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But the little dog was determined to give her kisses, and it was great television. Directions came through Ben’s earphones to keep his camera on Tansy. He was only too happy to oblige.
“We hope we’ll have the money we need to…Ewok, honestly!” Tansy dissolved into laughter again.
Watching her through the lens of his camera, Ben was fascinated. He’d been intrigued when she’d entered the studio, but her amused struggle with the affectionate little dog captivated him so completely that he forgot the time, forgot the studio, forgot everything but the joyful woman captured in his camera lens.
She was love personified, and a longing to have even a tiny bit directed at him stole the air from his lungs. But he’d learned the hard way to beware that telltale ache. Love was great when you had it, but when it disappeared, the pain brought you to your knees. He’d paid a high price to learn that lesson and wasn’t about to forget it.
“Let me have him so you can talk.” Leaving her chair, Lisa swooped in and gathered Ewok in her arms.
More instructions came through Ben’s earphones. “Follow the dog.”
He panned from a rather startled Tansy to a smug Lisa. An outsider might view Lisa’s move as an attempt to be helpful. But after observing her since she was hired eighteen months ago, Ben recognized her bid to retake center stage. By holding Ewok, she had it.
“Such a cute little doggie!” She hugged and nuzzled him as if hoping he’d start to lick her, too. Instead Ewok squirmed, obviously wanting to escape. “Go on, Tansy,” Lisa said. “I have this sweetie under control.”
Ben didn’t think so. He widened the shot to include Tansy as Lisa continued to maul the dog.
Tansy gave Ewok a worried glance before clearing her throat. “The bottom line is that we’re asking the residents of Tacoma to open their hearts, their homes and their wallets so the animals can have a special holiday and an even better New Year. And we appreciate KFOR’s support. The station’s always been good to The Haven, but helping promote our holiday campaign goes above and beyond.”
“And we’re happy to do it.” Lisa hugged the shih tzu tight. “After all, we’re here FOR…” She paused and her eyes grew wide. With a shriek, she tossed Ewok from her lap onto the coffee table.
“Cut! Cue the commercial!” The command came through Ben’s earphones a second after he’d already stopped filming.
Tansy made a grab for Ewok, but the spooked dog dashed across the large coffee table, knocking over the poinsettia and spilling dirt everywhere. Jumping out of her chair, Lisa gestured to the dark stain on her silk skirt. “The little bastard peed on me!”
God, it was hard not to laugh, but Ben loved his job, so he controlled the impulse. Still, Lisa had deserved it. Tansy had tried to save her, but she hadn’t listened.
“Ewok!” Tansy dashed after the tiny dog, darting through a maze of camera trolleys and cables.
Ben took off his headset so he could help. By pure coincidence the little bundle of fur ran past him. He made a grab and connected with a warm body. Holding Ewok against his chest, he tried to calm the frightened dog.
“Thank you.” Tansy stood in front of him, her blue eyes no longer laughing. “Sometimes he gets over-excited and lets loose. I think that’s the cocker spaniel in him. Wookie’s usually a steadying influence, but with all the people, and the lights, and the noise…”
And the idiot woman squeezing the breath out of him. But Ben was too much of a professional to say that about a colleague. “Bringing them in together was a brilliant idea, though.” He handed Ewok to her. “I hope you find a home for them.”
“So do I.” She stroked the quivering dog with a gentle touch. He whined and reached up to lick her face again. “It’s okay, Ewok. You’re fine now. We’ll go get Wookie and you’ll feel better.”
“Adopting them out as a pair is the right thing to do,” Ben said. “Stick to your guns on that.”
“Don’t worry. I intend to.” She glanced up and her gaze held his. “You’re an animal lover, I can tell.” She didn’t voice her next thought, but it was there in her eyes. Would he take the dogs?
He pretended he hadn’t understood her silent question. He did love animals…from a distance. So many people took on pets with a breezy nonchalance, as if loving creatures with a short lifespan was an easy choice that had no consequences. He knew from experience that wasn’t true. He wasn’t about to explain all that to her, though, so he said nothing.
She blinked as if confused by his silence. “In any event, thanks for capturing Ewok. It’s not good for him to race around in a panic.”
“It’s not good for any of us to race around in a panic.” He smiled because looking at her made him want to do that. He swore she had flecks of sunshine in those blue eyes of hers. In Tacoma, where it rained a lot, sunshine in any form was a valuable commodity.
“Guess not.” She continued to gaze at him intently. “Have we met before? You look so familiar.”
“We haven’t met. I would have remembered.”
“On the air in five!” called the director.
Ben replaced his headset. “Sorry. Gotta go. Weather’s next.”
“Right. Thanks again.” She hurried away, taking the sunshine with her.
Ben concentrated on filming the weather report and did his best to forget about Tansy Dexter. He preferred his relationships light and breezy—easy come, easy go. And his instincts told him Tansy would expect much more than that.
Judging from the passionate way she spoke up for the animals, her emotions ran deep, deeper than he cared to go. He was glad that people like Tansy existed in the world, but he couldn’t follow her chosen path, and she would never understand his decision not to adopt.
She was the kind of woman who would get past his defenses, demand that he drop his guard and become vulnerable again.
There was no way he would risk that.
TANSY’S SUBURBAN HAD been retrofitted for hauling animals. After she and Rose loaded Wookie and Ewok into the back, they hurried around to the front of the vehicle and climbed in, their breath fogging the air. Tansy dug out the keys and coaxed the balky engine to life before switching the heater to high. The cold rain tapping on the windshield could easily turn to snow by nightfall.
Rose rubbed her hands together and held them against her wind-reddened cheeks. “That was interesting.”
“It wasn’t Ewok’s fault.” Tansy’s anger resurfaced as she left the station’s parking lot. “I had to be nice, especially since Paul’s running promos from now until Christmas, but I could have throttled that woman.”
“She almost throttled Ewok,” Rose said. “Good thing she didn’t pursue the idea of adopting these two.”
“Yeah, that would have been awkward. You and I know she’d only have been doing it as a publicity stunt, but Paul might not have seen it that way. He’s a nice guy, and I’d rather not lose his goodwill by refusing to give his publicity-crazed anchorwoman Ewok and Wookie.”
“Speaking of nice guys, that cameraman was helpful.”
“He was.” Tansy’s pulse beat a little faster thinking about his sexy brown eyes.
“And gorgeous.”
Tansy glanced over at Rose and grinned. “You noticed that, did you?”
“I may be old enough to be his grandmother, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate tall, dark and handsome when I see it. If I’m not mistaken, you two shared a moment.”
Tansy’s cheeks warmed. She hoped she hadn’t looked quite as dazzled as she’d felt. “I was trying to mentally place him.”
“Don’t blame you. Was he on a beach towel in the sand or on a bearskin rug in front of the fire?”
“Rose!” Tansy laughed, bringing an excited bark from Ewok. “I was trying to figure out why he looks so familiar. I swear we’ve met before.”
“Did you tell him so?”
“I did, but apparently we haven’t met. He said he would have remembered.” Sexual heat curled through her as she thought about the low, intimate way he’d said it.
“Whew!” Rose fanned herself. “A guy who knows how to deliver his lines. And he wasn’t wearing a ring. I checked. What’s his name?”
“Don’t know.”
“Why on earth not?”
“Didn’t think to ask.”
Rose slapped her forehead. “You meet a hero type who rescues precious little Ewok, a man who says he would have remembered if you’d met before, and you neglect to get his name?”
“I’m out of practice with that kind of thing.” Though now Tansy wished she had a name to attach to the first man in ages to arouse her dormant libido.
“I know you’re out of practice. I’ve volunteered at the shelter for almost two years, and I don’t think you’ve had so much as a date, let alone a romance. I figured you were either too busy or very picky.”
“I’m both.”
Rose nodded. “I realize your work brings you joy, and there’s nothing wrong with being picky. But FYI, you and that cameraman were giving off sparks.” She pulled a phone out of her small messenger bag. “I’m going to call the station and find out his name.”
“No!” Then her panic turned to laughter. “Okay, you got me. Very cute, Rose. You don’t have the number.”
“Yes, I do.” She hit a button on her phone. “Yesterday you asked me to double-check when we were supposed to arrive. The number’s still in my phone.”
Tansy groaned. She’d forgotten about that. “Rose, hang up. Seriously.”
“No worries. I’ll just say that The Haven wants to send him a personal note for his part in recapturing Ewok.”
“That’s a flimsy excuse. Please don’t—” But Tansy was wasting her breath. Rose was already talking to someone at KFOR.
“Yes, I mean that quick-thinking cameraman who saved little Ewok after he escaped. We want to send him a note of thanks. Ben Rhodes? Got it.”
Nice name, but Tansy couldn’t connect it to the dim memory she had of seeing him somewhere before.
Theoretically, Rose should be hanging up now that she’d found out his name, but for some reason she was still talking. “Really? That’s too bad.” She paused. “Well, if you’re considering sending someone out, I can’t think of a better choice than Ben Rhodes, if he’s available.”
Tansy’s eyes widened as she glanced over at Rose, eyebrows raised.
Rose pretended not to notice. “Well, good. I hope it works out. I’ll check with Tansy. ’Bye.”
“You’ll check what with Tansy? What are you up to, Rose Parker?”
The volunteer’s expression was smug as she tucked the phone back into her purse. “You remember those candid photos of the animals you gave them so they’d have something for the promo spots?”
“Yes. I know they aren’t great, but it was all I had.”
“They didn’t pass muster, so they want to send one of their cameramen out to take some better shots.”
“And you suggested Ben.” She tried to sound disapproving, but that was difficult when she was short of breath and squiggles of excitement were dancing through her system.
“Yes.” Rose settled back in her seat with a smile. “He’ll be perfect.”
CHAPTER TWO (#ulink_53579050-9b0f-52f8-921e-581e3e7978b1)
PERFECT. THE WORD CERTAINLY described Ben as Tansy opened the front door of the yellow-and-white Victorian that The Haven used as its administration building. She and Ben had agreed on an early Saturday morning appointment, and she’d turned on the white Christmas lights outlining the house to banish the gloom.
Against the backdrop of those sparkling lights, he looked ruggedly handsome in jeans, boots, a sheepskin jacket and a brown cowboy hat. The scent of the fresh pine wreath hanging on the door came in with him, along with the tang of frost and his minty aftershave.
Tansy greeted him as nonchalantly as she could, considering they were alone for the first time and her heart tap danced with excitement. She’d suggested giving him a tour before The Haven opened for the day, which meant that even Faye, the receptionist, wasn’t around.
“Good morning.” Tansy extended her hand and Ben pulled off a leather glove to shake it. “Where’s your equipment?”
“Left it in the Channel 10 van.” His grip was warm and firm, but the brim of his hat cast his face into shadow, making his expression difficult to read. “I wanted to get the lay of the land first.”
“Of course. No sense in lugging everything around until you’re ready to start.” When he let go of her hand, she resisted the impulse to press it against the butterflies circling in her tummy.
Stepping around him, she relocked the door. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. I knew my pictures weren’t very good. Photography isn’t my strong suit.”
“Maybe photography isn’t, but I can already tell this is.” He walked into the reception area. What had once been the house’s living room was now divided by a waist-high counter. Two desks and several filing cabinets occupied the larger space behind the counter. In front of it, two sturdy wooden armchairs and a low table created a seating area, and a coat tree stood in the corner.
Ben’s gaze lingered on a small artificial tree sitting on the counter. Its only decorations were a strand of multicolored lights and white angel donation cards hanging from the branches. A small sign invited visitors to choose a card and donate the item listed on it.
Unhooking one of the angel-shaped cards, he tucked it in the pocket of his coat. “That angel tree’s a good idea. Paul said you’ve made astounding progress at The Haven since you were hired three years ago.”
“He’s giving me too much credit. None of this would have been possible without a generous benefactor who donated this land, including both houses, when he died.”
“According to Paul, that benefactor was inspired by your enthusiasm for the animals. So you’ll have to take some of the credit, Tansy.”
Hearing her name spoken in his deep baritone sent a shiver of delight up her spine. “What can I say? I love my work.”
“Obviously.” He walked over to a bulletin board mounted on the wall to the right of the seating area. Tilting his hat back with his thumb, he scanned the array of snapshots.
“More bad pictures, I’m afraid,” she said.
“Not so bad. The idea of putting up pictures of folks with their newly adopted animals is terrific. You just need a better camera.”
“No, I need a better photographer.”
Ben scanned the pictures. “Don’t sell yourself short. I see potential there.” He turned back to her. “So The Haven ended up with these two houses, and you designated the bigger one as your headquarters.”
“That’s right. It’s mainly office space except for a couple of rooms we use as temporary holding areas for incoming animals. There’s not much to photograph in here.”
“Are you also housing animals in the blue Victorian next door?”
“No, that’s where I live, along with whatever animals I’m fostering at the moment. Right now it’s Ewok and Wookie.”
His eyebrows rose. “No one’s taken them?”
“Not yet.” She did her best to breathe normally, but her chest was tight with the thrill of seeing him again. “I had hoped their TV appearance would help, and by the way, the camera work on that segment was wonderful. Paul said a good part of it was your doing.”
“Animals make great TV.”
“Only if the person behind the camera has a feel for them. You do.”
He met her gaze. “Thank you. That’s nice to hear, but it didn’t result in a home for Ewok and Wookie. I’m sorry about that.”
