No, you aren’t going there!
She mentally shut down all thoughts of getting married again. Likely Bennett wasn’t worried about his mother’s agenda because he knew it wasn’t going to happen. There was nothing to be gained from allowing her imagination to go wild with thoughts of being Mrs. Alexander. She pulled into her driveway and waited until the school bus pulled up on the corner. Hunter and Matthew were the first ones off the bus. They raced down the sidewalk to her car.
“Mom! Are we going to see the kittens now?” Hunter was almost vibrating with excitement.
Matthew looked back and forth between them in confusion. Katie hadn’t told him about the kittens that morning. If she had, he wouldn’t have paid attention all day in school.
“Yes, we’re going to the Alexanders’ right now. Come on.”
They piled into the car excitedly, Matthew wiggling as she hooked him into his booster seat. When they pulled up in front of Bennett’s barn, Hunter put his face right to the window.
“Why are we back here? Isn’t Ms. Julia waiting for us?”
Katie twisted her hands but kept her voice upbeat as she said, “We’re not here to see Ms. Julia this time. Do you remember my friend, Bennett?”
Hunter nodded slowly. “Yeah. He’s really tall.”
“Well, we’re here to hang out with him today. And he’s going to take us to see the kittens, okay?”
Hunter watched her with strangely knowing eyes before he nodded. Matthew didn’t seem to pick up on any of the strange undercurrents thankfully. They walked up to the barn where Bennett was waiting in the doorway. He must have heard the car pull up.
“Hi guys. Are you ready to have some fun?”
Matthew was so excited he couldn’t hold still and started dancing in place. Bennett laughed and motioned for them to follow him.
“This way. Grady has picked a few of the more social ones for you to play with.”
Hunter trailed behind as they all walked toward the barn directly behind Bennett’s. Katie watched him worriedly. Unlike his brother, Hunter seemed to have picked up on the fact that this visit was more about spending time with Bennett than the kittens.
And he didn’t seem too happy about it.
“Ooh look! They’re so little!” Matthew raced ahead with his arms outstretched.
“Let’s be very gentle, okay?” Bennett scooped up Matthew easily and then placed him right next to the table where Grady was waiting with a basket. Once they were closer, Katie could see three kittens, two tabbies and one black, inside.
Katie’s heart melted a little when she saw how Matthew clung to Bennett. Hunter still hung back, peeking around her to see but not approaching the table directly.
“These little guys are about six weeks old, too young to go to new homes yet. But soon, we’ll find new families for them.”
Matthew stretched out a hand when Bennett placed a kitten right in front of him. Katie moved to the other side of the table, giving Grady a smile. He was slightly less grumpy now that he’d gotten used to seeing her around the farm but he still wasn’t overly warm. But he chuckled at Matthew’s shriek of delight when the kitten licked his fingers.
“This one is going to stay with me,” Grady said gruffly. “Black cats are a little hard to place. And he’s a playful one. He’ll be a good barn cat.”
Hunter finally moved around Katie and approached the table. “How come they’re different colors?”
Bennett picked up one of the tabbies. “Well, their mom has white fur with brown spots and we suspect their father is a black cat from the next farm over. There were two other kittens in this litter that are with the mom right now. Both of those have the same fur as the momma cat.”
Hunter moved closer and closer as Bennett talked, until he was leaning on his arm. “They’re so small. What if you can’t find a home for them?”
Bennett continued petting the kitten in his hand, holding it out so that Hunter could touch it. His voice was soft and soothing as he continued. “Grady is the one who brought us the momma cat when he found her and she’s been a barn cat here ever since. She’s had one litter before and we found them all homes really fast. Don’t worry.”
; Hunter glanced up at Bennett, his eyes sparking with interest. “You have a cat that lives in your barn? Cool.”
Bennett chuckled. “Well, I don’t have one in my barn but Miss Pepper lives in the barn where we store the hay. Grady says she does a great job keeping the rats under control.”
Katie chuckled at Hunter’s startled face. “I think he was on board until the rats part.”