That had them all laughing. Kimi stroked his head. “I think he understands far more than we expect. Good job, Canuck.”
The bird stroked her hand with its beak and spread its wings to show off.
After they all admired the bird, Kimi moved to a table. “As long as Fritter is okay staying with me, you’ve got enough time to run to Phail if you’ve got the compost buckets. It’ll take me a bit to check Fritter over and make sure he hasn’t picked up anything during his outdoor time. I’ll also check for a microchip and see if anyone has posted about a lost cat.”
Mara knew that was the right thing to do, but she hoped no one was looking for Fritter. She should probably hope he had a loving family missing him. She sighed. “It might make me a bad person, but I would love to keep him.”
Kimi smiled. “It’s easy to get attached to animals, but it’s better to know for sure.”
Nodding, she let Seth guide her out of the barn and back to the Tucson.
At the diner, they swapped the buckets, grabbed some cinnamon buns to leave with Kimi, and bought more for the farm. Mara smiled at Ginny. “I’ve never been able to make any that taste this good. Once Amber has guests, I’m going to order from you once a week as a treat for everyone.”
Ginny grinned. “Thanks. That would be amazing. I’d love to bake with you one day. Maybe we can work out an exchange, and I can sell some of your products here.”
Mara blinked back tears. “That would be incredible. I’m so glad I followed Ford here.”
Ginny nodded. “Me too. It’s going to be fun to have someone to talk recipes with. Troy told me to get you to stop in at Phail General to pick up a package you ordered.”
Joy bounced through her system. “My donut fryer. I can’t wait. I’m going to do apple fritters and donuts.”
Ginny’s eyes widened. “I’m inviting myself out one day to try that with you.”
Mara laughed. “Anytime.”
After running their errands, they returned to Kimi’s. Nerves had Mara gripping her hands together. Once they were out of the truck, Seth squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be fine. Either way, Fritter is going to have someone who loves him.”
She leaned on his arm. “Thanks. That helps. I hope it’s us, but if not, at least he’ll be okay.”
A young teen stood inside the corral with the scared horse, and they slowed their steps. This had to be Nina. Like Kimi, she spoke softly to the horse, and she stood closer than Kimi had. The horse’s head was higher than before, and he didn’t look as scared.
More magic in action.
Nina waved, her motions slow. She kept her voice happy and soothing, but her words reached her. “Hi. I’m Nina. You must be Seth and Mara. Fritter is a cutie.”
Mara nodded. “He is. So is your friend here.”
Nina’s grin widened. “He is, and Donut’s going to be fine. Kimi will make sure of it.”
“Donut?”
Nina laughed. “Sure. We always rename animals who’ve been mistreated. They probably have bad memories associated with their former names, so we start fresh. I liked Fritter’s name, and I thought Donut here would like to be connected to a friend in the area.”
Kimi exited the barn with their orange cat in her arms. “Fritter is healthy, clean, and ready to go home with you.”
“No family searching for him?”
“Not a sign of one. I’ve left his photo up, so it’s not guaranteed, but I’m guessing you get to keep your friend.”
More tears threatened as Fritter nearly leapt into her arms.
Grinning, Kimi motioned for Seth to follow her. “Looks like Mara has her hands full. Can you help me lug all the necessities to your vehicle?”
The necessities turned out to be a few bags of everything a new cat owner would need, from litter boxes with environmentally friendly litter to food and toys.
Kimi also emailed her information about keeping Fritter happy and healthy.
As they headed back to the farm with Fritter in a new carrier to keep him safe, Mara couldn’t contain the joy. Life was good.
