Page 1 of Purrfectly Adorable

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DELIA

Stomping across the yard, I rap on Brandon’s door. Hard. “I know you’re in there, Courtney! Come face me now! I know what you did!”

The heavy door whips open and my nemesis is standing there, looking just as good as usual. If only he wasn’t such a dang jerk.

His dark brown eyes laser into me, hot and angry. “What exactly is it that you think I did, Del?”

“I’ve told you over and over, don’t call me that!”

He leans against the door jamb, his mouth quirking up into a reluctant smirk. “Ah, but you’re so cute when you give me that look and yell at me. What is it that you think I did this time?”

“Did you call the cops about Princess Peppercorn?” I huff and cross my arms over my chest.

His dark brow lifts. “And what if I did? She was in my yard again. Dang thing took off with one of my best dress shoes again. That’s the second pair she’s taken. I don’t have an endless supply of shoes, Delia. I’m a cop, not a millionaire. Besides, why would I have to call the cops?” He stalks towards me. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten that I’m a cop.”

I back away from him, glaring. “You’re a detective. The guy who came over to talk to me about Princess was in uniform. Why didn’t you just come over and talk to me yourself?”

He throws his head back and laughs but it’s not a happy sound. “I’ve been asking you to watch that dang cat for months now. I’ve asked you over and over again. I asked you to find my shoes. You had no idea what she did with them. Even claimed that it was another animal that stole them.” His rock-hard jaw firms up even more until it looks as immoveable as granite. He’s so close that if I take a deep breath, all I’ll smell is the deliciously musky scent he always wears. “I saw her. She took my shoes. I don’t lie, Del. I asked someone else to talk to you that maybe you’d respect a little more than me. Just keep your dang cat out of my yard.”

“I can’t control where she goes, Courtney. But if it will make you happy I’ll look around and see if I can find your dang shoes. I can’t believe you’d try to get Princess thrown in prison for a shoe!”

He rolls his eyes. “She’s a cat. She’s not going to jail.”

“No, worse.” I turn around and stalk off. “I’ll find your shoes but I’d appreciate it if you have any further complaints, tell me. I’m not having my cat taken from me because of a shoe!”

I stomp away and hiss under my breath when I slam my toe into a rock. “Shoot!”

“Are you alright?” He calls and I swear I could almost think that he’s concerned.

But Brandon Courtney has been a thorn in my side since he moved in next to me a year ago.

He’s such a complete stick in the mud. I know that he thinks I’m some crazy tree-hugger but that’s none of his business!

I am who I am because of the people that thought they could control me. Just like him.

My mother especially. My daddy died when I was three so I was raised by a single mom. And she didn’t understand me at all. I give her her dues. She worked her butt off at more than one job over the years. She took good care of me.

But she didn’t understand me. She doesn’t understand anything that doesn’t make sense and I don’t make sense to her.

I went to school to be a librarian. There’s no money in being a librarian. She wanted me to go to school for accounting. But numbers aren’t my thing. They just give me a headache.

Just like Brandon Courtney.

I reach my yard and find Princess waiting for me, her long, fluffy tail twitching. The calico cat yawns delicately and I roll my eyes, huffing.

“Why can’t you stay away from that man? He hates the both of us. And what the devil did you do with his shoes?”

She yawns again and I swear her lip curls in what I would call a smile.

“What did you do with them, Princess Peppercorn?” I growl at her but she just gives me that cool, slow cat blink.

“I’m going to have to find them, dang it! I can’t afford to keep replacing his shoes every time you get a wild hair!”

“Mehhhh!” Annie, my goat grumbles at me.

“I don’t need you defending her Annie. This is not good. That man is a cop! He could take you away from me if you don’t stop stealing his dang shoes!”

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