Page 19 of Dairy and Deadly

And me.

Clint had been pretty friendly with Ashley, too, chatting with her like they were old friends by the time Johnny had walked back into the barn earlier. He’d experienced the claws of jealousy slicing through his gut for the first time in a long time.

It was probably something he was going to have to get used to, since everyone who met Ashley fell in love with her. Everyone except Caro. As nice as Caro was to him and Farmer Monty, she bristled up every time she was around Ashley.

He moved back into the kitchenette to lounge against the counter, watching with interest as his newest tenant finished wrestling her dirty laundry out from beneath Can Opener. She punctuated the end of their tussle with plenty of chin scratches and back rubs, making the enormous tomcat purr as loud as a car motor.

“I don’t have any snacks for you.” She sent a regretful look toward the fridge.

“I took the liberty of tossing some water bottles in there,” Johnny offered. He’d done it right after walking Caro to her car.

She looked surprised. “Thanks.”

“There are dishes in the cabinets and some pots and pans in the drawer beneath the stove,” he continued. “Like I said before, keep what you like and toss the rest.

“I can’t thank you enough.” Her smile was infused with gratitude as she gazed around them. “This is fantastic. All of it!”

“Welcome.” He smirked as she moved past him to rummage through the cabinets. She pulled out a bowl. It came as no surprise when she proceeded to uncap a bottle of water from the fridge, fill the bowl halfway, and set it down for Can Opener.

“There you go, big guy. It’s all I have until I make a proper grocery run.” Ashley pointed him toward the bowl.

The cat hurried forward to lap it up like it was frothy cream from a five-star restaurant.

Ashley sent a questioning look at Johnny. “What else does he like?”

“Anything and everything.” He snorted. “Mice, bugs, table scraps, you name it.”

She wrinkled her nose. “I was referring to cat food.”

“So was I.” Though he knew what she meant, he was enjoying teasing her.

“You know what?” She tossed her ponytail and turned her back on him. “Can Opener and I will figure things out for ourselves.”

She grabbed her keys off the counter. “I’m ready to get moving when you’re ready.”

“Lead the way.” He followed her back to the car and opened the driver’s door for her out of sheer habit. He braced himself for a reprimand, but none came.

“Thanks,” she muttered. To his amusement, she kept a hand on the door to keep him from shutting it until Can Opener hopped in.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” He shook his head as he shut the door firmly behind them.

Then she drove them to his farmhouse. Can Opener rode between them, perched like the prince of the realm on her console. Though it was hilarious, he worried the cat might damage her leather seats. “You sure it’s a good idea to have a cat with razor-sharp claws anywhere near these seats?”

She looked surprised. “He’s pretty smart.”

Johnny’s eyebrows rose. “That’s a lot of trust to put in a barn cat!”

She chuckled. “Actually, cats are exponentially less likely to mess with leather than fabric. Don’t worry, I won’t send you the bill if Can Opener messes something up.”

Johnny felt the usual burst of pride as she rolled up the driveway and parked in front of his three-car garage. A week ago, he and his friends had finished putting a fresh coat of white paint on the place and hung new black shutters.

Unfortunately, the inside was a very different story. He was in the process of repainting walls and updating the flooring, so it was kind of a wreck.

“Please excuse the dust.” He jogged up the stairs to open the front door for her. It was pretty obvious from the plastic containment walls around the living room that he had a construction project under way. “Hang a left into my office.”

“Your home is beautiful,” she murmured the moment she stepped inside the entry foyer. Can Opener followed her like a dutiful pup, remaining by her side as her head spun to absorb her new surroundings. “It has good bones.”

“What does that even mean?” He’d heard the phrase on a home improvement show, but he’d never understood what it meant.

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