The Truth About Cats & Dogs (21 page)

T
HE TWO MEN
are sitting around an old card table eating cold stew out of cans and drinking what smells like lighter fluid. Good. It won't be long before I make my move. My plan is to jump in through this open window, leap onto Dumb's face and blind him with my claws. After that, Dumber should be a piece of cake. He's too stupid to come in out of the rain.

Some of my fellow felines have been in those cages for over a week. They haven't had food or water. I don't know if two of them are going to survive. I have to say that it's going to give me great pleasure to put a hurting on these guys.

Miranda is sitting on a sleeping bag on the floor. She knows I'm here, and I've warned her to duck under the table when all hell breaks loose. She understands me perfectly, because she listens with her heart, not her ears. This is one child I'd like to keep.

Oh, what is that I spy sneaking through the woods? I do believe the cavalry has arrived. And not a moment too soon. I'm going to make my presence known to the good guys.

 

“P
ENNY
. P
ETER
.” Mack's whisper was a guideline through the darkness for Penny. She moved through the trees, careful not to step on dry limbs. Her uncle was beside her, moving as silently as she. Mack was up ahead, a dark shadow among the gray trees, a man determined to save his child. He was some man.

She stopped when she saw his signal. In front of them was a ramshackle house, illuminated only by candles.

A cat's soft meow sounded.

“It's Familiar,” Penny said, amazed even though Miranda had told them the cat was there. “He really did it.”

“I think we should charge the house,” Peter said.

As Peter stood, the cat grabbed the cuff of his pants with a paw.

“No,” Mack said. “We have to make certain Miranda is safely out of the way before we rush the house.”

He felt the cat tugging on his jeans. So far, Familiar had been nothing less than astounding. He knelt down. Familiar darted forward, then turned and waited for him. When Peter tried to move forward, Familiar hissed at him.

“I think he's trying to tell us something,” Mack said amazed. “I think he wants to go in the window to make sure Miranda is safely out of the way. I'm going with him. The two of us will go together, and then you follow.”

“We should all go together,” Penny objected. “Those men could have guns.”

“Trust the cat,” Peter said. “Mack is right. Familiar will go in first.”

Mack nodded. “Good. We'll give Familiar two minutes to get Miranda somewhere safe, and then I'll kick the door in. Penny will go through the window, and Peter, you cover the back door.”

“Sounds like a good plan. Familiar knows how to handle himself,” Peter said, slapping Mack lightly on the back. “He'll take care of your little girl.”

They waited at the edge of the woods as the black cat scuttled across the yard. In a moment he jumped to the front window, and then disappeared. Mack checked his watch.

There was a scream and the sound of scuffling.

“Kitty! Kitty!” Miranda's young voice broke through the night.

Mack started to rush the house, but Penny restrained him with a touch. “Give the cat time.”

There were screams of pain from one of the men. Penny felt Mack's muscles bunch beneath her hand. The cabin went dark.

“Fire!” one of the men yelled. “Fire!”

Mack bolted across the yard. He kicked the front door open and fell to the ground just as a gun roared. Junior Bennett rushed out, pointing the gun where Mack was rolling out of the way. In a moment Mack was on his feet, moving sideways, staring down the barrel of Junior's gun.

“Get Miranda!” he yelled. Then he turned his attention on the man with the gun. “Put it down,” he said. “You don't want to add murder to kidnapping.”

Penny and Peter were already moving. Out of the corner of his eye, Mack saw Penny aim for the window and leap through it just before a small black animal hurtled out. Penny was now in the cabin with Miranda. Mack focused on Familiar. The cat hit the ground, sprinted around the front yard and, in seconds, was clinging to Junior Bennett's head with his claws.

Bennett waved the gun wildly in the air as the cat rode his head. Familiar's claws opened a gash at least four inches long across the felon's forehead and blood ran into his eyes.

“Get off me,” he screamed, swatting at the cat. “I'm going to kill you!”

“I don't think so.” Mack stepped close to Junior and snatched the gun from his hands. He nodded at Familiar, who jumped clear, and then Mack's right fist connected with Junior's jaw with such force that Penny heard the bone snap. Junior went down in an unconscious heap.

Mack ran toward the cabin. “Miranda!”

“I'm okay, Daddy.” She came to the door of the cabin and hesitated, Penny right behind her.

Mack dropped the gun and opened his arms for his daughter to run into them.

“I knew you'd come. I knew you would.” Miranda snuggled against her father's chest. “You're the best daddy in the world.”

“Are you okay?” Mack asked. He held his daughter back from him and ran his hands down her arms and over her back and legs. “Did they hurt you?”

“No,” Miranda said, but she was trembling.

Mack stood up, his daughter in his arms. He went to Penny. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, and Peter's fine, too. He just called the police.”

“Thank you,” Mack said. He leaned forward and kissed Penny. “Thank you for so much.”

“Daddy, Dr. Jameson, you have to help all the cats and dogs. Some of them are dying. It's terrible. They have Gumbo in a cage.” Miranda choked back tears. “Did the kittens die?”

Mack signaled Penny to his side. “Could you tell Miranda about the kittens?” he asked. “I want to take a look around. The other kidnapper is in the house.”

“Don't worry about him,” Miranda said. “Familiar clawed his face. I don't think he can see. Familiar's the one who knocked the candles off the table. Peter's putting the fire out now.”

Penny drew Miranda into the crook of her arm and held her as Mack went into the cabin. “The kittens are fine,” she said. “Your father helped me feed them tonight. He's pretty good at it.”

“He is?” Miranda, seeming a little calmer already, brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “He fed them?”

“He did. I think he's fond of them.”

“He won't let me keep them.”

“Oh, I think he might,” Penny said, hugging the girl. “I think your father may have had a change of heart about feral cats.”

“If he did, then all of this has been worth it. Can we go see the animals in the cages?”

Penny hesitated. Some of the animals were probably in bad shape. It might not be good for Miranda. “We should wait,” Penny said.

“I know some are very sick. They need water and food. I want to help,” Miranda said. “I'm not a baby.”

Penny made a decision. Mack Sanders had tried to protect his daughter from every hurt in the world. It was a noble goal, but impractical. The important thing was knowing that beneath pain and suffering there could also be happiness—a lesson she would remind herself of every day as she allowed herself to fall in love with Mack.

“Okay,” she said. “Let's get a water hose and get some of those animals something to drink.”

 

E
MMON
F
ELLS AND
J
UNIOR
B
ENNETT
were trussed like turkeys and lying on their sides in the yard. Penny put the last pan of water in a cage with a cute little Yorkshire terrier. The dog looked in bad shape. It was dehydrated and starved. But it made an attempt to lap the water.

“He wants to live,” Miranda said, reaching a finger into the cage to stroke the dog. “And he has a collar.”

Of the twenty dogs they'd watered, seventeen had collars and tags. Penny put a hand on Miranda's head.
“We'll make sure the healthy animals get home, and we'll take the sick ones to my clinic. Peter and I will try to help them.”

“And me, too,” Miranda said. “I can help.”

“She sure can,” Mack said, lifting his daughter into his arms.

“I'm going to be a veterinarian,” Miranda said. “Just like you, Penny.”

“Hey!” Peter called from the back of the cages. “Come on over here, Miranda. There's a calico cat here that wants to know where her kittens are.”

“Gumbo!” Miranda's legs churned the air until Mack put her down. She dashed behind the cages to Peter. In a moment there was a squeal of pure delight. “Peter says she's okay. That she can still nurse her babies. And here's Buster, too! We can take him home with us.”

“It's just amazing. She didn't have a single asthma attack. In fact, she doesn't seem to be traumatized in any way,” Mack said as he lifted Penny's face for a gentle kiss. “I can't thank you enough. And Peter. And of course, Familiar.”

“I might make some appointments with a psychologist. Just to be on the safe side,” Penny suggested.

He nodded. “And I'm going to spend a lot more time with her. I don't want her with a sitter after school. I've been using work to avoid my own loneliness, but that's over and done with.” He smiled. “There're going to be a lot of changes in my life. Good changes.”

Penny hesitated. “Would you consider letting Miranda come to the clinic in the afternoons? She could help with some of the feedings and she could go along with one of the assistants I hire to help walk the dogs. Things like that.”

Mack's face split into a grin. “You are an angel.”

“No, I'm just a veterinarian.”

He kissed her, a long, passionate kiss. “No,” he said, giving her a considering look. “You're an angel. Veterinarians don't taste as good as you do.”

She laughed, and mingled in with the sound of her happiness was the blare of police sirens. Emmon Fell and Junior Bennett were going to jail for years.

“Let's start loading these cages,” Mack said. “I want to get these pets home as soon as possible.”

“We'll need to make several trips,” Peter said. “We'll load the sickest ones first, Mack, while you take care of your business with the police.”

“And then I'll be at the clinic to help,” Mack said, taking his daughter's hand.

M
ACK WATCHED
P
ENNY
as she leaned into a cage and doctored Chauncey, a golden retriever mix that had been one of the largest dogs they'd saved from Fells and Bennett. The dog had not had a tag or collar, but she was a sweet female who loved affection.

After administering the eye drops, Penny snapped the leash on the brand-new purple collar, vaccination tag jangling. Chauncey jumped out of the cage, shook herself, and then danced on the leash as Penny led her to the waiting room.

“She's beautiful,” the little boy said as he knelt beside the dog and buried his face in her long, silky fur.

“She is lovely,” the boy's mother said. “Are you sure she doesn't belong to anyone?”

“I don't think so,” Penny said. “We've advertised in the paper for the past two weeks. No one claimed her. But she's been wormed and had her shots. Use up all the eye drops and be sure to bring her back to have her spayed.”

“We will,” the woman promised. “Come on, Jeremy. Let's take Chauncey home and show her where she's going to live.”

“Yeah! I can't wait.” The young boy took the leash and he and the dog were out the door, running. Chauncey leaped high into the air, twirled and landed beside the boy, running again.

“Thank you for everything,” the woman said. “Jeremy has wanted a dog for so long, and this one is perfect.” She followed her son and the dog at a slower pace.

When she closed the door behind her, Mack turned to Penny. “Another good deed,” he said. “So how much are you going in the hole on this business?”

Penny laughed. “It'll all work out. Peter and Familiar promised me that it would.”

Mack pulled her into his arms. For the past two weeks he'd spent every day at the clinic. He'd told Penny it was because he wanted to help, but actually, he just wanted to be near her. And he'd learned a lot—about taking care of animals, and about caring and loving again.

Penny had doctored all the sick strays they'd rescued. Luckily, she's begun to find homes for most of them. But no one was footing the bills. Just Penny. His angel. “Sounds to me like you could use a benefactor.”

“I'm just doing my part to make the world a tiny bit better,” she said with a little grin. “I'll get some paying clients.”

Mack tilted her face up to his. He loved kissing her. He loved the way she felt and smelled and kissed him back. He loved the idea of her, and he found himself thinking about her at the strangest times. At home, in the shower, in bed.

“Miranda loves being here with you.” He kissed her again. “And so do I.”

“I could become addicted to having the two of you around,” Penny said, kissing him back.

“Penny, I've fallen in love with you.” He hadn't meant to say it so bluntly. He should have brought flowers. Heck, he'd never even taken her to dinner. Not a real dinner. They'd been so busy with all the animals that they'd ordered pizzas and picked up burgers.

She looked up at him. “I've been afraid to love anyone,” she said. “I guess I thought if I cared about anyone else, I'd lose them, too. But you and Miranda got past my defenses. I love you. Both of you.”

Mack had never heard sweeter words. He kissed her again, and this time the kiss held more than passion. It held the promise of a future together.

They were still kissing when two clients came in the door. And they didn't stop.

 

S
O, ALL'S WELL
that ends well. Miranda has a soon-to-be stepmother who will cherish her and her animals. Mack will get a wife who adores him. And Penny will have a man who loves her beyond all reason. And don't forget Gumbo and her five kittens. They've found a wonderful home where they'll have the finest care.

Peter has given me the sign that it's time to head for home. I'm ready, too. This episode with animal abductors has brought back a lot of ghosts for me. But
letting the past go is the road to happiness. That's what I have to do, because there's always adventure around the corner for Familiar, the black cat detective.