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The doorbell pings again. This time, Henry walks inside. Immediately, Rose ignores Lauren and trudges over to him.

"Ah, hi, Rose." Jensen Ackles, Henry's brown husky, walks right through the reception area and to the back. He loves hanging out with Blanche and Dorothy, and I think the two have a crush on him.

"Hi, Brooke."

"Hey, Henry."

He presses a kiss to the side of Nic's head as he brushes past her to the counter.

"You have space for two more cats, right?" he asks first thing, and I nod.

"Yes, of course. Though I won't be mad if you tell me they are alright and don't require 24-hour care." Because I have a boyfriend, I’d love to spend time with.

"Well, let's see." Nic and Lauren disappear into a corner, talking to the animals in soft voices, as Henry and I try to lure the two cats out of the carrier with treats and food. It works surprisingly well, even though they’re scared out of their little minds. These two poor things must have been starving.

"Very food-motivated," Henry chuckles. They are not super thrilled about him examining them, but he does so with practiced expertise and quick reflexes.

"They appear okay," he finally declares and sets down his stethoscope. "Obviously, if you want to be completely sure, I can take some blood samples, but considering how on edge they are right now, I don't think jamming needles into them would be smart."

"I agree. They're still behaving a little spicy, but they've had a rough day. I get it." Luna jumps onto the counter, curious.

I almost hold my breath. Ultimately, they stare at each other for a few long moments. Then Luna jumps right back down to the ground to get more pets from Henry's girlfriend. At least they didn’t fight.

"Okay, that wasn't so bad." I let out a relieved sigh and let one of the cats sniff my finger. She doesn't appear thrilled, but she's not swatting at it either, so I decide to be brave and scratch her chin. "Ah, found the kryptonite. We're going to be good friends here," I proclaim and suck in a sharp breath when she begins to purr.

"You still have the magic touch," Henry jokes, but give him a deadpan stare.

"Please, Henry. Says the guy who's friends with every animal on Earth."

"Not horses." He shudders. "Still not horses."

"Well, since the sanctuary plans are currently on hold, you are safe from horses in my vicinity."

"I’m sorry." He winces. “I promise I would have gotten over it.”

I wave him off. "Nothing you need to be sorry for. Thank you for coming in.” I turn to Nic and Lauren. “And thank you two for bringing these kitties. How about you name them?"

"Can we?" Nic’s and Lauren’s faces light up.

Now I know why Kieran likes them so much. They have a certain carefreeness about them. The kind of carefreeness Kieran wishes for, the kind he probably dreams about, but I think he keeps getting pulled back into his past too often to live it.

Not to say those twos pasts have been all petals and roses, but they've clearly made peace and have such a deep contentment with life. Even I’m kind of jealous.

"Wait, are they male or female?"

"Male," Henry declares. "And they're neutered already," he quickly adds. Which means they've probably had a home before. Poor babies. Gosh, some days I hate people.

Lauren nudges Nic's arm. "Two boys abandoned by their parents." The two of them shoot each other a glance. "Let's call them Sam and Dean, in honor of Jensen Ackles and all that."

Nic bursts into a giggle. "I love it. Sam and Dean it is."

"Look, if you squint, this one even has an S on his forehead." I point at it. "That'll make it a lot easier to know who's who."

And now I still have to find a way to spread the word and find someone to adopt them.

So after Henry and the girls say their goodbyes, I get right back on my laptop.

Chapter 29