his drive for their date night, Rick was waiting for her on the front steps. He’d prepped the sauce he was making that morning, and Diego had pitched in on cleaning the place. It was possible he’d overprepared a smidge, but Rick would rather that than get caught unawares again. Of course, in all his planning, he hadn’t expected her to hop out of her vehicle with a small plastic animal carrier in her hands.
“Okay, before you say anything, this is not what it looks like.”
Rick met her in front of her vehicle, peering inside the carrier. Two bright eyes blinked back, followed by the tiniest little mew he’d ever heard.
“You didn’t bring me a cat?” Rick raised an eyebrow.
“Of course not. I merely invited my newest feline companion to join us for dinner.” Lana hugged the plastic carrier as if the action could impress upon the kitten inside how much she loved it already. “The poor thing started crying when I went to leave the room.”
“You didn’t have a kitten this morning.” At least not that he’d noticed.
Lana gave him a hug too, not unlike the hug she’d given the cat carrier. Rick didn’t know why his brain made the comparison, but he knew he’d never in a million years own up to wondering if a kitten was his competition.
“One of the cats at the hotel had kittens,” Lana explained as they walked to the porch. “Hannah was giving them away, and she was down to the last one. It seemed awful to be the only kitten without a home, so I decided to increase the search radius.”
“Does that include me?” he asked, opening the front door for her. “Come on in.”
“Not unless you’re in the market for a kitten. I know you have your hands full already.” Her smile warmed him, and Rick found himself following her through his house to the dining room table.
“Now, we’ll have to ask Roger if he minds that the kitten is here,” Lana said. “It’s very important for him to have a say in the matter. No cat wants an unwelcome dinner guest.”
For the record, Rick always listened when Lana talked. Always. But the woman was so damn pretty, he sometimes had a hard time focusing one hundred percent on what she was saying. When she was around, it was like his senses were on overload. The sound of her voice, the playful crinkle in her eyes, the curve of her hips, or the way she nibbled her lip. He only managed to refocus when he heard another plaintive mew from the carrier in her arms.
“Okay, let’s look at this kitten.”
Lana set down the carrier, taking out a tiny black-and-white furball. “Isn’t he precious? They had names already. This is Peyton.”
Rick dropped into a chair. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close. To his immense pleasure, Lana sat on his leg, leaning into his shoulder as she cradled the kitten. The part of Rick he tried to keep hidden deep down had shied away from the animal the instant he’d laid eyes on it. This was what Jen had done. She’d find something to take care of, and he’d be the sucker that ended up taking care of it.
How many fights had they had over “one more kitten” or “it’s just a fainting goat”? And here Rick was again, caught between wanting to make the woman in his life happy and not wanting to be a schmuck.
Maybe the expression on his face gave him away, because Lana touched his stubbly cheek with slender fingertips.
“You don’t have to look so worried, Rick. I promise this isn’t me pushing him on you. I’m planning on taking him to the Lockett place tomorrow. Or Graham might want a friend for Jake.” Lana adjusted the kitten in her arms. “I wish I could keep him with me, but traveling all over the place is no life for a kitten. What if it’s too cold or too hot, or there’s some sort of kitty disease that no one had discovered?”
“You love animals.” Rick deeply enjoyed how happy holding Peyton seemed to make her. Even if he really didn’t want the kitten himself.
“I do. I never had a pet growing up. We were encouraged to think of the horses as working partners instead of pets. Everyone had their jobs to do, even if that was to jump an oxer. You wouldn’t believe how many deals Killian has brokered covered in horse sweat and bits of