Cop's Passion

by Angela Verdenius

  Mike tossed the damp hand towels in the wash basket. “About what?”

  “Your kitten.”

  “My kitten?” His eyebrows rose in surprise. “I don’t have a kitten.”

  “Fine.” She glanced at the open door behind him before lifting that wonderful, brown-eyed gaze to his. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  “Maddy, did you not just hear what I said? It’s not my kitten.”

  “I heard, but that doesn’t alter the fact that it’s a baby cat out there.”

  Uh-oh. “That baby cat belongs to someone else. It’s not my problem.” Mike shook his head at her. “Don’t look at me like that.”

  The friendliness that had been appearing was starting to leach away. “Unprotected cats, Mike, are everyone’s concern.” Her tone had lost all warmth.

  He grinned, trying to lighten the mood. “I think the bird lovers would agree.” Almost instantly, he knew he’d made a mistake.

  Those grey eyes snapped fire and she straightened her shoulders, that impressive bosom swelling out. Maddy’s hands came up to rest on generous hips, and her lips thinned. “Are you a cat hater, Mike?”

  “No. Well, not really.” Shit. Cat lovers were notorious defenders of the furry buggers and he had just stepped on the toes of what was undoubtedly a cat lover. “As long as they don’t bother me.” That should be safe.

  He found out really fast that it wasn’t the best reply.

  “Let me get this straight,” she said. “You don’t care about cats as long as they don’t bother you?”

  “Ah…yes?”

  “So you don’t care about a helpless, defenceless, kitten stuck out in the rain?”

  “I didn’t say that, exactly.”

  Anger glittered in her eyes. “You said it wasn’t your problem.”

  Placatingly, he spread his hands, palms out, and lowered his voice to a soothing tone. “Now, Maddy, that kitten will be just fine. It’s probably gone home and is tucking into a bowl of milk as we speak. Let’s not get too wound up about--“

  “I don’t believe it!” Maddy swung on her heel and stormed out of the laundry, through the kitchen, and down the passage.

  “What? Maddy, wait!” Mike sprang after her. “Maddy!”

  “You’re a typical arse, not worried about anything as long as it doesn’t affect him.” She reached the door and yanked it open. Turning to face him, she shoved a stiff finger at his chest. “You hurt that kitten, Carson, and I’ll have your guts for garters.”

  “Hurt it?” Mike’s eyes widened in surprise. “I wouldn’t hurt it. What kind of man do you think I am?”

  “I was starting to think you weren’t so bad, but boy, I’m not so sure now.”

  “Oh, come on. I wouldn’t hurt the kitten, all right? I’ll just shoo it away when the rain stops.” He smiled at her. “Okay?” There, that was a compromise.

  Obviously not, going by the expression on her face. “You’ll shoo it away?”

  “Yes?” He couldn’t believe he was actually asking her.

  “No! No, you don’t just shoo it away, you boofhead! That kitten could be hurt, lost, abandoned, anything! You befriend it-”

  “Befriend it?” He couldn’t believe his ears.

  “You check if it’s hurt and then you try to find its home.”

  “And if it doesn’t have one?” Cripes, was he really having this conversation?

  “See?” She leaped on his question with righteous gusto. “Even you’re not sure it has a home!”

  “Maddy-”

  “If no one comes forward for the kitten, you need to find it a home.”

  “What?” He blinked. “Maddy, I can’t do that.”

  “Why not?” Her grip on the door was almost white-knuckled, her expression challenging.

  “Be reasonable. I work.”

  “So do I. What’s your point?”

  Cripes, was she ever going to let this go? Mike frowned down at her. “My point, Maddy, is that I don’t have time to muck around with a fur ball.”

  The chill in the air wasn’t from just the breeze blowing through the door. No, the chill was coming from the stubborn, demanding female standing in front of his door.

  Come to think of it, her perfume, which the breeze blew right into his nostrils, was rather intoxicating. Shame she wasn’t as endearing right at this moment.

  “Don’t worry about it,” she said stiffly. “I’ll take care of the kitten. Someone has to care about it.” Without another word, she swung back around on her heel and stormed outside into the now lightly drizzling rain.

  Moving to the door, Mike leaned his shoulder against the jam and watched the generous roll of her bottom beneath the wet pants as she stalked up his path and onto the street. He continued to watch as she walked furiously down her own path and out of sight under her veranda.

  Wow. Maddy had a temper on her, and boy, was she opinionated. Mike shook his head. The ladies were never easy to figure out.

  Still shaking his head, he stepped back into his hallway, but not before he caught a glimpse of a little, mottled grey streak running past his house towards his backyard.

  “Little troublemaker,” he said, and shut the door.

  Chapter Two

  Stretching luxuriously in the bed, Maddy contemplated the clock on the bedside table. Tomorrow she started work again and at this time would already be on her rounds, but right now…bliss. Utter bliss. Rolling over in the bed, she found herself face-to-face with Chaz, who yawned loudly, smacked his lips, and again closed his eyes.

  “You’re lazier than I am.” She poked him gently in his belly.

  Lazily he batted at her finger with one seal-coloured paw.

  Coming up onto one elbow, she gave his belly a rub. Chaz rewarded her by rolling onto his back.

  “Such a sookie-bub.” Laughing, she rubbed under his chin. Chaz purred blissfully.

  The peace of the morning was suddenly broken by a heavy throbbing, and she sat upright. Chaz rolled onto his belly and flattened his ears.

  “Some moron has a heavy bike, by the sounds of it.”

  The roar grew louder as whoever owned the bike throttled it up more.

  It sounded really close and a sense of foreboding filled Maddy. Getting out of bed, she padded out into the hallway and into the lounge. Peering through the curtains, she groaned.

  The heavy bike roared out of Mike’s driveway, and there was no doubting who straddled it and handled it with such ease. The big beast himself, dressed in jeans, heavy boots, and what was probably a light jacket. He roared down the street on the motorbike and out of sight.

  That’s all she needed to break a peaceful morning, the sound of a powerful motorbike revving up. She’d left her old place because of neighbours who constantly caused disruptions in the neighbourhood by revving their cars and bikes up at all hours of the day and night, without a care for anyone. There had been so much trouble in the street with the loud parties, the fighting, and the total disregard for property, that she’d finally had enough and shifted to what she’d thought was a quiet street.

  Only to find that the Neanderthal next door not only didn’t like cats, but owned a monstrosity of a bike with a powerful engine loud enough to break the sound barrier.

  Glancing up at the sun now burning down, Maddy sighed. The unexpected rain storm was gone and summer was back, though by rights it should be going into autumn. She wondered when the colder weather would start. At the rate things were going, she bet it would be around July. Winter seemed to be coming later every year.

  No longer in the mood to lie back in bed, she had a shower and dressed in shorts and t-shirt. After feeding Chaz and eating several slices of toast herself, Maddy took care of the last chores she’d set for her final day off.

  Unpacking the last few boxes, she set several cat statues on the sideboard, hung up the cat clock in the lounge, placed the other cat clock in the kitchen, and scattered the cat cushions on the sofa. Now it was starting to look homey.

&nb
sp; Going outside, she glanced around. Mike hadn’t returned home and she wondered if the kitten was still in his backyard or had wandered off. Going through into her own backyard, she dragged the ladder to the fence and climbed high enough to peer over and call “Kitty, kitty, kitty!”

  No kitten appeared. Going back inside the house, she grabbed a plastic water bowl with fresh water and poured some kitten biscuits into a small container with a lid. Taking them outside, she crossed again to the fence and carefully climbed the ladder. Tossing the bowls onto the lawn, she scrambled over the fence, retrieved the bowls and crossed to the shed. Peering in, she saw nothing, but knowing the kitten could be anywhere, she filled the bowl with water from the tap beside the shed, opened the lid to the bowl of biscuits, and placed them down just outside the shed door.

  She’d have to tell Mike what she’d done and hope he’d be kind enough to leave the food and drink here for the kitten, at least until she could catch it.

  Straightening up, she glanced around the backyard, feeling a little bit of guilt creep through her conscious. Trespassing wasn’t something she did often. Mike had been gracious enough not to yell at her for being in his yard uninvited the evening before, and here she was again, trespassing. To be fair, she wouldn’t have been happy to find someone skulking in her backyard.

  But what had really gotten her back up was his attitude towards the possible stray kitten. People with their ‘not-my-problem’ attitudes were on top of her dislike list.

  Still, to be fair, he hadn’t threatened to shoot or drown it, and he seemed like a sort-of-okay guy. Sighing, Maddy rubbed her fingers across her forehead. Mike was her neighbour and she really hadn’t been very nice to him, though granted he hadn’t exactly been politeness itself when he’d ordered her off her own roof, but then he’d offered to fix it himself - no, not offered, told her - and that counted for something. After the problems in her old neighbourhood, fighting with him wasn’t something she wanted.

  Maybe she’d bake him a cake as a sort of peace offering. Men liked food, her father had adored cake and her mother had often baked his favourite cake as a peace-offering. Maddy had never known it not to work on him, but whether it would work the same for Mike was something she’d no doubt find out.

  Returning to the fence, she struggled with the ladder and finally managed to get it back over to Mike’s side of the fence. Scaling up it, she dropped a little heavily into her own yard, wincing a little at a twinge in her ankle, and then she hauled the ladder back over the fence. Lugging it to the shed, she checked to ensure that no kitten had gotten inside before she closed and locked the door.

  For a policeman, Mike should know better than to keep his shed open and unlocked, but that was his business. As long as he didn’t lock it while the kitten was around. Huh, she’d have to ask him to please keep it open.

  Maybe she’d better bake him more than just a cake.

  She spent the morning baking several cakes which she froze, before baking a double chocolate cake with fudge frosting and setting it aside for her neighbour. Several hours later a container of home-made Anzac biscuits was added to the cake container. By the time she’d finished cleaning the cooking equipment and putting them away, she heard him return. The sound barrier being broken by the throbbing of the heavy motorcycle was a sure indication.

  Chaz flattened his ears, his blue eyes narrowing, and she patted him on the head. “I know exactly how you feel, babe.”

  Giving Mike a few minutes to get inside his home, she washed her hands, checked that she had no cake or biscuit mix on her shirt, and then she gathered up the containers and walked outside. The sun shone down brightly, the bite of heat plain to feel on her bare arms, and she titled her head back and breathed deeply. Yep, exhaust fumes still lingered in the air.

  Swinging up Mike’s path, she almost came to a stop when she saw that he was still straddling the steel monstrosity. His helmet was resting on one hard muscled thigh, and he was leaning on the helmet on one forearm. The leather gloves he gripped in one massive hand while he gazed intently at the bushes on the side of his drive. He looked menacing, sitting astride the big motorcycle with alertness in every line of his big body.

  As Maddy neared, he looked around and she was struck anew by how dangerous he appeared. Lowered brows, jaw tight, his startling pale blue eyes narrowed as though seeing something no one else could, and he seemed like judge, jury and executioner all rolled into one big, dangerous package.

  Upon seeing her, his mouth curved into a slight smile and the alertness faded just a little, though his gaze remained intent.

  She could swear she felt that intent gaze burning right through her as it did a quick sweep of her body before settling on her face.

  “Maddy.” His deep rumble of her name filled the air.

  “Mike.” She hesitated. “Are you going out again?”

  “No.” Picking up the helmet in one hand, he straightened and easily swung his leg over the bike. “Something I can do for you?”

  She held out the containers. “Peace offering.”

  Those dark brows rose. “Peace offering?”

  “For trespassing in your yard yesterday.”

  Reaching out, he slowly took the top container. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Maddy couldn’t help but grin. “The peace offering or the trespassing?”

  “Both.”

  Ouch. She stopped smiling.

  “I mean,” he said, correctly reading her expression, “A peace offering isn’t necessary. And you didn’t have to trespass. You could have asked and I’d have let you into the yard.”

  “Okay,” she conceded.

  “Safer than scaling the ladder.”

  “Yep.”

  That all-seeing gaze swept slowly over her face before dropping to the other container in her hand. “And that?”

  “The other part of the peace offering.”

  A few seconds of silence passed. Maddy waited for him to take the container she proffered but when he didn’t, she raised her brows.

  Mike didn’t lift his gaze from the container. “You trespassed in my yard again.”

  Never one to beat around the bush, Maddy nodded. “Yep.”

  “Tell me,” he said, lifting his gaze to meet hers, “You didn’t use the ladder and come over the fence.”

  “Sure.” She smiled brightly.

  Those blue eyes narrowed.

  Still smiling, Maddy waggled the container at him. “Anzac biscuits. Home made.”

  “You think giving me home made biscuits will make up for endangering yourself?”

  “Endangering myself? Geez, Mike, I only jumped the fence. It’s not a big deal.”

  “You should have come around the front.”

  “You weren’t home.”

  “Then go through the side gate.”

  The big buffoon was really pushing it. “Do you want this bloody peace offering or not?”

  Mike reached out but instead his fingers wrapped around her wrist in a firm, yet undeniably strong, grip. He looked down at her grimly. “Next time, Maddy, you go through the side gate. No more climbing the ladder to get over my fence. Do you understand?”

  Her temper went from a little a spark to a slow simmer. “You don’t tell me what to do. No one does. Give me back my bloody cake, you-”

  “I accept your peace offering.” He plucked the biscuit container from her hands and balanced it easily atop the cake container.

  “I take it back.”

  “Can’t.” He easily evaded her quick snatch and turned away. “Come inside.”

  “I don’t friggin’ think so, you Neanderthal.” She glared at his back.

  “I’ve got news about your kitten.”

  “What?”

  Standing at his door, he fitted the key into the lock of the security screen and looked calmly over his shoulder at her. “The kitten? Remember?”

  “What about it?” A sudden thought chilled her. “You didn’t find it dead on the road, did you?�
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  “No.” He unlocked the wooden door and walked into the house. “Come in.”

  Slowly she followed, her anger seeping away as concern for the kitten rose once again to the top of her priorities.

  Mike’s side of the duplex was the same as hers, only with the rooms on opposite sides. Glancing around curiously, Maddy saw that his furniture was dark and big, as would befit a man with his size body. A man who was so tall and muscular couldn’t possibly be comfortable in dainty chairs and his heavy, sturdy armchairs were ideal. From the rooms she glimpsed as she followed him into the kitchen, it seemed that not one female hand had been involved in furnishing his house.

  The man did favour dark colours, though. Entering the kitchen, her gaze was drawn immediately to his dark wood table with the sturdy wooden chairs. Cripes, there wasn’t even a cushion on the hard surface of the chairs. The man had to have an arse as hard as a, well, the wood of the chairs, to sit comfortably in them for long.

  She snuck a glance at said arse as Mike placed the containers on the kitchen bench. His jacket stopped at his waist so his very firm, very nice backside was on show under the jeans. The man could fill out a pair of jeans, no doubt about it.

  Mike shrugged out of the jacket and she watched the flex of muscles nicely shown by the short sleeves of his t-shirt. Mentally she drooled, while outwardly she looked at him calmly as he glanced at her over his shoulder and queried, “Tea or coffee?”

  “Neither.” Time to get down to business. “Now about the kitten?”

  “I saw it in the bushes beside my driveway.”

  “Why didn’t you say so?” She started towards the door but stopped when he put his palm up. “What?”

  “It ran down the side of the house.”

  “Into the back yard?”

  “Into another yard.”

  “Crap.”

  His lips quirked in amusement.

  “It’s not funny, Mike. That kitten needs help.”

  “Or maybe it belongs there.”

  “Did you ask?”

  He looked a little pained. “Actually, yes, I did. This morning before I left.”