Hiss and Make Up
(Bayou Rescue #1)
Sierra lifted the foil and squeezed some liquid over the turkey breast to give it another shower of butter, broth juices, herbs, and seasoning.
“Are we sure that’s enough meat for everyone?” Marc slipped his arms around her waist and leaned his head over her shoulder from behind.
“It’s just you, me, and Liz,” she said. “Dad and Luna are having the vegan loaf, which you’re also trying. But you’ll love it, I promise. It’s way less scary than it sounds.”
“I’m less afraid of your dad’s loaf than not having enough food. What about leftovers?”
“You’ll still have leftovers. Trust me. Look at everything else we have.” Sierra gestured at the disposable pans all lined up on the counter, waiting for their turn in the oven later. In her mind, the side dishes were the real stars of the show. She put the foil back over the turkey breast. “Besides, it’s too late now to do anything about it. Can’t even buy a turkey at this point, much less defrost and cook it in time. So buckle up and enjoy, buddy. It’s Thanks-freaking-giving.”
Marc released her and stepped aside so she could return the turkey to the oven. Then he inspected each of the pans on the counter, as if he didn’t know what was under the foil, even though he’d helped her prepare each dish early that morning. They’d made rice dressing, cornbread dressing, and sweet potato casserole. They’d also prepped green beans for roasting and had rolls and a can of cranberry jelly ready to go. All that was left to make was gravy.
Sierra hadn’t even attempted mac and cheese. Neither she nor Marc had ever made it before, and she wasn’t about to tackle such an important side with no experience or help with everything else going on today. Liz had said she and Luna would whip some up if they got back early enough and had time.
“Have I ever told you that you’re adorable when you’re being all domestic?”
Sierra narrowed her eyes. She knew he didn’t mean anything by it, but it was still a sore spot for her, wondering if he’d rather have a more… traditional life. Not a life with a partner who smelled like the woods, had a mouth like a sailor, invited her best friend and her best friend’s kid to live with them, and spent her free time building an animal sanctuary on the land next to theirs.
She wagged a finger at him. “Don’t get used to it.”
He cracked a deliciously playful smile. “Don’t worry. I only like it because it’s a novelty. Kind of like ice cream truck treats.”
“You know you can just buy those in the store now, right?”
He frowned, but laughter remained in his eyes. “You’re ruining my metaphor.”
“Stick to football metaphors and innuendos,” she said. “Speaking of which, don’t you have a game to watch?”
“Ours is later tonight. Don’t care about the one on right now.”
Sierra placed a hand to her heart, feigning shock. “You don’t care about a football game? What is this witchcraft?”
“And since I don’t care about the game…” Marc closed the gap between them and put his hands on her waist again, this time with his face only inches from hers. “How long do we have before your dad shows up for dinner?”
Sierra leaned forward to meet him with a kiss. They’d reunited only a couple months ago, but it felt now like they’d been this way forever. Every touch was thrilling still, but there was an air of comfort and warmth to everything. He excited her, but still felt like home.
“First of all, don’t bring up my dad if you want to do stuff.” She delighted in the smile that elicited. Sierra had grown to a place where she lived to make him smile and laugh. He seemed to get the same delight from returning the favor whenever he could. “And second, Liz and Luna will be back from her mom’s house before Dad gets here. They should be back very soon, in fact.”
Puck barked and pirouetted on the kitchen linoleum behind Marc at the mention of Luna’s name. Since Liz and Luna had moved in a few weeks ago, Luna had quickly become his favorite person in the universe.
And the feeling was mutual. Luna had begun speaking more around Puck. Her therapist even had her reading books out loud to the dog. Not only was it the cutest darn thing Sierra had ever seen, but it served the greater good, too. Whenever Liz expressed doubts about their plan, Sierra only had to point to Luna and her new best dog friend as proof that they were all heading in the right direction together.
“On the bright side, as much as I like alone time with you, it was starting to feel a little too quiet in here this morning.”
There was that doubt again. Sierra knew she wasn’t a quiet person by nature, but she still wondered if she’d ever be “enough” for Marc.
He didn’t make her feel that way, though. It was just her own insecurities. But they popped up a lot less often now, and she moved past them more quickly these days. She was learning that if she voiced the thoughts right away, instead of letting them stew and grow, Marc would quickly reassure her. Then, she could move through the anxiety and fear much faster that way. She felt embarrassed to be that vulnerable and guilty about putting that responsibility on him to help her through it, but with practice, it happened less and less. Soon, she’d feel confident enough in their relationship and in their future that the doubts would disappear for good.
Puck barked again, and Marc said to him, “Yes, I know you can fix the quiet. Should I take him outside?”
“Let him hang out in here as long as he can. He’ll get excited with everyone later and need to go outside while we eat.” Sierra leaned against the counter and fiddled with the dish towel. “So I guess you miss having Denise and the kids around today.”
They had all settled into life in Houston now. Her husband was out of the treatment center and seemed to be doing well. They were trying to make things work, and it looked like they might. It was only a month, though. Time would tell.
Marc shrugged. “Yeah, of course. I mean, I think it’s my first Thanksgiving without them.” He moved in closer again and rubbed the sides of her arms. “But she’s sure living out there is best for them, and I want what’s best for her. And you know what?”
She got lost in those intense brown eyes of his and the way he could see right into her. “What?”
“I’ve got what’s best for me right here.” He kissed her, then looked at her again. “Every day I’m so grateful you came back into my life. And I’m grateful that every day keeps getting better.”
She swatted him playfully with the dish towel. “You’re such a sap.”
“But I’m your sap.”
“Yeah, you are.” She kissed him again, but her phone dinging on the table cut the moment short. “Looks like Dale won’t make it.”
He had only been a “maybe,” but his decline was good news, since he’d promised her he wouldn’t spend the day alone, and if he didn’t have other plans, he’d show up.
“Does that mean what I think it means?”
“I think so,” Sierra said. “Don’t worry. I’ll harass him for all the details tomorrow.”
Even though working on plans for their new animal sanctuary endeavor was a full-time job, Sierra was still working part time at the Nature Station. That’s how she knew he’d met someone. A lovely woman who took her two young grandchildren to the station every Thursday, like clockwork. They’d only needed a tiny bit of extra help to speed up the courtship timeline. Time Sierra had been glad to help with by giving the grandkids a special introduction to the station’s newest resident: the northern water snake she and Marc had brought in last month.
“Well, hopefully that lasts longer than Chloe and Freddy did.”
Sierra laughed. Those two lasted all of ten days together. But it seemed to have been a fun ten days for both, from what Marc had told her, and neither had any hard feelings about the failed experiment.
“Dale isn’t Freddy,” she said. “I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
“I hope so. Dale deserves something good.”
“Speaking of something good,” she said. “I forgot to tell you I heard back from the guy Dale knows.”
“The one with all the reclaimed wood and stuff from old houses?”
Dale had hooked up Sierra and Liz with a friend of his who was excited about their shelter plans. He lived in Breaux Bridge and wanted to help out, so he was going to cut them a deal on some of their supplies. They’d still need to purchase new for some of the materials, but they could repurpose what they could for some things. Sort of like a circle of life for the community. Or a second chance for the animals as well as the building materials.
Great. All this good work was making her sappy now.
“The contractor is in touch with him, and they’re going to start rolling on construction next week.”
“That’s great news!” Marc snapped his fingers. “I forgot to tell you that Chloe and Freddy wrapped up their end of the paperwork.”
Sierra’s shoulders sank. Of course, they knew this day would come, but she’d gotten used to Liz and Luna living with them. It was a little crowded, sure, but it was fun and comforting. Now they were definitely on track to move into Chloe’s mom’s old house before the end of the year.
“That’s… great.”
And it was great. Liz and Luna needed their own place. Plus, while she’d found adopters for most of her Witchy Kitty Rescue cats, a few longtimers were in temporary foster homes until Liz could get a more permanent setup for them. A setup without a Puck. Although they did bring Luna’s favorite longtimer with them. He just had to stay in their bedroom with the door closed so Puck didn’t think it was nonstop kitty playtime in the house.
Marc squeezed her hand. “They’ll be right down the road.”
“I know,” she said. “This is really good for them. Really, it is.”
“It’ll be a new year and a new start for everyone.”
She grinned and kissed his nose. “Sap.”
“That’s me.”
“You love it.”
Sierra’s grin stretched wide. “Damn, right, I do.”