“If no one’s lost him, I’ll get Kimi to check him out, make sure he’s healthy.”
He nodded. “He’ll have to stay out of the kitchen.”
Those pretty lips pouted. He wanted to kiss them and retract his words at the same time.
Mara nodded. “I know. We can’t compromise the food and safety standards. He’ll probably be happy to wander everywhere else.”
“I’m guessing he’s an outdoor cat. He’s been fending for himself.”
Another tiny pout. “True. Maybe Fritter would be happy to stay in the other farmhouse.”
Or maybe the cat would take off at the first opportunity. They couldn’t leave food outside for it because it would attract predators, but if the cat was smart, it knew Mara was a soft touch.
Seth found himself hoping that Fritter would stick around. If not, he imagined he’d be asking Garrett to find another cat for Mara.
Fritter yawned and stretched, then climbed into Mara’s lap and promptly fell asleep.
Lucky cat.
Mara knew she should start baking, but Fritter was curled in her arms and purring. What was a girl supposed to do?
Seth moved around the kitchen doing his thing, but Mara couldn’t bring herself to move. Not with this creature curled in her arms and snoozing peacefully. He didn’t appear dirty or unkempt. Was that because he’d got himself lost, or because cats were innately neat creatures who groomed themselves whether humans were around or not?
She didn’t have a clue.
Without disrupting Fritter, she managed to pull her phone out of her pocket and look up what she should do next. It was too early to disturb Kimi, but she’d text the veterinarian soon.
She pulled up a site that told her about what to do about a lost cat. She kept her voice soft. “The internet isn’t very helpful. It’s basically common sense.”
Seth snorted out a laugh. “Common sense on the internet is unusual.”
Mara grinned. “It says to call a vet to check the cat and look for a microchip. I’d already figured that out.”
He chuckled, and the warm sound rumbled right down into her heart. Okay, further south than her heart. All of her good parts tingled. The man was potent.
She wanted that rumble right against her skin. Wanted to discover how that laugh tasted.
She had it bad. “He probably needs a bath in case he’s been in the wild for a bit.”
Another soft snort. “Don’t cats hate water?”
Mara shrugged. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll get Kimi to check him out first and see what she says I need to do. I trust her more than the internet.”
“Smart woman.”
She grinned up at Seth and found those deep hazel eyes warm on hers. He was beautiful, inside and out. The gruff exterior hid his pain, physical and mental.
She wanted to help. Maybe a kiss would help.
They stared at each other for a long moment before Fritter stretched and drew her attention back to him, probably for the best. Jumping Seth in the inn’s kitchen might be amazing, but it wouldn’t be smart. Not only because Amber and Gray could walk in at any moment, but because she didn’t want to screw up this place for herself.
Seth was Ford’s friend, which meant she could trust him. He was a good man, and he wouldn’t hurt her on purpose. But her feelings were growing for him by the day, by the minute. She doubted he’d see her as anything other than a fling.
Would it be worth it?
Physically, it would absolutely be worth it. With the chemistry arcing between them and the look in Seth’s eyes, the sex would be explosive.
Could her heart take it when it ended?
