Page 54 of Truly, Madly Viking

Be careful, lest you change my sex in a trice."

She laughed as she lifted Rita away; whispered a firm rebuke in her cat's face, which Maggie could swear wore a smirk, then scooted her away.

"What kind of wild creature was that?" he grumbled as she closed the door and led him toward her den.

Rita followed after them, despite his frown. "Perchance it needs a taste of my sword, Bloodletter." He patted the weapon at his side."

"A cat," she answered. "Our pet cat, Rita. And don't you dare pull out that sword, or hurt Rita. She was only being protective of me."

"That is a cat?" The glower he gave the feline said it all. "Cats are pampered pets in the Eastern harems, but never have I seen a cat so fat. Are you sure it's not a tiger... a white tiger? I have heard of such, though they are rare."

Rita hissed her opinion of his derogatory remark. "No, she's just a cat... our own little kitty cat."

He made a harrumphing sound at the word little. "You must have monster mice in this land to feed one that size."

The idea of Rita being a mouser was so preposterous that it didn't even warrant correcting. Maggie had obtained Rita as a kitten from a shelter more than ten years ago, and the animal had been spoiled from the get-go. Rita in the wild would be as much an anomaly as... well, Joe in a civilized setting.

"I do not like cats," he declared, his upper lip curled with distaste.

Oh, so that's the reason for Rita's aggression. Rita meowed something that probably translated to, I do not like you, either . Then she scurried away, no doubt fearing that her gourmet cat food and favorite table scraps would be cut off in favor of rodent fare.

But Joe had more important things to deal with than a cat. Already his mind had moved beyond the pesky feline. He sank down onto the big, upholstered sofa, then put his face in his hands. Concerned, she sat down beside him and put a hand on his arm.

"Joe, what's wrong?"

"Everything."

"Where have you been?"

"Everywhere."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

He glanced up and smiled at her. It was such a sad smile, barely curving his lips, and never reaching his stormy gray eyes. "For three sennights, I have wandered the woods and inlets of Gal-vast-town Bay, trying to locate Thora, or my ship. 'Twas all for naught."

"Where have you been staying?"

"Outdoors," he answered, as if it were nothing to live and sleep outdoors. The weather was fair for November in Texas, but the nights were decidedly cool.

"Where did you eat? What did you eat?"

Her question seemed to surprise him. "Whatever was available."

She was still confused. He had no money that she knew of. So restaurants were out of the question. Oh, no! He didn't steal food, did he?

He must have sensed her thoughts. "Tsktsk, Mag-he. I am no thief. Nay, I snared rabbits and caught fish and cooked them over an open fire. Once, I even ate a snake. 'Twas tougher than shoe leather, but filling."

A snake? She could barely keep herself from gagging. "Why didn't you just come back to the hospital?"

"I could not. Time was of the essence, with winter approaching on the north seas. Besides, I knew that I would no longer be welcome at the Rainbow hospitium once I broke the contract."

"And now what?"

He shrugged. "I am not sure. Well, one thing I am certain of is that I am trapped in this world till springtime. Even if I were able to locate Thora now, I misdoubt that longship travel on the Iceland route to Norway would be a wise choice."

"But..." Maggie started to ask where he would stay, but decided she had more immediate concerns.

"Listen, you've got to get out of those damp clothes and take a shower.