Her expression sent his pulse racing, and he nearly tripped over his own feet while rushing to help her. He lifted the animal crate and opened the door. “Put those crazy, clawing minions in here.”
While holding one screeching, twisting cat in her hands, she took the time to give him a nasty look. Even as she placed the feral cat in the carrier, she glared at him. “You don’t like cats?” Her tone was accusatory.
“Not especially.” He frowned at the cats still in the hutch before returning his gaze to her face.
Her eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared as if she had been personally insulted. He palmed his face, resisting the urge to smack himself. Don’t be an idiot, man. You don’t tell a cat rescuer that you don’t like cats.
He fidgeted with the neckline of his shirt and then ran his hand through his short, brown hair. “I mean…they kinda hate me.”
Her expression softened, but the way she raised an eyebrow indicated she wasn’t totally buying it. She coaxed the second cat out before relocating it. “And I suppose horses are so much better?”
His shoulders stiffened. What the fuck is that? She couldn’t possibly know. Would Davis be stupid enough to her? Nah—she must be referring to my employment at the ranch. “Horses are smart, loyal animals.”
“Cats are smarter and can be every bit as devoted. The simple fact is they happen to have decent taste. They don’t let just anyone pet or ride them.” She had her back to him so he couldn’t see her expression, but she sounded furious.
His mind flashed to the memory of his first rabies shot, administered right in the gut, and a jolt of anger loosened his tongue. “They rub against you for treats or whatever else you got but the minute they get what they’re after, they’re gone. They’re noisy and have bad dispositions. What other animal bites and scratches the hand that feeds it?
When she spun around to face him, her eyebrows were so low and pushed together they created a wrinkle over her nose. “A mistreated or abused animal is more likely to attack. I own three cats and none of them bite or scratch me. I respected their space and took my time to earn their trust. Now they come to me.” She stood up straight and pushed her shoulders back.
She was at least a foot shorter than him, not that it mattered. Her admonishing glare sent him right back to parochial school; he could practically feel the nun’s ruler smacking over his knuckles.
He shifted his weight and swallowed the lump in this throat. Damn, she has her eyes narrowed and she’s still gorgeous. Another whiff of her amazing scent dazzled his perception, and his cock twitched in his pants. Focus, Man. After noticing she held a cat in each hand, he tilted the crate to help her put them away. She placed the animals in the cage and then removed one more from the hutch. She put the wriggling cat inside and then closed the door. “Please tell Davis I said thank you for accepting all five.”
“I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m sorry. I had a childhood trauma with a cat.”
“Is that a fact?” She laughed.
As his lips turned downward, his chin crinkled. "That's funny?”
Her expression became more alert. “You were serious?”
He nodded. “It’s definitely in my top five worst childhood memories.”
Her eyes calmed while she offered a gentle smile. “Sorry. You should tell me about it sometime, but for now, I’ve got a conference call in three minutes.”
He lowered his head, his chin close to his chest as he raised an eyebrow. “Feral cat savers get conference calls?”
“Catnip Calamity isn’t my day job, sir. I happen to work from home as a cybersecurity professional.”
His chest tightened and his feet felt as if they’d been dipped in cement. His brain was aware it was time to go, but something deep inside of him anchored him there. His horse fought against him, forcing him toward the beauty in front of him. This is crazy! I’ve got to get out of here before my body goes haywire. By sheer strength of will, he found his voice. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Thanks for picking up the cats.” Her green eyes seemed to sparkle as her smile reached them.
“You’re welcome.” He mentally demanded his feet to move toward the exit. When he got to Maddie’s front door, he paused. “I’m just going to latch this and close it behind me unless you’re expecting someone else.”
She didn’t respond and was probably out of earshot for her phone call so he set the carrier on the floor. He latched the top portion of her front door to the bottom before he secured the entrance’s lock and left. As soon as he was outside and physically cut off from her, his body calmed. He sighed with relief. Being a shifter had never been easy, but up until then, his horse hadn’t gone nuts and made him fear he might not be able to control his transformation.
He hauled the box of unruly, squealing cats to the vehicle. For a split second, he considered putting them on the flat bed. As his thoughts lingered on how rough the trip up the mountain could be, he decided to let them ride in the cab next to him. After he set the kennel on the passenger’s side and closed the door, he walked around the truck. He opened the door and then stepped up to slide behind the wheel. As he fastened his seatbelt, he glanced over at the box full of glowering felines. “I don’t like you guys, but that doesn’t mean I want
