Page 33 of Ask for Moore

Waverly

The next night, I was pulled from a deep sleep—and a scorching hot dream about Ryland—by a plaintive meow. Blinking my eyes open, I pushed up to a sitting position and reached out to turn on the lamp.

Gracie was curled up in the fluffy bed I’d bought online, and when I kneeled down next to her, it sounded as though her breathing was rapid. I carefully lifted her out of the bed, and she gave another little meow that broke my heart. “Oh, my poor sweet baby. Are you sick?”

She couldn’t voice a reply, but her dilated pupils were enough to have me scurrying back to the bed with Gracie cradled against my chest. Grabbing my cell phone from the bedside table, I didn’t stop to consider it was in the middle of the night before I pulled up Ryland’s number to call him.

I had been taking care of myself for many years, long before I was considered an adult. I’d learned at a young age to rely on myself. Asking for help didn’t come naturally to me, but I knew enough about Ryland that I didn’t doubt he would do whatever he could, even if I inconvenienced him by waking him up.

The call rang four times before he picked up, his voice raspy with sleep as he answered, “Hello?”

“Ryland, it’s Waverly.” I sniffled as I tried to pull myself together.

“Shit, sorry. I’m up.” There was a soft rustling sound in the background, most likely from his sheets. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, but I think Gracie is sick.”

He sounded more alert when he asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

I rattled off everything I’d noticed. “I don’t know if I’m overreacting or not. Do you think she’ll be okay?”

“I’m not sure, queenie. It’s been a long time since I took care of a kitten. Let me call Finn and ask.”

I picked at the blanket on the bed. “Are you sure he wouldn’t mind?”

“Not even a little bit. Finn loves animals,” he assured me. “Plus, this won’t be the first call he’s gotten in the middle of the night, and it won’t be the last. He’s used to emergencies.”

I cuddled Gracie against my chest. “Then yes, please call him.”

“It’s going to be okay.”

I repeated his words after the call ended, over and over again until my phone rang. “What did he say?”

“Since you’ve only had Gracie for a short time and she’s so young, he wants to come over and give her a quick examination.”

“Ok-ay.” My voice cracked, and tears welled in my eyes. When I brought Gracie back to the bed and breakfast, I didn’t expect that I would be able to keep her forever because of the long hours I worked back home, but she’d already captured my heart.

“I live closer than Finn, so I’ll beat him there,” he added.

The tears streamed down my cheeks, more from relief than fear. But I still gave Ryland an out. “You don’t have to come. It’s the middle of the night. I’m sure you were sleeping when I called.”

“I’m already up, dressed, and on my way out the door, queenie.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“Do you want me to stay on the line while I’m driving?”

I really, really did. “It’s late. You should concentrate on the road.”

“I am going to put the call on speaker mode.”

I appreciated that he had taken the decision out of my hands, somehow knowing what I really wanted without me having to say it. “Thanks.”

We didn’t say much while he was in the car, but it didn’t matter. Just having him on the other end of the line was an immense comfort. When he knocked on my door fifteen minutes later, the only reason I didn’t throw myself into his arms was because I was still holding Gracie. “I’m going to put her back in her bed until your cousin gets here.”

Ryland padded behind me as I walked into the bedroom, and even under the awful circumstances, I was hyperaware of how close we were to the bed. And the fact that I was only wearing a pair of silky sleep shorts and a tank. Something he hadn’t missed—including how my pebbled nipples pressed against my top.

When there was another soft knock on the door, he growled, “Put on a sweatshirt or something. Please.”

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