“I’m sorry to cause all this trouble,” Benjy said, “but when I saw the dog out there, I just couldn’t go by and not try to do something. I didn’t see the cat at all.”
“Don’t you worry about it,” Dickce said. “I’m glad you spotted the poor dog. I wonder if someone just dumped them by the side of the road. People who do that to animals ought to be flogged. I can’t stand cruelty to the poor things.”
“I agree with you,” Benjy said. “There are so many animals out there without good homes. If people would only get their pets spayed or neutered, but they’re so irresponsible sometimes.”
Dickce heard the passion in the boy’s voice, and it made her warm to him all the more. A boy who cared for animals as much as Benjy did was obviously a good person, one who deserved better treatment from his stepfather and his family.
“There’s a wonderful vet in Athena, Dr. Devon Romano,” Dickce said. “Our friend Charlie Harris takes Diesel to her, and that’s where we’ll take our two new friends. Dr. Romano might know whom they belong to.”
“Whoever it is shouldn’t get them back,” Benjy said heatedly. “I bet they were abandoned on the road.”
Dickce thought he was probably right. This cat and dog weren’t the only animals she and An’gel had picked up from the side of the road over the years. They had rescued a number of animals and taken them to the vet’s office, and the veterinarian usually found good homes for them. She and An’gel hadn’t ever had pets, but having Diesel with them made her aware of how nice it was to have one around the house.
While Dickce drove, Benjy continued to talk in a reassuring tone to the two animals. She glanced in the rearview mirror a few times, and each time she saw that the animals appeared content. She was afraid they might be frightened and try to get out, but evidently Benjy knew how to keep them calm. She was grateful he was with her, because she doubted she could have managed on her own. She would have had to find someone to help, and who knows what could have happened to the poor things in the meantime.
A few minutes later she pulled up in front of Dr. Romano’s clinic, Athena Veterinary Hospital. “Here we are,” she announced.
“Great,” Benjy said. “Miss Dickce, do you think you could see if the kitty will let you hold her? I don’t think I can get them both inside on my own.”
“Surely,” Dickce said. She got out and shut her door, stuck the keys in her jacket pocket, then opened the back passenger door. Benjy held tight to the dog and the cat while Dickce reached in to stroke the cat. “Hello, kitty. You sure are a pretty thing. I’ve never seen a kitty your color before.”
The cat seemed docile and allowed her to stroke its head. Taking this as a good sign, Dickce slipped one hand beneath the cat’s small body and lifted it. The cat didn’t protest. So far so good. Dickce brought the cat to her chest, surprised at how little it weighed—five pounds at the most, she judged. Compared to Diesel, this little girl was a Lilliputian.
The cat purred when it was completely in her arms, and Dickce looked down into a small, sweet face. “How could anyone ever abandon you? You are the cutest little thing.” Dickce felt her heart melt at the trust the cat displayed. Someone had loved it, she realized. What had happened to that person?
Dickce moved away to allow Benjy to crawl out and then bring the dog with him. He bumped the door with his body to shut it, then followed Dickce into the clinic.
The waiting room was empty, and Dickce was glad of that. The last thing they needed was to expose these two rescues to strange animals. Dickce approached the reception desk, the cat nestled contentedly in her arms.
“Good morning, Wendy,” she said to the young woman behind the desk. “How are you today?”
“Just fine, Miss Dickce. What are you doing out on a day like this?” Wendy smiled. “And where did you get that beautiful Abyssinian?”
“Is that what it is?” Dickce glanced at the cat. “I’ve never seen an Abyssinian before or even a cat this particular color.” She stepped aside to let Benjy come closer. “This is my friend Benjy. We just found these two by the side of the road out near Riverhill.”
“Hi, Benjy,” Wendy said. “Your friend looks kind of like a labradoodle. They were together, you say?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Benjy said. “I saw the dog and asked Miss Dickce to stop. When I got him in the car, the cat came streaking out of the woods and jumped in the car with us.” He shifted the dog in his arms slightly. “They seem to be friends.”
“So sweet,” Wendy said. Then her tone turned brisk. “Y’all have a seat in the waiting room there, and I’ll check with Dr. Romano. I’m sure she can see you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you, Wendy,” Dickce said. She found a seat and put the cat in her lap. She stroked its head, and the cat purred. “I can’t get over how calm she is.”
Benjy sat next to her with the dog. “I guess she knows that good people found her and are going to take care of her. Same thing with this guy here.” The dog licked the side of Benjy’s face, and the boy smiled.
They sat in silence for a moment. Benjy turned to her, his expression now worried. “I wish I knew what was going to happen to them. If they belong to someone awful, surely the vet won’t let them go back to a bad person.”
Dickce smiled. “Don’t you worry about that. I’m not about to let that happen.” She had already made up her mind who was going to take these poor animals.
And if An’gel didn’t like it, well, that was just too bad.
CHAPTER 20
An’gel checked her watch again. Quarter to one. Where was Dickce? She should have been home half an hour ago. A run to the grocery store shouldn’t take nearly two hours.
Plus she had either turned off her cell phone or was simply ignoring it, like she sometimes did, An’gel knew, when she didn’t want to talk.
“I’m sorry, Clementine,” An’gel said. “I don’t know where Dickce can be. I guess we’ll just have to set lunch back an hour.”
“Don’t fret about it, Miss An’gel,” Clementine said. “I made a big batch of potato salad. When Miss Dickce gets here, we can serve a cold lunch. I had sandwich meat on the list, and there ought to be plenty.”
“Provided Dickce didn’t forget it.” An’gel knew stress was making her grouchy, but she was frustrated by the unforeseen hitch in her plans. She had told her guests lunch would be at one thirty, and she didn’t want to have to tell them it would be delayed. They were fractious enough as it was, being cooped up in the house and subject to interrogation.
“You go on and stop worrying,” Clementine said. “Antoinette ought to be done with the bedrooms soon, and we’ll start getting everything ready for when Miss Dickce gets back from town.”
“I hope Diesel isn’t a hindrance,” An’gel said. “I’m not sure it was such a good idea for Antoinette to take him upstairs with her.”
“He was getting a bit stir-crazy cooped up in here.” Clementine laughed. “He won’t be no trouble. He’s been real good so far.”
“All right,” An’gel said. “I’ll be back to help when Dickce gets here with the groceries.” She headed out of the kitchen to the small room next to it that served as the study. She and Dickce had a desktop computer there that they used for e-mail and Internet searching. An’gel figured she might as well check her e-mail. She was in no hurry to rejoin her guests in the front parlor. A few minutes of quiet would do her good.
She left the door slightly ajar so she could hear her sister when she returned. Seated at the desk, she booted up the computer and logged in to her e-mail account. She stared at the screen for a moment but didn’t see anything that demanded an immediate reply.
An’gel leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. She tried to clear her mind, but to no avail. Her thoughts were full of the morning’s activities and her talk with Kanesha.