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Justin came around to Maggie’s door and kissed her without any hesitation. “Let’s see what you have for me.”
They opened up the back of the van, and he chuckled. “Do I just take my pick?”
“If you don’t mind taking the five in the smaller carriers, I’ll let Ted have the others. He doesn’t have cages to transfer them into.”
“Gotcha. Small carriers are just fine. I have a whole wall of empty kennels right now. You’re bringing dogs later, too, correct? I’ll save the kennels for the dogs. These babies can be up off the floor.”
They carried the carriers into the whitewashed building next to the barn, and he led the way to a brightly lit kennel. Dogs recovering from surgery rested in kennels off the floor. While they transferred the cats, Maggie watched Justin out of the corner of her eye. He was so big and strong, and the way he handled the cats so gently moved her.
“How’s Johanna and her pups?” she asked.
“They’re doing great. Come on back to the barn,” he said.
They followed him to the stall where Johanna lay with her pups.
“Oh my god! Is that my brother’s dog?” Kelly asked.
“I think so,” Justin said. “We found her whelping under Maggie’s cottage last night.”
“I don’t know what to say. He said she ran off a while ago.”
“She must have gotten pregnant right away, then,” Justin said, trying not to sound accusatory and failing.
“My brother isn’t the brightest bulb in the box,” Kelly said. “He doesn’t think things through.”
“It’s my fault because I should have spayed her right away. I’ll know next time.”
“The good thing is that she’s doing fine and so are the babies,” Maggie said, peacemaker. “I might take one home when they’re weaned. Brulee would like a little sister.”
“Don’t get carried away now,” Justin said, grinning.
“I guess we’d better head over to Ted’s place,” Kelly said. “Thanks for helping out, Justin. Thanks for taking dogs, too.”
He walked them out to the van, and while Kelly secured the empty carriers, Justin embraced Maggie and whispered in her ear, “I guess I can’t see you again tonight?”
“Come by after work,” she whispered. “You can have leftover apple pie.”
“Ha! Okay, it’s a deal,” he said, laughing.
They waved goodbye, leaving the clinic parking lot. LeBlanc’s Vet Clinic was ten miles away headed west on the main road, at the border of the next parish.
“Ted’s place is just the opposite of Justin’s,” Kelly said. “Have you ever been out there?”
“No, this will be a first.”
“He’s the big-animal guy, so he doesn’t have the setup for domesticated animals like Justin does. I’d be lost without Justin. But Ted volunteers his time because he stays in practice that way, neutering and spaying the small animals. Justin even fixed a busted frog leg for my son once.”
“Aw, I didn’t know you were married!”
“I’m not,” she said, looking at Maggie with a smirk. “But I have a kid, and Danny loves to be out in the marsh, grubbing around. He found a frog that was just about ready to be dinner for a bobcat, and when he saw Danny, he let go of the frog and ran. But his leg had taken a hit, and Danny was hysterical. We drove over to Justin’s in the van with the frog in an egg carton, and Justin splinted the frog’s leg. That’s the kind of guy he is.
“I might as well tell you, I’ve been seeing Ted LeBlanc for about six months.”
There went all hopes that Amber and Ted would hit it off.
“Well, congratulations!” Maggie doubted Justin knew of this.
She smiled as Kelly talked about Ted. Kelly was hard to define. She was pleasant looking; her hair was straight, dirty blond they called the color, cut in sort of a Dutch boy cut with bangs. She was short and a little chubby, and she dressed about as you’d expect an animal rescue person to dress, in utilitarian dungarees, (they wouldn’t even be called blue jeans,) and ratty chambray shirts. Wearing almost to her knee wellingtons, she was ready for mud and floods. She always had dirty fingernails from mucking out stalls and clipping hooves. Kelly was a worker.
