Chapter 11 #2
The peace of working with a small group of dedicated people was something she hadn’t experienced before. This group had eclectic talents and ideas, yet they worked together. Encouraged each other to take their own steps and work on their own visions.
Mara realized she hadn’t thought of Anson or his bakery in days. Even thinking about it now, she felt annoyance, not rage and shame.
Sure, she’d been fired, but she’d told him to screw himself and that she quit in the same breath. That counted for something.
“You okay over there?”
Seth’s soft growl had her realizing he was slowing for the turn onto Kimi’s property. “Sorry, I zoned out there. I was thinking about how great it is living on the farm, and how everyone encourages each other to do their own thing even as we all work together.”
Which was a leap from where she’d been laughing over their shared kiss.
Instead of commenting on that, Seth’s lips tipped up. “It’s good for me, too. Your brother and the others make it easy to be part of things.”
Mara knew Ford had struggled to find his place after leaving the army. While he loved building and doing construction, he’d always been more about rebuilding and restoring than starting fresh. The farm was the perfect spot for him.
They walked back to Kimi’s barn with Fritter snuggled in Mara’s arms. The vet stood in a small corral, a horse opposite her. Kimi waved slowly at them and motioned for them to give the corral a wide berth.
The horse glanced in their direction and skittered a few steps to the side.
Kimi didn’t move, but they could see she spoke quietly to the animal.
Seth put his arm on Mara’s lower back and guided them closer to an empty corral on the other side of the pathway.
Once they were past, they walked to the front of the barn and waited, watching as Kimi continued to talk to the horse. After a few minutes, she ducked under the fence rail and approached them with a smile. “Hello. It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too. Thanks for having a look at Fritter here.”
Kimi’s smile widened. “Fritter? So you’re hoping to keep him?”
Mara nodded. “I never thought about having a pet, but he was there on the porch, and he seems to like us.”
Seth’s eyebrow popped up. “You. He likes you. He’s barely looked at anyone else.”
Kimi stroked the cat’s head. “Hi there, Fritter. Why don’t you come on inside?”
She and Seth looked back at the horse. “Is it okay to leave your horse alone? He or she looks scared.”
Kimi’s eyes softened as she looked back at the corral. “I brought him in this morning. He was living with an abusive asshole, and the poor guy doesn’t realize he’s safe now. It’ll take a few days, but he’ll learn that no one will hurt him here, and that there’s plenty of food and love.”
Mara’s heart broke, and Seth’s arm came around her shoulders. His growl didn’t hold much warmth this time. “Assholes like that shouldn’t be allowed around animals. Or people, for that matter.”
Kimi nodded. “I’ve laid charges and taken enough pictures to make them stick. He’ll never own an animal again.”
The fierceness in the vet’s voice told Mara that Kimi would make sure of it. “Good.”
Kimi nodded and called out to the horse. “I’m going inside now. Nina will be here soon. You’ll like her.”
Mara knew Nina was the daughter of another army buddy of her brother. This area was full of friends.
Inside the barn, Canuck the parrot greeted them. “Martin Short. Martin Short.”
Mara laughed. “Good morning to you, too, Canuck. Are you in the mood to discuss comedians?”
“Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey.”
That had them all laughing. Kimi stroked his head. “I think he understands far more than we expect. Good job, Canuck.”
The bird stroked her hand with its beak and spread its wings to show off.
After they all admired the bird, Kimi moved to a table.
“As long as Fritter is okay staying with me, you’ve got enough time to run to Phail if you’ve got the compost buckets.
It’ll take me a bit to check Fritter over and make sure he hasn’t picked up anything during his outdoor time.
I’ll also check for a microchip and see if anyone has posted about a lost cat. ”
Mara knew that was the right thing to do, but she hoped no one was looking for Fritter. She should probably hope he had a loving family missing him. She sighed. “It might make me a bad person, but I would love to keep him.”
Kimi smiled. “It’s easy to get attached to animals, but it’s better to know for sure.”
Nodding, she let Seth guide her out of the barn and back to the Tucson.
At the diner, they swapped the buckets, grabbed some cinnamon buns to leave with Kimi, and bought more for the farm. Mara smiled at Ginny. “I’ve never been able to make any that taste this good. Once Amber has guests, I’m going to order from you once a week as a treat for everyone.”
Ginny grinned. “Thanks. That would be amazing. I’d love to bake with you one day. Maybe we can work out an exchange, and I can sell some of your products here.”
Mara blinked back tears. “That would be incredible. I’m so glad I followed Ford here.”
Ginny nodded. “Me too. It’s going to be fun to have someone to talk recipes with. Troy told me to get you to stop in at Phail General to pick up a package you ordered.”
Joy bounced through her system. “My donut fryer. I can’t wait. I’m going to do apple fritters and donuts.”
Ginny’s eyes widened. “I’m inviting myself out one day to try that with you.”
Mara laughed. “Anytime.”
After running their errands, they returned to Kimi’s. Nerves had Mara gripping her hands together. Once they were out of the truck, Seth squeezed her hand. “It’s going to be fine. Either way, Fritter is going to have someone who loves him.”
She leaned on his arm. “Thanks. That helps. I hope it’s us, but if not, at least he’ll be okay.”
A young teen stood inside the corral with the scared horse, and they slowed their steps. This had to be Nina. Like Kimi, she spoke softly to the horse, and she stood closer than Kimi had. The horse’s head was higher than before, and he didn’t look as scared.
More magic in action.
Nina waved, her motions slow. She kept her voice happy and soothing, but her words reached her. “Hi. I’m Nina. You must be Seth and Mara. Fritter is a cutie.”
Mara nodded. “He is. So is your friend here.”
Nina’s grin widened. “He is, and Donut’s going to be fine. Kimi will make sure of it.”
“Donut?”
Nina laughed. “Sure. We always rename animals who’ve been mistreated. They probably have bad memories associated with their former names, so we start fresh. I liked Fritter’s name, and I thought Donut here would like to be connected to a friend in the area.”
Kimi exited the barn with their orange cat in her arms. “Fritter is healthy, clean, and ready to go home with you.”
“No family searching for him?”
“Not a sign of one. I’ve left his photo up, so it’s not guaranteed, but I’m guessing you get to keep your friend.”
More tears threatened as Fritter nearly leapt into her arms.
Grinning, Kimi motioned for Seth to follow her. “Looks like Mara has her hands full. Can you help me lug all the necessities to your vehicle?”
The necessities turned out to be a few bags of everything a new cat owner would need, from litter boxes with environmentally friendly litter to food and toys.
Kimi also emailed her information about keeping Fritter happy and healthy.
As they headed back to the farm with Fritter in a new carrier to keep him safe, Mara couldn’t contain the joy. Life was good.
Seth didn’t even complain when she sang all the songs from both Cats and The Aristocrats all the way home.