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Real Cowboys Love Cats
Sierra Brave
Real Cowboys Love Cats
Having grown up isolated from other shifters, Abram’s not completely comfortable in his own skin. Nevertheless, after the death of his beloved human mother, he relocated to Horse Mountain to reconnect with his father’s side of the family. Love was the furthermost thing from his mind until he met Maddie.
When Maddie meets Abram, she’s smitten but doesn’t see much of a future. A man, who doesn’t like cats, should be a deal breaker for a mountain lion shifter like her. Yet every time he’s near, her body goes crazy. Could he possibly be her fated mate?
Chapter One
* * * * *
Abram shook the dirt off of his boots before stepping onto the barn’s concrete floor. The stable area smelled of hay and horses. His cousin, Davis, was already inside brushing out Thunder’s honey-colored mane. She was one of their most gentle mares. All the kids, who took riding lessons at the ranch, loved her. She was good with the tourists staying in the bungalows and the veteran’s participating in their therapeutic program.
“Hey, Davis, I already fed the horses in the paddock.”
His cousin looked his way, thumping his hat up to show his entire face. “Good because I’ve got something else for you to do now.”
“Sure, whatcha got?”
“I need you to take the truck down the mountain and pick up some cats.”
Abram grimaced. “Cats? Why the hell do you need those fuzzy lil’ bastards?”
Davis rolled his eyes. “Would you like to catch all the mice invading the barns?”
He huffed. Picturing those fat, lazy animals and their scornful expressions annoyed him. When he was four, he’d wanted a kitten more than anything. He caught one running around the farm, but the damn thing bit him and ran off. His parents didn’t know which cat had broken his skin. Since they couldn’t find the piece-of-crap varmint to test it, he ended up having to get a series of painful rabies shots. “Why does it have to be me? You know I can’t stand cats.”
“Yeah, yeah, I hate to tell you, but any idiot that chases a scared, feral animal deserves what they get.”
He frowned. “I was a young’un.”
Davis lifted his chin and the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile. “Come on, man. I need your help. I’m swamped, and Becky is working on payroll. The trainers are busy. You’re the only one who does so little around here I can afford for you to leave for a while.”
He knitted his eyebrows. “Bullshit! I work hard. You don’t see Becky mending fences or any of your precious trainers doing any of the heavy lifting around here.”
Davis snickered. “I know. I was just messing with you. Calm down, man.” He reached up and patted Abram on the shoulder. “Please get the cats. I already put a pet carrier in the truck bed. The Catnip Calamity volunteer will relocate them from one crate to the other. Then all you’ve got to do is bring them here and let them go.”
“What the hell is a catnip calamity?”He shifted his weight from one leg to the other while lifting an eyebrow.
“They trap, spay or neuter, and then return feral cats to the area where they found them. Sometimes if there’s a hoarding situation, they have extras. We’re getting a few of the mousers who might not fare well if they were left completely on their own in the wild.”
“Yuck. They’ll probably spread rabies.” He scrunched up his nose.
“They get three-year vaccines. After we feed them for that long, they’ll be pretty used to us and we can start taking them to the vet.”
Ugh! This is not cool. Abram’s shoulders slumped as he resigned to the fact he’d be stuck dealing with a bunch of rowdy cats. “Give me the address.”
“Becky has it written down for you. Get it when you sign-out the keys.” Davis turned his attention back to Thunder while Abram strode off toward the office.
After parking the ranch’s red, Chevy pickup in front of a small cottage, Abram doubled checked the address scrawled on a yellow sticky note. He eyed the number on the white railing of the house’s front porch. He’d expected to find Catnip Calamity located in a veterinarian’s office or an animal shelter, not a dollhouse painted in white with a touch of berry. Seems this is going to be even more painful than I expected.
He stepped out of his ride and then closed the door before taking the pet kennel out of the back. While walking up the short driveway, the scent of azaleas and geraniums caught in his nose. He looked around, admiring all the natural garden-style landscape. He recognized a lot of the different types of shrubs from his time working in turfgrass management. He was also familiar with the home’s craftsman-style beaded siding because of an old job in construction. He’d tried a lot of different professions before Gram convinced him to move to Horse Mountain for employment on the ranch.
His boot landed on the front porch’s wooden step with a thunking sound, disturbing a long-haired cat snoozing on the cushion of a wicker loveseat. The animal lifted its head
