Mist on the Meadow Read Online Free

stretched her
hand to scratch its head and the cat leapt into her arms. “Oh!” she
said as it settled into her arms. The cat nuzzled against her neck
and kneaded her arms with its paws, then it settled into the crook
of her elbow.
    “I knew it would be just the thing,” Uncle
Balt said.
    “The cat?” she asked. “But I can’t have a cat
at my apartment.” And yet it continued to press against her and
purr. The cat licked her neck with its rough tongue and touched a
paw to Marissa’s cheek.
    “You’ll find a way,” Uncle Balt said. “It
seems to have taken to you, and I can see that you want him,
too.”
    “Hex is a very affectionate cat,” the man
who’d let them in said. “Wolf should be with you in a moment.”
    Marissa widened her eyes toward Uncle Balt.
“Wolf?”
    “Not any worse than Baltazar.” Uncle Balt’s
eyes sparkled.
    She continued to pet the cat. “Wolfgang,
maybe?”
    The answer came from behind her. “No. Just
Wolf.”
    Marissa recognized the voice immediately. She
winced. The cat in her arms meowed through its purr and nuzzled her
again as if to ease her embarrassment. Marissa forced a smile and
turned to face Mr. Black Ice.
    “Wolf Harper,” he introduced himself. “I
thought your great-uncle might have told you.”
    Marissa narrowed her eyes at Uncle Balt. “No,
he didn’t.”
    “And you’re Marissa Maitland? Maybe you’d
take the cat as my way of apologizing for running into you this
morning.”
    As much as she wanted to set the cat down on
the sofa, her arms seemed paralyzed by the adorable ball of fur
that snuggled against her. “I couldn’t.”
    “He needs a good home. Your uncle assured
me—”
    “He would,” she muttered.
    “It’s just what you need, Liebling ,”
Uncle Balt said. “And it has taken to you. How can you walk away
from such a perfect little kitten?”
    “His name is Hexeri,” Wolf said. “My
grandmother started with this little guy’s grandmother, who had
kittens, one of which was Hex’s mother.”
    “So she has three generations of cats? Where
are the others?” Marissa scratched the gray’s chin and it narrowed
its bright blue eyes.
    “The original cat died, and Hex’s mother
belongs to one of grandma’s friends. I’m not sure why my
grandmother wanted a kitten when she knew she was going to die, but
she insisted. How do you deny the request of a terminally ill
woman?”
    “Don’t you have other family that might want
him?”
    Wolf took a deep breath. “I’m a little
deficient when it comes to family. He’s yours if you want him.”
    “How old is he?” Marissa asked, scratching
the cuddly cat’s chin.
    “Year and a half, I guess. The litter was
born right before grandma told us she was ill.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss.”
    Wolf nodded. “Me too.”
    * * *
    After he’d packed up all of
the cat paraphernalia and seen them off, Wolf poured himself a
scotch rocks and sat in the parlor with Ralph. “Kinda quiet
without the little fur ball around.” Wolf said.
    “Yeah, Hex’ll be happy with her.”
    He took another swig. “Stupid cat.”
    “Not so stupid. He recognizes a good woman
when he finds her.”
    Wolf raised his glass toward Ralph. “Don’t
you start with me. Grandma was bad enough.”
    Ralph shrugged. “Just sayin’.”
    “I’m not so sure rear-ending someone’s brand
new car is a good first impression, even if I was interested.”
Although she was pretty. He’d never seen eyes quite that shade of
blue before.
    “You said there wasn’t any damage, though,
and you’ve given her something cute and cuddly to make up for
it.”
    “You’re a good man, Ralph.” Wolf drained his
glass. “Any news on your next assignment?”
    “I should be gone in another week.”
    “Stay as long as you need to. Beats rattling
around this empty house by myself.” He centered his glass on a
coaster on the coffee table and cast a glance at the cat’s favorite
throw pillow. “You’ll keep in touch after you’ve