I’m going to take my wins while I can still get them, so I set down my coffee and lean forward to close the door on the cat carrier. “I’m going to take you into town to see if we can find your owner, Athena.” Maybe that name will stick. She certainly has the attitude of a Greek goddess of war. When I take her to the vet, she’ll probably be registered as Fluffy Bumpkins. And if she is, that’s probably why she ran away from home in the first place.

The cab pulls up, so I abandon my coffee and head into town.

In a couple minutes, we’re pulling up in front of the vet. I recognize the woman behind the reception desk. She was the person who came into Snail Trail when I was there on my first morning in Star Falls—the woman with red hair who was being taken advantage of. Donna, I think. I explain that I’ve made an appointment to see if the cat is microchipped.

“No problem,” she says. “I can help you with that.” She narrows her eyes at me. “You’re not from around here, are you? But I’ve seen you before.”

“From Snail Trail.”

Her face breaks into a grin. “The girl in the wedding dress. How could I forget? And you got that coat,” she says, nodding at my black puffer coat, also known as my most favorite purchase ever. “I’m Donna.”

“I remember,” I say. Then, pointing to myself, “Rosey.”

“And now you have a cat,” she says. “Looks like you’re settling in nicely.”

“It’s not mine. She just turned up outside the cabin I’m staying in.”

“Maybe.” Her eyes twinkle, but I’m not quite sure what she means. “Let’s see.” She turns back to her computer. “We keep a register of missing pets.” She clicks away at the screen. “Nope. Not on here,” she says. “We’ll check her for a chip, but honestly, owners that have chipped their animals usually register them as missing as well. And I don’t recognize her. We usually get to know our patients pretty well here.”

She opens her desk drawer and pulls out what looks like a remote control. “She seems pretty sedate.” She glances at me, and I wince.

She laughs and pulls open the door. “Hey, kitty cat. Can I scan you, please?” She doesn’t make a move to try and pull Athena out of the carrier. It’s the right decision. She might lose a hand or at least a finger.

“So you’re staying at Mike and Beth’s cabins?” she asks. “I thought they were fully booked, just like the rest of town.”

“Yeah, I managed to get in. How did you know that’s where I was staying?”

“Oh, you know, small town and all.”