Page 11 of Her Sweet Surrender
He winked. “I did.”
Sir came up behind Brie and stared at the cat carrier, shaking his head. “No. Turn around right now and leave. I’m not housing another feline, no matter how much you beg.”
Master Anderson brushed his hair back, laughing. “I wouldn’t let you have Ghost if you paid me a million, buddy.”
Sir eyed the cat carrier suspiciously. “Then why is he here?”
Lifting the carrier, Master Anderson smiled at the cat inside. “Ghost likes to join me on my errands these days, so I figured I’d bring him here so he can hang with his old man while I visit you guys.”
Sir raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
“What? Don’t you trust me?”
“Four words. ‘Mucking. Out. The. Stalls.’”
Master Anderson burst out in a full-on belly laugh. “Fair enough…”
Brie looked at both men, curious about the private joke. Sir had referenced it before and it always seemed to elicit the same humorous response from Master Anderson. Why cleaning out a horse stall was funny remained a mystery to her.
“You going to let me in or not?” Master Anderson demanded.
“Certainly. In fact, I have a cat box you might like to clean,” Sir replied, stepping to the side.
Master Anderson slapped him on the back in passing. “Only if you join me, buddy.”
Shadow was waiting for them, his tail twitching back and forth as he stared at the large carrier in Master Anderson’s hand.
Setting it down on the floor, Master Anderson undid the latch and Ghost slowly made his way out. He sat on his haunches and the two black cats stared at each other from a distance.
“I wonder what they’re thinking,” Brie mused.
From the other side of the room, Hope let out a happy screech as she made a beeline toward the cats, crawling like it was an Olympian sport.
Unused to a rambunctious child, Ghost stiffened and looked as if he was about to dart back into the carrier for safety.
When Hope reached Shadow, she sat down beside him and stared at the two cats in wonder, clapping her hands together. “Dow…dow!”
Shadow rubbed his cheek against her before walking over to Ghost. Hope followed him and held out her grasping hand to the unfamiliar cat. Ghost looked up at Master Anderson before tentatively sniffing at her fingers.
“Looks like Ghost feels the same way about babies as I do,” he chuckled.
Hope squealed with joy when the cat’s whiskers brushed against her fingers. Ghost backed up a step, staring at her with wide eyes as she scooted in between the two cats.
To his credit, the cat didn’t move when Hope began patting Shadow and then reached out her other hand to do the same to him.
The look of sheer bliss on Hope’s face while she petted the two cats tickled Brie’s heart. “I think our little girl is in heaven.”
Sir stared down at Hope tenderly, telling Master Anderson, “Now that you have our daughter thoroughly entertained, do you mind telling me why you’re here?”
Master Anderson snorted. “Can’t a man come and spend time with his good friends without being judged?”
“As busy as you are at the Center right now, I would say no.”
Master Anderson shook his head. “You are a cynical man, Thane Davis.”
“I noticed you still haven’t answered my question.”
Master Anderson smirked, holding up his hands. “What can I say, you got me.”
