Sprinkled with Love

“Oh good. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to answer.”

“I’m a little busy.” If this wasn’t about Romeo, she really didn’t want to talk to him.

“You wouldn’t by chance be looking for a little guy? You know, the black and white little dude that goes by the name of Romeo?”

“You’ve seen him?”

“In a manner of speaking. He came to my house and pawed at the door until I let him in.”

“We’ve been looking everywhere for him. My mother is so upset. Is he okay?”

“He’s perfectly fine.”

“I’ll be right over to get him.”

“You don’t have to rush. After a few pets, I fed him. And now he’s in the living room with Marshmallow, warming up on a chair near the fireplace.”

Jillian thanked Avery and then she went to find her mother. The time had come for that little confession about Romeo’s previous excursion. Her mother wouldn’t be too happy about her sweetie getting out and venturing across roads, but she would be immensely relieved that he was safe.

And then it would be up to Jillian to go pick him up. Whether she wanted to see Avery again or not, Romeo wasn’t leaving her many options. Whatever made her think he would be a good lap cat?

Chapter Nine

His knee continued to ache.

Yet Avery refused to give in to the pain.

The physical therapist had assured him that each agonizing minute of his therapy was worth it. His strength and agility were improving. And soon he’d be fit and able to return to the rodeo. But now that he had the chance to own his own ranch, the rodeo circuit paled in comparison.

He’d had a lot of time to think while working in the kitchen. He wasn’t as young as he used to be. And his body didn’t bounce back from injuries as quickly as it once did. But he still had to come up with the money necessary to buy the ranch. He had some ideas, but nothing definite yet.

And he was making progress with the kitchen. In fact, at this rate, he’d be done in no time. He continued cutting brown, tan, gold, and cream metallic colored tiles to make a backsplash for the kitchen.

Fixing up the house had all started when a water pipe in the main bathroom began to leak and he had to knock out part of the wall. The project had rapidly expanded to updating the entire bathroom. The more he’d remodeled, the more he found that he liked working with his hands.

And now there was just the kitchen to complete and the house would be fully updated. In fact, it was good enough to fetch a generous price if he were to put it on the market. Guilt slugged him in the gut. How could he even consider selling the family home? But the devil on his shoulder whispered in his ear that Jordan had a whole new life in the Air Force and Beth had never actually said that she wanted to return to Marietta to live.

Avery shook his head. It didn’t matter. He had no right to sell their parents’ home for his own gain. He dismissed the thought even though the guilt lingered on.

He started the saw to cut the next section of tiles when he thought he heard something. He paused the saw and waited. But he didn’t hear anything. He must have imagined it.

He restarted the saw and took his time cutting the tiles. He’d already learned the hard way how easy it was to mess them up and then have to go back to the hardware store to get more. And at this hour, the store was closed.

He focused his thoughts on the task at hand. One by one, the saw sliced through the colored glass, leaving behind a straight edge.

When he turned off the saw, there was knocking. This time he was certain he wasn’t imagining it. And it was coming from the back door. It must be Jillian. Avery set aside his saw and moved toward the door.

“Hi.” She sent him a hesitant smile. “I’m here to pick up Romeo.”

“Come in.” Avery stepped aside to let her pass.

“I’m really sorry he bothered you again.”

Avery closed the door. “I think Romeo has a crush on Marshmallow.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it a crush.” Jillian shifted the empty cat carrier from one hand to the other. “Can cats even have crushes?”

“Okay then, he’s hot for her.”