August Heat (A Year in Paradise Book 8) Read online

  “Knock yourself out,” Siobhan said. “I’ve got some paperwork from an appointment to fill out in the other room. Let me know if there are any issues.”

  Krys already had one wiggly kitten in her hands. “You’re not gonna help me socialize them?” Huh. That was a terrible pickup line. She should try again. “I mean, I would think the more people that do it at once might be…”

  “Overstimulation,” Siobhan said. “Bombarding someone with too much talking and touching can cause overstimulation, and then you lose all progress.”

  She said it so quickly that Krys wondered if they were still talking about cats. “Cool. I’ll hang out for a while. By the way…” She caught Siobhan before she went into the other room. “I talked to my chief down at the firehouse. He said it’s cool if I collect some money to cover the costs for these little guys. You may not believe it, but firefighters are the biggest softies of any emergency response bunch.” That wasn’t something Krys had ever thought about until now. It’s kinda true, though. People assumed firefighters got into it because they loved the thrill, the adventure, the cool factor of jumping into fires and barely making it out alive. Okay, so maybe that was a part of it. In Krys’s case, she had thought about becoming an EMT and putting her empathetic nature to work, but more than one person suggested she had the body and stamina for firefighting. Here I am, rescuing kittens from the smoldering rubble. Krys looked down at the squirming furball in her grasp. The kitten was desperate to pounce on his brother, the kitten currently rubbing up against Krys’s leg.

  “Big softies, huh?” Siobhan asked with crossed arms. “Stop talking about how nice you are and prove it.” She closed the door, although a glance through the tiny window assured Krys that Dr. O’Connor was at her desk in the other room.

  Krys sat in one of the chairs on the side of the small room and cuddled two of the kittens. They bit her fingers before gingerly licking them. They faked her out by pretending to want belly scritches, only to nip her a moment later. They climbed her shoulders like she was Mt. Everest, and one little girl was brave enough to stand on top of her head and take full survey of her domain. Krys hadn’t realized they were old enough to accomplish such feats. How old is a kitten that is ready to be adopted? When did they need to be fixed? When did they cross the threshold from adorable kittens to hellacious juveniles? It’s been so long since I’ve had a pet, and most of them were dogs. Tomboy Krys knew all about playing outside with dogs. Big labs, little terriers… either kind were good for running, jumping, barking, and swimming. Cats, though? They were sweet, but they weren’t what she thought of when she imagined a lifelong pet to go on adventures with, whatever they may be.

  I wonder what Siobhan’s favorite animal is… She seemed like a horse girl. Didn’t most horse girls have dreams of becoming veterinarians and that’s how it always began? I wonder if she’s gay…

  Krys didn’t think she was such hot stuff that she could have any woman she wanted, but it was strange how Siobhan acted around her. She both knew Krys, yes… knew almost nothing about her. They had never had a conversation before that week. Krys barely recognized her from years of living in Paradise Valley. Siobhan was a hermit who only left her isolated property to go to other isolated properties. Her clients were animals, not people. She seemed old enough to not only have life experience, but romantic experiences as well. She lived with an aunt, for God’s sake. That didn’t scream a woman looking for romance, of either the homo or hetero variety.

  Why do I care so much?

  Because Siobhan was gorgeous? Intriguing? Fascinating? Krys knew she wouldn’t start dating again until the right woman crossed her path. Hm, it had happened, huh? All she had to do was pick up some kittens.

  After a while, she stopped thinking so much about Siobhan. When alone with four playful kittens, a woman jumped into the exciting world of babysitting.

  It only took her fifteen minutes to define the differences between them. This one had white socks. That one had a giant, prominent black M on his forehead. This one was fluffier than the others, and that one had a short, stubby tail. Now, Krys didn’t know anything about sexing cats, but she recalled that two were male and two were female. The hairy one was female. After that? She guessed.

  “Look at you guys. Where’s your mama, huh?” Krys sat cross-legged on the floor, her lap covered in kittens. “Somebody put you out there in that box. You guys are strong, but you didn’t get there on your own. You trying to tell me that’s what happened?”

  She was met with a chorus of happy meows. The hairy little girl attempted to leap off Krys’s lap and instead tumbled to the floor. Krys picked her up and gave her a tiny squeeze. Protests prompted her to put the kitten back down.

  “People always be dumping their pets like it’s nothing. You guys gotta get fixed so it doesn’t happen to any descendants of yours. You know how many cats we’ve got on this planet? You guys are adorable, but we don’t need more of you. That’s why I’ve gotta raise some money to get you guys…”

  The one with the prominent M chomped on her thumb. Krys yelped in both pain and surprise.

  That was the moment she knew. No, not the moment she was bitten like a toy… the moment she looked down in that kitten’s eyes, and he guiltily backed away like he knew he almost ruined a good thing.

  “Hey, doc.” Krys opened the door, careful to keep the kittens from spilling out the crack. “What if I took the kittens home when they’re ready to go? I’ve got plenty of space in my garage for them to run around without getting into too much trouble. Got some friends who’d love to play with them.” Her roommate might raise an eyebrow, but…

  Siobhan leaned back in her chair, hands behind her head and fingers digging into her curly hair. “Didn’t you say your lease doesn’t allow pets on the premises?”

  “Not like the landlord makes weekly or monthly inspections. Guy doesn’t live in the state anymore. I could totally get away with some smuggled kittens until they’re adopted.”

  Why was Siobhan rolling her eyes? “You really like those kittens, huh?”

  “Guess you could say I feel some responsibility toward them. I found them, after all.”

  “They certainly owe their little lives to you.” The vet shrugged her way back into a proper seating position. “I need to clear that place out, anyway. I got a call earlier today about a mama raccoon and her babies making a mess out of somebody’s house. Usually first thing people do after trapping them is bring them to me, and I cannot have raccoons and cats in the same room. Hell, I don’t want raccoons and bears in the same room.”

  “Raccoons, huh? That sounds pretty badass.”

  “What does?”

  “You saving a mama raccoon and her little babies. You release them back into the wild?”

  “Not usually.” A little grin tugged at Siobhan’s cheeks. She was somehow prettier when smug like that. “I save that for animal control. Or whoever is doing it these days.” She glanced down. “Uh, you’re letting the beasts loose.”

  Krys felt the tiny beast stumbling over her foot before she saw it. Mr. Prominent M had broken free of his large cage, and the first thing on his to-do list was to march in Siobhan’s direction. Instead of snatching him up and returning him to his prison, Siobhan cocked her head and clicked her tongue. Two seconds later, he was willingly in her hands.

  “So, uh… when should I take the little guys?” Krys asked. “I could take them with me tonight. Hey, might be a great way to pick up a date around town. You know how ladies are about fuzzy animals.” Especially if you don’t want to go out with me, Siobhan… might as well find someone to go out with around here.

  Siobhan dropped the maternal visage when Krys said that. “They’re living creatures, Ms. Madison. They don’t exist for scoring dates and hot chicks.”

  “Uh, I never said…”

  The little boy in Siobhan’s hands mewled helplessly as she pressed him against her shoulder and carried him back into the exam room. “I know your type.”

>   That was all she said. It was enough to shock Krys where she stood, conveniently pressed in the doorway. Yet she was as helpless as that kitten to stop the little flood of mewling brothers and sisters coming out of the room. After Siobhan put the male kitten in the kennel, she rushed to grab the others and settle them down for another nap as well.

  “Excuse me?” Krys said. “Is this what your problem with me has been?”

  Siobhan attempted to shut the door in Krys’s face. Oh, no. I don’t think so. A woman did not slap her with such words and get away without explanation. Krys would jam the door back open and get to the bottom of this, and she didn’t care if Siobhan gave her a look of absolute death.

  Chapter 8

  SIOBHAN

  What a blowhard. What an idiot. Siobhan had half a mind to ram her foot up Krys’s smug ass. She has got to be kidding me. Coming out all this way to lay the flirtations on me, and when I don’t respond? She wants to take these poor kittens and use them as girlfriend bait! If anyone tried to tell Siobhan that men were always worse than women in the slime department, she’d point to this moment and tell them to sod off.

  Certainly, there were women who could be worse. Way worse.

  “Did I completely miss something?” Krys snapped. Kittens cowered in their kennel. Siobhan turned off the light above their heads to give them some extra comfort. Krys continued to bring down the energy behind her. “Have I offended you in some way? I barely know you.”

  You know me much better than you think. Siobhan locked the kennel and slowly turned to Krys, who barricaded the door with her muscular body and tough-girl demeanor. Siobhan didn’t know if she was frightened or turned-on. The indistinction did not give her much confidence, but the embittered rage that had been festering for the past few years did.

  “Do you remember someone named Emily House?”

  Krys went from offended to confused in less than a second. Siobhan used that opportunity to shove her hands in her coat pockets and stand up to a bully.

  “What?”

  Unbelievable. Feigning innocence. Should Siobhan be offended by that, or simply roll with it? “Emily House. I believe you used to date her for a hot minute, like you date so many women around here for such a short time.”

  Slow realization dawned in Krys’s big, brown eyes. She lowered her guard – including her body that continued to barricade the door – and shook her head in apparent disbelief. “What are you on about? So I’ve dated a few gals. You got a moral problem with that? Lady, you’re living in the wrong area.”

  “I don’t care that you date women.” A fine thing to accuse her of, since Siobhan wasn’t much better. She doesn’t realize I’m gay, does she? Did Siobhan no longer exhibit the right “vibes?” Oh, too bad. She had left her Double Venus necklace and lesbian flag-colored tank top in her closet. “I care that you don’t think twice about the women you do date.”

  “I’m getting the feeling this Emily woman you’re talking about was someone off limits.”

  Shuddering, Siobhan looked the other way. She wasn’t about to gaze into Krys’s fiery eyes when tensions rose and they hashed out the drama Krys apparently didn’t know existed between them. “Off limits? You could put it that way. She was my partner.”

  A shred of sympathy appeared on Krys’s countenance, not that it mattered now. It’s too late. The damage is done.

  “I’m sorry,” Krys said. “I don’t know who that is. The only Emily I know around here is the lady who helps run the supermarket. I also don’t make a point of dating unavailable women. Kinda takes the fun out of it when you know they’re cheating on someone.”

  “I’m pretty sure you dated her.” Siobhan scoffed. “I mean, she was a huge, homewrecking jerk, but I don’t take too kindly to those who helped her achieve those results.”

  “Like I said…” Krys lowered her mouth, growl rumbling in her throat. More shudders overcame Siobhan’s body, but she couldn’t say if they were from the dark memories flooding her mind or that low, deep growl rumbling through her ears. “I don’t remember no Emily. I definitely don’t remember dating someone who already had someone. If I did, then they never told me. Some people are like that, yeah? They keep their real selves hidden away so nobody can ever find them.”

  Was that a dig at Siobhan? You asshole. She attempted to keep her cool, but anger burned her cheeks. “You don’t remember her? Well, she probably doesn’t remember you, either, but I remember the both of you pretty well. She ruined everything we had, and did it right after we moved here. I don’t care if you knew about her or not. The fact is, I don’t…”

  “Emily House,” Krys repeated, her whole body moving out of the way. She stood in the main office, a little too close to the computer and file cabinets for Siobhan’s liking. “How long ago was this? Two years? Three years?”

  “What does it matter now?”

  “I’m trying to remember, okay? I don’t want you going around town thinking I slept with your girl if I really didn’t. I’ve got some reputation to protect, you know.”

  What? That you’re easy? No, Siobhan would not say that out loud. “Reputation? I don’t care about your reputation. I care that you might have slept with my ex. While she was with me.”

  God, where was this coming from? Siobhan did not dump this on people. She didn’t dump it on her aunt! Gabriella had spent years trying to get the whole story out of her niece’s mouth, but Siobhan had clamped it down before anyone had the chance to reopen her wounds. Krys Madison is the last person I would talk to about this. Screw her. Not literally. Figuratively.

  Tears appeared. With shame and disgust for herself dripping down her cheeks, Siobhan turned away, the back of her hand covering her face.

  “Hey…” How dare Krys sound so soothing right now? Didn’t she realize what was going on? She was being accused of stealing another woman’s partner! Did that not mean anything to her? “I’m sorry that happened to you. That’s a shitty thing to do to somebody you supposedly love. I don’t play like that, though. I’ve dated around a lot, yeah, but that doesn’t mean I don’t got some morals. I don’t fool around with cheaters. First of all, that’s a dick move. Second of all, why would I want to date someone who cheats? They’re just gonna cheat on me, too, right? ‘Cause that’s what cheaters do. I ain’t no cheater, and I try to avoid dating them like they’ve got the plague. They do, right? They’ve got a plague that wants to take my sanity down with them.”

  Siobhan barely understood what Krys said. “Even if you didn’t know… I don’t flirt with players. So I’d appreciate it if you stopped using these kittens as bait to get to either me or some other woman. They’re living creatures, thank you very much.”

  “Hey.” That wasn’t the tender, reassuring hey from earlier. That was a “excuse you very much” kind of hey. The snap was heard throughout the whole shed, not that there was anything beyond Siobhan to receive the force in her ears. “I ain’t using animals to get to anybody. You think I don’t care about them? You think this has all been an elaborate rouse to flirt with you and get you to go out with me?” She scratched the back of her head. “Maybe a little.”

  Siobhan’s eyes widened. “Excuse me?” She hadn’t actually meant it. Not with any real certainty, since she knew she was another potential notch on Krys’s bedpost. She didn’t care about her, Siobhan O’Connor. I’m a pretty face for her to fool around with until she’s bored. That’s how players operated. That’s how Emily had operated, and Siobhan was well-acquainted with what kind of player she was.

  Krys was halfway out the door by the time she replied. That take-it-or-leave-it attitude both infuriated and impressed Siobhan, who had expected a more lackadaisical response to her accusations. “Sorry if I got the wrong impression of you. Here I was worried about thinking you were gay when you’re really not. Instead, turns out you hold some grudge against me for something I didn’t do. My reputation precedes me, as usual.”

  “Are you saying you actually intended to ask me out this whole time?
”

  “I mean, I like animals, okay? It’s not like I scrounged around for some kittens to use to get to you, Dr. I-Never-Met-Before-the-Other-Day. Now I’m not sure I want to ask you out. You seem like more trouble than you’re worth.”

  Siobhan gasped. That’s what I’ve been thinking about you!

  They were at an impasse. Krys remained in the doorway, but she was in no hurry to leave. Siobhan stared at her as if she were an intruder. Upon her property? Not as much as she was an intruder upon one woman’s bruised soul.

  “Ah, what the hell!” Krys flung herself against the doorframe, eyes rolling up toward the ceiling as she smacked a hand against the wall. “You wanna go out sometime? Dinner? Movie at the park? I hear they’re playing But I’m a Cheerleader this weekend. You know you wanna go. With me.” She cleared her throat, a flicker of doubt betraying that exuding confidence. “How’s that? Is it working?”

  Siobhan had such dire whiplash from that spiel that she clutched the back of her office chair. “I… I have never seen that movie. So I don’t know if I want to see it or not.”

  “So… you haven’t seen it before…” Krys flicked her fingers down toward the floor. “That means you should go…” They slowly raised again, index fingers pointing while the rest balled into a fist. “With me.” Both tips of Krys’s index fingers jammed into her chest.

  Siobhan could only gape at her.

  “That’s how it works.” Krys sniffed, resuming the stance of a woman who knew how to get a date. “You have not seen an iconic lesbian movie. That means you need to come with me to go see it. What time am I picking you up Saturday night?”

  The chair squeaked beneath the pressure of Siobhan’s knee. “What time does it start?”

  “Eight, I presume.”

  “That’s kinda late…”

  “What? You work on Sunday mornings?”

  “Sometimes. If I get a call. Farm animals don’t wait to get sick or injured, you know.”

  Krys grinned. “Hey, if you hate the movie, you can leave early.”