Turn of the Pipes (A Redpoint One Romance) (11 page)

If only there was something to
interrupt.

"Thank you for the pleasant evening," Ignacio
started.

"It was wonderful. Even with Pookie," Rachel
said, forcing a big smile on her face. "Speaking of rescues, how
are the baby Silky Newts doing? Are they already
bigger?"

"They are doing fine. Thank you for asking,"
Ignacio said, his face cloudy.

She didn't like seeing the expression. For
some reason he was upset, and she knew exactly the thing to break
the mood.

"You have to show me." Rachel stepped past him
and into the front room of the apartment side.

The man from when she'd first arrived for the
date saluted her with a beer bottle and disappeared down the
hallway to the back of the apartment. Rachel made her way to the
door leading into the main warehouse, turning to wait for Ignacio.
"Do Silkies molt? I can't keep straight which ones do and
don't."

Ignacio stood outside the door. The poor man
looked so totally confused, as if still expecting her to be
outside.

"Any other babies on the way?" Rachel
asked.

Still not getting a response, she went through
the door. Some of the enclosures were dark. A few floor lights
illuminated the center walkway, allowing her to easily find the
Silky enclosure.

She kneeled down in front of it, trying to
make out any moving shapes in the shadows around the edges of the
pond. A moment later she heard soft footsteps behind her. A breath
later, and he was kneeling down next to her.

"Paul says he counted all of them a half hour
ago," Ignacio said.

"That was Paul? A friend?"

"He heads up part of the Exotic Pet Show.
Breeds rare birds."

All this time she'd been helping the reserve,
and all this had been going on around her without her knowing.
She'd never realized how big Redpoint One was on a social level,
and she'd been working on the station for years.

"I think I see one." Rachel pointed towards
the right side of the pond.

"They're usually in the same general area.
Another one near the right waterfall," Ignacio said,
pointing.

"By the fern," Rachel said, seeing another
tiny head bobbing in the water.

One by one they found the others and the
parents, picking them out from the water and plants in a newt
treasure hunt. With each find, she heard the tension leaving
Ignacio's voice.

"All accounted for," Rachel said as Ignacio
pointed out the last one.

"And all doing well. Usually, I lose one or
two the first five days. There are always weaker members of the
litter," he said, shifting his legs.

"As with most animals. You said you intended
this group to be released into the wild?" Rachel asked.

"Yes, at a refuge. They'll help broaden out
the genetic diversity of the wild population. The parents will stay
here. They're too accustomed to humans." His eyes remained on the
newts, but his voice had taken on a different quality. Softer,
almost adoring.

Why couldn't he turn that towards her just
once? For now, she contented herself with the fact he'd relaxed
after coming back to familiar surroundings.

"Hmm. Should we even be here, then?" Rachel
asked. "The babies might get accustomed to humans looking in on
them."

"You're fine. The glass is currently only
one-sided. We can see them, they can't see us."

That made her feel better. She shifted to the
side, her thigh brushing his. She felt him stiffen.

Oh great, and she hadn't even done it on
purpose.

"Thank you for the dinner," Ignacio said, his
reserved tone back in full-force.

Rats, she'd ruined it. "The meal was lovely.
We should do this again."

"I'll walk you out."

If there was ever a shutout, that line was
one. Her heart immediately started grieving over it. She hadn't
meant to touch him. It was completely innocent. She'd only wanted
to get a better look at the male newt, as she'd not seen him with
the mother before.

She stood up when he did. Who knew if his
chivalrous offer of a hand to help her up would set him off more.
Her mind raced, trying to think of what to do next. She'd already
lured him among his beloved newts and salamanders. What was left to
try?

Then she spotted a newt between two
enclosures, completely out in the open. At a water valve, using the
flat feet it used to cling to glass to unscrew the release. In the
space of a heartbeat, a trickle of water began to come out the
valve.

"Don't you dare, you frilled monstrosity!"
Rachel shouted, racing across the warehouse, not caring about her
high heels or dress.

***

Ignacio stiffened. Who could she be yelling at? Admittedly,
he'd been actively trying to stop any possibility of further dates,
but he didn't think he'd been insulting about it.

Then Rachel shot off across the warehouse, the
golden fabric of the skirt flaring out behind her. Straight towards
a cleaning station on the other side of the aisle. Only then did he
see a small moving body near the lower faucet.

Oh no, how did Irvine get out? He'd checked
over his entire enclosure several times after the last
escape.

Rachel slid to a stop on the tile at the base
of the faucet and reached down in a way that made his heart skip a
beat.

"Don't grab by the tail!" He shouted, running
as fast as he could. He caught up just in time to find Irvine held
by the main body right in front of the rear legs.

"Oh no, you don't. Get out of there," Rachel
shouted at him, rocking the back of Irvine's body back and forth.
The rest of him was in the pipe with water pouring over both him
and Rachel's hands and arms. She glared up at Ignacio. "He won't
come out. Do something. He'll clog up the pipes again."

"Pull gently." There wasn't enough room to
trade holds, so he pulled Irvine's hind legs off the pipe to help
with the extraction. "But, don't squeeze the body."

"I'm not the one pulling hard. He
is!"

"Maybe close the faucet so he can't go further
in?" While holding Irvine's legs with one hand, he closed the
faucet with the other. Which did absolutely no good at all. The
water continued to pour out. "Do you have more plumbing problems?
It won't close."

"Of course it won't close. Redpoint One
detects a lifeform. It won't kill it." Rachel nodded towards the
back of the warehouse. "You have a warehouse water main switch near
the electric box. Turn it off."

He'd never had a reason to turn off the water
to the warehouse, but he found it fairly easy thanks to someone's
careful labeling in the rear utility room. He rushed back to Rachel
to find her in the same position as before.

"I don't know what you expect to find in
there, but there isn't any food," Rachel said to Irvine, with a
lovely scowl on her face that wrinkled her nose.

"Did he come out at all?" He asked.

"Wedged in as tight as before. Any other
ideas?"

"I've never known a Ruffled Newt do this sort
of thing. To figure out how to open valves or regularly escape
their enclosures?" He put a hand through his hair as he stared down
at them. Getting Irvine out was one thing, but what did he do
afterwards? "I didn't think they were this intelligent. Wonder if
anyone else has observed this sort of behavior?"

The look Rachel gave him said she didn't care.
Nor did she appreciate his laugh. He shrugged at her increased
glare. "Sorry. I am trying to figure something out.
Promise."

"Think faster. My hands are getting tired,"
Rachel said, moving to kneel down on her knees.

Such lovely knees. Along with the rest of her
lower legs. Muscular, but so smooth.

Ignacio started. Where did that thought come
from? Not the right time or place for it, nor something he should
even be thinking about, he reminded himself. He didn't want any
more dates, right? Break it off now, fast and painless, before the
rest of him became anymore involved. Only, not all of him agreed
with the thought.

It took effort, but he forced his mind to
return to business. "Right, get him out."

Getting Irvine out of a tube of water would be
hard. It mimicked his natural environment. Recalling what worked
for Pookie, he brought out several offerings of food. Irvine
ignored them all, still trying to wriggle his way into the
pipe.

"I preferred our dinner," Rachel said with a
rueful smile as he took away the aquatic worms. "Next?"

Ignacio didn't know what to do. Food, tickling
the feet, scratching the belly, tapping the pipe. All of it failed.
He thought back to the native environment. He must be missing
something. Something else that would be sure to lure Irvine out of
the faucet.

He unbuttoned his suit jacket as he stood up
and walked towards the back of the warehouse. "Hold on. I have one
last idea. Don't go anywhere."

"Very funny," Rachel yelled out after
him.

In short order he returned with a big bowl and
a small fluffy brush. He'd left the jacket and his good shirt in
his bedroom, replacing it with one of his older work shirts. He had
a feeling this was going to get messy.

"No wonder it took you so long. You changed,"
Rachel said as he kneeled down next to her.

"I was hardly gone at all." He dipped the
brush in the warmed oil and started pushing it up the faucet in any
opening not occupied by Irvine. "An oil I use for several newts
when they have skin lesions. Helps them heal."

Rachel gave a laugh. "Are you planning what
I'm thinking?"

"He can't stay in if he can't keep a good
grip."

"Brilliant. Keep at it."

Ignacio was happy to. He wanted Irvine out
safe and in one piece, especially with his tail intact. He didn't
foresee one problem, though. In order to apply the oil properly it
meant close proximity to Rachel, including those nice smooth knees
revealed by her hiked-up skirt.

It made it hard to think of anything
newt-related, no matter how he tried. He tried pulling away and
work the brush from the distance, but he couldn't angle the brush
correctly. He almost stabbed poor Irvine before he gave it
up.

"Sorry about that," Ignacio muttered as he
lowered himself again to the floor in front of the faucet, trying
his best to ignore Rachel.

To ignore the silk, as well as the silky skin
touching his. Trying and utterly failing. The material felt
familiar, although he couldn't imagine why, making him ever more
sensitive to the touches.

"I'm fine," Rachel said. "I think I just felt
him slipping."

The smooth silky material of her skirt brushed
against his cheek as he used the brush and a flashlight to place a
good glop of oil near one of Irvine's front legs. Such wonderful
material. Irvine was a fool to prefer a pipe to the soft touch of
the material.

Then he suddenly remembered. Of his mother
wearing a burgundy dress with a soft paisley imprint to impress the
man who would become her second husband, the man who eventually
became his beloved stepfather. "Wait, are you wearing Mandian
silk?"

"You noticed only now?" Rachel asked from
above him.

"It's been rather dark most of the night." The
shock continued to ripple through him even while continuing to oil
the inside of the pipe. She'd thought of something like this for
their simple date? Wasn't the silk expensive? Now he felt bad about
taking her for a picnic. He should have taken her to one of the
more expensive restaurants in the entertainment sector. "I'm sure
Irvine appreciates the gesture of something from his home
world."

"It's not Irvine I was trying to impress, you
dolt," Rachel said.

The words didn't match the inflections of her
voice. For the second time that night his heart swelled. Even more
so than when she'd appeared at the door looking so adorable in a
golden dress matching the highlights of her hair.

And it was all for Rachel. No memories
attached to anyone else.

With a squelching noise and a hiss, Irvine
slipped out of the pipe with an irritated hiss. Rachel fell back in
surprise with the newt still grasped in both hands.

Irvine did not look happy to be out of the
pipe. He hissed and pushed against her arms, his skin becoming ever
more coated with oil. Several drops ran down his tail to drip on
Rachel's skirt.

Ignacio quickly put down the oil and brush.
"Here, give him to me. The oil will ruin the silk."

"I'm not sure I can keep ahold of him." Rachel
hunched up her shoulders while holding him out to Ignacio. "I think
he's going to get free!"

Irvine popped out of Rachel's hands just when
Ignacio wrapped his hand around the upper body, but his hold wasn't
secure enough. Between Irvine's fast movements and the oil, he had
popped out of the top of Ignacio's hands, too.

Rachel hands flashed through the air, and she
caught him before Irvine's legs could even touch ground.