Page 39 of Be Mine, Sweetheart (Something Borrowed 3)

Chris turned into a statue right in front of her and she couldn’t help meeting his wide eyes with amusement. “What is that?”

“It’s a fungal infection. It won’t hurt you or him, but it will need to be treated.”

Chris held the kitten away from him a bit, and Kelly backed up quickly or his hands would have hit her right in the face. “What does it do?”

“It causes hair loss on cats and dogs, and little rings on people. It’s really not a big deal.”

Kelly couldn’t help laughing at the horrified look on his face.

“Will you relax? We’ll just get some anti-fungal cream, apply it several times a day and in a couple of weeks, it will be gone. Here, let me inspect him for more spots. I see at least three on his ears and head, but the paws and belly are also good places for the fungus to grow.”

Chris handed the kitten off to her and immediately raced to the kitchen faucet. He turned the water on, lathering his hands up and scrubbing them furiously beneath the stream. She giggled as she turned the kitten over, looking for more spots. She was up to seven, as he was missing hair on both of his front paws.

He meowed in protest when she held up his tail to check his rear end…yep, a he.

“Looks like he’s got about eight spots, including a suspicious one on his belly. We should take him into the vet tomorrow and get him some oral medicine along with the topical cream.”

Chris shook his head. “I can’t believe I tried to do something good, and I get bit in the ass.”

“Geez, ringworm is really common in kittens. Pepper had it and look at him now.” Upon hearing his name, Pepper padded into the room, his tail swishing in the air and meowing long and low.

“Is being a tubby, lazy fur ball a side effect?” Chris asked.

Kelly’s gaze narrowed in irritation as he continued to watch the kitten in her hands as if it was a bomb about to go off. “I’m sorry, were you expecting pet ownership to be nothing but sunshine and rainbows? It’s not. You think I like cleaning up Pepper’s hair balls or scooping his litter box?”

The corner of Chris’s mouth tilted up. “I’m guessing not.”

“You would be correct. Now, take your fungus-riddled cat back.”

“Nice,” Chris said. He took the kitten from her and held it up to look him in the eye. “Did you hear the nasty things she said about you? You have my permission to hiss at her.”

The kitten turned its head into Chris’s thumb as he rubbed its ear.

Okay, so Kelly’s heart melted a bit. She was a big old softy who loved those calendars featuring hot guys and baby animals. What warm-blooded, hetero woman didn’t?

And Chris, in his semi-tight shirt and jeans, holding a one-pound kitten in his hands, was definitely calendar material.

Flashbacks of her X-rated dream swept across her mind and she silently cursed herself.

I really need to stop thinking like that about Chris.

Luckily, he was so focused on the kitten that he didn’t notice her mini-meltdown.

“I don’t suppose you have an extra litter box I could use and maybe some kitten food?” he asked.

“No, but I have some canned food and a cardboard soda flat. We could set him up with a little area in my bathroom while we run back to Walmart.”

Chris groaned. “That’s all the way on Motherlode Drive.”

Kelly rolled her eyes. “Who are you? We used to hit up Walmart just because there was nothing else opened when we were in high school.”

“Yeah, but we are adults now and I’m up past my bedtime.”

She pointed at the kitten. “Look at that face. He needs things. Don’t be an old poop.”

He grumbled behind her as she went about readying the kitten’s room. She wanted to be sure and keep the little guy separate from Pepper, so he didn’t get ringworm again. The stuff was extremely contagious, if harmless, and she didn’t want it in her bed.

Once she had the water, food, and makeshift litter box, she went into her spare bathroom to set up. She placed the food and water dishes closer to the sink while the litter box she set on the other side of the toilet. She bundled an old towel in the corner between the tub and the wall for the kitten to sleep on. Kelly stood up and surveyed her temporary home for the fur baby with a smile.

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