Page 35 of Jasper

All the bowls were too big, so she settled on a saucer. It was while she was heating the milk that she realized this was the first time she hadn’t frozen and nearly had a heart attack when the back door opened.

It could be because she was so focused on the kittens, but she doubted it. She had been less and less jumpy all week. It had more to do with the man sitting upstairs with a bunch of half-frozen kittens in his lap. She was starting to trust him.

She wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Jasper was a man who could hurt her deeply if she let her defenses down. Trust was one of those walls she put up to protect herself after Brad.

Yet Jasper chipped away at it without any effort. She felt another chunk fall earlier when she’d observed him with the kittens.

He was a cocky bastard, but he was also kind and really gentle. Overinflated ego, but that didn’t get in the way of how he treated others or defenseless animals. He was the first guy she’d met who came anywhere near the kind of man her father had been, that her cousin was. He was the kind of man a woman could fall head over heels for without even realizing it was happening.

She wasn’t going to let that happen. The microwave dinged, and she went back upstairs with a newfound determination.

“That’s too big.”

“It’s not.” Jasper frowned at her as he perused the pet aisle at the general store. “There are three of them. They need a bigger litter box.”

“The vet said they were only around four weeks old. They’re tiny, Jasper. There’s no way they’ll be able to climb the walls of that one. We need to get this one.” Sloane pointed to the smallest of the litter boxes. The man was being stubborn about what the kittens needed. He’d already loaded the cart down with toys, a cat bed, bowls that were kitten size, more food than they needed, and three kinds of litter, saying they’d have to test them out to see what worked best.

If he wasn’t so serious about it, she’d be laughing. That, and he was upset.

The vet wanted to keep the kittens overnight because they’d suffered from hypothermia. Sloane readily agreed. It gave the two of them time to shop for everything they’d need. Jasper, however, hadn’t been thrilled.

If she hadn’t been there to witness his anxiety over leaving the kittens behind, she wouldn’t have believed it. The man had walked back to where they were and told them he’d be back first thing in the morning to take them home, like they could actually understand a word he was saying.

Since leaving the vet’s office, he’d been tense and gruff. Now he was arguing over what they did and didn’t need.

“You’re projecting.”

“I’m what?” He leaned over and picked up a can of powdered kitten milk.

“You’re upset because we had to leave the kittens, and now you’re projecting that frustration by over-buying what we need.”

“I’m not upset.”

She stared him down.

“They’re probably scared, thinking we abandoned them.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and put the powder down and picked up several cans of the liquid milk instead. “Who in the hell would feed their pets powdered milk?”

“People on a budget who have a lot of kittens to feed? There’s nothing wrong with the powdered kind.”

He snorted. The man actually snorted. She wasn’t sure where he learned that habit, but it was cute.

“Have you tasted that shit? My boss’s wife was using that crap for their baby. We got curious one day and tried it. Nastiest stuff you’ve ever tasted.”

“You drank formula?” Good Lord. Who was this man?

“Well, yeah. We had to make sure the kids were getting a decent meal, and that powdered shit stank to high heaven. Viktor threw it out and dared Sara to feed the twins that ever again.”

“You realize the liquid form tastes just as nasty?”

“It can’t be as bad as the powdered.”

“It’s not supposed to taste good.” She grinned as she started pushing the cart, imagining him taking a drink of baby formula and spewing it across the room. “It’s to provide them nourishment and the vitamins they need.”

“You think it’s okay to give them shit just because they’re babies and can’t complain?” He gave her the stink eye.

She shook her head and continued through the store.

Jasper muttered as they finished their shopping and loaded the truck. Once they entered the grocery store, she noticed his mood improved. The man loved food more than anyone she’d ever met.

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