The next morning, I dragged myself downstairs, rubbing my eyes. I needed a run. I’d tossed all night, Darwin’s words playing in my mind. He’d been working this farm for over twenty years and I’d never known him to be anything other than what he appeared to be—kind, hardworking, decent.
But all night an uncomfortable apprehension grew in me. Who had a lot to lose if the development became a reality? Darwin. Who’d argued with Mike the night he was killed? Darwin. Those words—“he wasn’t worth it.” Did that mean that Mike had asked him to do something that wasn’t worth Darwin’s self-respect?
I knew one thing for sure. Caroline had cried all night. I’d tried to talk to her about what we’d overheard but she insisted she wanted to be alone.
Sprinkles mewed softly from the kitchen, where she again sat at her perch by the window.
She jerked her head around as I entered. She blinked once then jumped down in front of the door, turning her flat face and copper eyes to me again with unspoken command.
I obeyed and opened the door. The little black cat I’d met at the barn sat on the welcome mat, looking at me as if to say What took you so long?
“Well, hello!”
Sprinkles looked at me, then the kitten, her demand clear.
I held the screen door wide. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, come in.”
Sprinkles blinked, as if granting permission to enter into her royal presence. The little guy sprang inside, his tail high.
As the kitten curled around my ankles, a deep purr coming from his throat, I could see the bones working under his fur. “You’re too thin, poor thing!” Sprinkles moved to sit by her food bowl and looked up at me again. Evidently, in addition to her meal, I was to prepare one for our guest.
I fed Sprinkles, then shook some dried food into a bowl for the newcomer and added a tiny bit of Sprinkles’ froufrou food. I didn’t know what this little guy had been eating but I didn’t want to hit him with anything too rich. He drank from Sprinkles’ water bowl without incident. I crouched and reached out my hand. He curled his head under it and let me pet him.
Then at an unspoken signal from Sprinkles, they trotted down the hallway together.
Caroline leaned over the banister as she came downstairs. “Hey, where’d you come from?”
We followed the cats as they went into the parlor. Sprinkles groomed a paw as her new friend sniffed the furniture. “We have a guest,” I said.
“He’s adorable!” Caroline crouched to get a better look at him, then whispered, “And look how nice she’s being to him.”
There was something so loveable about the little guy. His ear, bent and torn, gave him such a rakish, devil-may-care look. His eyes were gold and bright, with an uncanny expression that made me feel that he could understand everything I said. Plus, is there anything more adorable than a kitten?
But I didn’t like the scar on his back. “I think I’ll take him to the vet. Listen to me, like I have a vet.”
Caroline laughed. “Sprinkles’ vet is Liam Pryce, the hottest vet in New England. Word is he did some modeling to pay for school and was very successful, but instead he has dedicated his life to taking care of animals, which only makes him more attractive. Maybe we should both go to the vet.” She tilted her head. “This guy needs a name. Midnight? Shadow? Inky?”
“Let’s avoid the typical black-cat names. He’s a fighter,” I said. “I’ve got it. Rocky. Like the boxer.”
“Perfect. And he’s yours, so he’s Rocky Rhodes.” She laughed.
I groaned. Perfect for me now that I was president, CEO, and chief mechanic of the Udderly Delightful Ice Cream Shop.
I found the number for Dr. Pryce on a handwritten list posted by Buzzy’s vintage wall-mounted phone and punched it into my cell. I spoke to the receptionist. There’d been a cancellation, and could I be there in a half hour? I could.
Caroline dangled a toy and the little kitten rocketed after it. Sprinkles watched, her tail swishing lazily. “There’s an extra litter box in the mudroom,” she said. “I’ll set it up for Rocky. We have lots of stuff that Sprinkles never uses. Buzzy never threw anything out. I’ll get that all set up while you’re gone, then I’ll head down to the shop.” Caroline practically bounced into the mudroom, completely taken with the little guy. I’d wanted to talk about last night and what Darwin had said, but she looked so happy I decided it could wait.