Seth was pretty sure animals were sensitive to intentions, and Mara’s gentleness was apparent. She squatted down and held out her hand. The cat studied her, but remained still.
When she moved to pat it, she kept her hand away from its face. Smart. That wouldn’t scare the cat and, hopefully, it wouldn’t strike out.
The cat proved it sensed her intentions and let her touch it. She ran her hand over its back several times, then extended her reach to include its head. Her soft touch and words appeared to convince the cat that Mara was safe. It wasn’t long before a purr rumbled from its body, and it leaned into her touch.
Lucky cat.
For several minutes, Mara touched the animal, extending her reach and checking for injuries.
Eventually, she brought her second hand forward and lifted the cat into her arms. The creature snuggled in without a complaint and rubbed its head against her throat.
He was jealous of a damn cat.
Mara rose and smiled at Seth. “He doesn’t appear injured, but I’m betting he’s hungry.”
Seth climbed the stairs. The cat stared him down, but didn’t struggle in Mara’s arms. The purring stopped, and Seth wondered if there was another ass he wanted to kick. If anyone had abused this animal, he’d be more than willing to teach the jerk a lesson.
Seth unlocked the door and disarmed the system. Once Mara and the cat were in the mudroom, he reversed the actions, then followed her into the kitchen. “I’ve got some tuna.”
Mara stroked the small head. “You’ll like that, Fritter, won’t you?”
“Fritter?”
She grinned up at him. “He looks like a Fritter, don’t you think?”
What the hell did that even mean? Instead of answering, he went to the pantry and grabbed a can of tuna. He hadn’t been sure why he’d picked up the cans at Phail Phoods. He used fresh tuna when he cooked, but he’d been trying to stock the pantry with some basics. It wasn’t as if the stuff in the can wasn’t real or healthy.
He opened the can and scooped some into a bowl. If the animal was starving, he didn’t want it to overeat and make itself sick. Slow was better. He placed two bowls on the floor, one with tuna and the other with water.
The cat had lifted its head when he’d opened the can, and now it mewled and squirmed in Mara’s arms. “Are you hungry, Fritter? Thirsty?”
She squatted on the floor near the bowls and released the cat. The cat looked around warily, checking the area, maybe not trusting in the safety and the food.
Mara continued to stroke the lucky beast as it sniffed at the food and water.
Yep, Seth definitely wanted to kick someone’s ass.
The next minute, the cat basically gulped down the tuna and turned to the water bowl.
Mara smiled up at Seth. “Good choice. He likes it.”
He nodded. “We’ll see how that settles in his stomach. If he keeps it down, we’ll give him more soon.”
“Good idea. Do you think he’s lost? Do you think someone’s looking for him?”
He could hear the longing underneath her questions. Mara hoped no one was looking for the cat because she’d already fallen in love with it. Fritter.
“We can text Garrett or Kimi later and ask if anyone’s been searching for a cat.” He squatted down beside the pair and snapped a couple of pictures.
Mara’s pretty lips formed a pout. “I know it’s an awful thing to say, but I hope no one’s looking for him.”
Seth chuckled. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“You did?”
He nodded. “You named him, and you keep stroking him.” He didn’t say lucky cat out loud, but he sure felt it.
She smiled at him, making him feel like a part of her conspiracy to keep the animal.
