Page 5 of August Heat
Krys paled. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“You did the right thing bringing them to a vet. Real shame to hear they don’t have their mother anymore, but better for them to come to us early when we can socialize them and get them adopted before they become totally feral. My aunt lives with me. She loves cats. Bet she’ll be out here half the night looking after them.” Siobhan chuckled. “Probably end up adopting the whole lot of them. Our other cat willlovethat.”
Krys couldn’t tell if that was sarcasm. “Again, thank you. I looked for a mama cat, but didn’t find one. Honestly, I found them in that box there, far away from the barn fire.”
Siobhan tapped her finger against her chin. “Suspicious, isn’t it? The farmer said they’re not his?”
“Said he had never seen them before.”
“Still possible they were his barn cats. He just didn’t know they were there. That’s pretty common. I’m always finding litters of kittens in barns. Go in to check out a horse, come out carrying kittens the farmer doesn’t want in his barn.”
It’s the fact they were in a box that makes it sound suspicious.As if someone knew there would be a fire and made sure nothing was killed. An arsonist with a little conscience? Go figure.Still something for the fire marshal to figure out.Krys would be on hand for an interview if necessary, but beyond that, her work was done when the chief pulled them from the scene.
“Tell you what.” Siobhan threw out her mask and washed her hands again. Krys lined up behind her to have a turn. “You’ll get first dibs to adopt one or all of them if you want. Finders keepers, right?”
“I guess.”
“Don’t worry about them having owners. Cats get dumped all the time.”
She had such a cavalier way of saying that. Was that a byproduct of being a country vet for so long, or was Siobhan sarcastic by nature? It would explain why Krys hadn’t ever seen her around town before.I would remember her, too. A face like that… hair like that… uh, a body like that…Siobhan was all lean muscle and a few carefully placed curves. Nothing that made her a pin-up model, but she was physical, wasn’t she? Country vets were probably like that, always climbing around farms and dealing with big, unruly animals.I make it sound like she wrestles pigs every day.Well, maybe she did…
“So…” Krys soaped up her hands while Siobhan dried hers a few feet away. “You’ve been here a while, huh? I’ve never seen you around.”
What was that look for? Was Siobhan the type to take offence if nobody noticed her? Or was she put out that Krys’s nosiness was getting the best of her? “I don’t get out much,” Siobhan grumbled. Then, “That’s not true. I get out alot.Every day, really! I don’t go into town much. All of my clients live on farms or up in the hills. Just earlier today I was checking on Rita Mills’s cat she found ran over in the road.”
Krys searched her memory for that name.Rita Mills… Rita Mills…Nope. Didn’t ring any bells. Maybe Siobhan was the person most connected to the county’s agoraphobic residents. Krys didn’t meet people unless they were often in town or constantly calling the fire department.
Or she dated them. Ahem.
“Sorry. Don’t know her.”
“I know you, though.”
Krys patted her hands dry with a paper towel. “Excuse me?”
“Krys Madison. Paradise Valley’s only female firefighter. I’ve had a few friends who dated you.”
“Not sure what to say about that.” Krys would blush, though. “I’ve dated a few women over the years, so I couldn’t really guess who.”
“Yeah.” Siobhan turned to the box of kittens. “I know.”
How was Krys supposed to takethat?
“I’ve got it from here, thanks. Unless there’s something else you need?”
Krys was at a loss for words.Wouldn’t mind asking you out.Yet she was completely off her game, and she couldn’t say why. Lack of practice in recent months? Or was there something about Siobhan O’Connor that threw her off, as if Krys had finally met her match in a woman who probably wanted nothing to do with her?“I’ve had a few friends who dated you.”Was that said in jest, or anger? Who were these friends Krys had dated? Did things end sourly on one end, and that’s what Siobhan had heard over the years? How much was Krys’s honor at stake?
“No, it’s good.” Krys made sure she had everything – minus the kittens, for they were still falling over each other in their box – before heading to the door. “Unless there’s anything else you need from me.”
Siobhan glanced between Krys and the kittens, a confused smile twitching on her freckled face.Oh, my God. I’m such a sucker for freckles.There weren’t enough girls with freckles in Paradise Valley. Too many Scandinavians, not enough Irish. “I said I got everything from here. Four kittens, all with fleas but otherwise fine.”
“If I hear anything about their owner, I’ll let you know.”
“You do that.”
Krys shut the door behind her and helped herself back out to her car. She lingered by the driver’s side door, fumbling with her keys. She was in no hurry to get inside. What if Siobhan suddenly remembered something and needed to talk to Krys a little longer?
Surprise. No such thing happened.
