‘Both living abroad at the moment and unlikely to return any time soon. Besides, Marc’s wife’s ill and Joel lives in the Emirates in an even smaller flat than I have. We don’t have the space for Grandpa’s cat.’
‘I see.’ Mollie’s expression was sympathetic, but Noah was sure he wasn’t imagining a trace of exasperation there, too. It made his defences prickle. Just because she’d devoted her life to raising the waifs and strays of the feline world, it didn’t mean he had to do the same. If Mollie wasn’t happy to keep him on at the cattery, then perhaps she could help to find him a new home.
‘Of course, it’s not going to be easy to find new owners for a cat Monty’s age,’ Mollie continued as if she’d read Noah’s mind. ‘He’s eighteen now, and probably doesn’t have long left, and the vet’s diagnosed a heart murmur. He may not need medication, but if he does, people tend to be put off by that, too. The chances of finding somewhere that’ll take him and give him the freedom to roam while he can are quite low.’
‘But you can try?’ Noah asked. ‘I mean, you must have a lot of contacts.’
‘I do, but times are hard for people.’ She sighed. ‘And most owners want kittens, or young cats. It could be hard to find anyone prepared to take Monty on.’
Noah’s exasperation fought with guilt. He couldn’t help the defensive tone in his voice as he replied. ‘Well, I guess he’ll have to learn to love his pen, then, won’t he? I can keep paying for him, so long as you’re willing to keep him here.’
‘Very well.’ Mollie nodded, but Noah got the impression from the slightly stiff incline of her head that she was holding back from telling him what she really thought about his decision. ‘I should make you aware, though, that any veterinary fees Purrfect Paws has to pay on Monty’s behalf will be billed to you in future. He’s the family’s responsibility, Noah.’
‘I understand.’ Noah suddenly felt as though he needed to get out of Mollie’s office. He needed some fresh air, and the guilt at leaving Monty in limbo at Purrfect Paws was impinging on his ability to think clearly.
‘We’ll be in touch.’ Mollie stood with a creak. ‘How long will you be in the village?’
‘Only until tomorrow morning,’ Noah replied. ‘I’ve got to get back for work on Monday.’
As they walked back to reception, Noah’s desperation to get outside and away from the cat sanctuary began to rise. His gut churned, and his heart was beating at a speed that surprised him. He turned quickly back to Mollie. ‘Bye, Mollie. And thanks.’
‘Did you not want to put your head in on Monty before you leave?’ Mollie asked, her brow wrinkling.
Noah shook his head. ‘Not today. I’ve, er, got lots of things to sort out at the cottage. I’ll see him next time.’ He needed to get out of there. He felt sick to the stomach and frustrated with the whole situation.
‘All right, then. Take care, Noah.’
Noah nodded, and, not bothering to say goodbye to Bella, who was sorting through paperwork behind the counter, he hurried back out to the car.
11
‘Well, he’s an interesting one!’ Bella couldn’t help but comment, once Noah was safely out of earshot.
Mollie gave her an enigmatic smile. ‘He’s had a tough time of it lately. He and Jack were very close, and he’s taken Jack’s loss hard. It doesn’t help that it’s fallen to him to sort out Jack’s cottage. His two brothers are happy to inherit their share of the money but aren’t willing to get their hands dirty.’ She gave a sniff, which Bella knew was the closest Mollie ever got to expressing disapproval.
‘Everyone’s got problems,’ Bella replied. ‘But we don’t all walk around like thunderclouds.’ She shook her head, trying to get rid of her residual irritation about her first encounters with Noah. ‘Did you manage to sort out what he wants to do with poor old Monty?’
‘Monty’s going to keep boarding with us for the time being.’ Mollie picked up the dirty coffee cup from the shelf behind the reception desk, where Bella had left it when she’d opened up that morning. ‘Noah’s asked us to make enquiries about re-homing him.’
‘But no one’ll take him!’ Bella exclaimed. ‘I mean, no offence, Moll, the copy you write for the Facebook group is always brilliant, but I don’t think even you can pretty up the bare facts that Monty’s a vicious, cantankerous, grumpy old sod who’s bitten anyone who comes within fifty yards of him. Not to mention the yowling when he’s pissed off, hungry or lonely. And the heart murmur, of course.’
‘Well, that’s what Noah wants.’ Mollie shook her head. ‘Although, to be honest, he’s more likely to be seeing out his days with us, I would think, for precisely the reasons you’ve listed so eloquently. And if that’s the case, then we should make sure he gets as much fuss as he needs.’
‘I do when he lets me near him,’ Bella muttered. Then, she sighed. ‘Poor Monty. He’d be so happy in a new home where he could get out and climb again. It must be like being in prison, being in his enclosure.’
‘I don’t think it’s quite as bad as all that.’ Mollie raised a wry eyebrow. ‘But I do agree, in a perfect world he’d have a much more stimulating place to spend his last days. It always seems like such a shame when a cat’s been used to being outdoors, to pen them up indoors again, even if it is for their own safety. But what can we do? Noah’s Monty’s owner now and we have to do as he wishes.’
‘We don’t have to like it, but I suppose there’s no other option.’ Bella’s heart ached for Monty, though. Who knew, perhaps a lovely, patient owner would come forward if Monty was advertised for re-homing. He might actually behave himself long enough to settle in somewhere new and live out what time he had left happily. Maybe, he’d even hold his temper long enough not to scratch or bite prospective owners until they’d grown too attached to bring him back? Unfortunately, failed adoptions were becoming alarmingly regular, and Mollie couldn’t refuse a return if it didn’t go well. People didn’t seem to have the time or the patience to build bonds with their animals any more, and while the majority of adoptions went without a hitch, there were inevitably the few who came back to them. Bella didn’t think Monty would survive the upheaval of being adopted and then returned to Purrfect Paws. Perhaps it was better for him to see out his days as a boarder. At least he’d have a calmer dotage.
As she went about her chores at the sanctuary that day, she couldn’t stop thinking about Monty, and by extension, Noah. They both seemed as though they were in need of some TLC, someone to take care of them. Monty, because he was old and crotchety, and Noah because, despite their two prickly encounters, she’d sensed such a sadness inside him that she couldn’t help but want to comfort him too.
Bella knew she was susceptible to a handsome face and a sob story – her own chequered romantic history was enough evidence of that – but she couldn’t help but find her thoughts lingering on Noah. She spent her time at Purrfect Paws pouring her love and affection into the waifs and strays that were brought in, as well as giving comfort to the boarders who sometimes took a while to settle in. She knew herself well enough to know that she was displacing the love she had to give onto the cats, because she was wary of getting involved with another guy, and losing her heart again. That didn’t mean she was lonely, she told herself, just that she wasn’t going to make another mistake like Marcus.
Marcus had possessed the two things she knew were her Kryptonite – the most gorgeous of faces, and a backstory that had suckered her in completely. A former professional footballer, he’d been let go by a League One club after his cruciate ligament injury had refused to heal properly. When they’d encountered one another in a club in Taunton, where he’d been on a night out with his former teammates, sparks had flown and they’d embarked on a three-month relationship that had culminated in her lending him the last of her savings to see a London-based physiotherapist, and him then ghosting her shortly afterwards.
That experience had taught her that, no matter how gorgeous the face, no matter how sad the story, it wasn’t wise to get snared by either. She’d resolved, from that point on, to give her heart only to cats, and to steer clear of human males, at least for a while.
‘Something on your mind, dear?’ Mollie’s voice broke into Bella’s meander down memory lane, and she gave the older woman a quick, reassuring smile.
