Page 11 of A Love Like Pumpkin Spice (Wayward Hollow #1)

Nic

“Please be there,” I whisper under my breath as I drive to town, under the scrutinizing eyes of the orange kitten.

Lauren and I found a shoebox and got her situated in there with a towel and a small pillow. The whole time, I was just praying for the kitty to be okay. I think she might be? And by that, I mean I see no blood, and it has all its limbs. That’s about as much as I can judge.

However, she keeps screaming . Not cute, little meows or whiny complaints. No, she’s full-on screaming, and I don’t know why. She sounds miserable, and all the worst-case scenarios keep flashing through my mind. What if she’s bleeding internally? Or has a painful tumor?

My heart is racing, my hands clammy as they white-knuckle the steering wheel, memories of little Chaos and her miserable whines flashing through my mind.

I can’t go through that again. This little one has to be okay.

What if she doesn’t make it? And what if she does? What do kittens even eat?

I may have a full fridge, but what if I accidentally give it something toxic?

I run through a million questions, each making me panic more. Finally, I reach the town center and throw my car into park in front of Henry’s vet office, glancing at the windows and …

Oh no.

There’s no light on. Fuck. Of course there isn’t. It’s after seven in the evening. Of course he’s not working anymore.

“No, no, no,” I mutter under my breath as I jump out of my car.

Having a good work-life balance is important and all that, but I really need him and his brain right now. I hurry to the entrance, pressing my face against the glass, but it doesn’t make him magically appear, which is disappointing.

My eyes dart between my car and the dark window, anxiety making my stomach drop as I hear her even through the closed car door. What if the next vet is a three-hour drive away? What if the kitty won’t make it that long?

Just as I’m about to bolt to my car and floor it to the nearest emergency vet, I see a little piece of paper stuck to the door.

Out of office. In emergencies, call my cell phone.

Before I even realize it, I have dialed the number and am pressing the phone to my cheek. I pace the sidewalk anxiously, biting my lip, and send a prayer to the universe with each unanswered ring.

Come on, Henry. Answer it.

“Hello.”

God, I could cry when I hear his voice, relief making a weight fall off my shoulders.

“Henry, I need you.”

“Huh?” I hear some rustling, as if he’s getting up from a couch or something, and the soft whines of Jensen Ackles in the background. “Nic?”

“Okay, wait. Not like that! Not in the ‘cue the romantic music and slow-motion run’ way. More in the ‘this is an emergency, and you’re my only hope’ way.

” I force myself to take a deep breath before I pass out by talking more than my breath allows.

“Would you believe me if I told you the ghost cat brought me a kitten? ”

“A kitten?”

“Yeah. Sorry, I should have led with that. I need your help, please.” I stop and close my eyes for a moment, sorting my thoughts.

“Let me start from the beginning: I found a kitten under my porch, and I can’t tell if it’s all right because it keeps screaming.

And one ghost cat is already more than I can deal with.

If you could take a look at it so I don’t have another cat on my conscience, that would be fantastic. ”

“Where are you now?”

“Right in front of your clinic.” I resume pacing up and down his storefront.

“And let me tell you, it’s eerily silent here in the evening.

Does everyone in Wayward Hollow disappear at seven p.m. on the dot?

I might as well be in a graveyard.” I glance around the town square and the dark storefronts.

“This is so creepy. Like the set of a horror movie. If I get turned into a werewolf, please don’t let anyone shoot me. ”

“I’m on my way,” he says, followed by rustling and him calling for the dog. “But for your information—we’re team Edward in this town. So, be careful.”

“That’s not comforting,” I mutter as he hangs up, then quickly climb back into my car.

This city might be in Bumfuck, Nowhere, but I’m not going to risk waiting outside.

There's a sudden knock on the window I see a shadow from the corner of my eyes. I shriek. Then relief washes over me when I realize it’s exactly who I was waiting for. Immediately I turn to the little creature on my passenger seat and whisper, “Sorry.”

“Relax,” Henry says with a chuckle, and once I unlock my car, he opens the door for me. “No werewolf hunter, only me. ”

“I’m not sure whether to be glad or disappointed,” I tease him with a wink as I climb out.

Fuck, it’s good to see him. Anxiety seeps out of me as he takes charge of the situation.

“Where is the cat?” I gesture for him to come with me. He follows me so closely I can feel his warmth against my back. Even more so when he glances over my shoulder as I open the passenger door.

“Here’s today’s little emergency,” I say and step aside, leaning down to give Jensen Ackles a proper greeting.

What an adorable little fluff face.

“Aw,” Henry coos once he sees the little orange kitten. Without hesitation, he scoops her right up, talking to her in a high-pitched baby voice while Jensen and I follow him to his office diligently.

She appears even tinier in his giant hands.

I’m so distracted, I barely notice we enter the exam room, but as soon as the disinfectant hits my nostrils, I freeze. The hair on my neck stands up as memories of my last visit here race through my head. I force myself to take calm breaths as panic tugs on every corner of my mind.

Jensen gently nudging my calf pulls me out of the temporary trance, and I clear my throat, trying to relax.

“You’re pale,” Henry points out, worry etched into his furrowed brows as he turns to me, the cat snuggling against his shirt. “I know it’s a loaded question, but are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I whisper, ignoring his little jab at my rant from the last time he asked me the exact same thing. “Just … don’t let her die, please?”

“I’ll do my best,” he says and is right next to me in two strides, gently guiding me to sit down. “I promise.”

“I know you will.”

My eyes are glued to him as he checks the kitten, his forehead creasing as he gently examines its leg as she keeps screaming.

Something about that tenderness and confidence has a thought hitting me with the force of a freight train: Even though I barely know him, even though everything inside me screams at me to be skeptical … I trust him.

I gulp, the realization making my fingers tremble and a heavy weight settle in my gut. I thought Jay and Marissa tore my heart to shreds, obliterated any ability I had to trust people.

Well, people aside from Lauren.

But Henry? For some reason, being close to him makes me forget about the mistrust I should have. I’m torn. He’s making it incredibly easy to trust him, yet every single cell in my body is cautioning me, trying to protect me from getting my heart broken again.

On cue, my phone buzzes in my pocket, and I lift my gaze to the ceiling, blinking away tears and swallowing down my emotions. No. Not now.

I let it buzz, ignoring it. Like Henry’s curious gaze in my direction.

My arms snake around my midsection as he does more tests with the cat, and all of a sudden, a knowledge settles in my gut.

I’m on my own.

Sure, there is Lauren, and she’s an amazing friend, but this is … different.

There’s nobody at my place who will have an opinion about me adopting this cat.

Nobody who will start a fight with me about what cat food to buy or where to put which cat tree in the living room.

Nobody to judge me when I spend the next few days holed up in my new home for several-day-long pity party if she doesn’t make it.

Nobody will care.

The realization is a tough pill to swallow. I guess loneliness is a new emotion I’ll have to get used to. Yet it’s still a whole lot better than expecting Jay or any of my family members at home. Who would have thought ?

“The good news is, she’ll be all right.” Henry’s voice pulls me right out of the beginning of a self-deprecating rant.

“She had a splinter in her foot. That’s probably why she was so …

vocal.” He chuckles and runs his fingertip over the tiny creature’s head.

“A flea bath and some food, and she’ll probably be fine. ”

“Probably?” I blink up at him and force myself to swallow down the panic. “What is the bad news?”

“I need you to keep an eye out if her mother comes back,” he implores, and picks up the kitten, letting her gnaw on his thumb.

“It’s a girl?”

“Yes, you have another lady on your hands. She’s only around three weeks old, so very much still a baby. Her mom would do the best job of keeping her on track and healthy.”

“I didn’t see another cat,” I say contemplatively. After we put her in the box, I looked under the porch again. I walked around to see if there were any other cats, but I didn’t see any. “I think I have some tuna somewhere; I’ll try to lure her back with it.”

“Wait a second,” he says and disappears into his office for a moment. “Here is some high-calorie cat food. If she is around, she’ll need it with a fresh batch of kittens.”

“Thank you,” I say, but I don’t think those words do a good job of encompassing what I mean to say. God, he’s considerate.

“Are you taking her home with you?” Henry asks, and I freeze mid-movement. Right. “Because if you’re not, we need to find someone to take care of her.”

God, can I really care for a little creature like her? Apparently, I can barely care for myself.

“I … don’t know,” I whisper, swallowing down the disappointment in myself and get up, nervously pacing the room.

My phone buzzes again, and I take a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose and closing my eyes for a moment to collect myself. God, how I want to throw this piece of shit phone against a wall .

“Someone’s important today,” Henry teases with a chuckle, but I can’t find any humor in this. I’m too busy spiraling.

What business do I have taking in a kitten? Evidently, I can barely manage to be a functioning human being. “What if I do it wrong?” I look at him helplessly. “What if I end up killing her?”