Sam hums, surveying the tiny herd at their feet. “Orange one looks nice. Got a real tomcat face. And you can’t go wrong with a black cat.”
At his words, a sharp, unexpected pang cuts through my chest. My arms tighten around Sammi, who’s still purring against my heart. I know Charlie and Sam would give her a good home. Probably a perfect one. But the thought of her tucked into someone else’s life, someone else’s bed, someone else’s arms?
It guts me.
I don’t even realize I’m holding my breath until Liam speaks up.
“Oh, that one’s already been claimed,” he says casually.
My head snaps toward him. His face is the picture of easy nonchalance, but his eyes are anything but. They're steady. Sure. Saying everything he doesn’t put into words.
Sam doesn’t miss a beat. He just points at the next kitten and says, “What about the grey one?”
Charlie coos and reaches for it, attention shifting away.
But I can’t move. Because at that moment, Liam didn’t just save me from losing Sammi. He chose me. Quietly. Like it wasn’t even a question. And somehow, it feels like the first real promise anyone’s made to me in a long, long time.
Charlie finally picks one—the tiny grey fluff ball Sam pointed out—and together they load him up in Sam’s truck, tucked inside a borrowed crate with a blanket and a handful of treats.
Liam and I stand in the open barn doorway, watching them drive away, the sound of tires crunching on wet gravel fading into the distance.
He chuckles beside me, warm and easy. “I bet they come back tomorrow for at least one more.”
I smile, still cradling Sammi against my chest. She’s fallen asleep, tiny purrs vibrating against my heart.
I turn to him, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Thank you. For what you said about Sammi.”
He raises an eyebrow. “Sammi?”
“The black kitten.”
“Ah.” His mouth pulls into a slow smile. “Well, they couldn’t see it, but I could.”
My heart does a slow, aching flip. “See what?”
He shrugs, like it’s the simplest thing in the world. “That Sammi already had a home.”
Our eyes meet. And for a second, everything else just falls away.
He smiles again, softer this time, and it melts something inside me I didn’t even realize was still frozen.
“Now,” he says, tapping my chin playfully, “let’s head into town and get this second date started.”
I laugh, light and breathless, feeling more weightless than I have in years.
“Let’s go.”
8
After making sure the kittens are tucked safely away in the barn with fresh food and water, Liam and I wash up and head for his truck after he changes into jeans and a t-shirt. The rain has eased into a soft drizzle, misting the windshield as we pull out of the drive and head into Broken Heart Creek.
I pull up the notes app on my phone, fingers tapping quickly as Liam drives, one hand on the wheel, the other resting on the console.
“Okay,” I say, scrolling through our list. “We’ve got the dinner tonight, the appearance at the rodeo next week, the BBQ fundraiser after that, then two weeks at Teddy’s place in Texas.” I glance over at him. “Am I missing anything?”
Liam shakes his head, eyes on the road. “Nope. That’s it.”
“So, in theory…” I chew my lip, double-checking the calendar, “we should have this deal wrapped up within a month or so.”
