Make Me Howl (26 page)

“Oh, you.” Mrs. N waited while her husband put the books inside the car then hugged him. “I’d never be able to get along without you.”

“That’s been my plan all along.” He gave me a wink then hugged me. “Don’t stay away so long next time. And tell that sister of yours to come see us and bring her beau with her.”

I thought about my ultra-professional sister. “I’m afraid she’ll have to come alone. She’s too busy at the zoo to have a boyfriend.”

“Well, she’ll get over that,” Mrs. Newkirk answered. “Soon as she sets eyes on the man she was meant for.”

Getting back into the car, I buckled up and, with one hand resting on the journals, backed down the driveway. As I drove away from the farm, I almost wished I had a job that would make it easier for me to spend time there. But as soon as Christmas was over, I’d be heavy into cruise season. And I hadn’t met a woman yet who thought she had all the clothes, or the right styles, to go on a cruise.

For some reason, the trip home is always faster for me than when I go somewhere, and this time was no exception. When I got home, I parked my car in the garage then struggled to carry my bag and the box of journals up to the apartment with me.

I got to the door and knocked, hoping Bella would let me in, but after several moments, I set the box down and flipped through my keychain for the right key. After opening the door, I put my bags inside, then picked up the box and carried it in with me.

I almost dropped it when I found Bella, sleeping on the couch in front of the TV. Setting the box on the coffee table, I gave her a shake then crashed in the chair next to her.

Finally she blinked at me then sat up, rubbing her eyes like a little girl. “Did you just get home?”

“Just this minute,” I answered.

“From work?”

“How hard were you sleeping?” I asked as worry weighed in my stomach. “It’s Sunday. Remember? I went to Grandma’s farm for the weekend. Didn’t you see my note?”

She stared at me for a moment as if she had no idea what I’d said, then glanced toward the kitchen, where I’d left the note written in chalk. “Oh. Oh, yeah. I forgot for a moment. I must have been dead for all counts. What time is it?”

“A little before six.” She looked pale, which added to my worry. “Want to go out and get something to eat?”

She shook her head. “I’m really not hungry. Why don’t we just warm up some chicken noodle soup tonight?”

That meal had always been reserved for only when we were ill. “Are you feeling okay?” I asked as alarm shot through me.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “Just not hungry.”

Maybe
if I give her time to wake up a little, she’ll get hungry.
Even after having that great fish dinner for lunch, I was starving. “Do we have any chicken noodle soup?”

“Yes,” she answered, her tone chiding. “I keep several cans, just in case.”

Deciding to humor her, I got to my feet and went to the kitchen. I opened a couple of cans, poured them in a pot and turned the flame on low under it.

“Did you get any Christmas shopping done while I was gone?” I called.

After several moments, I heard a loud yawn then Bella answered, “None. I can’t begin to think what we’re going to give Mom and Dad.”

“Something from a store near them to make it easy for her to take back.” I took crackers, bowls, soup spoons and small plates from a cupboard and set them on the table.

Bella chuckled at my joke. “She can’t help it if she has discerning taste.”

I snorted as I gave the soup a stir. “Her taste isn’t all that discerning. She just can’t stand for us to buy her something that she’d use. She wants to be the discoverer.”

“Then let’s give them a cruise.”

I knew Bella would think of something. “Good one. But it’ll have to be the best cruise around. Otherwise, she’ll take it back for a different destination.”

Bella giggled. “She probably will anyway.”

I watched the steam rising from the pan as I tried to think of a place Mom would die to go. “We could send them on a cruise to Hawaii.”

“They flew to Hawaii two years ago. Remember?” Bella wandered into the kitchen and dropped into a chair at the table. “She’d have a been-there-done-that whine if they actually took the trip.”

“True.” I waited a few more moments until the soup started to bubble around the edges, then ladled it into bowls and set one in front of Bella. I pulled one close to me.

Bella picked up her spoon and took a hesitant bite. Then, as if it were the best soup on the planet, she dug in.

“Taste all right?” I asked, taking a bite to see if it tasted as good as she made it look. It didn’t.

“Oh, yes. It’s delicious. And these crackers are wonderful. What kind are they?”

If I hadn’t known Bella so well, I’d have wondered what she’d been smoking. She sounded as if she had the 420 munchies. “The same kind we always eat. Whole wheat sodas.”

“Well these are great.”

I took a bite of one, but it was the usual dry, crumble-into-dust cracker. She ate for several minutes, emptying her bowl, without saying a word. When she’d filled it again, I stared at her. She didn’t usually eat like this.

“Didn’t you eat anything at all while I was gone?” I teased her.

She looked at me as she thought, then she lowered her gaze as her cheeks turned a dull pink. “I ate while you were gone. Almost everything in the place. We’ll probably have to go shopping if you’re going to want anything this week.”

Which pretty much explained the soup for supper. She wasn’t sick. She’d just polished off the rest of the food in the place. I gave her a quick smile. “Well, a growing girl has to eat. We’ll go shopping after we do the dishes.”

She blinked at me as if I’d thought of something new and awe inspiring. “That’s a great idea.”

“And since I cooked, that means…”

“I know. I have to do the dishes.” She picked up her bowl, put it to her mouth and drained it, something I hadn’t seen her do since we were three. She was always so fastidious, I was shocked.

When she set it down, she glanced at my bowl to see if I had anything left.

“Sorry. I didn’t save you any.” I didn’t try to hide the amusement in my voice.

She glared at me. I swear, if she’d been a werewolf, she’d have growled. “I’m starving to death and you think it’s funny.”

“No, I don’t.” I picked up my dirty dishes. “Tell you what. I’ll help with the dishes then we can go to the store sooner.”

She shook her head. “You only offered because there’s not much to do.”

“Right.”

With a chuckle, she opened the dishwasher and started rinsing and loading while I put away the crackers, salt and pepper.

As I washed off the table and stove she finished up and went back into the living room. “I’m going to change clothes then we’ll go. Okay?” I called.

“Anytime you’re ready.”

In my bedroom, I swiftly tossed the clothes from my bag into the hamper, put away my other things, and changed into a fresh pair of jeans and a medium weight sweater. After slipping into a leather jacket, I went back into the living room to find Bella asleep. Again.

Alarmed that she’d dropped off so quickly—I couldn’t have been more than ten minutes—I got on my knees in front of her and shook her. “Bella? Are you okay?”

She jerked as if I’d startled her. “Yes. I’m fine.” She tried to hide a yawn, but wasn’t successful.

“Why are you sleeping so much? Didn’t you get any rest at all last night?”

“Yes, I did. In fact, I didn’t go anywhere. I just…slept.”

That worried me. I got to my feet, then taking her hand, I pulled her up. “If this doesn’t stop, we’re taking you to the doctor to see what’s wrong.”

She sighed, but then nodded. “All right. But we’ll probably find out I just need vitamins.”

“Then we’ll buy you vitamins.”

At the store, we did a role reversal. I spent most of my time picking out healthy food and putting back the junk food Bella tossed in the cart.

Talk about an upside down world. Usually I was the one who wanted instant junk food.

When we checked out, I found that she’d been able to sneak a package of chips and a bag of candy bars into the cart. She was much better at getting the bad stuff past me than I was at getting it past her.

I should have taken notes.

On Monday I went to our storage locker and pulled out our artificial Christmas tree along with our decorations. When I got the tree set up and glowing, I yelled at Bella to come help me.

She came into the room as if her feet were made of lead. “I’m not really up for this.”

“If we don’t get up for it, Christmas will be over and the tree won’t be put up at all.” I held out her favorite ornament—an antique bulb in shades of green and gold that said,
Happy Holidays
. “I knew you’d at least want to put this one on.”

Giving me a tired smile, she took the ornament and wandered to the tree.

While she did her normal “where’s the absolute best possible place for this ornament” I heard my cell phone playing,
Santa Baby
.

I picked it up and glanced at the screen. Doc.

My heart danced as I flipped it open. “Hello.”

“Hi.” His voice warmed me all over. “Where’ve you been lately? I haven’t heard a word from you.”

“I know. I had to run out to the family farm to take care of some business.” I remembered the journals for the first time since my worry about Bella had taken over my thought processes. “How are the babies?”

“The runt is doing well. I don’t know what you did, but she started eating after your visit.”

“I just told her the facts of life. ‘You want to live, you gotta eat.’”

He chuckled low in the phone. “Well, I’m glad you spoke her language. She probably gained several ounces over the weekend.”

I glanced at Bella, who finally put the ball on the tree, and wondered if she’d gained that weekend, too. The best way to gain weight was to eat a lot and get no exercise. Sleeping was the best way to get no exercise I could think of.

****

Bella curled up on the couch and stared at the Christmas tree. Why Jazzy was bothering to put it up this close to Christmas, she didn’t know. She’d just have to take it down again in a week or two anyway.

Laying her head on the arm of the couch, her thoughts drifted to Spencer, which they did more and more these days. He’d told her the night they’d been together that he had to be out of town for a few days, running records at the bottom of Texas and points south. Whatever that meant.

Of course when he’d told her, he asked her if she’d like to go along.

She should have gone. At least she’d have done something besides sleep.

Like mind blowing sex. All things considered, not a bad pastime.

Heat swirling through her, she forced her attention back to the nearly nude tree in their living room. She really ought to put on a few more ornaments, just to let Jazzy know she wasn’t a Scrooge this year. Or would that be Scroogetta?

As she started to get up, she realized she had to go to the bathroom. Again.

It seemed the thing she did most that weekend, after sleeping and eating, was visit the powder room.

But there was no helping it. When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go.

When she came out, Jazzy was off the phone and back to decorating.

Bella refused to ask about Chase’s brother. After all, he hadn’t called even once, and she’d have sworn his mind had been blown the other night as surely as hers. “What did Chase have to say?”

Jazzy tossed her a glance and a secret smile. “He wants me to come back out and see the litter y’all are hand raising. I fed the runt the other night, and since then, she’s really started eating well.”

Bella nodded absently as she bit the inside of her lip, trying to think of another question to ask that didn’t include Spencer. “You should come out tomorrow if you don’t have appointments scheduled.”

“This close to Christmas, I don’t usually have many. But right after, look out!”

Spencer! Tell me what he said about Spencer.
She forced herself to remain quiet while she picked up another bulb. Strolling slowly, she circled the tree, looking for its proper place.

Jazzy stepped to the far side of the tree, giving her voice a muffled sound. “He said he’d take me out there tonight, but he had to do something for Spencer.”

“What?” Bella demanded almost before Jazzy stopped speaking.

“What?” Jazzy stuck her head around where she could see Bella.

“I said what did he have to do for Spencer?”

Jazzy shrugged. “I don’t know. Water his plants, feed his tarantula. Something.”

Bella swallowed hard. “He has a pet tarantula?”

“Just kidding. I don’t remember what he said he had to do, but Spence had to go to southern Texas and Doc promised to take care of something for him.” Jazzy smiled. “I think Spence told him to say hi to you.”

A small shock jolted Bella’s stomach then she warmed at Jazzy’s words.

Idiot. You aren’t in middle school anymore. Why are you acting like this?
But no matter how much she chided herself, Bella couldn’t help thinking about him. DGL—darn good looking—and manners, too. Who would have ever put the two together?