Courting the Cat Whisperer

by Wynter Daniels

  The intruder tried her doorknob.

  Oh, God, oh, God.

  Harry pulled his hood over his head before getting out of his truck and running through the storm to the porch of the Tucker house. The power was out all over the area, so he felt compelled to check on Jordan. He knocked, but after she didn’t answer, decided to use his key. In the foyer, a strange feeling sent a shiver over his skin. “Jordan?” he called. “It’s Harry.”

  “Harry!” she shouted from somewhere upstairs. “Be careful. Someone’s broken in.”

  Every nerve and muscle in his body was instantly on high alert. “Don’t say another word,” he called to Jordan. Whoever was in the house could follow her voice to her location. He had to get the intruder to come to him and leave Jordan alone.

  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and dialed 911. But before he could hit Send, a powerful blow to the back of his head stopped him cold. Stars swam before his eyes. He couldn’t pass out. Jordan needed him. Struggling to maintain consciousness, he spun around to face his attacker. He tried to make out the man’s face, but all he could see was the whites of his eyes.

  Suddenly, the silence shattered with what sounded like dozens of cats growling and hissing. The intruder backed away from Harry as a hoard of cats attacked him. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated the scene. The man flailed his arms in an attempt to get them off. “Slez ze mě!”

  Harry hung onto the banister, desperately trying to ward off the fog creeping into his brain. He managed to send the emergency call as the edges of his field of vision shrank.

  “Nine-one-one,” the operator said. “What’s your emergency?”

  The burglar gasped. He yanked open the front door and charged through the threshold, landing on all fours on the porch. “Get off!” he shouted at the cats in heavily accented English.

  The cats didn’t relent until the man rolled off the porch. Then they ran back into the house and scattered. Harry managed to kick shut the door. “Jordan, he’s gone,” he called over his shoulder.

  A door opened upstairs. Rapid footsteps descended the steps.

  “Harry! My God, are you all right?” Jordan crouched next to him and cradled his head in her lap.

  He smiled up at her. “I am now.”

  “Nine-one-one,” the voice on the other end of the line said again.

  Jordan picked up his phone. “We need police and medical help at 407 Eerie Avenue.”

  Harry kept fighting the haze in his head that threatened to pull him under. He closed his eyes for a moment.

  “Mr. Hill?” someone said. “Can you hear me?” It was a woman, but not Jordan.

  Harry blinked his eyes open then immediately closed them again against the overhead lights. A policewoman stood over him. “Yes,” he said. “Is Jordan okay?”

  The officer nodded. “She’s right here.”

  Jordan’s pretty face replaced the cop’s, her eyes glistening. “I’m fine.”

  “Medical’s here,” the officer said.

  “What do we have?” a uniformed man asked.

  “Mr. Hill was unconscious for a minute or two,” the policewoman told the man.

  “I’m Aiden,” the man said. “I’m an EMT. Can you tell me what happened to you?”

  Harry told them about the intruder, and when he’d finished, the EMT asked if Harry wanted to go to the hospital.

  “You should be checked out by a doctor,” Aiden said.

  Harry sat up. “That’s not necessary.”

  “Head trauma can be tricky.” Aiden frowned. “You’re taking a big chance by refusing care. But I can’t force you to go.”

  Harry gave him a thumbs up. “Got it. I’m okay, really.”

  “It’s not a good idea for you to be alone tonight.”

  Jordan touched the EMT’s arm. “He won’t be alone, Aiden. I’ll stay with him.”

  Was she serious? Harry met Jordan’s stare. She gave him a half nod.

  Aiden’s brow shot higher on his forehead. “Oh, okay.”

  “Thanks, Aiden,” Jordan told the man. “Give Darcy a hug for me.”

  After the EMTs left, Jordan took Harry into the living room. “Why don’t you relax on the sofa. Hopefully, the police will finish up soon.”

  Harry heard the two officers talking in the kitchen, but he couldn’t make out what they were saying. “What are they doing?” he asked Jordan.

  “Taking fingerprints, I think.” She sat next to him and handed him an ice pack.

  “You don’t have to babysit me,” he told her as he held the icepack against the bump on the back of his head. “I’ll be okay to go home soon.”

  She rolled her eyes toward the heavens. “I don’t think so. Besides, what makes you think I want to be here all alone? There’s safety in numbers.”

  She had a point. The more Harry thought about it, he knew he couldn’t leave her there. “We can go to my place tonight.”

  Her lips bunched to one side, but she remained silent.

  He replayed the events of the evening. “Did you have anything to do with the cats attacking the guy who broke in?”

  Her gaze darted around the room. “Maybe.”

  “If you did orchestrate that…well, thanks.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She glanced toward the kitchen then slid closer to him and lowered her voice. “So you totally believe in my gift now, hmm?”

  He’d have never guessed that anyone could communicate telepathically, let alone do it with animals. But Jordan had proven herself twice, and one of those instances had probably saved Harry’s life. “A hundred percent.”

  A big smile made her even prettier. Even in whimsical pajamas with a dog and cat pattern, and ridiculously huge bunny slippers, she was gorgeous. She wore not a stitch of make-up, yet her skin looked peaches-and-cream fresh.

  The male deputy came into the living room and introduced himself as Deputy Cruz. “We weren’t able to get any good prints from the doorknob,” he said. “Do you remember if the perpetrator wore gloves?”

  “I never saw him,” Jordan replied.

  Harry thought back to his fight with the intruder. “It was dark. I’m not sure.” He set the icepack in a crystal bowl on the coffee table. “He had an accent.”

  Cruz raised a dark eyebrow. “What kind of accent?”

  He replayed the scene in his head. “Maybe Slavic. Something eastern European.”

  The deputy wrote on a tablet computer. “There’ll be an officer patrolling the neighborhood tonight. If you need anything, please let us know.”

  “Oh!” Jordan held her hand over her mouth for a moment.

  “What is it?” the cop asked.

  “I wonder if the guy who broke in could have been the same man who was watching me from the bushes.” She explained what had happened when she’d been sunbathing.

  The officer’s eyes shifted from brown to dark gold, and then back again.

  Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. Maybe his eyesight had been affected by the knock on his head.

  “But you never actually saw the man?” the officer asked.

  “No, only one of the cats did.”

  The cop absently nodded, as if Jordan hadn’t told him something unbelievable. Was the police force in on Jordan’s supernatural gift?

  The deputy shook hands with Jordan and then Harry. “Please don’t hesitate to call if you think of anything else.”

  “Thank you, Deputy Cruz,” Jordan said. “We will.”

  After the cops left, Harry locked the doors. Seeing the broken window in the back door, he mumbled a curse under his breath.” The best I can do to fix this tonight is to nail a piece of plywood over it. First thing in the morning, I’ll hit the DIY Depot for the glass.”

  “You think we’ll be okay here tonight?” Jordan hugged her arms around her body. Her furrowed brow was the first evidence he’d noticed that the break-in had taken its toll on her.

  Something i
nside him twisted with anger. “I promise you that I’ll protect you. If you’d rather go to my place, though, that’s fine with me.”

  She bit her bottom lip, and Harry couldn’t help but find the gesture sexy. She cut those clear, blue eyes at him and he nearly came apart at the seams. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d kissed a woman, but he knew that she’d be the next and that it would be amazing.

  He had to stay sharp, though. Getting sucked under by Jordan’s charms would only distract him from his mission to keep her safe.

  “I wouldn’t feel right leaving the cats tonight,” she said. “They’ve been through trauma as sure as you and I have.”

  “Sure. I’ll camp out on the sofa if that’s all right with you.”

  “There’s another guest room upstairs.”

  “This is fine—more stategic.”

  Her smile widened for a moment. “Okay. I’ll grab you a blanket and pillow from upstairs.”

  When Jordan left the room, Harry went out to his truck for his tools and some scrap plywood. As he climbed the porch steps, he took the opportunity to scan the area. Under cover of darkness, the street appeared idyllic and safe. Now he knew better.

  Back in the kitchen a few minutes later, he nailed a board over the broken window then reinforced it with two by fours.

  “Let’s hope that does it,” Jordan said from behind him.

  Showing her his hammer, he said, “No one will get past me.”

  “I’m sure that’s true.” New lines creased her forehead. She rubbed her eyes. “I’m wiped out. I guess I’ll go upstairs. You probably want to get to sleep, too.”

  Not likely. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  She shrugged. “I will be.”

  After she’d gone to bed, Harry settled into the sofa, but he refused to go to sleep. The events of the evening buzzed through his head. Too many questions remained unanswered: What had the intruder been after? Could it have been the person who’d stolen Harry’s mail and broken into his truck?

  A floorboard creaked, galvanizing his attention. “Jordan?” he ventured as he grabbed his hammer from the coffee table.

  “It’s just me,” she called from the foyer.

  Most of the tension in his neck and shoulders released. “Are you all right?”

  Still wearing those adorably silly bunny slippers, she padded into the room, followed by two cats. “Can’t sleep.” She picked up the black and white spotted kitten and nuzzled its head. “Rorschach had no problem snoozing. She snores.”

  “How about some tea?”

  The orange tabby at Jordan’s feet meowed up at him.

  “And a treat for you,” Harry told the cat.

  Jordan batted her eyelashes. “Perhaps something stronger, eh? I spotted an open bottle of wine in the fridge. By the time the Tuckers get back here, it’ll be no good. We might as well polish it off.”

  After getting knocked out earlier, he doubted he ought to be drinking. Plus, he needed to keep a clear head just in case his attacker came back. “You go ahead. I’ll get myself a glass of water.”

  She gestured for him to stay where he was. “I’ll bring it to you. Be right back.”

  He tried to ignore how the sexy sway of her backside as she left the room.

  “Do you take ice in your water?” Jordan called from the kitchen.

  “Sure.” Hopefully, that would cool him down, although what he needed was a cold shower. Being alone with Jordan all night was dangerous on so many levels. The more he cared about her, the less he could chance starting something with her.

  “Here we are,” she said as she returned and handed him the drink. She tapped her wineglass to his water glass. “Cheers.”

  “To what are we toasting?”

  “Surviving the break-in tonight.” She bowed. “And thank you again for coming to my rescue.”

  “Glad to help.” He didn’t want to think about what could have happened to her had he not been there.

  “What brought you over here?”

  “It’s hard to explain.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and considered her question. “I got this idea while I was eating dinner…” But now wasn’t the time to lay his problems on her shoulders, or ask her for help in finding out whatever he could about his past. “Anyway, I was going to wait until morning to speak to you about something. A little while after it started storming, I lost power at my place, which is close to here. I figured that the electricity was out here, you might be scared of being in a strange house.”

  Her blue eyes sparkled as she sat next to him. “That was sweet of you. Part of the whole being-responsible-for-me-because-you-saved-my-life thing?”

  “I guess.”

  She fluttered her eyelashes. “I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t shown up.” Her gaze fell to his mouth.

  His pulse kicked up several notches. Their lips were mere inches apart. God, he wanted to kiss her. Taking a lock of her hair between his fingers, he looked deep into her eyes and saw his desire mirrored there.

  He inhaled her sweet, coconut scent. But he shouldn’t. He couldn’t.

  Chapter Five

  Had Jordan imagined Harry’s interest in her? Why had he backed away? Maybe he was one of those rare, chivalrous men who liked to ask a girl first before they kissed her. Her answer was yes, yes, yes.

  Right now she didn’t care about her history of choosing the wrong guys. Harry had come to her rescue twice now, and tonight he’d put his life on the line for her. That had to count for something.

  The notion that they both could have died a few hours ago made her want to take a bigger bite out of life. She didn’t want some long, involved relationship, but she couldn’t deny that she found Harry incredibly attractive. They were here now, and in a few weeks, they’d disappear from each other’s lives. She was lonely. And he was so darn sexy.

  She set down her drink and scootched a smidge closer.

  His lips flattened. “Jordan,” he started.

  She silenced him with a kiss. Heart kabooming, she plowed her fingers through his thick hair. He tasted of mint and desire.

  Wrapping his arms around her, he drew her against the muscled hardness of his chest.

  Yes, this was exactly what she’d hoped for—that safe, secure sensation, as if nothing could hurt her as long as she was in his arms. As long as she remembered that it was temporary, it’d be fine.

  Harry trailed his tongue around the shell of her ear, inciting a flood of desire, and turning her into a puddle of a woman.

  She leaned back on the sofa, stretching out on the cushion, and crooked her finger at him to join her.

  Wearing a lusty grin, he complied. He propped himself up on one elbow and trailed his hand over her side.

  Everything fell away. There was only the moment, the two of them, drunk on their rising passion. She had no idea what time it was when they finally came up for air, but a sliver of orange light poked through the curtains.

  Harry smoothed her hair off her cheek then kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ve got a confession.”

  Was he going to tell her something about himself that would put him in her poor-choices-in-men category? Swallowing, she eased herself up. “What is it?”

  He sat against the opposite arm. “Checking that you were okay in the blackout wasn’t the only reason I came here tonight.”

  A little while earlier, he’d started to tell her that he had to discuss something with her. She steeled herself for a letdown. “Okay.”

  Lines fanned out from the corners of his eyes. “You remember what I said about not remembering my past?”

  “Sure.”

  “There might be a way you can help me with that.”

  “Me?”

  Taking her hand, he nodded. “If you don’t want to do it, I completely understand. No pressure.”

  Now he’d piqued her curiosity. “All right.”

  He drew a deep breath before speaking.
“When I woke up without my memory, I was in the woods, not far from the highway. I was banged up and bruised. And I had no identification on me—no wallet, nothing. This white cat was there with me. For a long time, I’d assumed that she’d been a stray, and had just wandered upon me.” He reached to the coffee table for his glass and took a sip of water. “She’s still with me. I call her Kitty.”

  “How original,” she teased.

  Some of the tension in his expression eased. “After you showed me your gift, I got an idea. It’s a longshot, I know.”

  Now she understood where he was going with this. “So you want me to ask your cat if she saw anything, if she was with you before you woke up.”

  Harry nodded. “You don’t have to decide now. Take your time. Think about it.”

  Of course, she’d do it. Why wouldn’t she use her powers to help the man who’d risked his life for her? The ring of her cell phone startled her. Who’d be calling this early? “I should get that.”

  “Sure, go ahead.”

  She disengaged herself from him and hurried to the kitchen, where she’d left her phone. By the time she picked it up, the caller had hung up. Checking the display, she saw her dad’s name. Her stomach churned. According to her cell, it was a few minutes after six in the morning, way earlier than he’d ever called before. “That was my father,” she told Harry. “I’ve got to call him back.”

  He gave her a thumbs up.

  Her dad answered on the second ring. “Hi sweetheart,” he said. “I hope my call didn’t wake you.”

  “No, I was up. Is everything okay?”

  “Fine. I’ve got exciting news.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Mom and I will be passing through Nocturne Falls on our way to your aunt’s place in Chattanooga. We’d like to take you and your sister to lunch.”

  That was a relief. “Great. When are you coming?”

  “Today. Barring any traffic problem, we should arrive at about noon. We’re half an hour past Macon.”

  What? “Why didn’t you give us more notice? Does Mal know?”