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There was no sign of Thea, so Josh headed to her office. She’d set it up in an old storeroom at the back of the house, and the chaos inside sent his head spinning. There wasn’t a spare space on any surface. Paperwork coated every desk.It’s organised chaos,Thea always said, but just looking at it drained him. With envy, he recalled the organisation that Kitty had brought to Julia’s shed.

“Are you in here somewhere, T?” he shouted, poking his head out the door into the hallway.

“Coming!” Thea’s distant voice sang out.

While he waited, Josh sat down at her desk and played with a stapler. He’d thought of Kitty all morning. When he’d seen her with Julia at the cafe, he’d wanted nothing more than to stop and join them. She’d taken to Wendy instantly. Why it pleased him so much, he couldn’t say. Or wouldn’t. The corners of his mouth turned up as he recalled the smile she’d left him with at the car. That same smile still made his heart beat a little bit faster.

“What’s got you looking so happy?” Thea asked, disturbing his thoughts.

She stood before him, boots caked in mud and arms full of cat treat bags.

“Do you think you could wear any more spiderwebs?” he asked, pulling sticky strands out of her hair.

She dropped the bags on the nearest desk, scattering papers all around.

“I like them. Their grey gives me an air of authority.” Thea’s eyes narrowed. “What’s up, little brother? I wasn’t expecting to see you until later.”

“I had a few minutes between appointments, and I wanted to check in with you about Crackle’s foot, plus tell you about your new secret weapon.”

Thea bit into an apple that was left on the side. Crackle was one of the many cats that called the farm their home.

“Her foot is better, thanks to you. I still don’t know where she got it caught, though.” She took another bite, chewing loudly. “So, tell me, what is my new secret weapon? Have you dug up a generous new donor? One with bottomless pockets?”

Josh shook his head. “Jonty’s cousin is in town, staying with Julia. She used to visit them for the holidays as a kid. You might remember her.”

“Oh! How’s Julia doing?” asked Thea.

“She’s doing better now that Kitty’s here.”

“Who on earth is Kitty?” Thea asked, mid munch.

Josh rolled his eyes. “She’s Jonty’s cousin. Come to help Julia with her animals.”

“Oh, I see!” Thea nodded, taking another massive bite out of the apple. “What’s that got to do with me?”

Josh picked up the stapler again, its smooth plastic sides shining in the fluorescent light overhead. “She’s overhauled Julia’s place. Her animal sheds were a bit of a mess. It was fine for Julia since she knows where everything is, but for anyone else, it was a shit show.”

“Overhauled how?” asked Thea. “What’s her background? Animal husbandry?”

“No animal background at all. She’s a corporate lawyer. Never even owned a hamster, but she’s doing great with the animals and is bloody organised.”

Thea eyed her brother thoughtfully. “Why would she bemysecret weapon?”

“She took the chaos of Julia’s place, researched, organised and regimented the whole setup. It’s running like a military operation now.”

Thea giggled. “Does she have the goats standing at attention on the paddock at dawn?”

Josh huffed. “You may laugh, but this place is a shit show, too. I know you’re running single-handed now, but you could use a little of Kitty’s magic, I think.”

Thea sighed. “I know it’s a mess, but keeping this place going on my own with a four-year-old is full on. I’ll catch up with my tail when Ammy starts school.”

“But why wait?” Josh said. “Kitty’s here for a couple of months and has free time.”

Thea looked around at the office and wrinkled her nose.

“I suppose if I ran off with Brad Pitt tomorrow, you’d struggle, and I haven’t seen my hole puncher for weeks. So, she’s organised. What else should I know about her?”

Josh snorted with laughter. “She’s self-admittedly pedantic, a neat freak, and definitely quirky, but for all of that, she’s warm, funny, and bloody smart.” And on his mind, way more than he’d like to admit.