smiled. “If you think it’s a clawfoot bath, then you’re right. And it’s in great condition. We can save you a lot of money by having it spray-painted by one of our team.”
Tears filled her eyes. “This is the best news we’ve had since we started pulling the houses apart. Is there one in the other house?” With both houses being mirror images of each other, she was hoping Patrick would say yes.
“There is, and it’s in a similar condition. If you’re happy to recycle the baths, I’ll cancel the special order we made last week for two new ones.”
Shelley nodded and studied the bath. “That would be wonderful. Do you think they’re lion’s paws at the base of the bath?”
“They look like it to me. We’ll take them to the old steamboat museum and refurbish the bathtubs there. The only thing you need to do is choose a paint color.”
“I’ll let you know tomorrow morning.”
“Thanks. While you’re here, I want to show you something in the second bedroom, too.”
“Is it as good as the clawfoot bath?” she asked hopefully.
Patrick chuckled. “It could be.”
As they made their way down the hallway, Shelley said hello to one of Patrick’s construction trainees. She sighed when she saw some missing floorboards in the bedroom. “Please don’t tell me the floor joists are rotten.”
Patrick knelt on the wooden floor. “When we removed the carpet, we saw that some of the floorboards had been replaced with chipboard. When we took the chipboard away, this is what we found.” He beckoned Shelley closer.
When she looked over Patrick’s shoulder, she was already imagining a conversation with her bank manager about borrowing more money. This must be what everyone warned you about when you bought an old home. Maybe she should have listened to an expert before buying two run-down properties.
She looked into the hole in the floor and frowned. Then she heard it; the soft, high-pitched squeal of kittens. Silently, she knelt beside Patrick. Hiding under the house were two bedraggled kittens sitting on top of an old, scruffy blanket.
“Their Mom hasn’t returned since we’ve been here. But that’s probably because we’ve been making a lot of noise. I didn’t want to take them out of there in case she returned, so a trainee found a blanket for them.”
“I thought it was too late for kittens to be born?”
“They must be at least a month old but, even so, they’re a late litter.”
Their plaintive meows worried Shelley. “They look cold and hungry, and their fur is dirty. It doesn’t look as though their mom has been here for a while.”
“You could be right,” Patrick murmured. “What would you like to do with them?”
Shelley bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to take the kittens away from their mom, but something could have happened to her. If she left them here, they could die. “It’s really cold and they look unloved. Do you want to take them home?”
Patrick shook his head. “I already have an old cat. The kittens would be too much for her.”
For now, Shelley was living with her sister. She didn’t know how Bailey would feel about her bringing two kittens home. But until she could take them to an animal shelter, she didn’t have a choice. “I’ll take them home with me.”
“I’ll find an old box to put them in. They don’t seem too feral, so you should be safe.”
She hadn’t thought about that or about anything else she’d need. “Do I have to buy special food for them?”
Patrick placed an old box beside the hole in the floor. “It’s been a long time since I had a kitten, but I don’t think so. Talk to Zac. He might know.”
“He’s a human doctor, not a vet.”
“It’s as close as you’ll find in Sapphire Bay.” Patrick swung his legs over the edge of the hole.
“Wait,” Shelley said quickly. “I’ll get the kittens. You can make sure they don’t jump out of the box.” Patrick was in his early eighties. The last thing he needed was to slip and break a bone.
“I’ll be okay.”
“No, I insist. If something happens to you, Kathleen won’t be happy with me.”
A blush skimmed Patrick’s cheeks. “You noticed?”
“It’s hard not to,” Shelley whispered. “But don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me.”
Patrick pulled himself to his feet. “In that case, the kittens are all yours.”
And, with a smile, she dropped into the cavity beneath the house and picked up two sad little kittens.
When Shelley showed her sister the kittens, Bailey’s heart seemed