731c3e32dd6349cda7e9d6caf76b901f

She seemed offended by my innocent question.“Of course I will,” she practically snarled at me.

I said nothing, focusing my attention on Charlene. This was really goodbye, and I couldn’t even talk with her properly while Blaire was watching. I’d sure miss the little fluff ball, but she got what she’d wanted this whole time, and she would have a home, too. I felt much better, knowing she’d be off the streets.

“I guess I should let you all get back to sleep.” I pushed myself back to my feet, hesitant to leave but also knowing it was for the best. “We have some supplies for Charl—um, Snowball—in our room. I’ll bring them by in the morning. Let me know if you need anything else by then, okay? Charles and I will probably be checking out to grab a hotel in town.”

She perked up instantly.“On account of someone trying to kill your husband?”

“I don’t know aboutkill,but yes. We don’t exactly feel safe here.”

“Well, at least you have somewhere to go. I have two cats and no home.” She glanced up at me with tear-rimmed eyes, an unexpected display of emotion from the mostly stoic girl. “Dylan and I broke up today. I’m only staying here until the old lady realizes I can’t pay and kicks me out.”

My heart went out to her, especially since I was in the exact opposite predicament. I was literally here celebrating my honeymoon.“Do you need some money, Blaire?” I offered gently.

She snorted.“I need a job. I met Dylan at work, so naturally I quit. I can’t stand the thought of having to see him every single day. It would be too awkward.”

“Well, I’m sure something will turn up.” My well-intended optimism was not well-received.

“Okay, Boomer,” she practically barked. “I’ll just walk into an office and immediately land my dream job without so much as an interview, then I’ll get a mortgage on a three-bedroom house by batting my eyelashes and promising not to default. All I’ll need after that is a white picket fence, and I can live happily ever after. I’ll pass on the whole Prince Charming facade, thanks.”

Okay, that was pretty harsh.

“I am nowhere near old enough to be a Boomer.” I tried to keep the upset from my voice, seeing as the girl was having a rough time already. “But I have a good feeling about your future, even if you don’t.”

With that, I left.

Charlene was so caught up in the reunion with her mother, she didn’t even see me go. Oh, well. It was for the best, right? Even if Blaire had nothing else, she would at least have the love of two very special felines.

I trudged slowly toward the staircase, trying to come to terms with how I was feeling in that moment. For the last day and a half, Charles and I had been focused almost solely on finding the missing mother cat, and now that we had… I was really going to miss that kitten.

Maybe I was more prepared to be a mother than I originally thought. Or maybe I just really liked cats.

Who knew?

Certainly not me.

I paused to look out at the garden from the window beside the secondary staircase and was startled to spy movement outside. I squinted in an attempt to clarify the picture, but it was all so dark.

Past midnight was no time to work in the garden. Could whatever was happening out there somehow be related to all the trouble Charles and I had been facing since our arrival? Was that the guilty party right outside the window already working to sabotage us yet again?

I honestly didn’t know, but I certainly had to go out there to take a closer look.

18

This time I did wake Charles. It took several good shakes, but finally his eyes blinked open.

“What time is it?” he groaned, covering his eyes to block out the light.

“Late,” I confessed with an apologetic wince. “I’m sorry. It’s just I found Charlene’s mother, and now there’s something going on in the garden. I’d feel safer if you were with me.”

He struggled to sit up in bed.“You found Charlene’s mother?” This was followed by a sharp gasp of pain.

“Oh, sweetie.” I reached over to rub his shoulders.

He leaned into my touch.“I guess that fall hurt me more than I initially realized. Let me just pop a couple Tylenol and—”

“It’s okay. You should rest.” And I should have known better than to wake him. Of course he was putting on a strong face after that horrid accident. He didn’t want to worry me, and now I’d only made things worse by disturbing him while his body was trying to heal.

He shrugged off my concern and practically leapt out of bed, as if to prove a point.“And miss the action? No way.”

I waited as he swallowed a couple capsules dry.

He clapped his hands together to signal his readiness to proceed.“Let’s go see what’s happening. And after that, you’ll tell me about finding Charlene’s mother?”

“Definitely. I can even take you to meet her in the morning, but I don’t know how much longer that person will be outside.”

Charles locked the door behind us, then shot me a worried glance.“A person is out there? Doing what?”

“I don’t know. That’s what I want to find out.”