And just like she knew she would, when their bodies joined together as one, she loved him even more completely. And for that instant, the only other thought that pressed to the surface was that everything in her life had been leading her to this moment, right now.

Chapter 21

The constant din of weak meows filling the shelter’s small exam room could pass for a badly remixed sound track but was coming from the eight tiger-striped kittens Gabe was examining. In turn, each kitten was making it known how unhappy he or she was about being poked and prodded. They were supposed to be settling down in the blanket in the laundry basket that had been used to bring them in from their kennel in quarantine, but each protesting kitten continued to set off the rest.

It was a lucky thing the kittens were as vocal as they were. Their feral mom had moved them under a broken grate into a shallow storm drain behind a QuikTrip, and an employee had heard their plaintive meows while emptying the trash. Had they not been found and brought to safety, it was likely the drain would have flooded and drowned them when this afternoon’s storms rolled in.

Fortunately, a feral cat rescue group had come to their aid. Luckily, with a bit of cunning, the group’s members had even been able to catch the anxious mom by luring her into a trap with a heaping bowl of tuna fish. Gabe had already examined her, pulled some blood, and done a fecal exam. The young tortoise-shell cat was a feisty thing, and Gabe wouldn’t be surprised if she was feral born. For a nursing wild cat, she had good muscle tone and weight, and as a result, her exceptionally large litter was healthy too. There were two runts who were nearly identical with their darker color patterns and shorter fur. Although names were being tossed about for the rest of the litter, it seemed Abbott and Costello had been decided on for these two.

Costello, whose meow sounded a bit like his head was stuck inside a tin can, fought Gabe’s gentle prodding with a fierce determination. “Sorry, little guy.” Gabe did his best to get the kitten’s temperature on the first try after he finished checking inside his mouth and ears.

“This one’s a bit on the anemic side, based on how light his gums are. Just like the other one his size.” Gabe glanced at Patrick, who’d become his go-to helper in the exam room when it didn’t interfere with Patrick’s nearly set-in-stone routine. “He has his share of fleas. They all do, but it seems like I spotted more on him. Since they can’t be treated for another week, you’ll have to remove them manually. Have you got enough staff for that today?”