DUNCAN WALKED behind Barkley toward the back of the shelter. He couldn’t help but look at all of the animals in cages. He understood why the cages were needed, but he didn’t understand why almost all of them were full.
“These are all strays?” Duncan asked, more to himself than to Barkley.
“No,” Barkley said, turning around to look at him briefly. “A lot of them are surrenders.”
“Surrenders?” Duncan looked into one cage at a completely grey kitten that had obviously had a home at one point given its willingness to come over to him and be petted and its chubby appearance. “You mean, a lot of these animals are here because their owners chose to leave them here?” Barkley didn’t say anything, only nodded before returning his attention to Cheryl, the shelter worker who had prepared the seven kittens for their departure today. “So what happens if they never find a home? If no one ever picks them?”
Cheryl came out of the back office with a cardboard box. Duncan couldn’t see what was in the box, but he could certainly hear the mewing. “Thank God it doesn’t happen often, but they stay here and we take care of them until they pass on.” Turning back to Barkley, Cheryl added, “There are a couple of bottles already in there. I prepared them this morning.”
“They spend the rest of their lives in a cage?”
“No,” Cheryl said with a patient chortle. “We take them out for hours at a time so that they can play in the back rooms or so they can socialize with one another. But some of them go back in the cages at night; it’s easier for us to ensure we don’t have any problems between the animals.”
“So you don’t kill any of them when you run out of room?”
Cheryl crossed her fingers and sighed. “Every once in a while, I’ve had to euthanize an animal because of temperament or illness, but fortunately, it’s because of people like Barkley here that we can keep taking more animals in.”
Duncan looked over at Barkley and smiled. He was far too busy playing with the kittens. Duncan stood there, the feeling of helplessness and sadness at the thought of so many beautiful animals being killed because of disinterested owners quickly displaced by a feeling of joy. There were four of the kittens trying to climb up Barkley’s arm, grabbing on to his shirtsleeve. “I can’t imagine how you do it,” Duncan said as he turned back to look at Cheryl. “I don’t think I could ever….” Duncan heard the words in his head before he said them and quickly shut his mouth. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like this is something you want to do.”
Cheryl brought her hands up to fix her ponytail and smiled. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone—worth knowing that is—who wants to kill animals simply because they’re inconvenient, but I learned many, many years ago that the other option to not killing them is having an even greater number of homeless animals and therefore even more animals who would suffer and starve and be used as—” Cheryl shook her head and closed her eyes. “My point is… that I’d rather expend my energy every day trying to save as many as I can, rather than dwelling on the horrible decisions I sometimes have to make.”
“If I had my way,” Barkley said while still looking at and playing with the kittens. “I’d take them all, every day, and put them on a huge piece of land somewhere and adopt out only to those who could prove they’d not yet hurt or abandoned or mistreated an animal in any way.”
“Amen,” Cheryl said. “Okay, Barkley, I’ll just get you to come and sign some papers and then you can get going.”
“Hold on,” Duncan said as he went to stand beside Barkley. “Are there any animals here who have been abused or mistreated or who’ve never had a home?” Duncan noticed Barkley and Cheryl share a look and then smile at each other. “What? Is that a stupid rookie question?”
“Told you,” Barkley said to Cheryl before leaning over and kissing Duncan on the cheek.
“What? I don’t get it.”
“It’s nothing,” Cheryl said. “Barkley and I share this pet peeve. Neither one of us can stand it when people refer to animals as things. Do you have animals that are this or that?” Duncan assumed that he was still looking somewhat perplexed because Cheryl continued. “You said, any animals who…. As if the animals were people.”
“Well, they are,” Duncan said as he put his hand on the box of kittens and felt a tongue on his finger. “I’ve had my two pups for several years and they’re my family. I could never give them up for anything.” Duncan glanced quickly at Barkley, knowing he could understand how hard it must have been for him during all those lean years to keep his dogs happy and healthy. “So,” Duncan said, retaking his original line of thought. “Are there any that need me?”
Cheryl smiled and pushed back a couple strands of hair that had escaped the ponytail prison. “There are quite a few who could use a good, permanent home.” Cheryl made her way past Duncan, patting him on the bicep as she did so. “Come on, we’ll see if there’s any chemistry.”
“I’m going to take these little ones out to the car and see if they’re ready for a bottle.” Barkley picked up the box of kittens and winked at Duncan.
“Duncan,” Cheryl said as she stepped into a room at the back of the building and whistled. “I’d like you to meet Lumi and Rainbow. Lumi is a white shorthair and Rainbow is a calico.” Duncan wasn’t exactly sure he remembered what a calico looked like, but he was sure he could tell which one Rainbow was since she wouldn’t be the white one.
Duncan looked into the room that was festooned with pretty pictures of cats and kittens and littered with cat trees and beds of all shapes and sizes. There were toys everywhere. But Duncan couldn’t see any animals at all. “I don’t see them.” Suddenly, from the corner, Duncan thought he saw movement. There was a little nose surrounded by blindingly white fur inching its way out of the carpeted box of one of the cat condos. After a few moments, he noticed another little nose peeking out beside the first.
“It may take them a moment,” Cheryl said, patting him on the shoulder. “And I have to get to work, or I’ll be here all night again.”
“Sorry, yeah,” Duncan said, his eyes never leaving the two pink noses. “Of course. I’ll just sit here for a while and see if they come out to investigate.”
“Oh, they will,” Cheryl said, laughing, as she turned and headed back into the front area of the shelter.
Duncan sat down cross-legged on the cool floor about five feet from the cat condo. He looked around on the floor, trying to decide which toy might bring the two cats out from hiding. He picked up a long stick with feathers on the end, and when he looked back, he saw that the pure white kitten had moved closer, completely outside of the box.
“Hello, beautiful,” Duncan said, the smile on his face almost involuntary. “Did you want to come and play with me?” Duncan lifted the stick and the feathers began to bounce. To his surprise, it wasn’t the beautiful white princess that lunged for the feathers; it was the calico, an adult female with almost perfectly symmetrical stripes of white, orange, and black across her back. “And hello to you too. What’s your name, then, sweetheart?”
A sudden flash of memory hit Duncan like a physical force; he remembered, years ago, when he’d rescued Zeus and Neptune as puppies from the Humane Society. He’d not gone out that day looking to adopt dogs, but they’d been having some sort of event and he just happened to pass by close enough to see the two beautiful pups in side-by-side cages. He noticed Zeus’s sad eyes first and then heard Neptune’s little yelps, as if Neptune was complaining that he was just as cute and just as worthy of attention. It was at that moment that Duncan had understood the saying about the pets picking their owners. He’d been disappointed to be told there was a waiting period, and he’d been on pins and needles until the next day when he would be able to pick them up, but he’d known the moment he saw them that he would do anything to give them a good home. And he had and still was.
“Here,” Cheryl said, from behind him, startling him. “Give them some of these and even Princess Lumi will be eating out of your hand.” Cheryl held out a bag of cat treats, and Duncan took it, nodding to her. “These two beautiful girls have been here for almost a year. Each came to the shelter already pregnant and was an exceptionally attentive and caring momma.” Duncan moved the feathers again and laughed when Rainbow couldn’t seem to get to them fast enough. He shook them back and forth on the floor. “All of their kittens found homes right away, as soon as they were weaned, but these two gals? They’re still waiting for their turn.”
“These aren’t the mommas of the kittens Barkley has?”
“No, poor thing. She was hit by a car, or so I was told. A kind lady was out walking her dog one morning when she saw a dead cat on the side of the road near the park at the end of her street. She used her doggy bag to wrap it up and she was planning on burying her in her backyard. She didn’t get three steps when she saw her dog getting a little antsy. He started barking, and then she heard the cries of those little ones. She brought them to us hoping we could help them so they wouldn’t die.”
Duncan put the feather toy on the floor and picked up the bag of treats, shaking it to get their attention. He poured some of the soft treats into one palm and then divided them between his two hands, holding each of his hands out in front of his crossed legs, the back of each hand touching the floor. “Well, that won’t do at all. Hey, mommas? Would you like to come home with me?” Rainbow was the first to approach and sniff at the treats. Not sensing any danger, or perhaps because she was guided by her stomach, she dug in and started to eat with gusto.
“Rainbow is our little food vacuum,” Cheryl said. “She was in pretty bad shape when she arrived. She was so thin and her paws were scraped and cut and her fur wasn’t as clean as it is now.” Cheryl sat down on a bench just inside the door, and Duncan noticed Lumi head straight for her, sniffing at her hands. “And this one was no better. But they both got a warm place to have their kittens and regular meals and lots of love and attention. And they were the best moms any kitten could ask for.”
“Why haven’t you adopted them yet?”
“By-laws.”
Duncan remembered Barkley mentioning something about fosters and a limit to the number of animals in a home. “You foster too?”
“Of course,” Cheryl said as she used her hand to guide Lumi toward Duncan’s open palm. “Most of our volunteers foster and vice-versa. Even some of the ones who live in apartments are allowed to have one or two small animals. We’d be sunk without our volunteers and all the people who donate.”
Duncan opened his mouth to speak, but as he did so, Lumi ambled slowly over to his hand and began to nibble at the treats in his palm. “You are gorgeous, aren’t you, Lumi?” Duncan looked up at Cheryl. “Unusual name.”
“It’s Finnish for snow.”
Duncan tilted his head to one side. “Makes sense.” Duncan let out a sigh and watched as Rainbow moved over to Lumi’s treats and tried to nibble. Lumi wasn’t too pleased with that idea, so Duncan used his now-empty hand to distract Rainbow by petting her. “Well, I think you know I won’t be able to leave without them. Or do you have a waiting period?”
“Usually, twenty-four hours,” Cheryl said as she stood and checked her ponytail one more time. “But since you’re with Barkley, I’m comfortable letting them go home with you. Do you have carriers?”
“Carriers,” Duncan huffed through a smile. “Blankets, food, water, old laundry baskets, towels, paper towels…. With Barkley picking up animals all the time, he’s got everything we need in that SUV.”
“Okay then. I’ll go get the paperwork.”
“Did you hear that, sweet girls? You’ve got a new home. It’s your turn now.”
BARKLEY WATCHED as the kittens slept in the cardboard box. He’d crawled into the backseat with them after leaving Duncan in the shelter and offered the bottle to all of them, but none seemed hungry at the time. He’d spent time trying not to laugh out loud at their tiny little voices or the ticklishness he felt every time they tried to crawl up his arm. These were the moments he lived for. Seven kittens, seven, who had no momma, would survive and thrive now because he’d decided to re-order the priorities in his life.
He gently stroked one little sleeping head after another as he thought about how Tinkerbell was going to react to having some serious competition for attention. Specifically, for Duncan’s attention. Barkley felt himself flush as he thought about this most recent change to his life. There was no denying that Duncan was ridiculously handsome and an incredible lover, but what attracted Barkley even more was how kind he was to other living beings. He was kind to Charles, the doorman, Najib, the owner of the little mom-and-pop store across the street from the condo, and he was certainly kind and compassionate to his own pups and all of Barkley’s animals—whether they were temporary or not.
Barkley stifled a yawn as he thought of last night and how Duncan had come to rescue him. It wasn’t that Barkley intended to get up every night and surf the internet looking at pictures of sweet faces he could never possibly save, but he found himself in these moods sometimes; he would feel overwhelmed at knowing that millions of animals were killed each year and there was nothing he could do about it. The rational part of his brain told him that there was, indeed, very little he could do, but the other part of his brain— the part he’d always relied on to tell him to push harder, reach farther—told him not to give up. And so, he would find himself staring at these precious animals wondering when the perfect idea would hit, the one that would help end all of the suffering.
Listening to the kittens’ breathing, Barkley closed his eyes and thought about how happy he was right at that very moment. He’d not had a lot of happiness over the past several years, and although he’d never considered himself stupid, he thought about how long it had taken him to realize that he had not been happy because he’d always managed to convince himself that he was doing what he loved. And while it was true he loved music, he wasn’t sure it had ever been true that he loved performing. Of course, he couldn’t—and wouldn’t—complain about it now; performing had allowed him to make some very smart investments that would allow him to continue this work for a very, very long time.
“Got room for two more stowaways?”
Barkley looked over and saw Duncan holding a beautiful white shorthair. Cheryl stood beside him with a knowing smirk, an equally beautiful calico in her own arms. “I see you’ve fallen victim to Cheryl’s subtle charms.”
“Hey, I just introduced them,” Cheryl corrected. “He fell in love with them all by himself.”
“I’m sorry, Barkley,” Duncan said as he opened the rear door nearest the kittens in the box and reached for one of the carriers. He was about to say something else, Barkley noticed, but the cat in Duncan’s arms became very restless. “You don’t want a crate, Lumi?” Duncan spoke softly to her and put the crate back, reaching instead for a blanket. “How about if we let you have a seat to yourself, huh, sweetie?” Lumi seemed much more agreeable to that and settled onto her blanket without any further drama. Duncan turned to take the calico from Cheryl’s arms. “And what about you, Rainbow, huh? Do you want to sit in the other one?”
Barkley watched as Duncan worked his magic and got Rainbow settled as well. But the most amazing thing of all was that none of that commotion woke the kittens. If Barkley played his cards right, he could make it to the other shelters, pick up the shy rabbit and the two beagles and be home within the hour. “You mind driving?” Barkley asked before Duncan closed the door. “I don’t feel like moving.”
“Yes, Mr. Reinhardt, sir,” Duncan said as he gave a shallow bow. “And where would master like to go now?”
“Master,” Barkley said as he leaned his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes again. “I like that. I think we’ll keep that.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Duncan said as he pulled himself into the driver’s seat and started the car. He turned in his seat and ran his hand up Barkley’s inner thigh. “Thank you.”
Barkley opened his eyes at the touch and the sincerity in the words. “For what?”
“For not freaking out that you’ll have two more animals in the condo.”
“They’re not animals, they’re family,” Barkley said. He grabbed Duncan’s hand and pulled it up to his lips.
Duncan smiled and Barkley felt as if he’d just hung the moon in the sky.
Forty-five minutes later, Barkley closed the hatch of the SUV, animals asleep in carriers. He wasn’t sure how the shelter had made that happen, or even if they’d tried to make things work out so perfectly, but he couldn’t imagine a more perfect arrangement. Now, they were heading back to the condo and then the long process of introductions and feeding and walking and playing and general mayhem could begin.
WITH THE box of kittens firmly in his arms, Barkley ran ahead to isolate Tinkerbell and the pups while the other two dogs, two cats, and bunny stayed in the SUV with Duncan. He greeted Charles, the doorman, once again acknowledging Charles’s comments about how he had his very own zoo, and raced up to the condo. Upon entering the condo, he wasn’t surprised to find Zeus, Neptune, and Mozart lounging on the king-size bed. But he was surprised to find Tinkerbell sleeping curled up in a ball against Neptune’s neck. He shook his head in amazement at everything he was learning about animals and their love-hate relationships with each other and quickly deposited the sleeping kittens in his office, making sure to close the door quietly. If all went well, none of the animals would wake up until he and Duncan could make the introductions.
Barkley quickly went back down to the vehicle, and within another ten minutes, all the animals were safely in the spacious condo.
“And you normally do this by yourself?” Duncan stood at the door.
Barkley assumed Duncan would still be at the door, in part because Duncan knew there was a strong possibility that Tinkerbell would smell another opportunity to gain her freedom and partly because he’d said he wanted to walk the two beagles after they’d just woken up from their nap. He looked over and grinned. “Yeah, piece of cake.”
“You want to come or are you gonna try and feed the kittens?”
“Kittens,” Barkley answered as he walked over and wrapped his arms around Duncan’s waist. “Thank you for helping me. It really means a lot to me.”
“I think I’m just beginning to realize how much,” Duncan said after accepting a quick kiss.
“Okay, go walk the pups and then I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Duncan kissed the singer one more time and then grabbed a lead for each of the beagles, attaching them quickly. “What do you think it is, huh, boys?”
Barkley watched Duncan grab a ball, head out the door, and shut it behind him. He’d been wondering, since receiving the text message in the car, what Duncan would think about Barkley’s news. He hoped it wouldn’t put too much of a strain on their new relationship, but there wasn’t much he could do to back out of the deal now. The text had been short and sweet: Congrats, you now own a farm in Tottenham.
Barkley ran a hand through his hair, willing the negative thoughts away, and headed for his office.
DUNCAN WALKED around the grounds of the condo complex. He owns all of this, Duncan thought as he watched the beagles’ tentative exploration of their new surroundings. He tried not to let himself be distracted by these little surprises, but he was quickly realizing that Barkley was a man that could very well be out of his league. He was worth millions—and he wasn’t even thirty years old—he was a successful singer known all over the world, he spent most of his days—and nights—helping give a voice to defenseless animals, and he was an incredibly giving and generous person to boot.
Definitely out of your league, he thought as he watched the beagles finally mark some territory. He pulled the ball out of his pocket and bent over to undo each of the leads, careful to throw the ball close so if he had to run after one of the sweet beagles he wouldn’t be too far away from the other one. As both beagles bounded after the ball, Duncan realized that these two must also be surrenders. They seemed comfortable on leads and knew straight away that Duncan wanted to play fetch with them.
He’d tried not to dwell on all of the animals left behind at the three shelters they’d visited today, but he found himself thinking about them anyway. He was ashamed to admit he’d never really given those animals much thought when he’d been busy building his career, but coming face to face with these poor, abandoned animals, it was hard not to think about it. Like Barkley, he was enough of a realist to recognize that not every animal could be saved, but he could also hate the fact that it was a pointless waste of life.
Both of the beagles were trying to get the ball, sending it rolling farther down the slight hill. Duncan called to them and began to run over toward them, wondering all of a sudden why they were barking and why they’d stopped chasing the ball.
“Hey, fellas,” Duncan asked as he caught up with them. “What’d you find?” Duncan stopped short when he noticed a frightened young woman sitting on the ground behind one of the bushes. “Don’t worry,” he said as he squatted down to reattach the leads to each of the beagles. “They won’t bite.” Duncan had no idea whether they would or not, but she looked so scared that he’d just blurted it out. “Are you okay?”
Duncan studied the young woman, not really sure if she was young or just small; the camouflage jacket she was wearing was clearly far too big for her. He stayed squatted, wanting to make himself appear as small as possible. He understood that look on her face; he’d seen that same look on his own face every day for the last two years. How many times he’d wanted someone to care about him, to ask him if he was okay, especially on those days when he’d been unable to chase away the overwhelming fear of not knowing whether he’d be able to eat that day or whether or not he’d lose Zeus and Neptune.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” Duncan said, bringing the dogs to his side, the one farther away from the woman. He didn’t see any bags or anything, but from her appearance and the dirt streaking her face, he guessed that she’d been out on the streets for at least a couple of weeks. “Can I get you anything? There’s a store across the street. I can bring you some food and water, maybe enough to last a couple of days?”
No answer.
“Is there a shelter or somewhere you can stay?”
Still no answer.
“Okay, I’ll tell you what,” Duncan said, smiling at the scared woman. “I’m going to run across the street and get you some food, and I’ll be right back. Okay?”
Still no answer.
With the beagles in tow, Duncan made his way to the little mom-and-pop store and greeted Najib as he entered. He made his way to the refrigerated section and picked out bottles of water and juice, filling his pockets when he realized he wouldn’t be able to juggle all the food he wanted to buy. He picked out a half-dozen sandwiches and headed back up to the cash register, reaching out for a few chocolate bars at the same time.
“You must learn to cook, yes?”
“Yes,” Duncan said, laughing at Najib. Even though Duncan had only been in the store fewer than a dozen times, it would seem that Najib could always be counted on for some words of wisdom about Duncan and Barkley’s eating habits whenever they were in the store. “It’s not all for me. There’s a woman over in the bushes beside the condo complex. Have you ever seen her around here?”
“Maybe once or twice a week,” Najib said as he punched up each of the items. “I usually see her with a gentleman. But I have not seen them yet this week.”
Duncan shrugged and handed over a fifty-dollar bill, accepted his change, and threw it in the bag, just in case she needed money to get to a shelter or to buy extra for the gentleman she was usually with. He nodded and thanked Najib and then set off at a trot with the beagles to deliver the items to the scared young woman.
He approached slowly, not wanting to scare her, announcing his approach in a calm tone. He figured she wouldn’t necessarily show herself to accept the food, but he would leave it near her and then return to the condo so she wouldn’t feel uncomfortable with Duncan standing there gawking.
He peered around the bushes to see precisely how close he could get the bag near her and then stopped. She was gone. He continued around the bush in a complete circle, but she was not there. He looked up and down the street, but she was most definitely gone. He felt his shoulders slump and cursed himself for having frightened her away.
Feeling defeated, he walked the beagles back to the main door and headed for the elevator, chatting with Charles while he waited to go back up to Barkley. When the elevator arrived, he bid Charles good night and led the beagles inside the car. He couldn’t help but wonder where she’d gone and whether or not she’d been frightened of the dogs or of him.
“Hey,” Barkley said as Duncan reentered the condo. “Did you get the critters a treat?”
“No,” Duncan said, feeling distracted. “Uh, while I was playing fetch with the beagles, they found this scared woman hiding in the bushes. She looked homeless and so I told her I’d go get her something to eat, but when I came back she was gone.” Duncan held up the bag and showed Barkley. “I hope I didn’t scare her away.”
“If you leave it at the front desk, they’ll make sure it gets handed out to the homeless in this area.” Barkley came over and kissed Duncan’s cheek. “It’s one of the reasons I invested in this particular property. Charles actually started it all many years ago, letting some of the homeless use the lobby when it gets really cold in the winter.” Barkley bent down and undid the leads, rubbing and scratching behind their ears. “And Najib is really good about giving away his day-old goods.”
“I’ll be right back,” Duncan said as he opened the door again. He was still shaking his head as he exited the elevator and held out the bag to Charles. Why am I not surprised?
WITH THE two beagles, Mozart, Zeus, and Neptune safely in the master bedroom, Barkley had the box of kittens with him as he turned the corner into the living room, prepared for the first of many feedings to come until these kittens were stabilized, weaned, and able to eat on their own. He smiled as he set the kittens down on the floor, thinking of what it was going to be like with seven kittens running amok in the condo for the next five weeks.
“It’s like your own little idea of utopia here,” Duncan said as he came back into the condo. “No one goes hungry and no one complains about decreasing property values.”
Barkley smiled, not really sure if Duncan was being facetious or complimentary. “It helps me sleep at night.” Barkley was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the living room, on the expensive Persian area rug his parents had bought for him for his first apartment, and was feeding the kittens. He had a bottle in each hand and a kitten in the crook of each knee.
“Hey,” Duncan said as he sat cross-legged opposite Barkley. “I didn’t mean that as a slam or anything.”
Barkley didn’t say anything, just looked up when their knees touched, and smiled. He watched as Duncan took the three remaining kittens and positioned them, one right next to the other, across his lap. He picked up three bottles and held them so that each of the kittens could feed at the same time. “I let Stinkerbell out, but I haven’t seen her yet. And I haven’t seen Lumi or Rainbow either. I was hoping they’d come by and show some interest in their new family here.”
“You’re keeping all seven?”
Barkley couldn’t help but notice that there was no surprise or incredulity in Duncan’s voice. It was as if he was asking about the weather. “Well,” he began as he felt his kittens squirm against his lap. He thought perhaps they were full and withdrew the bottles, but the immediate protests told him he’d been mistaken. He put the bottles back and the kittens continued to feed hungrily. “I was thinking about it… because my offer on the farm in Tottenham was accepted.” He smiled as he searched Duncan’s face for a reaction. He noticed Duncan look up for a moment and then redirect his gaze to his own three hungry kittens.
Duncan suddenly looked up again. “Accepted?” Duncan squinted and Barkley figured he was only half-listening and only heard part of the big announcement. “I didn’t know you’d put in an offer. I thought you were still in the thinking stage.”
“No, I’m done thinking,” Barkley said, his heart not quite as excited as it had been mere moments before. “It’s not far from Lori and John’s, so we can take even more animals now.”
“Well, that’s great,” Duncan said as a huge smile spread across his face. “So you’ll need to find someone to run it or do you have someone already?”
“Yes,” Barkley said. “I do.” Barkley couldn’t help but notice the smile on Duncan’s handsome face dim slightly.