“We’ll take them inside for Rey,” Lake said as he exited the donkey’s stall. “He’ll get a kick out of having additional responsibilities.” He glanced back. “Also, that’s a crafty donkey. Tried to open my shoelaces while I was bringing his water in. He can’t reach the automatic water bowl, so I brought him a bucket.”
I smiled at Lake. “Good thinking.”
Lake flushed at the compliment. “So, kittens?”
“Kittens,” Sebastian nodded excitedly. He was like a little kid when it came to kittens. His whole face lit up and I was pretty sure he was moments away from clapping his hands in excitement.
I followed the two of them to the car where Lake grabbed the carrier, which Sebastian offered to carry for him.
Lake took our coffee mugs and we headed to the house while the kittens made pitiful little meows inside the carrier.
“Where’s your bag?” I asked Seb.
“In my car, grab it for me on the way?”
“Sure.” I smiled, letting him keep carrying his precious cargo.
I couldn’t wait to see how Rey would react to the gorgeous veterinarian, especially when the man came carrying presents in the form of meowy balls of fluff.
Chapter 15
Lake
The donkey was hilarious and exasperating at the same time. From what I’d already learned by being around the donkeys we already had, it seemed to be a species-related issue.
The poor mare looked really bad, and I felt horrible for her. I hoped she’d be fine. And then there was Izzy. I had a feeling Theo would have his hands full with the gelding. I hoped Theo could find something interesting for Izzy to do and that it would settle him. Right now it was as if he was a barrel of volatile solution that everyone knew was right there a little in the way, and nobody wanted to slosh it around. Except technically it was Izzy that would do the sloshing. Maybe I had some work to do with my metaphors.
I got to the house first, so I kicked off my shoes and held open the door for Sebastian the hot veterinarian. Holy shit, Sierra hadn’t been joking when she’d warned me about him. I was pretty sure even Theo had bit of heart eyes in Seb’s presence.
River stood in the kitchen entryway, his smirk too knowing. The bastard had already met Sebastian and hadn’t warned me?
“Hey, Seb, what’cha got there?” he asked innocently.
“Apparently this package is for your friend Rey.”
We could all hear Rey coming down the stairs. “What’s for me?” he asked, then froze like a deer in the headlights. “Oh.”
Sebastian, either oblivious or just incredibly cool, held up the carrier. “Kittens.”
“We have stuff in the storage shed, if someone wants to go get it with me?” Theo waited in the doorway.
River nodded. “I need some fresh air. You three go set the kitties up in Rey’s room.”
“They’re really for me?” Rey asked, his voice so awed it made my heart ache.
“Theo’s friend Jules had their hands full and needed us to take some animals. We decided that you might want to foster the kittens,” I replied as we walked up the stairs.
As if we couldn’t see it in his expression, Rey quickly blurted out, “Oh I definitely want to!”
Seb hid a little smile. “Good to know that you have the needed enthusiasm for this job.”
I was walking behind Rey and could see him blush like crazy. Oh boy…
We went into Rey’s room and he looked around.
“The only spot where there’s room for them is by the window,” he said quietly as he gathered some books off his desk that was pointedly not against the windows where most people would’ve wanted it.
I guessed something about his tone alerted Seb, and he glanced at me. I hoped he could read thedon’t comment on itin my expression.
