A Small Town Christmas Part 77

So that explained why Merilee was nowhere in sight. And it sure wasn't hard to figure out who the beeatch was. Zach ground his teeth.

"She did get hired part-time at the animal shelter. G.o.d knows how she'll make her rent working part-time, though."

Behind her the other woman caught sight of Zach and tried to tip off her coworker, nodding his direction.

"It just goes to show, you shouldn't get involved," finished the cas.h.i.+er. The other woman cleared her throat and nodded again. Miss Nose Ring followed her gaze and saw Zach. Her face turned fire engine red and she cleared her throat. "Uh, hi. Welcome to Pet Palace. Can I help you?"

"You already have," he said.

He stormed out of the store and marched to his car, pulling out his cell phone as he went. He barely gave Blair time to answer before snarling, "You got that girl fired. And right before Christmas. Nice, Blair. Way to go."

"Excuse me?" Her voice was huffy.

"There is no excuse for you," he snapped, and ended the call.

Good G.o.d. He sure could pick 'em. Here he thought he'd been hanging out with a fun-loving, hot-blooded American girl and he'd really been with Scrooge in drag. That was it. He was done with women.

Except Merilee. He needed to find a way to set things right for her. How, exactly, he was going to do that he had no idea.

Tom was getting restless in the backseat so Zach took him to the house and set him free. "Try to eat something, and don't whiz in the house," he told Tom, and then drove off.

Halfway to the animal shelter the snow started falling, big fluffy flakes that looked like they meant to stick. That was sure to result in traffic accidents and trouble. It didn't snow a lot in the Northwest, but when it did people freaked out. He pa.s.sed very few cars on the way to the shelter and once there he found only two in the parking lot, probably belonging to the employees. Was one of them Merilee's?

He was halfway to the door when she came out, all bundled up in that ugly coat and galoshes she'd been wearing when he first met her. She looked small and lost and he felt an overpowering urge to hug her.

"Merilee," he called.

She turned and her eyes opened wide at the sight of him. "Hi," she stammered. "I'm afraid we're just closing. Snow," she added.

Behind her a middle-aged man slipped out the door and locked it. "Better hurry, Merilee. This stuff looks like it means business."

She nodded, pulled her coat collar more tightly together, and looked up at Zach.

Suddenly he felt at a loss for words. "I was just at Pet Palace looking for you."

Her face flamed and her gaze dropped. "I'm not working there anymore."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's because of what happened Sat.u.r.day, isn't it?"

She shrugged. "It's not your fault. I should have been ... more understanding."

Her reply sounded like it that had been programmed into her. "It was an abuse of power and we both know it." She didn't have anything to say to that and they stood there for a moment, snow swirling around them. "Are they paying you enough here?" Dumb question. Of course, they weren't. Working at an animal shelter was the kind of thing people did because they wanted to try to make a difference in the world, not because they wanted to make money. Now she looked embarra.s.sed. "Sorry," said Zach. "That's none of my business." Except it was partly his fault, so didn't that make it his business? Sort of?

"I can pay my rent. Thanks for asking."

But what about food? Utilities? "Look, could I pay you to help me with my cat?"

She shook her head. "Really, you don't need to do that. It's not your fault."

"Yes ... I do. Anyway, the fire department pays me more than I can spend." Slight exaggeration but anything to convince her. Still she hesitated.

"This is a legit job," he insisted, "Tom won't eat. I just came from the vet's."

Her eyes filled with concern. "Oh, no."

"I think he needs a cat whisperer, and you're the closest thing I know. You'd really be helping us. So see? It would be a win-win."

She smiled. Then she looked uncertainly at the snow quickly carpeting the parking lot. "My car."

Was now the only one left in the lot and it was a beater-an ancient Chevy with tires that were going bald. "Tell you what," offered Zach. "I'll follow you home and then we can take my SUV. If you don't mind making a house call," he added. "I'll pay you whatever the vet would have charged."

"You don't have to do that, really," she repeated.

"I want to." It was the least he could do. And maybe it would help Tom.

She came to a sudden decision and nodded. "All right then. I'll just check on my cat and then we can go look in on yours."

She hurried to her car and Zach climbed in behind the wheel of his Land Rover. This was great. For Tom, he amended.

EIGHT.

As usual, Queenie was waiting for Merilee by the door. Not because Queenie was dying to see her, but because Queenie was dying to see what lay beyond the door. Merilee had informed her secret houseguest on many occasions that this was exactly the kind of curiosity that killed the cat, but Queenie paid no heed.

"Oh, no, you don't," Merilee said, putting her foot between Queenie and the dangerous freedom she coveted. "We have dogs around here and last week someone saw a coyote. You'd be dinner in no time."

Queenie wheeled around and trotted toward the kitchen-always her second destination when the great escape failed.

Merilee hurried in after her and dished up some canned kitty food, all the while trying to decide if she should invite Zach in for some eggnog when he brought her back home. It was light eggnog. Hmmm. What else could she give him? She didn't have any Christmas cookies sitting around. She had cheese, though, and Rye Crisp. Cheese and Rye Crisp and light eggnog. He'd take one look at that holiday snack and ho-ho-ho. The apartment looked festive enough. She'd hung red tinsel garlands across the top of the windows and put up a tree with all the ornaments out of reach of little white paws.

Really, she didn't know why she was even entertaining the idea of entertaining. A handsome fireman like Zach wasn't going to be interested in hanging out with her. She probably couldn't even lure him into her apartment with the promise of a Christmas goose and a red velvet cake. All he wanted her for was to whisper to his cat.

Still, she wasn't about to whisper with day-old breath. She dashed to her bathroom to give her teeth a quick brus.h.i.+ng.

The girl in the mirror had flushed cheeks and bright eyes. But they were plain, like the rest of her face. Why hadn't she bothered with mascara today? Or any day, for that matter?

She spat out toothpaste and then scrounged around in the vanity drawer for mascara. She'd had this for ... how many months? Years? Millennia? Oh, good grief. It was all dried out. Still, she poked the wand around, mining for what she could find, and applied it. Not much, and not much of an improvement. She added pink lip gloss, which Liz had convinced her to get last time they were at the mall. Okay, better.

Who was she kidding? She was never going to look in the mirror and see a pretty girl. Old high school wounds had produced scars that had left Merilee blind to her good features. Even now, though her family a.s.sured her she was indeed pretty, she groped unsuccessfully for a positive self-image.

She shoved the makeup back in the drawer, and then grabbed cat treats from her kitchen cupboard. Then she hurried back outside to meet Zach. Okay, so she wasn't the most beautiful girl on the block, and maybe cat whispering wasn't on a par with looking like Heidi Klum, but right now it was what Zach needed. And having something he needed ... well, it was a beginning.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, as she climbed into his SUV.

Unlike hers, this vehicle was in mint condition and still had its new-car smell. She'd once bought an air freshener that produced the same fragrance, but the contrast between the smell and the appearance of her car had been enough to confirm what she already knew: new-car air freshener scent does not a new car make. Next time around she bought a vanilla air freshener.

"No problem," he said. "Thanks for dropping everything to help me."

Like she'd had anything to drop. She wisely kept this information to herself. "I'm happy to help. I love cats." Woman who lived alone and loved cats-did she sound like some sort of cliche? Well, if she did, too bad. There was nothing wrong with loving cats. And there was certainly nothing wrong with living alone. It showed independence. So there.

Zach shook his head. "I can't figure out what his problem is."

"We'll figure it out," Merilee a.s.sured him. Together. There was nothing wrong with togetherness, either. Just this small dose of it, sitting within reaching distance of this hunky man was sending a buzz running through her.

They turned onto Lavender Lane. Merilee took in all the cozy houses, most with their holiday lights already on, and was seized with a sudden wanting. These so reminded her of her parents' house one town over-cozy and inviting, places where people could love and laugh and grow a family. Oh, that Tudor was cute. She could easily picture herself in it. And look at the pretty blue Victorian up ahead.

She was surprised when they turned into the driveway. "This is yours?" A gorgeous man paired with a blue Victorian? Talk about perfect.

"For a while," he said. "I'm rehabbing it. Keeps me busy when I'm not at the station. I'm going to put it up for sale come spring."

"It's lovely," she said wistfully. "I don't know how you could stand to part with it."

"Well, it's not much of a guy house. It'll be great for a family, though."

Yes, it would.

The inside was as charming as the outside. Merilee took in the staircase and its railing with the newel posts, the hardwood floors, and the etched gla.s.s window over the front door and experienced instant house l.u.s.t. "This is so cool." And how lovely it would look all dressed up for the holidays!

"It's getting there. I just finished the kitchen. Come on, I'll show you. Maybe Tom's food dish will be empty," Zach added as he led the way down the hall.

The kitchen was gorgeous-b.u.t.tercream wood cabinets with gla.s.s fronts, granite countertops, a hardwood floor, and an overhead light fixture made out of some sort of old-fas.h.i.+oned gla.s.s. "It's lovely," she said.

"Oh, man, it's still there," muttered Zach from behind her.

She turned and saw him frowning at a dish full of untouched food.

"He's going to starve to death."

A big man worried over his small cat-Merilee's heart was going to melt into a puddle right there on the kitchen floor. "We'll make sure he doesn't," she said, determined to make everything right.

He dumped the contents of the dish in the garbage. "Tom, where are you? d.a.m.n it, come on out."

He was about to stalk out of the kitchen when Merilee caught his arm. "Let's try something else." She gave the box of cat treats she was holding a shake.

"He's probably hiding upstairs. He won't hear that," Zach predicted.

"Maybe," said Merilee, and shook the box again.

A moment later the orange cat trotted into the kitchen. Without hesitation he walked over to Merilee and rubbed against her leg.

"I guess he wasn't so far away after all," Zach said, and scratched his head, obviously puzzled.

Merilee bent and petted the cat, and in return he rubbed his head against her palm. "What do you mean by worrying poor Zach like this, you naughty boy?" She shook out a treat and offered it to him. He snapped it up and snarfed it down. Then he gave her hand a head b.u.t.t. "Oh, no," she said, standing up. "No more treats until you eat your food." She turned to Zach. "Let's get a fresh bowl and try again. Only this time, just give him half the can."

"Okay," Zach said dubiously. "But I doubt he'll eat it. I've wasted two cans on him so far."

"We'll see," said Merilee. Whatever had been bothering the cat, he was fine now and purring as she petted him. She'd purr too if she lived in this lovely house with this kindhearted man.

He set a fresh bowl with half a serving of food on the floor and Tom hurried to it as if it were his last meal, then hunkered down and dug in.

Zach shook his head and let out a snort of disgust. "What is your problem, dude?"

"Cats can be sensitive to changes in their environments," Merilee said. "Have you had any changes recently?"

"Nothing other than breaking up with Blair, but since she didn't like old Tom I don't think he was too upset. And neither was I," he added.

Merilee bit back a smile. She may have lost her job but the Pet Palace princess lost her man. Now Merilee was here with him instead. There was justice in the world. "Well, he seems to be fine now," she said, keeping her ungracious thoughts to herself.

"Thanks to you," said Zach. "You know, you've really got the touch with animals. Have you ever thought of becoming a vet?"

Only since she was ten. "I'm working in that direction. I had to stop school for a while until I could save up more money." Did that make her sound like a loser? Lots of people talked about going back to school, writing a book, becoming a doctor, whatever, and then never followed through. But surely she wouldn't become one of those people.

Zach leaned against the kitchen counter. "I bet you could get a student loan."

"I did get a small one. Then I tried to pay as I went. I guess the money went faster than I did," she added with a fatalistic shrug. Now she did sound like a loser. She could feel her cheeks heating up.

"No family to help?" he asked. Then he added, "Sorry, more stuff that's none of my business."

And yet he was asking. Men didn't want to know those kinds of things unless they were interested in a girl, did they? "I don't feel right asking my family. They're great but they all have their own bills to pay. Anyway, my parents paid for college. I figured that was enough."

He nodded slowly, taking in the information. "Pretty n.o.ble."

"Hardly. Risking your life to put out fires, that's n.o.ble."

"We don't have that many fires around here," he said, shrugging off her compliment. "Hey, I owe you some money. Let me grab my checkbook."

"You really don't need to," she said.

"I'm paying," he insisted, "and that's that. And then we're celebrating Tom's recovery. I'll send out for pizza before Little Lola's wimps out and closes," he added, and strode out of the room before she could protest. As if she would object to spending more time with him.

The cat was finished eating now and sat licking a paw. "I don't know what your problem was," she whispered to him, "but thanks."

He stopped his grooming and regarded her for a moment, almost as if he understood. Then he trotted over to her.

She got the message and picked him up. "Funny, isn't it, how we always think you know what we're saying?"

Zach returned a moment later with his checkbook. He wrote her a check, then ignored her protests that he'd paid her way too much and got busy calling Little Lola's. It was a short-lived call. "They're closed due to the snow," he announced with a frown. "People around here are such wusses."

"That's okay," Merilee said, hiding her disappointment behind her perkiest voice. "You can just take me home."

"Oh, no. Not until I've fed you." He opened the fridge and leaned in to investigate.

She peeked over his shoulder and saw a couple of bottles of beer, eggs, a carton of Chinese takeout, several jars of condiments in the door, and cheese and some bologna in a drawer-not much.