Page 75 of Barbed Wire Hearts

“What the hell is that?” I gasp, staring at the strange creature. “Is that a rat?”

“It’s a baby opossum,” Wiley laughs. “It won’t hurt you. They’re ugly, but they’re harmless. Kind of like cats, really.”

I look around but don’t see its mom. Only the single little opossum. I lean over and offer my fingers to it. It chortles at me and shows me its teeth before pushing against my hand. Exactly like a cat, apparently.

“Hi there,” I coo. “Are you looking for a home? Did you like Levi’s singing?”

“We don’t need it,” Levi warns as he sets the guitar to the side.

“But he needs our help,” I argue, picking him up. “He’s lost.”

He scowls. “Nature should be left alone, Kate.”

I smile. “And when he can survive on his own, I’ll let him go.” I hold him up. “Look at this face. Can you say no to that?”

“Yes,” Levi grunts. “He’s ugly.”

I narrow my eyes and glance over at Wiley. “Wiley’ll help me. Won’t you, Wiley?”

“Of course, I will,” he says with a grin. “Opossums are easy to take care of. This one looks like he might need milk though before we give him real food.”

“Traitor,” Levi scowls at Wiley. He looks back at me. “You’ll pay for that later.”

I grin. “You know what? I might actually be looking forward to that.”

But then I kiss him on his cheek and he melts just a little. He even reaches forward and pets the tiny opossum.

“You need a name,” I declare, looking down at the opossum. “I’m gonna call you. . .”

“Roadkill,” Levi grumbles.

“No,” I growl in time for him to hiss at Levi. I grin. “Something else.”

Dakota sits off to the side, his eyes on the opossum, and I remember that he’s the one behind all the fun names on the ranch. When I clear my throat, he glances up at me. “What?”

“Any ideas for a name?” I ask, tilting my head toward him.

He glances from me back down to the opossum, and then he sighs. “Fuzz,” he murmurs. “Fuzz Lightyear.”

I blink in surprise. “Why that name?”

He pokes at the fire with a stick. “Because he’s on a big adventure, far from home. . . And he’s fuzzy.”

I grin. “Fuzz, it is!” I nuzzle him against my chest. “Call Star Command, Fuzz. Tell them you found friendly life.”

Wiley and Levi groan, but I swear I see Dakota smiling behind his hand. Just as quickly as it comes though, it’s gone. Still, the steel in his eyes is a little softer the next time I meet them, and that’s enough or me.

ChapterForty-Six

Kate

“You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you, Fuzz Lightyear,” I coo to the small opossum on my shoulder. “Yes, you do. Being all cute and stuff.”

Levi rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t comment on the new pet I’ve adopted. Fuzz doesn’t leave my side and is usually either on my shoulder or in the small shoulder bag Naomi brought me to put him in. She said it would remind him of his mama’s pouch and it seems to. He enjoys spending time in there. She also brought some milk for me to feed him, saying she’s fostered some opossums before. She’s a lifesaver.

William for the most part, has ignored him as he rides on the front of the saddle, but he stares at Fuzz in curiosity any time he comes out to rest on my shoulder. So far, he’s left him alone, seemingly understanding that Fuzz isn’t food. Fuzz’ little teeth he flashes all the time seem to also help the matter.

“You know, your cat is gonna eat that thing the first chance he gets,” Dakota warns. He’s been watching my interactions all morning, but hasn’t been as outspoken as Levi was in the beginning. Mostly, he’s just accepted the fact we now have an opossum in our party and when I’d asked how he felt about it, he said he didn’t care because opossums were good creatures. Apparently, they can’t have rabies and they eat bugs. Who knew?

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