainbow.
Cindy, the receptionist, had said something about a sick cat. But when Dr. Charlene Polk walked into examination room two, all she found was a tall, redheaded, blue-eyed man with a square jaw, cleft chin, and oh-so-carefully groomed stubble.
He looked like a fashion plate standing there with his Ralph Lauren polo shirt open at the neck and his hands jammed into his AX jean pockets. He didn’t look like your typical cat owner.
But then the missing animal spoke, giving forth an anxious meeeooowwww.
Charlene blinked and turned to find a little girl standing at the opposite side of the room. She bore no resemblance to the man with her. The child was maybe five and had brown skin and dark, frizzy hair. Unlike the logo-wrapped guy, the child wore a grubby-looking blue T-shirt and a pair of jeans with holes in both knees. The only clue to the child’s gender was her long, delicate hands.
Her mixed-race looks grabbed Charlene right where she lived. This could have been Derrick’s child. Except that she was about ten years too young.
Tears trickled down the girl’s cheeks. She hugged her tiger-striped cat as if the animal were a toy. People who carried their cats into the office were one of Charlene’s pet peeves. A cat should always be transported in a carrier. But in this case, Charlene decided to forgo her usual lecture.
She squatted down to be on the same level. “What’s the matter?”
The child said nothing. But the cat let out another slightly squeaky meow.
“She doesn’t talk,” the man said.
Charlene looked up. “Oh, I don’t know. By the shape of her face and pointy ears, I think she has a bit of Siamese in her, or maybe Abyssinian. They are notoriously talkative.”
“No.” The man shook his head, his blue eyes looking oddly animated in his otherwise expressionless face. “I mean Rainbow. She doesn’t talk.”
“Rainbow? That’s a nice name for a cat.”
“No.” The man gestured toward the little girl. “Tigger is the cat’s name. Rainbow is Tigger’s owner. And Rainbow doesn’t speak. I mean, she hasn’t spoken for about ten days.”
Charlene’s disquiet grew. Something wasn’t right. “Ten days?”
“Yeah, ten days. Since her mother died.”
“Oh.” Just a four-word sentence but it sure packed a wallop. The little girl had lost her mother. Charlene’s heart turned in her chest. Rainbow’s tears seemed endless. They left long tracks across her brown skin.
Charlene held her hands out toward the girl. “May I take Tigger?” she asked.
The girl sniffled once and then reluctantly allowed Charlene to take the cat, who promptly sneezed. Charlene stood, put the animal on the examination table, and turned her attention back to the man. “I’m Charlene Polk, the assistant vet here. And you are?”
“Mike Taggart. We just arrived in town. I’m Timothy Lake’s brother. Do you know him?”
She didn’t see a resemblance, except that both men were tall. Pastor Tim had blond hair and a classically handsome face. This guy looked way more rugged, like he spent a lot of time out in the sun surfing or mountain climbing. “I’m acquainted with Pastor Tim,” Charlene said. “But I don’t know him well. I’m not a Methodist.”
Mr. Taggart’s face remained utterly impassive. The lack of emotion creeped Charlene out.
She began a routine examination of the cat while Mr. Taggart folded his arms and observed in an intense and unsettling manner. Rainbow watched, too. She stood on tiptoes, looking up at Charlene out of a pair of amber-green eyes that were almost the same shade as Tigger’s.
“Uh, Mr. Taggart, Tigger is not a male cat,” Charlene said as she checked the paperwork where the cat’s sex was marked as male. Besides the cat’s name and incorrect sex, the patient information sheet was entirely blank. What was going on here?
“Uh, its name is Tigger. Who names a girl cat Tigger?” he asked.
Who indeed? “Has Tigger been eating?”
“The cat was eating just fine before we put it on the airplane. She wasn’t sneezing until we picked her up at the baggage claim,” Mr. Taggart said.
“The cat was transported recently?” Charlene asked.
“Yeah, today, from Chicago to Columbia by way of Atlanta. We were transported the same way.”
The poor cat. She’d obviously been stressed. Her placid demeanor might also be a warning of more serious conditions.
“How old is Tigger?”
The child remained silent. The man let go of a long breath. “I have no idea. Up until a few days ago, I wasn’t even acquainted with the cat.”
Charlene gave him a stare. He stared back, giving nothing away. Alarms went off. Maybe she should stall this guy and give Sheriff Rhodes a call. Things were not adding up. The man seemed not to care very much about the cat or the child.
Their gazes remained locked for a long moment before he eventually looked away. “Look,” he said stabbing his hand through his fiery hair. “I know what you’re thinking, but here’s the situation. Rainbow’s mother died about ten days ago. I’m her uncle, and Timmy is my half brother. I am not parent material. But Timmy’s a minister. So I’m here to leave Rainbow with her uncle. The cat got sick along the way, so you can call this an emergency fly-by-night visit. If you can fix it up, that would be great. But don’t ask me any questions about it. I don’t know anything, except that it has sharp claws.” He ran his finger along a nasty scratch on the back of his hand.
“You should put some antiseptic ointment on that,” she said.
“I will when I get to a stopping place. The animal didn’t want to go into the cat carrier this morning.” Mr. Taggart had the temerity to glare at the cat. The cat glared right back at him, obviously unimpressed and unperturbed.
Wow. The gossip mill in Last Chance would be running overtime once the members of the Methodist Altar Guild got wind of this. Those busybodies had been trying to find a wife for their minister since he arrived last winter. Even Charlene’s aunt Millie, who wasn’t a Methodist, had broadly suggested that a single woman of any faith would be crazy not to set her cap for the young, handsome pastor. If Pastor Tim agreed to adopt a child, the Altar Guild would have to go into hyperdrive or something.
“Does Reverend Lake know you’re coming?” she asked.
“No.”
“No?”
“No. I doubt that he remembers me at all. The last time I saw him I was five and he was three. But he turned out okay. And that’s why we’re here.”
Charlene shifted her gaze to the child. Rainbow stood with slumped shoulders, her body language tragic. In that moment, she looked like the personification of every unwanted child who had ever lived.
Mike Taggart was a jerk. He seemed to have no idea how his words hurt Rainbow. And even worse, he didn’t seem to care.
Familiar guilt tugged at her. She wanted to fold the little girl up in her arms and tell her that everything would work out fine. But she couldn’t do that because Charlene knew that things might not work out for Rainbow.
Charlene quickly finished the exam and handed Tigger back to Rainbow. “She’s going to be fine. I’m going to give your uncle Mike some medicine for her.”
The child took the cat, hugging the animal as if she were a stuffed toy. Tigger allowed this indignity as if the cat knew how much Rainbow needed her.
“Now I need you and Tigger to go sit quietly in the room outside. There are some yummy oatmeal cookies out there and a few cat treats. I’ll be right here with Uncle Mike. I need to tell him what he needs to do for Tigger.”
She ushered Rainbow into the outer office and handed her one of the cookies the receptionist baked for staff and pet owners. She also gave Rainbow a treat for Tigger. When they were settled, Charlene returned to the examination room and shut the door behind her.
“Tigger’s lungs are clear, so this is not an upper respiratory infection. It’s probably a herpes virus outbreak brought on by stress. My guess is that the sneezing is probably a reaction to the lack of humidity in the airplane. The cat may be dehydrated, so make sure she has plenty of water. If the sneezing continues, you’ll need to bring her back for a follow-up.
“In the meantime you’ll need to put some drops in Tigger’s eyes twice a day, and I’ve got some antiviral meds for her to take by mouth. The meds are disguised as cat treats so you probably won’t get scratched trying to dose her.”
She paused for a moment, wondering if she should go on. Every instinct told her that she should. But who was she to give parenting advice? She didn’t know the first thing about kids.
Still, she couldn’t let her concerns go unvoiced. She already had enough guilt to haul around. So she squared her shoulders and looked him right in the eye. “I’m equally concerned about Rainbow, who is probably one of the sources of the cat’s stress. Have you any idea how frightening it is for a child to hear that you’re planning to drop her off with someone she doesn’t know and who doesn’t even know that you’re coming?”
That got a reaction. The mask he’d been wearing slipped, and anger flared in his eyes. “Look, lady, I came in here for vet services. I know precisely how sad Rainbow feels. And I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that you have no clue. I’m sure you had a nice, middle-class upbringing and never once worried about whether you’d go hungry. I’m sure you didn’t have a parent with a drug problem. I’m sure you got your clothes new, instead of from the Salvation Army. But Rainbow and I have both known that kind of thing. And I’m here precisely because I want her to have a better life. So butt out, okay? Just give us what we need for the damn cat and we’ll be out of here.”
Also by Hope Ramsay
Welcome to Last Chance
Home at Last Chance
Small Town Christmas (anthology)
Last Chance Beauty Queen
Last Chance Bride (short story)
Last Chance Christmas
Last Chance Book Club
Last Chance Summer (short story)
Last Chance Knit & Stitch
Inn at Last Chance
A Christmas to Remember (anthology)
Last Chance Family
Praise for Hope Ramsay’s Heartwarming Series
Inn at Last Chance
“5 stars! I really enjoyed this book. I love a little mystery with my romance, and that is exactly what I got with Inn at Last Chance.”
—HarlequinJunkie.com
“5 stars! The suspense and mystery behind it all kept me on the edge of my seat. I just could not put this book down.”
—LongandShortReviews.com
“An upbeat, empowering, and still sweet novel about balancing community pressure with personal needs.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Every time I read one of the Last Chance books, it’s like coming back to my old family and friends… [In] no time, you will be caught up in the characters’ lives and flipping the pages madly until you finish.”
—FreshFiction.com
Last Chance Book Club
“4½ stars! [A] first-class romance, with compelling characters and a real sense of location—the town is practically a character on its own.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Abundant Southern Charm and quirky, caring people. Another welcome chapter to Ramsay’s engaging, funny, hope-filled series.”
—Library Journal
“I love this story… Southern charm at its funniest.”
—FreshFiction.com
“Last Chance is a place we’ve come to know as well as we know our own hometowns. It’s become real, filled with people who could be our aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, or the crazy cat lady down the street. It’s familiar, comfortable, welcoming.”
—RubySlipperedSisterhood.com
“Hope Ramsay heats up romance to such a degree every reader will be looking for a nice, cool glass of sweet tea to cool off.”
—The Reading Reviewer (MaryGramlich.blogspot.com)
Last Chance Christmas
“Amazing… These lovely folks filled with Southern charm [and] gossip were such fun to get to know… This story spoke to me on so many levels about faith, strength, courage, and choices… If you’re looking for a good Christmas story with a few angels, then Last Chance Christmas is a must-read. For fans of Susan Wiggs.”
—TheSeasonforRomance.com
“Visiting Last Chance is always a joy, but Hope Ramsay has outdone herself this time. She took a difficult hero, a wounded heroine, familiar characters, added a little Christmas magic, and—voila!—gave us a story sure to touch the Scroogiest of hearts… It draws us back to a painful time when tensions—and prejudices—ran deep, compels us to remember and forgive, and reminds us that healing, redemption, and love are the true gifts of Christmas.”
—RubySlipperedSisterhood.com
Last Chance Beauty Queen
“4½ stars! Enchantingly funny and heartwarmingly charming.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Grab this today and get ready for a rollicking read.”
—RomRevToday.com
“A little Bridget Jones meets Sweet Home Alabama.”
—GrafWV.com
Home at Last Chance
“An enjoyable ride that will capture interest and hold it to the very end.”
—RomRevToday.blogspot.com
“Full of small town charm and Southern hospitality… You will want to grab a copy.”
—TopRomanceNovels.com
Welcome to Last Chance
“Ramsay’s delicious contemporary debut introduces the town of Last Chance, SC, and its warmhearted inhabitants… [she] strikes an excellent balance between tension and humor as she spins a fine yarn.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] charming series, featuring quirky characters you won’t soon forget.”
—Barbara Freethy, New York Times bestselling author of At Hidden Falls
“A sweet confection… Offers up Southern hospitality with a bit of grit. Romance readers will be delighted.”
—Library Journal
“Captivating… great characterization, amusing dialogue… I am glad that the universe sent Welcome to Last Chance my way, and I am going to make sure that it does the same with Hope Ramsay’s future books.”
—All About Romance (LikesBooks.com)
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High-powered businessman Parker Andersen wears expensive suits like a second skin and drives a BMW. Detective Dean Ryker’s uniform is leather jackets and jeans… and his ride of choice is a Harley. Sage Reese finds herself caught between two men: the one she’s always wanted—and the one who makes her feel wanted like never before…
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Morgan Merrifield sacrificed her teaching career to try to save her family’s bed-and-breakfast and care for her younger sister. So she can’t let herself get distracted by rugged ex–Special Forces soldier Ryan Butler. But her longtime crush soon flares into real desire—and with one irresistible kiss, she’s swept away.
