“I might ask you the same thing,” she said, her typical spunk returning.
“I live here. Well, used to, with Brock.”
She eyed the Victorian structure. “Oh. You did?”
“Yep. Miss Evie rented rooms to most of my team before they married their sweethearts.”
“Your special rescue team?”
“Yeah, how’d you know I’m on a rescue team?”
Even the cover of moonlight couldn’t camouflage the tinge invading her cheeks. “Um, er, Mandy might have mentioned it. I hope that was okay.”
He nodded. Not many people knew the elite status their team held in the U.S. military. Chloe might not know he was an Air Force special operative, but by the obvious respect in her eyes, she knew plenty well he was highly trained, distinguished military.
“I was staying with Mom, but Evie had a vacancy.”
“Need help moving your stuff in?”
“No, I didn’t bring much from Chicago because I’m not sure how long I’ll be staying. But thanks.”
Silent, Chance went to his Jeep. “Let me get some rope and we’ll get Miss Maple out of the tree.”
Chloe followed in a skip. “Miss Maple?”
“Yeah. She got herself stuck like syrup up there in a maple tree, and she looks like a clump of wet leaves clinging to the branch. So Miss Maple fits.”
She peered at the frightened kitten. “What if she’s a he?”
“Then we’ll call it Mr. Maple.”
“We?” She rose on tiptoes.
“Correction. You. It’s obviously a stray and Dad would cream my corn if I brought a cat in the house.”
Her finger went up. “Hey, that could work.”
“What?”
“Use the cat as a ploy to get your dad moving.”
Chance laughed, knowing she was joking but having fun with the mental images her statement provoked nonetheless. “Yeah, that’d do it. Can you imagine? He’d bullet out of that chair after me faster than I could say kitty litter.”
They both knew they were working against time in terms of Ivan regaining the use of his hands. But it felt good to see the rare humor in the situation.
She giggled, causing a carefree breeze to blow through him. He found himself slowing to allow her to fall into step beside him.
He also found himself laughing, genuinely laughing, for the first time in six long, hard months.
Chapter Four
Chloe felt fantastic when she heard Chance let loose and laugh like that. He caught her gaze and grinned.
“You look like a coon in a food-infested campground.”
“It’s the company.” He winked at her. Slow and sweet and scrumptious.
She drank it in like sipping her favorite tea as they meandered together, steps in sync, to the maple tree.
He donned gloves, scaled the treacherous tree as though it were a simple stepladder and rescued the kitten, all in under seventeen seconds.
Joy fluttered through her as he let go of the lowest branch and landed squarely on the ground. Tenderness coated her insides like invisible honey, sweet and soothing, as he cradled the kitten protectively like a baby. He rubbed fingers lightly over it in calming motions.
His lopsided victory grin as he approached was a bonus treat. She stepped close, careful not to make a commotion. The baby kitty panted in wide-eyed wariness and wiggled deeper into Chance’s embrace.
Seeing something that small and fragile nestled next to his sturdy bicep did something funny to her insides. Like super-sonic melting.
She reached to pet the kitten.
It hissed until Chance rested a calming hand on its fuzzy head and murmured soothing words. The whisper went through the recesses of her soul. Places no one had access to. She started to step back, but he gathered the kitten into his protective palms and passed the tiny critter to her.
It leapt to make a getaway but calmed the instant Chance’s hand blanketed its back. The kitten settled in her arms under his touch. Eyed him in adoring trust and mewed.
Chloe’s heart bent toward him in much the same manner.
Careful, this one could trip your heart up and hinder every dream you have.
He tugged out a cell phone. “I have a friend looking for a pet.” After conversing a few minutes, he ended the call and scratched the kitten under the chin until it purred. “Good news, little one. We found you a good home on the first try.”
“They want the kitten?” Elation and thankfulness skittered through Chloe. God had quickly answered her prayers for the abandoned animal.
“Yep. They’re on the way now. It’s my buddy Ben Dillinger. His stepdaughter even likes the name we picked out.” Chance walked with Chloe to the steps. They sat hip to hip and petted the contented kitten until Chance’s friends arrived.
“We’ll take Miss Maple to Refuge’s vet in the morning,” Amelia, Ben’s wife, assured Chloe, who offered them one of her pet carriers for the now-playful kitty.
Reece hugged Chloe and Chance. “Thank you! I love Miss Maple already. I promise to take good care of her.”
“Reece wants to be a vet when she grows up,” Ben, the tallest, cutest Asian-American man Chloe had ever seen, said as he brushed a fatherly hand along Reece’s hair, which haloed her face in ringlets.
Chloe knelt. “You do? My cousin Mallory is training to be a vet. She’s almost finished.”
“Maybe she can come work in Refuge,” Reece said as she hugged the kitten as it purred to the point that it vibrated.
Chance walked alongside Chloe as they accompanied the Dillinger family to their car with their new pet. “Refuge currently only has one vet. He’s an older gentleman looking to retire. He’s scaling severely back on business.”
Which meant another wrench in Chloe’s plans.
Amelia eyed Chloe carefully, as did Chance, observing as her steps stuttered and face fell.
“Thank you, Chloe, for caring about animals. I do hope you get to stay in Refuge.” Amelia hugged her. “You really brighten Chance’s days,” she whispered before pulling away.
For some reason Amelia’s caring statement lodged in Chloe’s throat, blocking words momentarily. “Thanks. Good to meet you. Miss Maple’s in loving hands.”
Chloe felt Chance’s eyes on her as the Dillingers piled in the car with an excited Reece and the contented kitten. Ben’s family waved as they pulled away.
Chance drew near. “You okay, Chloe?”
She sighed. “If I have no vet willing to come aboard, I have no foundation for an animal-assisted therapy program.” Chilled, she rubbed her arms. He followed her motions, then removed his denim jacket and draped it around her shoulders. She didn’t mind that he let his hands linger there a moment. “Thanks, Chance.”
He wrapped a friendly arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a quick hug. Had it lasted longer, she may have been tempted to rest her head, and her problems, on his strong shoulders.
Just once, to let herself lean on someone else.
“Come. Tell me about it.” He seemed to read her mind as he nodded toward the porch swing.