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  “Oatmeal. I’m going to town after we eat.”

  Axel pushed the button on his hospital bed to sit up higher. “What are you up to this time, girlie?”

  “I want to refinish the kitchen cupboards, paint them white.”

  Axel frowned and for a minute, she thought he was going to tell her no. “Like on Fixer Upper? That gal almost always puts in white cupboards.”

  Karli stared at him, surprised. “I didn’t know you watched HGTV.”

  “What would you know about what I watch? You never sit out here with me.” He shrugged. “There’s not that much football on Tuesday nights.”

  She stared at him. Did Axel want her to sit with him once in a while? He could surprise her now and then. “Do you watch Property Brothers, too?”

  “Yup, and they’ve got no use for blonde-wood cupboards. They’d rip them out.”

  “That’s expensive,” Karli said. “But your cupboards are solid. I think a fresh coat of paint will make them look good.”

  “No skin off my nose.” He pulled his blanket a little higher. The three-season room was chilly in the mornings. “If it makes you happy enough to stay until Sylvie shows up, do whatever you want as long as it doesn’t cost me any money.”

  She scowled. He’d ruined a nice moment. She turned on her heel and left him. If he choked on his breakfast, he deserved it. When she reached for the box of oatmeal in the cupboard, though, she stopped and grimaced. The box of Saltines next to it had been chewed through and she saw mouse turds on the shelf. Ich! She tore off paper towels to clean them up and threw away the box of crackers. It was time to look for a cat!

  Axel didn’t care if his home was overrun with mice. Stupid man! But what did she expect? As she stirred the oatmeal, she realized he’d never shown any interest in this house. Why should he start now? She added toast and orange slices to his food tray and carried it into him. She even brought a second tray for Kurt. It was easier than having him underfoot.

  Karli ate looking out the kitchen window. A steel-gray sky brooded above the fields. Wisps of snow flew past the glass. When Karli went to collect the men’s dirty dishes, Axel asked, “You’re going to use glossy paint, aren’t you? Make the cupboards look good?”

  He cared more than he let on. “I was thinking about semi-gloss, something a little subtler.”

  “Why would you want to do that? It’s a kitchen. It should look shiny.”

  She hid a smile. “Okay, if you say so.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You were going to do that anyway, weren’t you?”

  “Maybe.”

  He glowered. “You’re an evil girl!” Then his lips curled into a reluctant smile. “I like that.”

  “Takes one to know one.”

  He laughed as she walked away. He liked it when she harassed him. He’d miss her when Sylvie took her place. For now, though, she hustled so that she could get to town and back before lunch. It took her a while to get ready and then she made the twenty-minute drive to town.

  The weather might be brisk, but the sidewalks still held plenty of tourists. According to Chase, people came to shop for specialty holiday items and one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts. Daphne’s quilts and wall hangings, displayed in Art’s grocery store and Ian’s inn, went quickly. So did stained-glass winter designs in her shop. Ester Thornton’s weavings made from handwoven and dyed alpaca fleece—displayed in Art’s grocery, too—usually sold out by the end of November. Keagan told her that he shipped more dinnerware in October and November than any other time of year. He made his Christmas and winter items ahead, hoping not to sell out.

  She glanced at Lefty’s jewelry shop as she passed it and was happy to see that it was doing a brisk business. Keagan’s sister had locked herself in her workroom every chance she got to crank out earrings and necklaces in winter colors. Karli hoped her pieces were flying out of the store.

  Soon, Karli parked in front of Meg’s hardware. Karli had huge respect for Meg. Keagan had told her that the girl took over the store’s reins when her dad had a serious stroke. He guaranteed her that Meg knew her stuff. When Meg married Nick Hillegard and they teamed up to flip houses together, she’d expanded her knowledge base even more. Karli was sure she’d have plenty of advice for her project.

  Meg gave her more than advice. When Karli explained about refinishing the kitchen cupboards, Meg wrote out a step-by-step list for what to do and recommended the right paint to buy. That, and a spray gun.

  “It’s the best way to get the finish you want,” Meg explained.

  While they assembled all of the products Karli needed, they gossiped. At first, it had appalled Karli how everyone in Mill Pond knew everyone else’s business, but now she liked it. Everyone kept an eye on each other. Meg told Karli about how Grams had broken a toe playing kickball with Drew—Ian and Tessa’s little boy—her great-grandson. “It’s not slowing Grams down, though. That woman’s unstoppable.”

  Karli had gotten that impression. She’d heard plenty of stories about Grams.

  Meg rattled on. “Chantelle had her baby. Rumor is she’s finally settling down. She and Eddie are nuts about their little girl, want to have more. I bet that’s a relief for Keagan. Chantelle tried for Tyne before he met Daphne, then Joel, and then she settled on Keagan. Kept ordering things so that he’d have to deliver them to her house.”

  “Does that happen often to Keagan?”

  Meg smiled. “More than you’d think.”

  “So women throw themselves at him a lot?”

  “He’s used to it, takes it in his stride. Truth is, I’m not sure he even notices.”

  Was that why he ignored her when she’d thrown herself at him? It happened to him all the time? Maybe she’d taken the wrong approach. Maybe she should have played hard to get, but she didn’t have time.

  She told Meg about the mouse problem at Axel’s. “Do you sell anything that would get rid of them?”

  Meg motioned to a shelf that held mouse traps, sticky paper, and poisons. “Your best bet, though, is to get a cat.”

  That’s what everyone told her. “Is there a humane shelter around here? A pet store?”

  “You can probably find a cat at the farm store on County Road. You can buy bulk animal supplies there for farm animals and pets.” Meg gave her directions.

  Karli drove toward the west side of the lake. The fields that had looked rich and vibrant bathed in sunlight looked bleak and empty with the gunmetal sky hovering over them. When she saw three silos clustered together, she turned toward them. A small, cement block building hunched at their base.

  Karli frowned at her surroundings. Could she really buy a cat here? Only one way to find out. She got out of her car and went in search of a clerk.

  A woman wearing a flannel shirt and overalls, her face weathered and creased, came out from behind a desk when she entered the building. “Can I help you?”

  “I was told to come here for a cat. Do you sell them?”

  The woman laughed. “Lord, no, but we’ve got plenty of them. I’ll help you pick out one.”

  “How much will it cost?”

  “The cat? It’s free, but by the time you buy supplies for it, we’ll make a profit.”

  Karli started to relax. Whatever cat she found here would be used to being outdoors, would be happy to live in a barn. “Mice are coming into Axel’s house, and I need a cat to get rid of them.”

  The woman’s eyes sparkled with interest. “You must be the girl who came to take care of him? That man’s too cheap to feed a cat, but there are probably enough mice around his place that it won’t matter.”

  Karli shook her head. “When I leave here, I’m taking the cat to Keagan’s parents. He said they put out dry food for their farm cats. I’d worry if it didn’t have someplace good when I’m gone.”

  “Good, then I like you even more. You’ve got to be a nice girl
if you came to help an old goat like Axel.”

  Karli laughed. “I’m not making any headway with him, but at least I tried.”

  The woman shook her head. “The old fool never took care of anyone, not even himself.” She motioned for Karli to follow her. “Come on. We’ll find a few cats roaming around the pet food aisles. If you see one you like, you can have it.”

  They found an old, orange tabby first. It had a ragged ear. “Too many fights,” the woman said. “Marmalade’s been around here a long time.”

  “He looks happy. I’ll leave him alone.” The next cat Karli saw arched its back and hissed at her, then took off. She kept walking. In the fifth aisle, she saw a thin, young cat that was gray with a white chin and white toes on its back paws. She bent down, and he came to her.

  “Dusty loves being petted. I think he was an indoor cat that someone dropped off, but he’s a great mouser.”

  “Can I have him?”

  The woman scooped him up and started to the counter. She dropped him in a heavy, cardboard box and closed it. “He’s yours.”

  “What do I need for him?”

  Karli ended up with a huge bag of dry food, a litter box, litter, and a cat bed. She added cat toys to the essentials and cans of wet food. “Just in case he can’t find enough mice.”

  The woman helped Karli load everything into the back of her Dodge. “Don’t get Dusty too spoiled, or Keagan’s parents will have to deal with a prima donna.”

  But the damn cat was so cute, Karli couldn’t help herself. Keagan’s mail truck was pulling away from Axel’s place by the time she got home. Home. She shook her head. When had she started calling it that? She carried the cardboard box in the house and released the cat. Dusty jumped out, then ran to hide under the couch in the living room. That room was in the back of the house, too close to Axel. Karli never went there. No one did. She left the cat to carry in the rest of the supplies. Sandpaper, paint cans, and a sprayer cluttered the foyer, along with the cat’s things.

  “You’re late!” Axel called from the back room. “I had to wheel myself to get cottage cheese.”

  “Good, then you shouldn’t be hungry.” She listened for his grumbling, and he didn’t disappoint. She carried two take-out bags into his room, one for Axel, one for Kurt. “I brought back Big Macs and fries for you. Better eat up now. I’m going out with Keagan tonight, so I’ll heat up some soup for you for supper.”

  A streak of gray flew by the door.

  “What the hell was that?” Axel stared. “How big are the mice these days?”

  Karli laughed. “I got a gray cat—Dusty. It’ll take him a while to get used to us.”

  The cat was under the table in the kitchen when she started to unload all of his stuff. He crouched and stared at her, but didn’t leave. She put his bowls on the floor at the end of the counter and filled each of them—dry food, water, and a can of chicken and tuna, then put the cans of cat food in the cupboard and his dry food in the broom closet. The men were happy for a minute, so she went to the refrigerator to grab bread and peanut butter to make herself a sandwich. When she turned around, the cat was eating his chicken and tuna.

  “You were hungry, weren’t you?” She ate her sandwich, then carried his cat bed into a corner of the parlor, her room. She tossed his toys randomly. He’d find them if he wanted them. What to do with his litter box?

  She pursed her lips, thinking. She didn’t want it in the kitchen. Not in the dining room or her room either. The bathroom? She wasn’t thrilled. The living room was actually attractive, since she’d painted it, so she didn’t want to ruin it with a litter box. She took a deep breath and walked to the basement door.

  Her thoughts turned to damp, moldy walls and crumbling cement floors as she pulled the door open. She flipped a switch on her right and five naked light bulbs illuminated the entire downstairs. Solid wooden steps with sturdy railings on both sides led to a large, open space. She grabbed the litter box and litter and descended to a room with high ceilings and a corner filled with wooden shelves. Mason jars and a pressure canner sat under them.

  Karli was surprised by how neat and dry the basement was. She went to a spot behind the steps to put the litter box. Dusty followed a few steps behind to watch. She was filling it when something scurried in the shadows on the far wall. Dusty raced down the remaining steps after it. She heard a high squeak and then silence. One mouse down.

  Ugh. She put the bag of litter on one of the shelves and started back up the steps, leaving the basement door open a crack.

  She glanced at the clock and was surprised that Keagan would be here in half an hour. No time for a shower. She changed into a nicer top, slapped on a little makeup, and set two cans of soup near the stove. Then she met Keagan at the door.

  The cat flew up the steps with the limp mouse in its mouth, saw Keagan, and then disappeared back into the living room. Keagan caught a glimpse of it and frowned. “Hate to say it, but your cat looks too sleek to be much of a mouser.”

  “Did you see the dead body in his mouth? He’s a pro.”

  “Is that so?” Keagan frowned at the metal bowls on the floor in the kitchen and shook his head. “Three of them?”

  “I want him to be happy.”

  “You have a lot to learn about farm cats.” Keagan held her coat for her. The temperatures had plummeted during the day. “You hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  He drove her to Ralph’s, and they both ordered the Salisbury steak special. Meg and Nick walked in behind them and came to share their table.

  “Meg tells me you’re going to redo Axel’s kitchen cupboards,” Nick said.

  Keagan looked at her, surprised. “Are you getting new ones?”

  “No, just refinishing the old ones. I like them, but I’m not a fan of blonde wood.”

  “No one is anymore.” Nick reached for his cup of steaming coffee. “Boy, it was cold working on Dad’s new project. There’s no heat in the building yet.”

  Keagan nodded. “I had to keep hopping in and out of the truck today, lots of special deliveries.”

  They made small talk while they ate and then went their separate ways. Keagan drove her to his studio to look at plates. She reached across the middle console to rest her hand on his thigh and felt him tense.

  “Am I being too pushy?” she asked.

  “Hell, no, I wish you could sit next to me like girls did in old-model cars.”

  She moved her hand higher, and his voice turned hoarse. “Careful now. I’m driving. You’re enough of a distraction, as is.”

  Her hand returned to his thigh, but her insides turned somersaults. Keagan considered her a turn-on. Finally! When he parked at his studio, she leaned across the seat to kiss him. He didn’t pull away but opened his lips slightly, his tongue skimming her lips and teeth. Then he pulled away and circled the front of the SUV to open her door. “Work first, then play.”

  A promised reward! Now, she was motivated.

  Heat welcomed them when they entered the shop. Good. It was warm enough for them to get naked.

  “First things first,” he said and motioned toward the shelves.

  She chose a cream-colored set of four plates and salad bowls, embedded with a snowflake pattern, for her mom. Mom could use it all during the winter season. For herself, she bought a set of everyday plates with a different pattern and a different color on each one. The mustard-yellow set was embedded with a head of garlic in its center. Another was bright red with a tomato motif. Forest green glazed the broccoli pattern. There were eight in all.

  Keagan went into a closet and returned with a slatted, wooden box, then began packing each plate and shallow bowl. “This is going to be heavy. I’ll need the dolly to lift it.” He pointed to a heavy, industrial one. “I’ll put them in the trunk of your car.”

  To help, she wrapped a plate to hand him. The sooner they
settled this, the sooner they could move to better things. When he reached for it, their fingers touched. Electricity bolted through her body. Keagan’s gaze locked with hers, his eyes blazing. He laid the plate down and yanked her to him. His lips crushed hers, then his kiss deepened, hot and demanding. She slid her hands under his shirt. Damn, the man felt good! Keagan lifted her onto his wooden worktable and stepped between her legs. Bring it on! Then tires crunched on the gravel outside the door and an engine turned off.

  Why? Why now?

  Keagan groaned. He took a deep breath, fighting for control. His lips pressed into a tight line, he lowered Karli back onto the floor and stepped behind the table to hide his erection. The door flew open, and Stuart rushed into the shop. He stopped and blinked at Karli.

  “Oh. Sorry. I saw Keagan’s SUV and didn’t know anyone else was here.”

  Keagan tried to grin. “You look like Santa came early. What’s up?”

  “We found a tractor today, got a great deal. I was coming home from the grocery store, saw your SUV, and wanted to let you know.”

  “I’m happy for you.” So was Karli. Stuart might have interrupted a perfect moment, but he had great news.

  Stuart clapped Keagan on the back. “Thanks so much. You saved our fannies. I’d better get home, though. Marcia’s waiting on the milk to finish cooking supper. It’s already late.”

  “Congratulations!” Keagan called after him as he left. Then he looked at the clock and sighed. “It is late. We’ve lost more time than I thought. It’ll take a while to load these and get you home.”

  Double phooey and damn! But Keagan had to start his job early each morning, so she put on her good sport face and wrapped plates while he packed them. She waited in the SUV while he loaded them with the dolly, then when they got to Axel’s, she watched him use the dolly to transfer them from his SUV to the trunk of her Dodge. The man was strong! When he finished, he came to bend low and give her a quick kiss.