Tansy congratulated herself on that neutral response when two minutes ago she’d been on the verge of flinging herself into Ben’s arms. Cindy had been an excellent chaperone, for which Tansy was grateful. Mostly.
She took off her parka and hung it on a hook beside the door before walking over to check the towels in the dryer. Ben was not immune to the charms of animals. She’d known that from the way he’d cradled Ewok against his chest on Monday morning, and today he’d voluntarily made overtures to both Max and Brutus. Ben was a real puzzle, one she desperately wanted to solve.
“I think he likes you.”
Tansy ducked her head and began pulling towels out of the dryer because she didn’t want Cindy to see her blush. “He’s just a friendly person doing his job.”
“Maybe so, but when he looks at you, there’s more than friendship going on. You may have missed it because you haven’t been dating recently. I have, and I know that look.”
Tansy folded towels as if her life depended on it. “Have you been talking to Rose, by any chance?”
“As a matter of fact, she called me last night.”
Tansy stopped folding and turned to stare at the teenager. “About Ben?”
“Yep. We both agree you need a love life, and she wanted me to check this guy out and see what I thought of him. I think he’s pretty cool.”
Tansy shouldn’t be surprised that the two were in cahoots on this. Of all the shelter volunteers, she was closest to Rose and Cindy. “Are you supposed to report back to Rose?”
“Of course. She’d promised that gentleman friend of hers, Mr. Hobson, that she’d help with his Christmas shopping or she would have found an excuse to drop by this morning. She’s dying of curiosity.”
Tansy picked up the stack of warm towels and hugged them to her chest. “Then tell Rose that we have a potential glitch.”
“He’s in a relationship?”
“I’m not sure. If he is, that would be a deal killer. I don’t poach.”
“If he’s in a relationship, then he has no business looking at you the way he did. I say he’s not. So what’s the potential glitch?”
“When he first arrived this morning, he told me point-blank that he’s not interested in having animals in his life.”
Cindy’s mouth dropped open. “Really? After the way he was loving on Brutus?”
“I can’t explain that. Or the fact that I caught him scratching Max’s head.”
“You’re making that up. Max never lets us pet him.”
“I know, but he hopped up on the counter and started purring while Ben and I were in the office looking around. That was surprising enough, but then I went to get my coat, and when I turned back, there was Ben, scratching behind Max’s ears.”
“So why doesn’t he want animals? Maybe he lives with somebody who’s allergic. Not a girlfriend, but somebody else. I know what that’s like.”
Tansy considered the possibility and rejected it. “He would have said so. I mean, take you, for example. You tell everybody that’s why you don’t have animals at home.”
“Yeah, I do. Wow, it makes no sense.”
“It doesn’t.”
“I’ll stick around while he’s filming. Maybe I can figure out what his problem is.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Tansy opened a cupboard above the counter and laid the clean towels inside. “You can supervise while I go back to the office. I need to post an update on our Facebook page and talk to Faye about a few things.”
“Wait. I didn’t mean for you to leave.”
“I know.” She grabbed her parka and put it on. “The truth is that I am attracted to the guy.”
“Aha!”
“But if he’s really closed to the idea of having animals around, then it’s better if I don’t spend too much time with him.”
“I guess. If I find out anything, I’ll—” She stopped speaking when the door opened a crack, letting in a swirl of cold air.
“All clear?”
Tansy wished hearing his voice didn’t make her flush with pleasure. She glanced at Cindy. “Got a tight grip on Brutus?”
“He’s secure.” She clutched Brutus against her shoulder.
“Come on in, Ben.” Tansy’s heart thumped as she zipped her jacket. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such a strong physical reaction to a man. Ben made her feel as if she were Cindy’s age again and had developed a major crush on the captain of the football team.
The intensity of her feelings for someone she’d only just met wasn’t all that unusual for her. She’d always had good instincts, both for people and animals, and she sensed Ben was a kind person. But there was some issue keeping him from opening his heart. And until she figured out what that was, letting Cindy help with the photography session was the smart thing to do.
Ben came through the door with a digital camera on a strap around his neck and a camcorder in his hand. He looked puzzled when he saw Tansy with her coat on. “Aren’t you staying?”
“I have a ton of work to do in the office,” she said. “I’m leaving Cindy in charge. You’ll be in good hands with her.”
“I’m sure I will, but I thought…” His expression went from confusion to resignation. “No worries. I’m sure Cindy can take me over to the dog area when I finish up here.”
Tansy nodded. “Absolutely. She’s one of our most capable volunteers.”
“Do you want to preview what I’ve done before I go, or should I just head on to the station when I have plenty of shots?” His tone was conversational, as if he didn’t care one way or the other.
She didn’t believe for a minute that he wanted to leave without showing her the pictures, nor did she want him to. “I’d love to see what you come up with.” She might be able to distance herself from the photography session, but she couldn’t bear missing the results. He was, after all, filming her babies.
“Okay. I’ll drop by the office when I have something to show you.” His smile was tinged with sadness, as if he understood perfectly well why she was pulling back. He recognized that they had a sticking point.
Except he knew why and she didn’t. “I’ll see you later, then.” She left, and disappointment sat like a cold lump in her chest.
This was stupid. Why couldn’t he just tell her what his problem was? The answer was obvious, though, when she gave herself time to think about it. His uneasiness about having animals around must involve something personal, and he didn’t know her well enough to explain. Cindy was good at pulling things out of people, but chances were he wouldn’t confide in her, either.
Tansy sighed. If nothing else, she’d get some decent pictures of her furry friends out of the deal. If the station would allow it, she’d like to use some of them on The Haven’s Facebook page. Her shots, to use Cindy’s term, were lame.
She knew Ben’s would be wonderful, and not only because he was a professional. He cared about animals, and that would show in the pictures he took today, as it had in the footage he’d shot on Monday morning.
Her gut feeling about him wasn’t wrong. But she didn’t have all the facts and might never learn them. Swearing softly under her breath, she walked up the pathway to the administration building.
TWO HOURS LATER, BEN whistled as he walked toward the back door of the yellow-and-white Victorian. He couldn’t remember when he’d had so much fun with a camera.