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Chapter Eight
Cassandra didn’t find it as funny when the kitten was batting her hair around before sunup the following morning. Thankfully, she was an early riser. She walked to the room she’d slept in her first night and put on a day dress. Cameron had told her his mother rarely came upstairs because her knees pained her, so she didn’t mind walking around with nothing on.
After dressing, she walked toward the stairs, looking behind her every few steps to make sure Minnie was following. In the kitchen, she saw Mrs. Royal standing at the stove cooking breakfast. “Would you scramble a few extra eggs for Minnie?”
“Of course, I will. That kitten sure does like you.”
Cassandra glanced down at the tiny creature and smiled. “I like her too. I’m going to go and milk the cows and gather eggs. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Minnie followed her to the barn, and she found a small dish to put milk into for the kitten. Cassandra had no idea what the dish had been used for, but she didn’t care, and she had a feeling Minnie wouldn’t care either. She squeezed one of the teats, getting just enough milk to fill the bowl, and put it on the ground. The kitten sniffed at it, and then she lapped it up, while Cassandra milked the cow.
The kitten followed her to the hen’s enclosure and watched as she gathered the eggs. After a moment, she seemed to realize she was missing out on some sort of fun, and she chased one of the chickens. Minnie wasn’t terribly impressed when the chicken pecked her face, but Cassandra shook her head. She had been around animals enough that she knew kittens would learn from their mistakes.
Sure enough, Minnie didn’t stay with the chickens and followed her back to the house.
Cassandra set the milk on the table and the eggs on the counter beside the stove. “What can I do to help?”
“You’ve already done what I need help with. Later you can work on the garden while I do some sewing. I’m going to start on that split skirt today,” Mrs. Royal said.
“Thank you.” She would be thrilled to wear the unfashionable item of clothing. It would be perfect for her when she was gardening.
“I’m happy to do it. I hope you know how excited I am to have you as a daughter.”
“I feel the same way. I won’t miss my own mother so much if I have you here with me. And I’ll help with anything. Boss me around as if you gave birth to me, and then I’ll feel right at home.”
Cameron reached the bottom of the stairs in time to hear her last sentence. “I sure hope my mother didn’t give birth to you given what we did in my bed last night.”
“I think it’s our bed now,” Cassandra said. She refused to be embarrassed about making love with her husband.
He laughed. “Does nothing ever embarrass you?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know if I think of something.” She walked to her husband and hugged him, giving him a light kiss on the lips. “Good morning.”
“Good morning.” He stood with his arms around her for a moment, and then looked down. “Ouch!”
Sure enough, Minnie was climbing his legs as if he was a tree. He grabbed her in one hand and held her in front of his eyes, letting her dangle in the air. “You are going to start behaving, little missy! I’m not putting up with you hurting me or anyone else.”
Minnie’s reaction wasn’t a surprise. She opened her mouth and yelled into Cameron’s face, letting him know that she didn’t care what he thought. He sighed and set her back on the floor. Thankfully, his mother had put a small saucer of eggs on the floor, and Minnie was eating them happily.
While they were eating, Minnie climbed Cassandra’s skirt and poked her head up onto the table from her lap. She tried to move toward Cassandra’s eggs, but Cassandra tapped her on the nose, and said, “No,” firmly.
Minnie yelled back, but she settled on Cassandra’s lap instead of continuing to try for the eggs. “I think she’s going to have a difficult time settling in,” Mrs. Royal said, looking over at Cassandra.
“Who can blame her? All her brothers and sisters are gone. I feel bad for her.”
“I don’t,” Cameron said. “I hope she doesn’t cause too much mischief while I’m gone today.”
“I can handle it,” Cassandra said smiling down at the kitten sleeping in her lap.
“I hope so.” Cameron didn’t look convinced, but she refused to be bothered. The kitten could run and play while she worked in the garden. What could go wrong?
An hour later, she knew the answer to her question. Everything could go wrong. The kitten decided that the garden was the perfect place to take care of business, and she was constantly going just a little, and then burying it in the garden.
She attacked the leaves of the carrots that were sticking up out of the ground, and then she dug a carrot up. “Minnie, you stop that this instant!”
Minnie yelled at her in return.
“That’s it. I’m calling you Minnie Mouth, because you are the mouthiest cat I ever did see.” Cassandra shook her head, pulling the kitten out of the garden for the twentieth time that day—and it wasn’t even nine in the morning yet.
