Love at First Purr

by Patricia Fry

  "Exactly," Savannah said. "And, Gabby, you'll love this. There's a shelter here in Hammond run by the most amazing people where cats that aren't happy living with humans can stay wild if they want to."

  "Really?" Gabby asked suspiciously, "Are they in cages?"

  "No!" Savannah assured her. "They're in huge outdoor enclosures with shelter when they want it—you know, little houses, trees, shrubbery... The cats are virtually free to roam out of doors just like they did before, only they're being cared for and they're safe from predators, starvation, injury…"

  Gabby sighed deeply. "That must be heaven for those cats. I didn't know there was such a place, except in my imagination."

  Stella affectionately patted her granddaughter's knee. "She does have an amazing imagination. She's always envisioning the type of world she'd like to live in." She petted Rags, who lay sprawled across Gabby's lap. "That world always includes cats, doesn't it, Gabby?"

  Savannah smiled. "Of course it does." She tilted her head. "Gabby, I want to talk to your aunt and uncle about the cats on their property. If they want help managing and maybe relocating them, we'll discuss how to do that at our next cat alliance meeting. I wonder if you'd like to join us. I think we could use some of your ideas and definitely your enthusiasm."

  "Really?" Gabby said, her eyes lighting up. "That would be cool." She asked, "Are people allowed to visit the place where feral cats live?"

  "Absolutely," Savannah said. "In fact, I haven't been there in a while. How about if you and I go there one day soon? Stella, you can join us, of course."

  "I'd love that," Gabby said. "Oh, Grams, this is going to be the best summer ever." She cradled Rags in her arms and kissed him on the head. "Cats are just the most awesome animals, and don't ask me how I know that. I just do." She cocked her head. "Don't you feel it? There's something special about them."

  "I agree," Savannah said. She nodded toward Rags. "And he believes there's something special about you."

  "Do you think so?" Gabby asked, looking into Rags's eyes.

  "Absolutely. He's so relaxed with you and look at how he stares at you."

  "Like he's looking into my soul," Gabby said quietly.

  "Where did that come from?" Stella asked. She chuckled. "The girl is always coming up with something that seems beyond her years."

  Gabby said more shyly. "I don't know, Grams. I just know stuff and I'm not sure where it comes from."

  "I have a friend like that," Savannah said. "Her name's Rochelle, and she's probably what you'd call psychic."

  "Psychic?" Gabby repeated. "Really? She sees things before they happen?"

  "Sometimes, yes," Savannah said. "It's fascinating to see how close many of her visions are to reality."

  Gabby was quiet for a moment, then she said, "Well, I do that sometimes, but I sure don't talk about it much. My mother and…" she took a breath. "Well, some people don't understand, not that I do completely either." She tilted her head and asked shyly. "Can I tell you something?"

  Savannah smiled. "I'd love it."

  "Now, Gabby," Stella warned.

  "It's okay, Grams," the girl said. "It's all good." She looked at Savannah. "I see you and me sharing something so awesomely…well, awesome that it will be a special memory forever."

  "Wow!" Savannah said. "I love that prediction."

  "There's more," Gabby said. She petted Rags and looked at him adoringly. "There's a cat—not this cat—but a cat that will make us and maybe other people really happy." She took a quick breath and let it out, saying frivolously, "That's it. I don't know what it means or where it came from, but that's my—what's it called—prediction."

  "I love it," Savannah said. "I can't wait."

  Stella stood up. "Well, gypsy-girl, we'd better get back." She nodded to Savannah, who also stood up. "Thank you Savannah and Gladys for your hospitality. The iced coffee was wonderful."

  "And the ginger cookie," Gabby added, urging Rags to slip off her lap. She looked up at Savannah and asked, "Can you tell me how he found my aunt and uncle? Rags, I mean. How did he know where they were?"

  Savannah ran her hand over Rags's fur when he reached his paws up her leg. "Well, the police found a clue…" she chuckled. "Usually it's Rags who finds the clues, but this time it was the police. They thought maybe your aunt and uncle were being held in a house in another city near here, so we took Rags there to see if he could find them. He had a role to play—like he was in a movie or something."

  "Really?" Stella said.

  "Yes, he pretended to be a lost cat. I was supposed to be trying to find out where he lived. Well, I allowed Rags to escape into the house where we thought your aunt and uncle might be, and he ran inside and showed us right where they were."

  "That's amazing," Gabby said. "I didn't know a cat could do things like that. Don't they use dogs for searching and for sniffing out bombs and things?"

  Savannah nodded. "Yes, but evidently some cats can do those things, too. Rags found an explosive device in our house a few weeks ago."

  "Really?" Gabby squealed.

  Savannah nodded. "He has found missing persons and pets. Once he kept a baby safe after she'd wandered out onto a balcony all by herself. He stayed with her, keeping her from falling off until human help came. He's really quite an unusual cat."

  "My goodness," Stella said, staring down at Rags. "I guess he is. Well, I know Gabby could stay here all day and listen to stories about Rags, but we really must go. Thank you again."

  "I'm so glad you came by," Savannah said. "It was awfully nice meeting both of you and to hear that the Randolphs are home and doing well." She added, "I'd like to pay them a visit. How about if I bring over a casserole this afternoon? Is it too soon for visitors? I won't stay long, but I would like to get the ball rolling for those abandoned cats on their property."

  Stella smiled. "I think that would be lovely."

  "Great. I'll get in touch with the cat alliance members today and see about a date for our next meeting. In case you'd like to attend, Gabby, the meetings are usually here. Can you walk over?"

  "Yes." She shot a look at her grandmother. "Or I can drive the golf cart."

  "We'll see about that," Stella said.

  Savannah smiled, then asked, "What's the best way to get in touch with you, Gabby—you know, so I can tell you when the cat alliance meeting will be?"

  The child thought for a moment and revealed, "I don't have a phone yet, so I guess you can call Grams's phone, if you want." She recited the number and Savannah entered it into her phone.

  "Well, good-bye," Stella said. "It's nice to meet such kind people."

  Savannah smiled. "Likewise."

  As the two started to walk out the door, Gabby stopped. She stared at Savannah for a moment and asked, "Can I hug you?"

  "Absolutely," Savannah said, embracing the child. "See you soon, honey."

  "This afternoon," Gabby confirmed.

  "What a delightful child," Savannah said, upon closing the door.

  "Yes, a lovely girl," Gladys agreed. "I'm not surprised you like her."

  "Why do you say that," Savannah asked, "because she likes cats?"

  Gladys shrugged. "Yes, that's part of it, and she's a very likable child, but there's another reason I say that."

  "What?" Savannah asked, bemused.

  "She's you, that's what," Gladys insisted.

  "Huh?"

  "Vannie, if you've ever wondered what kind of girl you were at that age, just look at and listen to and watch Gabby. I felt as though I'd gone back in time by about twenty-five years. She is you at twelve or thirteen." Gladys laughed. "I wonder if she also reads mysteries like you did."

  "But I wasn't psychic," Savannah said. "I didn't know anything about that world."

  "No, maybe not in the way that Gabby seems to be, but you sure had an imagination, and the two of you share that incredible love for cats." Gladys grinned. "That was a blast from the past."

  Savannah chuckled. "Blast from the past, Mom? How sixt
ies of you."

  ****

  After lunch that afternoon, Savannah's phone chimed. She smiled and answered, "Hi, Rochelle."

  "Hi. Am I calling at a bad time?"

  "No," Savannah said. "Not at all. I just put the kids down, and I was getting ready to make dinner."

  "Dinner?" Rochelle asked.

  "Hey, when you have small children, who are always pulling you away from whatever it is you're trying to do, you have to get things done when you can."

  "I'm learning that," Rochelle said. "Your life's not your own when you have a child."

  "True," Savannah said. "So how is Simon…and Peter, and the birds?"

  Rochelle chuckled. "We're all well. And you guys?"

  "Good. Oh wait," Savannah said, "you've honed in on what happened here the weekend of Bri's wedding, haven't you? Did you sense our trouble? Is that why you called?"

  "No," Rochelle said. "What happened?"

  "You don't know?" Savannah asked.

  "How would I?" Rochelle asked.

  "Because you're psychic," Savannah reminded her.

  Rochelle chuckled, then said, "So they finally got married? That's wonderful. When?"

  "Let's see, it's been about three weeks ago now," Savannah said.

  Rochelle paused before saying, "Well, we had something going on here then, actually. Oh, I believe everything's okay, but we were so focused on our situation that I guess my…" she laughed, "…honing skills weren't as sharp as they can be. I didn't even see this situation coming, although rationally I should have."

  "What happened?" Savannah asked, concerned.

  "Yeah, I want to know what happened on your end, too. You first," Rochelle urged. She added, "By the way, I sense that things have taken a huge turn for the better since whatever happened three weeks ago." Her tone more lively, she revealed, "Savannah, I see such joy around you right now and…wow, more coming."

  "Oh!" Savannah chirped. "I don't know why."

  "Maybe the reason and the realization hasn't kicked in yet," Rochelle said thoughtfully. She chuckled. "It would sure be easier for me if my impressions came with a calendar attached."

  Savannah laughed, then shared, "Well, I did have a delightful visit earlier today with…"

  "A young girl," Rochelle said. "Am I right?"

  "Not only are you right, but she reminded me so much of you that I planned to call you this afternoon and tell you about it," Savannah revealed.

  "Really?" Rochelle confirmed. "Why? How?"

  "She's evidently psychic, too, although she doesn't exactly consider that she is. Her grandmother refers to it as her imagination. She just has the sweetest…"

  "Spirit?" Rochelle asked.

  "Yes, actually. And boy does she love…"

  "Cats," Rochelle interjected. She laughed. "Or is it horses? Which of your favorite animals connect you to her and vice versa? I know there's an animal connection there."

  "You were right the first time. We didn't discuss horses, but I imagine…"

  Rochelle chuckled. "And you'd probably be right."

  "Interesting," Savannah said. "Well, that's who I'm fixing dinner for Gabby, her grandmother, and also her great-aunt and uncle, who just returned to their home next door after being kidnapped and held hostage. Rags was part of the team searching for the missing couple, which meant I was involved."

  "Gosh, you have been through stuff, haven't you?" Rochelle said compassionately.

  "Not only that," Savannah said, "one of my cousins, who was here for Bri's wedding, was kind of involved with the kidnappers."

  "What?" Rochelle said.

  "He set our house on fire and hid a bomb in our linen closet. Rags found it before it went off."

  "Oh Savannah, how awful. I'm so sorry. Is everyone okay?"

  "Other than a couple of sprained ankles among the wedding guests and feeling terrorized, I think we're all okay." Savannah asked, "So what's going on with you? What happened that you didn't see coming?"

  "Well, as I said, at an intellectual level both Peter and I knew it could happen, but it snuck up on us while we were busy enjoying life as parents."

  "What?" Savannah prompted.

  "Simon's grandmother came looking for him. She called and wanted to meet us. We agreed, but not at our home. The thought of meeting with that family was a little unnerving, but we wanted to approach this head on so we knew what we were facing. We suggested meeting at a local park. Savannah, I don't know what she was expecting or had in mind, but she brought along some of her older grandsons. They looked like thugs, and that was kind of frightening."

  "What did the grandmother want? Did she try to take Simon from you?" Savannah asked. "Can she do that? I mean he was pretty much homeless—living on the streets when you took him in, right?"

  "Yes, but I don't think they want him," Rochelle said. "They want money."

  "What for? I mean why do they think you should give them money?"

  "For all the months she claimed she took care of Simon in her home. When Peter told her she's lucky we aren't taking her to court asking for child support, she backed off. It got kind of ugly, but I hope that's the end of it. Savannah, I was a wreck all week until we finally met. Peter got a couple of police officers he knows to hang out in the area for additional peace of mind. The local police know something about that skuzzy family and were glad to do it."

  Savannah chuckled. "Skuzzy? Rochelle, I never hear you talk like that." Before Rochelle could respond, Savannah said, "I'm really sorry about that ugly encounter. So do you have custody of Simon? What's the status?"

  "Yes, temporary custody through the state. We're going to apply to adopt him, but that family could make it difficult. Savannah, I didn't see or hear one thing that made me think Simon's family has any regard for him. It was all about money and maybe power."

  "Power?" Savannah questioned.

  "I think they want to use him as some sort of pawn to extort money, whether it's stealing it or maybe they want to exploit Simon in some way. I don't know what they have in mind, but I hope we were able to change their course of thinking."

  "I hope so. Gosh, how frightening. How is Simon?" Savannah asked. "How did he handle this?"

  "He doesn't know about it, yet," Rochelle said, "and I hope we don't have to tell him. But that kind of depends on the grandmother and what she does next, if anything."

  "You can't foresee what will happen?" Savannah asked. "I mean, using your abilities?"

  "It's pretty hard to use those…um…abilities in your own life. You're too close to it to be objective," Rochelle explained. "Hey, I won't take up anymore of your time. I just wanted to touch base with you. Will you see the girl with the imagination again?"

  "Gabby?" Savannah smiled. "Yes. She may help the cat alliance with a feral cat problem at her aunt's and uncle's ranch."

  "Cool. Oh, Savannah, this is going to bring you so much joy in…like I said, in a way that you can't even imagine."

  "Am I going to adopt Gabby?" Savannah asked, laughing.

  "Is she alone in the world?" Rochelle asked. "You mentioned a grandmother and aunt and uncle…"

  "She also has a mother, who's evidently taking a bad path, so the grandmother is cushioning her life."

  "That's a nice way to put it," Rochelle said. "No. I don't think you'll take in the girl, but you'll see a lot of her in coming days. The two of you will share such delight in a most unexpected way."

  "Sounds intriguing," Savannah said. "I can't wait. Oh Rochelle, Adam has moved closer with his mom and stepdad, and we're going to share custody half and half. You'll have to come up and bring Simon soon."

  "That's wonderful," Rochelle said. "The boys still communicate a lot, and Simon told me how excited Adam is about being with your family more often. Yes, we'll get together soon. Maybe we'll be there in time to share in your joy. Good bye, now."

  "Our joy?" Savannah repeated. "Rochelle, do you mean…. Rochelle?"

  Gladys chuckled. "Did she hang up on you?"

  "I gue
ss she did—well, not in a rude way. I just wanted some clarification and she had already ended the call."

  "Text her," Gladys suggested.

  "I will," Savannah said, "but later. I want to get those chicken pot pies going."

  "Need help?"

  Savannah gazed at her mother. "Not really. You look much too comfortable there in the cozy chair with your book. Enjoy the solitude while you can."

  "I always enjoy myself," Gladys said. "I have the perfect life."

  Savannah smiled at her mother and walked into the kitchen.

  Chapter Two

  "Hello," Randy Randolph said, greeting Savannah and Michael when he saw them standing at his door later that afternoon. He called into the house, "Loretta, our dinner's here." Opening the door wider, he invited, "Please come in. Mmm. Smells good."

  "I hope you like chicken pot pie," Savannah said.

  Michael winked. "It's one of her specialties."

  "And one of my favorites," Randy said, smiling. "Real comfort food." He looked at the bowl Michael held.

  Savannah explained, "My mom made you a salad using greens and veggies from our garden."

  "Beautiful!" Randy exclaimed.

  Loretta took the bowl from Michael. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to do this, you know. Stella's a great cook and I'm getting around well enough to help in the kitchen."

  Stella reached for the pot pie. "But we sure appreciate your generosity."

  "Four twenty-five for thirty or forty minutes," Savannah instructed before the two women walked away.

  "I'll put it into the oven now," Stella said over her shoulder. "Thank you again."

  "You have Antonio taking care of your gardening, don't you?" Randy asked. "He's a good man."

  Michael nodded. "Yes, he keeps us in fresh vegetables, that's for sure."

  Randy patted Michael on the back. "It's sure good to see you, Dr. Mike." He took Savannah's hand. "And you too, dear lady. Please come in and sit down."

  "It's great to see you healthy and back in your home," Michael said. He added, "I understand you found Darla."

  "Yes, thank the Lord and good neighbors and friends. Those numbskulls gave Darla to the first comer and that happened to be Kirk Citadel, down the road. He knew something was wrong when those two walked onto his property and offered him my horse. Kirk figured he'd hold onto her until he found out what was going on."