by Sharon Coady
“Yep. You’ll feel like your old self once our little guy is born and you’re through all the emotions from the hormones.” Kyle winked at her.
“I hope you’re right. I can’t live my life bursting into tears all the time.” She sighed as Pop unwrapped the next ornament.
A few hours later, the tree was finished and Anne found herself in tears again. Tears of joy and sadness from all the memories each ornament brought back of Gram’s life with Pop and her. Mavy walked over and sat down. Tilting her head, she meowed, scurried to Pop, and rubbed against his leg.
Kyle took her hand and tugged her to her feet. “I think it’s time for us to go to bed, honey. You look exhausted, and Mom will be bringing Melanie home tomorrow. I think we all need to get some sleep.”
“I’m going to head that way myself.” Pop stretched and yawned as he reached for the ornament box.
“Pop, I’ll get that first thing tomorrow. I know where it goes. You head on to bed, and I’ll make sure everything is locked up tight.”
“Thanks, Kyle. You two sleep tight. Love you. Mavy, you want to sleep in my room tonight?” The cat meowed and took off into his room.
“I love you, Pop.” She yawned and smiled at Kyle. “I swear she understands everything we say.”
“It sure looks like it sometimes. Now, let’s get you to bed. I asked Mom to bring Melanie home after lunch so we could sleep in a little.” He winked and kissed her softly on her lips. “I don’t know how much sleep we’ll get when that little guy comes home. I’m praying for a sleeper!”
Anne felt a twinge of regret that this wouldn’t be his first child. He’d gone through all of this before, and it wasn’t with her. She was instantly horrified the thought even crossed her mind. She loved Melanie and felt sorry that Kyle had to go through the experience of his first child with someone he didn’t love. Someone who didn’t love him and didn’t want anything to do with the baby. When she climbed into bed, she placed her hands over her stomach, unable to understand how a mother could carry a child and leave it without looking back.
“Anne, what are you doing?” Kyle pushed up on his elbow and placed his hand over hers. “Are you okay? Any pain?”
“No. I was just thinking about this little guy and how much I love him already.”
“It seems like something else is going on. Are you sure nothing else is wrong?” He reached to turn on the light. “You look like something else going on in that pretty little head of yours.”
“No, my mind is just all over the place right now, and I am praying that Melanie realizes how much I love her.”
“She will. You wait and see. Especially once she sees her little brother.”
“I hope you’re right.” She sighed and moved over closer to him. “My feet are so cold. Can I put them against you?”
“Sure, I don’t mind. Let me brace myself.” He chuckled softly. “Come here, you.” He put his arm around her and helped her scoot closer.
Chapter Twelve
“Anne, Kyle. Come here!”
Anne woke with a start to Pop’s hollering at their door. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” She scooted toward the side of the bed as Kyle bolted to the living room.
“What’s wrong?” Anne hurried out the door behind him.
“Look there.” Pop was grinning from ear to ear, pointing toward the loveseat. There, in her box, was Mavy feeding two little kittens.
“Oh my gosh. Look how sweet. Are there only two? I thought she was having more?” She glanced at Kyle, who stooped down and carefully felt along her belly.
“Feels like that’s it. I thought she had at least three. Help me look around, just in case one was born outside of the box.”
Pop shuffled around the side of the loveseat, glancing around under the table while Kyle carefully moved the box just a little to check behind it.
“Do you see anything, Pop?”
“Nope, nothing here. I don’t think she would have carried it anywhere, do you?” He continued looking around the living room.
“I don’t think so. They usually don’t do that. Let me look underneath the loveseat just to be sure.” Kyle kneeled down and checked carefully.
Anne stood watching them, hoping one of the babies wasn’t missing. “Maybe there was only two, and you were feeling wrong.”
“It could be. I don’t think we overlooked it. You might be right, it can happen sometimes. We better leave her alone and stop fretting because it could upset her.” He got to his feet and tucked Anne against his side, before placing a kiss on her cheek.
“Okay. Why don’t we go on into the kitchen and I’ll make breakfast.” She patted Pop’s arm. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we looked everywhere. You heard Kyle, she probably only had the two kittens.”
“They are cute little ones, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they are.” She saw the look of joy spread over his face. He loved babies of every kind, always had. “They’re just as pretty as she was when we found her. Remember how tiny she was last Christmas? Now, come on so I can get us fed and cleaned up before Melanie comes home. She’s going to be so excited about the babies.”
Kyle took her hand, pulling her close again. He gave her a gentle kiss. “She’s going to be excited about our baby, too.”
Anne sighed. “I sure hope so. I wish I could adopt her. I would in a heartbeat.”
“I would love for you to adopt her. I’ll contact a lawyer after the holidays and see what we have to do to make it happen. We haven’t seen her mother since she was an infant. I don’t even know where she is. I’m sure there is something we can do.”
“Do you think she’ll want me to adopt her as upset as she’s been lately? I don’t want to make her angrier.”
“I think after her brother is here, and she sees you don’t care for him more than her, she would love to have you as her adopted mother. Let’s put this on the backburner until after Christmas though, okay?”
“Sure.” She plastered a fake smile on her face and turned her back to start breakfast, hoping he didn’t notice. She didn’t want him upset with her; there was so much strain already with Melanie to add to it. Once breakfast was over, the dishes washed and put away, she said, “I’m going to take a shower before our girl comes home.”
“Do you want me to sit in there with you?” Kyle started to push his chair back and followed her out the kitchen.
“No, I think I’ll be fine. I’ll leave the door unlocked just in case I need you. Just listen for me.”
“I will. Pop and I are going to sit here and watch a show.” He chuckled as she made a face at him before closing the bathroom door. She started the water and slipped out of her robe and PJ’s, shivering in the cold of the bathroom. She should have checked the temperature before she got undressed. Pop must have turned to temperature down again. She wondered how many times they had to tell him before he stopped worrying about the darn heat bill.
Kyle would have to talk to him again. She didn’t want it cold when the baby came home. She wondered if they should keep it warmer for the kittens. She’d ask Kyle when she finished her shower. Stepping in, the water felt wonderful, warming her nicely. She tilted her head back under the stream to wet her hair.
Once she was finished, she got out, dried off, and slipped back into her robe before drying her hair. She hated to leave the bathroom, knowing it was going to be chilly in the living room. When she opened the door, it felt a little warmer. She glanced at the thermostat; Kyle must have turned it up. He and Pop were sitting watching an old re-run of Bonanza. Her tummy fluttered, watching the man she loved being so sweet and kind to her grandfather.
She finished dressing and heard the doorbell ring. Glancing at her clock, she wondered who was at the door. Nancy didn’t usually bring Melanie home early, but they weren’t expecting anyone else. She opened the bedroom door in time to see Melanie and Nancy walking through the front door.
“Daddy!” Melanie squealed and ran right to him. “I missed you so much, I asked Grandma
to bring me home early.”
“We missed you too, girl.”
She wiggled out of his arms and ran to Pop. “Poppy. Did you miss me, too?” She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
“You know I did. Wait until you see the surprise we have for you.”
“A surprise? What is it?” She was jumping up and down, clapping her little hands.
“Why don’t you let Anne show you?” He chuckled. “She knows the big surprise.”
“Can’t you show me?” She stuck her bottom lip out in the now all too familiar pout.
Anne felt the smile slide off her face. She took a deep breath and plastered it back on, hoping no one had noticed. “Hello, Nancy. How are you today?” She hurried to give her a big hug.
“Wonderful. You look well rested today.”
“I’m good. We got a good night’s sleep last night.”
“The tree looks beautiful. Did you notice the tree, Melanie?”
“Yes, it’s very pretty. That’s not my surprise, is it, Daddy?”
“Nope. Why don’t you ask Mommy to show you the surprise?” He crossed his arms and scrutinized her. “Go on.” He nodded toward Anne, shaking his head before Melanie could protest.
“Fine.” She winced. “Can you show me the surprise?” Her eyes were down as she shuffled her foot around.
“Sure.” Anne held her hand out and slowly let it drop when Melanie didn’t reach for it. “Right over here. Don’t be loud because we don’t want to scare them.” She pointed to the box, and Melanie slowly walked to it to peer in.
“She had her kittens! Oh, they are so cute. Grandma come look, Mavy had her kittens. Can I name them, Daddy?”
“You’ll have to ask Pop and Anne, she’s their cat.”
“I thought she was my cat?” Melanie whined. “I thought they gave her to me.” She stuck out her bottom lip.
“She’s your cat, too.” Anne reached out to hug her.
Melanie pulled away quickly. “So does that mean I can name the kittens?”
“Sure, as soon as we know if they are boys or girls, you can choose their names.” She tried not to let the hurt come through in her voice.
“See Daddy, I can name them because Mavy is my cat, too. Anne said so.”
“Young lady, you don’t call your mommy Anne. That’s rude.” Nancy scolded her.
“Do you want to stoop down and watch the babies?” Anne asked, hoping to prevent a blow up. She had seen the anger cross Kyle’s face at his daughter’s comment and Nancy had been upset as well.
“Okay. How close can I get?”
“Come here and I’ll show you. Sit down, and we’ll scoot you closer so you can see them.” Melanie sat down and Anne helped scoot her closer, all the while watching Mavy closely so they didn’t startle or worry her. “Look at that one’s face. See the little white marks? It looks like it has white on its feet.”
“Aw, it’s cute. The other one looks kind of like Mavy, doesn’t it?” She was grinning from ear to ear.
“It does. We haven’t seen its face yet, so we aren’t sure if it has any white or distinctive markings.”
“I just love them both already. They are so cute. I can keep both of them, can’t I?”
“I don’t think we need that many cats. Maybe grandma would like one.” Kyle chuckled, shaking his head.
Nancy had come over to look at the kittens. “I just might. I had a cat a long time ago that had white feet. His name was Boots.”
Melanie giggled. “Why would you call him Boots? Cats don’t wear boots.”
“Well, it seemed to fit better than Socks.”
Everyone burst out laughing. Melanie looked at each one of them as if they had lost their minds. Shaking her head, she turned back to watch the kittens. She leaned over. “I love your babies, Mavy.”
Chapter Thirteen
Another week went by and nothing much changed as Melanie continued to be aloof with Anne and refused to call her mommy. The kittens were doing well, and after Kyle checked them out, they knew they had one little girl and one little boy. Melanie let her grandmother name the little boy Boots since she declared she would take that one. She named the other kitten Abby. Abby was a Tabby with the cutest face. She had black marks over her eyes that made her look like she had eyebrows.
Anne decided to walk out to the mailbox just to get some fresh air. The tension in the house was starting to get to her more and more the last few days. Kyle had snapped at her on a few occasions, and it had been hurtful. Bundling up, she walked out onto the porch, the crisp air filling her lungs as she stepped off the porch. Glancing at the sky, she thought it looked like it might snow. Pulling her coat closer around her neck, she waddled to the mailbox, her feet crunching in the few inches of snow that covered the ground.
Finding the box empty, she made her way back to the porch just as the first of the snowflakes started to fall. She loved the way the snow blanketed the ground, making everything quieter and more peaceful. But it worried her if the snow got too deep, they wouldn’t be able to make it to the hospital that was forty-five minutes down the mountain on a good day. She climbed the steps carefully, and as she made her way onto the porch, she heard a little meow. She stopped and listened again. She couldn’t have just heard a kitten. Cocking her head, she stood still, slowing her breathing. There it was again.
Anne moved some boots and there, on the porch, was a little kitten that couldn’t have been more than a few days old. “Where’s your mother?” She glanced all around, trying to see if there was a cat hiding somewhere on the porch. “How did you get on the porch?” She couldn’t bend down to pick it up. Pop couldn’t do it, she was afraid he would lose his balance and fall. Opening the front door, she called for Melanie.
“Yes, ma’am,” she said coming to the door, rolling her eyes as if Anne calling her was the worst thing that could happen to her.
“Can you please put your coat on and come out on the porch for me?”
Melanie raised her eyebrows but didn’t argue. She ran into her room and walked out, slipping on her pink coat her grandma had bought her. She stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her, waiting for Anne to say something.
“Honey, can you very carefully pick that kitten up and hand it to me.”
Melanie spun around and her mouth dropped open. “Where did that come from?” She tiptoed toward the kitten, cooing to it.
Anne couldn’t help but smile. “Just pick it up very gently. That’s it. Good! Okay, hand it to me. Good girl.” She took the kitten from Melanie and felt it shaking. “Oh, poor little thing. Can you open the door, this little baby is so cold.”
Melanie ran to the door and opened it, watching closely as Anne carried the kitten into the house.
“Pop, we found a kitten on the porch.”
Pop shuffled out of the kitchen as fast as he could, brows scrunched. “A kitten? How the heck did a kitten get on the porch?”
“That’s a very good question. Can you hold it while I call Kyle? I want to ask him if he thinks it’s okay to put it with Mavy, or if he needs to check it out first.” She handed the kitten to him.
“Girl, you don’t need to call him for that answer. We need to keep it apart from the others until we know it’s not sick or anything. There are some little kitten bottles up in that long cabinet in the kitchen. You can call him and have him bring home some kitten milk.”
“All right, I’ll give him a call.” She grabbed the phone and dialed his cell.
Kyle answered on the second ring. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine.” She couldn’t help but smile at the concern in his voice. “I found a kitten. It looks like it might be a couple of days old. It was on the front porch.”
“Oh, okay.” She heard him sigh. “Don’t put it with Mavy and her kittens. I’ll bring some milk home for it and give it a checkup. You didn’t see any sign of the mother?”
“No, I looked everywhere. Pop has the kitten right now. Where should I put i
t? It was shaking when we picked it up.”
“Put it in a box with a towel and put it in the bathroom but not too close to the vent.”
“Hold on, Kyle, Pop is calling.” She placed her hand over the phone. “He said it’s a little boy and it doesn’t have fleas.” She giggled. “Melanie is almost in his lap talking a blue streak about the new kitten.”
She heard him chuckle. “I should be home by four. I’ll check him out then, and we’ll figure out what to do with the poor little thing. I don’t understand how he got on the porch or what happened to the mother. Was the porch door closed tight when you went out?”
“Yeah. Poor thing, I don’t know how he survived. I’ll see you later. Would you like dinner ready when you come home or do you want to eat at five?”
“Five is fine. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She hung up the phone and stood in the doorway, watching Pop and Melanie fuss over the kitten. “Pop, Kyle said to put the kitten in a box and keep him away from Mavy until he gets home to check him out. Has he stopped shaking yet?”
“Yep, look at him. He’s all curled up and sleeping on my chest. He crawled up here while Melanie was talking to him. He sure is cute. Worries me that he was on the porch and his mother was nowhere to be found. I just don’t get it.”
“Me either. I’ll ask Kyle to look when he gets home. We’re all so careful to make sure the door is closed.”
“My guess is, we have a torn screen somewhere that the mother was able to fit through, but I wonder why there was only one.” Pop scratched his ear. “They usually have more than one,” he mumbled.
Anne’s stomach turned when she realized he was right. She had only glanced around the porch. She snatched her coat off the hook and pulled it around her shoulders. “Melanie, can you help Pop watch the kitten for a little while?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Pop glanced up, eyebrows drawn down. Anne shook her head as she placed a finger over her lips, praying he wouldn’t say anything. If she found any more kittens, she didn’t want Melanie to see—just in case. She opened the door and slipped out onto the front porch. Anne moved their winter boots and looked behind each pair. Her heart raced, praying she wouldn’t find any other kittens. As she made her way around the porch, she was relieved not to find any. Thank heaven. She sighed and leaned against the wall, trying to slow her thudding heart.
