Three tiny kittens nestled against their mother. Misty carefully licked them, dampening their fur. Their tiny eyes were closed, their miniature paws kneading slightly. Fayrene pulled free of Ryan and dropped to a crouch.
“They’re beautiful,” she murmured. “Do you think she’s done giving birth?”
“Cats can take a break for up to twenty-four hours,” he told her. “She’s not in discomfort, so just let her be.”
Misty might not be upset, but Fayrene felt the whole world kind of shift to the left. She wondered if she was about to faint for the first time in her life.
“T-twenty-four hours?”
“It’s not that unusual. The fact that the first three came so quickly might mean she’s done, but there’s no way to know for sure.”
She stood slowly, one hand on the desk for support. “I can’t go through this for twenty-four hours,” she murmured. “It’s too stressful.”
“Misty’s doing great,” Ryan told her.
Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one who would be watching over her for the next twenty-four hours.
Work now
, she told herself.
Panic later.
So the night would be long. She would make it through.
“Thank you for your help,” she said, glancing at him. “You’ve been great, and now you probably want to get back to whatever it was you were doing.”
He flashed her a grin that made her knees nearly give way. “I’ll be in all day if you and Misty need any help.”
“We might have to take you up on that.”
She appreciated that he didn’t point out the cat was doing great and didn’t seem to need much of anything. She, on the other hand, could use a hug. Her gaze slid to Ryan’s retreating back. She would bet he was a great hugger. She liked that in a guy. When he held on tight, as if he would never let go. Although not in a scary, stalker kind of way.
Not that she was interested in Ryan. She had goals and a plan. Part of that plan was to avoid romance for the next four years. There would be plenty of time for fun later.
CHAPTER TWO
RYAN SAVED HIS work on his program, then stood and stretched. It was after five. This was his second week working for Ethan. As the job was only for a couple of months and he didn’t know anyone in town, Ryan had been working until at least eight. But tonight was different. All day he’d been conscious of Fayrene sitting at the front desk in the office. She’d answered phones, typed on her keyboard and checked on Misty about every fifteen minutes. From what he could tell, she was efficient and a bit of a worrier. Now that she wasn’t running around screaming about the cat, he’d noticed she had the sexiest walk he’d seen in a while. Or ever.
He grabbed his leather jacket. While the early spring days were warm in Fool’s Gold, the nights could be cool. He was staying at Ronan’s Lodge—a nice hotel in town. It meant he could walk back and forth to work. It also meant dealing with the weather.
Now he moved toward Fayrene’s desk. She’d gathered her belongings and looked ready to bend down to collect the box containing Misty and her three kittens.
“I’ll get her,” he said, stepping around the desk and lifting the box. “Taking her home for the night?”
Fayrene nodded. She was pale with worry. He could see the strain in her eyes. “I spoke to Misty’s owner, Charity. The bike race was today, so they’re coming back tomorrow to be with her. I just have to get through until then.”She bit her lower lip. “You really think she might have more kittens?”
“It’s possible.”
“That’s a long time to be in labor.”
“I don’t think she’s in pain.”
Misty lay with her kittens snuggled close. Her eyes were half-closed, and she was purring.
“I guess not,” Fayrene said.
Ryan surrendered to the inevitable and put the box on the desk. “I could stay with you and sit up with her, if that would help.”
Fayrene stared at him. “I don’t think so. I barely know you. You can’t come over to my place.”
If he hadn’t been holding the cat and her babies, he would have raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. “I wasn’t suggesting anything. Just offering. We could stay here, if you’d feel safer.”
“You’d spend the night in this office to help me watch over the cat?”
“Sure.”
“That’s very nice of you, but I don’t think so.”
He couldn’t read her tone, so he wasn’t sure if she was paying him a compliment or mocking him. “It’s how I was raised.”
She studied him for a second. “Wallet in your back pocket?” she asked.
“Sure, but what—”
His question was cut off when he felt her fingers tugging the wallet free. She flipped it open and then picked up the phone and dialed.
“Police Chief Barns, please. It’s Fayrene Hopkins.”
“You’re calling the police?” he asked, thinking his grumpy uncle had been right. No good deed went unpunished.
“Hi, Alice,” Fayrene said with a smile. “I need you to run a background check on someone.” She explained about Misty and the kittens and his offer. “His name is Ryan Patterson. He’s from Washington State.” She gave Alice his date of birth and license number, then glanced back at him. “Nice picture.”
“Thanks.”
She covered the mouthpiece. “I dated Alice’s oldest when I was in high school. We went to prom. She’s always liked me.”
He couldn’t decide if Fayrene’s actions impressed him or made him want to recant his offer. He supposed a little of both. He respected her need to protect herself, even as he was uncomfortable being investigated by the police. Not that he had anything to hide, but still.
Fayrene pointed to the bowl of jelly beans on her desk.
“Want one?”
“No, thanks.”
She picked out a couple. “Green apple. I haven’t been eating much fruit lately.”
He stared at her. “That’s a jelly bean, not fruit.”
“Uh, no. It’s a Jelly Belly.”
“There’s a difference?”
“Duh.” She uncovered the mouthpiece and listened for a minute. “Uh-huh. Okay, thanks. I’ll tell him. No, I haven’t heard from Jim. Alice, you have to let it go.” She paused, then smiled again. “That’s sweet. I’ll let you know if anything changes. Bye.”
She hung up. “Alice says I’m her favorite of her Jim’s girlfriends, and she would like us to get back together.”
“That going to happen?”
“No. We had fun, but we outgrew each other a long time ago.” She tucked a loose strand of blond hair behind her ears and grabbed more Jelly Bellys. “You have no arrests, but you have two speeding tickets on your record. Police Chief Barns wants me to remind you that local law enforcement takes the speed limit very seriously here in Fool’s Gold.”
“Good to know.”
She studied him for a second. “If you’re serious about staying with me tonight, that is not going to happen. However, I would appreciate you stopping by for a few hours, just in case more kittens arrive. But I want to be clear I’m inviting you over as a friend. I’m not sleeping with you.”
Ryan laughed. “Thanks for clarifying. I wasn’t planning on more than cat sitting, by the way.”
She flushed. “I realize you hadn’t asked, but I’ve learned it’s best to get everything out in the open so there aren’t any misunderstandings.”
“A wise philosophy.”
“Now you’re making fun of me.”
“Maybe a little.”
She was an interesting combination of hysterical and capable, he thought. She might not be comfortable around Misty in labor, but she was willing to call the local police chief and check on him.
He shrugged into his jacket. “How far’s your place? I left my car at the hotel.”
“I drove because of Misty.” She picked up her purse. “I wasn’t planning on company for dinner. Is pizza okay?”
“Pizza is my favorite.”
* * *
FAYRENE DROPPED HER skirt to the floor and slid into her jeans. She’d left Ryan in the living room with Misty and the kittens. He didn’t seem the type to snoop, but it had been so long since she’d brought a guy home, she felt strange leaving him alone. Who knew you could forget how to date?
Not that this was a date—he was a friend, helping her out. But he was also a man and nice-looking and there was the whole
zap
thing.
She pulled on her sweatshirt and shoved her feet into flats. Her curly hair was a mess, but then it usually was. She’d learned to ignore it. Less than two minutes after she’d left him to get changed, she was back in the living room. Where Ryan wasn’t.
She stared at the empty space. His backpack was still on the floor by the door, and his coat was on the small rack. She paused and listened, then heard a distinct
meow
from the alcove that was her kitchen.
She followed the noise and found Ryan opening a can of cat food. Misty was out of the box and tracing a figure eight around his ankles.
He looked up and smiled. “I thought she might be hungry,” he said. “She’s had a tough day.”
He scooped food into a bowl and set it on the floor. Misty hurried over and started eating. He poured out some dry food, then filled her water bowl.
“You’re good,” Fayrene told him. “You’ve taken care of pets before.”
“I grew up on a farm.”
Fayrene stared at him. “Seriously?”
He covered the rest of the canned cat food and put it in her refrigerator, then closed the door and leaned against the counter.
“Why is that surprising? You live in a small town.”
“But not on a farm.”
She led the way into the living room. The coffee table had a small drawer where she kept her favorite takeout menus. When they were both seated on the sofa, she handed him the stack.
“I owe you, so you get to pick. It doesn’t have to be pizza. Other places deliver.”
He chuckled. “You sure know how to spoil a guy.”
He flipped through the various offerings before choosing pizza. Fayrene phoned in the order, adding a six-pack of beer to the pizza. Because all she had in her refrigerator was a jar of mustard and Misty’s breakfast.
“So where is the family farm?” she asked, angling toward him.
“A place you’ve never heard of. Colville, Washington. It’s north of Spokane. My dad runs a few hundred heads of cattle and twenty acres of hay. We raised chickens, goats, rabbits. The usual.”
She laughed. “The usual? Not for me. No wonder you were comfortable with Misty’s delicate condition. Nothing you haven’t seen before.”
He shrugged. “I’ve had my share of birthing babies.”
“How did you get from there to here?”
His dark gaze settled on her face. “Why aren’t I still that farm boy?”
She nodded.
“It’s a hard way to making a living. There are a few manufacturing jobs in town, but I didn’t want that, either. I’d always been interested in how things worked. I would take things apart and try to put them back together.” His mouth curved up. “When I was younger, I wasn’t very good at the putting them back together part. My parents were really patient with me.”
“So you always wanted to be an engineer?”
“Pretty much. When I was fifteen, my dad bought a wind turbine to generate electricity.” The smile widened. “That’s a windmill for you city folks.”
She laughed. “Thanks for explaining. So that’s what you studied?”
“My degree is more general. Alternative energy sources, but I’ve specialized in wind turbines. I’ve been working on some designs of my own, and I’ve modified existing designs. Efficiency is significant. Getting an extra kilowatt may not seem like much, but over time, it adds up.”
He spoke with enthusiasm and got technical pretty quickly. In a matter of a minute, she had no idea what he was talking about. But she liked the sound of his voice and how he was excited about what he did. A lot of guys her age were just coasting. They wanted to be the next Steve Jobs without doing the work.
Not Ryan
, she thought, respecting his desire to get ahead.
She also liked how his dark hair fell across his forehead and the way his glasses made him seem more approachable.
She found herself wanting to move closer. To lean into him and—
She slammed on mental brakes. That was so not happening, she reminded herself. She was the girl with a plan. She had dreams to fulfill. Getting involved would only distract her. Dreams first, romance second.
Oh, but he was tempting.
“...which was where I met Ethan,” he was saying.
She’d been listening enough to know he’d been talking about a conference. “He convinced you to come here?”
Ryan hesitated. “Not exactly. My contract with him is for six weeks. He wanted some design modifications, which is what I’m doing now. I have a job offer in Texas.”
That was news. “Are you going to take it?”
“I don’t know. It’s a good offer. There’s a lot of cutting-edge work being done there. North Texas gets a lot of wind.”
While she wasn’t happy with the idea of him leaving, it did simplify the problem. If Ryan wasn’t staying, then he couldn’t interfere with her plan. And sitting just a little closer on the sofa was perfectly safe...
And maybe a little bit dangerous.
CHAPTER THREE