Page 53 of The Maverick's Homecoming

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

After another thoughtful silence, she gave him permission. “Yes, then. Check around.”

They shared a long look. He thought how he could get lost in those eyes of hers. And that mouth…

Too tempting by far.

His chair scraped the floor as he pushed it back. Swiftly, he circled the table to stand at her side.

She looked up at him and slowly smiled. “Finn Mon­ahan, whatareyou thinking?”

He offered his hand. She took it. He pulled her to her feet. She came into his arms with a soft little sigh. After a long, tender kiss, she took his hand and led him to her room.

* * *

Finn didn’t get home until after midnight. But the next day he had nothing to take care of workwise until a showing at noon. He was up at nine and fixing himself some breakfast when his housekeeper, Marlene, appeared.

As usual, he was thinking of Kenzie as he microwaved oatmeal. The microwave beeped. He pulled open the door and took out the bowl. “Hey, Marlene, you wouldn’t happen to know anyone in town with kittens or grown cats to give away to a good home, would you?”

Marlene, who was six feet tall, rail-slim and wore her long black hair in a fat topknot, scowled at him disapprovingly. “What do you need with a cat? You’re hardly ever home. Even a cat would get lonely around here.”

“It’s for someone else. And I need more than one.” He went on to explain what he was looking for.

Marlene narrowed her eyes. “These cats for your girlfriend?”

He played it cool. “Who said I have a girlfriend, Marlene?”

“Honey, you’re not in the big city anymore. Everybody in town knows that you and Nurse Osborne have a little thing going on—not that it’s anybody’s business but yours.” Marlene winked. “I think it’s great. And I might be able to help you with the cat situation. I’ll ask around.”

“Thank you.”

“For you, anything.” She patted his shoulder and got to work with the vacuum cleaner.

That afternoon, as he was wrapping up some loose ends in his office at Big Sky Properties before heading to the high school for practice, Marlene called. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hello, Marlene. Do you have good news for me?”

She did. Marlene gave him the phone number of her cousin, Ardella, who had six kittens old enough to be adopted. “She’s giving them away to good homes,” Marlene said. “But take my word for it. Ardella never missed a chance to make a buck. Don’t let her talk you into paying for those kittens.”

“But if she—”

“Okay, okay. I get it. It’s not like you’re hurting for cash. And if you’re willing to pay a little, okay. But you gotta draw the line with Ardella or she’ll be charging you pet-store prices. And then you’ll still have to take them to the vet for shots and all that.”

“I will be firm,” he promised his housekeeper.

“Humph,” Marlene replied. “You haven’t met Ardella yet.” She rattled off her cousin’s number.

He started to call Ardella but then decided he’d better run it by Kenzie first.

She answered his call on the first ring. “Talk fast. It’s a zoo around here. Someone else could come in with a nosebleed or a bad case of the stomach flu any minute now. Not that either of those events are out of the ordinary. It’s a rare day when I don’t end up using a disinfectant wipe to clean blood and or vomit from my scrubs.”

He asked carefully, “So then, I shouldn’t call you at work?”

“Of course, you should. Just be prepared to listen to me go on about stuff you have no desire to hear.”

“Got it.”