“You like country.”
“No,youlike country; I will listen to it when you’re behind the wheel because we decided a long time ago that the driver has control of the radio,” I pointed out. “But I draw the line at learning to play it, even for you.”
“Fair enough,” he replied as the occasional sound of Payne rummaging around in his room drifted from behind the door he’d closed. “But it was still good to hear you play again. Why’d you wait so long after your shoulder healed?”
Shrugging, I shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly realizing that I was still wearing my vest and chaps. I’d put them on so Payne could see how dirty they were, knowing he had written in his introduction packet that he enjoyed bootblacking. While I hadn’t expected him to clean them when he’d had a whole messy cabin to worry about, I’d wanted him to see what condition they were in so he could tend to them when he was ready. Just the thought of him running his hands over all my dusty leather while it was still on my body left me needing to adjust myself on my way to the bedroom to take it off.
“A shrug isn’t an answer,” Thor called after me.
“Maybe, but it’ll have to do for now,” I called back.
I stripped everything off far faster than I’d put it on, but when I’d donned it, I’d been worried about making sure everything fit just right; now I was just eager to see Payne’s face when he saw the surprise we had in store for him.
I reached the living room as Payne emerged, preened, and spun, revealing that he’d shed one kitty tail for a much different,shorter one and exchanged his apron for a small pouch he’d secured around his waist.
Interesting. I wondered what he carried in it.
“I just couldn’t give up my tail completely,” he admitted. “So I swapped my house kitty tail and ears for bobcat ones, and I’m ready for you to surprise me.”
“In that case, let me escort you to your chariot, though I hope that tail is flexible, since we have to take the UTV to reach it.”
“All of my tails allow me to sit comfortably, for the most part,” he explained, angling his hips as he got in and sat somewhat sideways as he put his seatbelt on.
In that position, he could watch Thor while he drove while I watched them both from the back seat and occasionally stroked Payne’s hair and ears. He pressed into my touch each time I did it, a clear sign that he was enjoying the attention.
His gasp when the sign came into view was immediately followed by a squirmy shimmy as he wiggled in his seat.
“Reese’s Perfectly Imperfect Animal Rescue/Petting Zoo? Oh my god, how perfect a name is that, and I get to pet some of the animals? This surprise is the best!”
“I’m glad you approve,” I said as we parked.
He had to do a little scooting to get out, and I was right there to steady him and make sure that he and his tail had no issues as he extracted himself from the UTV. Excitement vibrated through him as he excitedly looked around, waiting to begin the tour, the tip of his pink tongue poking out occasionally to lick his upper lip. He’d reapplied the makeup on his nose and redrawn some of the whiskers he’d sweated off while dancing and cleaning, as well as the shimmery glitter that dusted his skin. In short, he looked positively stunning as he waited to meet the animals, and just like that, the realization hit.
Two weeks with Payne wasn’t going to be enough for me.
Chapter Six
Payne
“Awe, Wilbur, look at you; you’re awesome. I love your adorable ears and nose,” I said as I pet the first pig I’d ever petted in my life.
He snorted, and I giggled and petted him more as he snuffled and oinked at me. When Babe joined in, I was in hog heaven, literally. They were so cute and named after two characters I’d loved to read about when I was growing up.
“Animal stories were always my favorites, but I could never read the heartbreaking ones,” Payne explained. “Old YellerandWhere the Red Fern Growswere hard no’s, even when we were supposed to read them in school. Even now, I absolutely cannot read a book or watch a movie where something happens to one of the animals.”
“Same,” Master Thorin and Master Wylde replied, making me feel all sorts of warm and fuzzy inside.
I’d pegged them as animal lovers after the way they’d pet and stroked me while I’d worked, treating me as if I were a real cat that they couldn’t stop lavishing affection on, but hearing them agree with my no-harm rule when it pertained to animals, even fictional ones, made them even more endearing. Thenervousness I’d felt outside the gate had completely melted away during our conversation outside the cabin, and once inside, I’d felt nothing but peace and completely at ease as I’d cleaned up the place. Whether they’d created the mess intentionally or were just that messy truly didn’t matter to me. I’d been needed, and settling in by tidying up the place was way better than unpacking.
“The Incredible JourneyandFurywere my favorites,” Master Wylde said.
“Mine wereThe Tale of DespereauxandThe Incredible Journey, though I have to admit that there was a moment when I worried that I’d completely screwed up by choosing that one to read.”
“You’re not the only one,” I admitted. “I thought my dad had missed something, since he always read the books first, just to make sure that there weren’t any sad surprises. When the older dog didn’t reach the family when the younger dog and cat did, I started crying, closed the book, and ran into the living room to fuss at my dad, who just hugged me and promised that he’d read every word and that I should too, so I did, and it was awesome.”
“Wish I’d had someone warn me before I tried to watchJohn Wick,” Master Thorin muttered. “That was the one and only time I ever left a theater without finishing a film, and the worst part was that I was seated in the middle of the row. I stepped on at least three people’s feet on my way out of there and elbowed someone’s box of popcorn. Needless to say, it was not a graceful exit, and I know I upset a few people along the way.”
“I don’t even want to know what you saw that made you take off that way,” I replied. “I’ve heard about that movie, and it is firmly on my will not watch list.”