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“I was going to after it was all over. For Rex’s sake.”

“Since when do you care so much about Rex? Why do this for him at all? You don’t still like him, do you?”

My face flushed beyond measure. “Of course not! Boy Scout Montgomery, are you kidding?” My gaze fell on Pearl, who continued to weave between the three of us with cautious curiosity.

“All right, Abigail. If you say so,” Sophie said, kindly letting me off the hook.

I had said so, and I didn’t want to say another word about it. So I reached out and petted Pearl behind her ears. Her hair was short and silky, and she didn’t seem to mind at all. Nor did she ask any more probing questions.

“Maybe you were right, Charlie,” I said with a soft smile.

“About you having a thing for Rex?” she replied.

I rolled my eyes. “No. Right about this. I think I might be taking home a cat tonight,” I said with my gaze locked on the pretty kitty. Me with a black cat. It made total sense. No onesaid it to my face, but when you got on my bad side, I could be a total witch. I sat on the floor and patted my lap. “Come here, Pearl. Do you like to cuddle?”

A cuddly cat would be nice. I missed cuddling. But I doubted the small feline would let me be the small spoon.

Pearl looked at me with her autumn-orange eyes and trotted my way. This was it. She was answering my call. Just as she was hopping into my lap, a yowl exploded from above, and before I knew it, Winston had landed in front of us.

He swatted at Pearl with his big white-spotted paw, and she scurried away with her tail between her legs. And just when I thought he would pick a fight with me too, he hopped right into my lap and sat up straight.

I froze. What in the hell just happened? Winston knelt and nudged my hand with his nose like he wanted me to pet him. Knowing full well it could’ve been a trick, I ran my fingertips over his soft fur. He melted into my lap, so warm and snuggly. I looked up at Charlie and Sophie, who were recovering from the shock of it all just like me. We were stunned. Quiet.

A moment later, purrs rumbled out of the territorial cat. Winston? Purring? On my lap? It could only mean one thing. He liked me.

I didn’t have to pretend to be gentle. I didn’t have to worry about messing up. He’d seen me scare Lady, and he didn’t care. Hell, maybe he even approved. He’d watched me from his perch in the corner of the room and was satisfied with me.

That felt good. It feltdamngood.

And I was beginning to recognize something familiar in him. Winston came off tough, but deep down, he justwanted someone to cuddle with. And that would be our little secret. Forever.

Then Sophie leaned over and petted his head. “See, I told you he’d warm up to you.”

I leftthe shelter and did what Sophie said: I put Winston in a room with a litter box, food, water, and a few toys, closed the door, and gave him time to get accustomed to his new surroundings.

After returning a few calls from buyers and catching up on some emails, I checked on Winston once more and, finding him happily exploring the room, went out for my second meeting of the evening. I pulled up outside one of the fancy wine bars that had popped up in town with the explosion of tourism and the growth of the annual Wine Festival, got out of my car, and headed inside to meet with the most hated man in New Elwood.

Theo Sinclair was already there, sitting at a booth at the far end of the bar with his back to the wall. He slid out and stood when he spotted me.

We shook hands, and I didn’t immediately burst into flames from touching him. Not that the other townspeople would believe me.

“I’ve taken the liberty of ordering a couple of bottles,” Theo said, waving to his table.

“‘A couple of bottles?’” I repeated. “What kind of dinner do you think this is?”

He laughed. “I love wine, and I wasn’t sure which way your tastes leaned. I’d like to get to know you better.”

Uh-huh. I sat down and looked at the labels on the three bottles at our table. Theo watched me select the third one, which was a Pinot Noir from a micro-winery called Catnip, whose grapes apparently came from just outside New Elwood. It seemed fitting.

Leaning back against the booth, Theo nodded. “Good choice,” he said. “Cherry, raspberry, and a hint of nutmeg.”

I took a sip. It tasted like wine to me.

“Let’s cut to the chase,” I said, not wanting to leave Winston unattended too long. “What do you want?”

“As you’re aware, I’ve been looking for investment opportunities in New Elwood.”

“You want to own the town.”