Page 38 of Love It or List It
After dinner they settled in the breezeway with Pepa, who was growing antsy now that she had recovered from anesthesia and the harsher drugs, and argued the merits of accepting the last piece of advice from the exterminator.
“I’m not saying a cat is a bad idea.”Joe jabbed the air with his sandwich.“I’m just saying that now is probably not the best time for more animal adoption.”
“Okay, but isn’t an animal that will help us maintain the house one that’s worth putting the money into?”
“Sure, but a pet isn’t a temporary thing.What are we going to do with it when we sell the house?”
Austin threaded his fingers in Pepa’s ruff and pursed his lips.He didn’t appreciate the reminder that Pepa’s future was undecided.“Oh, so it’s fine for the dog—”
Pepa whined and settled her chin on his thigh.Austin stroked her silky ears.She’d been so unhappy as the painkillers wore off.Maybe Linda could increase her dosage?
Then again, getting the dog addicted to drugs didn’t seem great either.
With a roll of his eyes, Joe stood up.“All right.I’m going back to the subfloor.”There was something pointed about the way he looked at Austin when he said it, like Austin was slacking off by giving Pepa much-needed comfort, but Austin wasn’t taking that bait.
Pepa whined again, and this time she stood up and hopped to the side door.Austin didn’t need to be a dog whisperer to understand what she wanted.
He clipped her new leash onto her collar and took her out for a pee.She wouldn’t need it forever—the property was big—but neither Austin nor Joe trusted her yet not to accidentally hurt herself if she had free rein.
Pepa whined and pulled on the leash; clearly she knew where she wanted to do her business.Seeing no point in arguing, Austin strolled behind her as she led the way to—
The spot where the coyote attacked her.
“Why do you want to go there, baby?”Austin muttered, but he reluctantly let her drag him on.
Pepa snuffled in the grass and—
Was that a meow?
Austin shuffled forward and looked over Pepa’s head.
Well.Looked like Austin was winning that argument after all.
“AUSTIN!”JOEhad reached the point in the subfloor installation where he needed another set of hands.Maneuvering a twelve-foot-long two-by-ten into a joist hanger was a two-person operation.“Quit petting the dog and come help me with this!”
When Austin didn’t show up right away, Joe thought back.Had he heard the breezeway door opening?He dusted off his hands and walked down the three steps to what he’d come to think of as Pepa’s hospital room.Sure enough, it was empty, but Austin and Pepa were on their way back to the house, illuminated in the yellowy glow of the motion-activated floodlight.
Austin had taken off his sweatshirt and was cradling it against his chest, half his attention on the bundle, half on Pepa.
It was only polite to get the door.“Hey, can I get some—oh my God, what are those?”
“Don’t look at me,” Austin said.“This was all Pepa.Naming her after you was obviously the only thing to do.”
Wrapped in Austin’s sweater were three tiny mewling kittens, two orange tabbies and one bedraggled-looking black.
Joe should open his mouth and sayWe’re not keeping those.At the very least,Put two of those back.
But Pepa hopped over to her bed and sat, tail wagging more than it had at any point since they met her, gaze fixed adoringly on Austin and his precious cargo.
“What?”Joe said weakly.
“Think I know why she picked a fight with a coyote,” Austin said as he knelt to set the kittens down next to Pepa on her bed.“Protecting her adopted children, obviously.”
Two of the skinny, pathetic, damp-looking cats toddled unsteadily out of the sweater and yowled at Pepa, who licked each of them in turn.Joe wasn’t an expert, but they looked scrawny—he doubted their mother was in the picture.
The third cat—the black one—declined to exit the sweater the same way as its siblings and instead turned around and climbed up Austin’s pant leg.
“This isn’t fair,” Joe said as Austin collected the kitten in one big hand and pulled it close to his chest.“You and Pepa ganged up on me.”
