Page 71 of Harvest Heat

He managed to wrap the kitten in his jacket and carry her—on closer inspection, he thought it was a girl—upstairs to his apartment. Once they were inside, he opened his fridge and began to consider what he could feed her.

He had some rotisserie chicken. That would do if he cut it into small pieces. He wasn’t sure how young she was. He didn’t think she still needed milk. Chicken would have to do for now. He would take her to a vet the next day and get her checked out.

Then, unless she had a chip or someone had inquired about a missing kitten, and he doubted that, since she’d been hanging around the alley for a few weeks, he could keep her. He didn’t need anyone’s permission or agreement to have a cat. This was his shop and his apartment; he could have a cat if he wanted. Frostwick Harbor seemed like the kind of town that would be charmed by a coffee shop cat.

He cut up pieces of chicken while the kitten pushed against his hand, purring loudly and trying to get to the food before it was ready. Once he moved the plate to give her better access, she started eating so fast he worried she’d choke. She was thin, but not bony. He hoped she hadn’t gone too long without food.

He filled a small bowl with water and put it next to her. When she’d licked up every morsel of chicken, she drank for a long time.

She let him pick her up without protest then. He carried her to the couch, and she curled up in his lap.

“Would you like to stay here?” The kitten looked up at him and meowed. “Was that a yes?” He hoped so. “I’ll need to figure out a name for you.”

Curled up in his lap like that, the fluffy white kitten looked like a little marshmallow. “What about Mallow? How’s that for a name.”

She looked up and tilted her head to the side before meowing loudly, then started to make biscuits on his leg with her sharp little claws. She was so cute and just what he needed to keep him from spending the night crying over Rhys and watching depressing TV.

While he held Mallow, he looked up what to do for a makeshift litter box. Shredded paper in a box lined with a trash bag seemed like his best bet. He had shredded paper in the shop’s office, so he brought Mallow with him to retrieve it, then set the box up. She scratched around in it but didn’t use it immediately. He considered putting her and the box in the bathroom for the night, but he didn’t want to leave her alone, even though she’d been on her own in the alley.

She followed him to the bedroom and jumped on the bed with him. He’d just have to cross his fingers that she didn’t have an accident in the bed.

The next day, Caleb introduced Mallow to his employees and several of his customers. She wasn’t nearly as shy as he expected her to be, and the noise of the shop didn’t bother her at all. She was going to be the perfect coffee shop cat.

Fortunately, the vet declared her in good health. She wasn’t chipped, and no one had reported a missing kitten as far as he knew, so she was his. He really had a cat. The only thing that made the situation less than perfect was feeling like he couldn’t call Rhys and tell him.

He and Mallow were once again sitting on his couch in the evening when his phone buzzed. He looked down, hoping it was Rhys. It was Marianne. Need a friend?

Maybe.

Meet me at the back door in a few minutes.

He did, letting her in, then inviting her upstairs so no one would be watching through the windows. All he needed were more rumors. “My place is kind of a mess. I’m sorry.”

She shrugged. “As a female goalie, I’ve often had to change in men’s locker rooms. I promise nothing is going to bother me.”

“Right. I guess not. I just took in a stray kitten. I hope that’s also okay.”

“Of course. I love kittens.”

“Good. Mallow is really sweet. She was living out back, and I finally managed to catch and take her in for a checkup.”

“Aww, she’s lucky to have you.”

Her compliment made Caleb smile. “Thanks.”

The kitten came running when they stepped into the apartment. “This is Mallow.”

“What a perfect name.” Marianne bent down to let the kitten sniff her hand and then scooped her up. “She’s so pretty.”

“Isn’t she? I know I’ll have hair everywhere, but I love all her fluff.”

“Me too.”

They moved to the couch, and Mallow climbed into Caleb’s lap to demand attention from him.

“I saw Agnes confront the two of you. Rhys looked panicked.”

Caleb nodded. “He was, but he got a lot worse when we ran into Mrs. Murphy, then Sylvia Rattray, and they both assumed we were a couple.”