Page 7 of Devoted Enough

“Hey, girl,” I softly said as I opened the door and walked in. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small peppermint stick and handed it to her. She bit off a piece and started bobbing her head.

Moving my hand lightly over her neck, I chuckled. “Like that, don’t you?”

I heard Haven let out a small yelp. I quickly entered the room and saw her standing on a ladder, reaching for something in the rafter.

“What in the hell are you doing, Haven?”

“There’s a kitten stuck up here, and I’m trying to get it.”

The ladder wobbled.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to stand on the top of a ladder?” I said as I held onto the bottom rungs.

“I couldn’t reach her; I needed to get higher.”

“Get down, Haven.”

“Not until I get the kitten. She’s afraid.”

Rolling my eyes, I looked up. “Just get down, and I’ll get her.”

“I can get her; I just need another inch or two,” she said, lifting up on her toes and stretching.

“Fuck, Haven! You’re going to fall.”

She wobbled, and I thought for sure she was coming down. Suddenly, a white and orange kitten appeared, and Haven was heading back down the ladder.

“Hold it still for me.”

“What in the hell do you think I’ve been doing?” I shot back, moving out of the way when she descended. She got off the ladder and held the kitten up to her face.

“You bad little girl. You scared us.”

“No, you scared us. Climbing up on that ladder like that. You could have gotten hurt.”

Suddenly, Molly, the barn cat, came walking into the room. She took one look at her baby and meowed. Haven set it down, and Molly picked it up and carried it off.

“She must have been moving her litter,” Haven said with a smile. When she looked back at me, her smile faded. “Why are you scowling at me?”

“Do you have any idea how bad that could have turned out? You could have fallen and broken your neck.”

She winked, and it felt like someone sucker-punched me. I forgot for a moment how to breathe. “But I didn’t.”

“But you could have!” I shouted.

Tilting her head, Haven asked, “Nathan Shaw, were you worried about me?”

“No. Yes. I mean, anyone would have been. Why do you have to do such…stupid things?”

Her head drew back, and it felt like the air had been pulled from my lungs momentarily. A look of hurt passed over Haven’s face. I cursed myself because I had made a promise never to hurt her.

“I’m sorry, Haven, I didn’t mean to say that.”

Clearing her throat, she whispered, “I need to leave now.”

She started to walk but tripped and stumbled. I reached out and caught her, but I also lost my footing. As I held onto her, we both started to fall backward. Luckily, the bed that my cousins had in here for late nights working caught us. Haven lay over me, both of us in shock. Then we burst into laughter.

Her blue-gray eyes seemed to lighten as she laughed. A loose strand of hair fell in front of her face from her ponytail. Before I could stop myself, I pushed it behind her ear. The feel of my fingers brushing over her skin instantly made my body come alive.

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