Midnight in Montana - Chapter 8

Cass Juggling one tiny gray kitten in one hand, Cass held a feather toy over the head of two calicos and a black-and-white kitten with the other when a knock sounded at the door of the pool house. For an instant, fear prickled over her as she went absolutely still, memories of her frightening encounter back in St. Paul making her freeze. “Cass, it’s me.” Emilio’s voice, warm and familiar, sounded through the door. “There’s dinner in it for you if I can come in.” Relief made her limbs sag and the gray kitten leapt from her palm. She was safe. And after two days of not seeing Emilio—two long days of rethinking how they’d split eight years ago—she was ready to see him. Eager, even. Because if he hadn’t purposely abandoned her back then, what was to stop her from acting on her attraction to him now? Obviously they wouldn’t work long term considering he hadn’t cared about her enough so seek her out afterward to explain. But as long as they both understood this wasn’t serious, why not enjoy the sensual rush she felt every single time he was near? So by the time she opened the door, kittens in tow, she felt jittery with anticipation. “What’s this about dinner?” she greeted him as she pulled open the door. She bent to scoop up one of the calicoes before it ventured outside. Emilio stood on the welcome mat in jeans and boots, a dark tee with the Kingsland Ranch log tucked into faded denim. He held a dark Stetson in one hand and his phone in the other, his hair tousled as if from a rogue breeze. His gaze crashed into hers—sizzling along her nerve endings—for only a moment before his attention shifted to the purring bundles of fur she carried. “Well, I was just about to hit the button to have a mushroom pizza delivered.” He turned his phone screen so she could see the app with a photo of one of her favorite foods. “But I’m not sure it’ll be enough to feed all the extra mouths you have.” Bending, he picked up a mostly white calico who was making a beeline for the exit. “Whoa, fella, not so fast.” “That one’s Manon,” she explained as she waved him inside. “So definitely not a fella.” He laughed as he relocated the kitten to a makeshift bed at the end of the kitchen island. “Manon? I bet I can guess who named this litter.” Picking the gray kitty’s claws out of her long-sleeved tee, Cass smiled that he remembered her appreciation for the greats of women’s hockey. “This group happened to be all female, so I’ve got Brianna, Cammi, Hayley and Manon. Hope told me I could name them since I’m fostering them while I stay in Silent Spring.” “Well, they don’t look like they eat too much,” Emilio observed as he took in the playful group tumbling over their catnip toys and one another, then pressed a button on his phone screen. “One pizza ought to be enough.” “Thank you for that.” A shiver rippled over her skin as their eyes met. They would be alone together for at least a couple of hours, a thought that made her throat dry right up. But a moment later, her hopes for the evening dissipated when his jaw tensed as he faced her squarely. “While we’re waiting, I’d like you to tell me why Lauryn believes your safety is in question.”