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And Sunny wasn’t the only female in Corbin’s life that had fallen in love with Mimi. Tay woke up from her slumber and took one look at the old woman and started struggling to be let down. But since there were way too many dangers on a ranch for a tiny kitten, Corbin kept a tight hold as Mimi walked over to greet Tay with an ear scratch.
“Hello, sweet girl.” Mimi looked at Corbin. “It’s a good thing you’re moving in early. My arthritis tells me it’s going to rain this afternoon. Which is why everyone is busy getting the ranch work done early.”
Corbin didn’t have a clue what ranch work she was talking about. His sister’s pleas weren’t the only reason he’d let the Holidays stay for a month. There were a lot of things Corbin didn’t know about running a ranch. Something his sister was well aware of. If her twinkling eyes were any indication, Sunny was thoroughly enjoying his discomfort.
“Then I guess we need to get these boxes unpacked so Corbin can help with that ranch work,” she said with a smug smile. “After all, this is your ranch now, Cory.”
He shot her an annoyed look before he headed over to the movers and started issuing orders about where he wanted them to put the boxes.
There weren’t that many. He had to wonder why he’d even bothered to hire men to help them move. After moving so much when they were kids, he and Sunny had learned to travel light. Or possibly live light. Sunny had brought very little back with her from Europe. Since Corbin planned to keep the penthouse in Houston for when he traveled there on business, he had left all the furniture and household items. He would worry about buying more for the ranch once the Holidays had moved out. For now, he’d only brought clothes, books, personal items, and his office equipment. Not wanting the moving men to drop the box with his laptop and printer, he handed Tay to Sunny and grabbed it.
Darla Holiday was there to greet them when they stepped in the door.
“Corbin! Sunny! We’re so happy you’re here.” She had always been nice and welcoming, but he struggled to reciprocate. With her dark hair and soft green eyes, she looked like Liberty and Belle. She glanced at the box he carried. “I bet you’ll want that in the study.”
He expected the study to be filled with ranch business files, family photographs, and Hank’s personal items, but it had been completely cleaned out.
As was the upstairs bedroom she showed him to next.
“We figured you’d want the room with the biggest bed.” Darla plumped one of the pillows. “This was Liberty and Belle’s room. We got them twin beds like the other girls, but they flat refused to sleep separately so we had to get them a queen. Which is ironic since they’re twins.”
Corbin didn’t laugh. He wasn’t happy about sleeping in the twins’ room. Not happy at all. But he couldn’t say anything. Not when Sunny was standing there and he’d just gotten through telling her he wasn’t still holding a grudge. So he kept his silence as Darla directed Sunny to the room next door. When they were gone, he released a grumbled cuss and stroked Tay’s head as he glanced around.
At least there were no pictures or high school mementos. Nothing to remind him of a time he’d just as soon forget.
Although there was a scent. A citrusy scent that wiggled its way into his nose and brought with it memories of emerald eyes and raven hair and a husky laugh that would make any young boy become infatuated.
But Corbin wasn’t a young boy anymore. Lemony scents and a soft, husky laugh no longer made him feel lightheaded and dopey. As an attractive man who ran a successful business, he’d had his fair share of relationships. He’d discovered most women were interested in two things: his bank account and a wedding ring. He never divulged his net worth and he never wanted to get married. Witnessing his parents’ bond in unholy matrimony had been more than enough for him.
That wasn’t the case with Sunny. She didn’t remember their parents’ knock-down-drag-out fights and had forgiven them long ago for dumping their two kids on every relative willing to take them.
Corbin struggled with forgiveness.
And forgetting.
The movers arrived with his boxes and Tay’s things. He had them place the cat condo next to the window so she could look out and her box of toys in the closet, but when they brought in the high-tech litter box he’d just bought, he shook his head.
“Take that down to the laundry room.” He picked up Tay. “I’ll show you where it is.”
Once it was set up in a corner of the laundry room, he placed Tay inside the domed compartment so she could do her business. The kitten peeked out the opening of the space-age-looking dome as if to say WTF.
He laughed. “I know it’s weird looking, but—”
“That’s putting it mildly. What in tarnation is that contraption?”
He glanced up to find Mimi standing in the doorway. Her gardening hat was missing and her fine white hair looked like a bedraggled feather duster.
“It’s a self-cleaning litter box.”
“Well, isn’t that fancy.” She stepped in to get a closer look. “Where does the cat poop go?”
“There’s a drum that spins and sifts it out and it falls into the airtight tray at the bottom.”
She shook her head. “The things folks think of.” Tay jumped out of the litter box and greeted Mimi with loud meows. She picked up the cat and cuddled her close. The fact Tay didn’t scratch or nip her proved how much she loved the old woman. The kitten had never been much of a cuddler—except with Corbin. And it had taken him weeks to earn the cat’s trust.
“So you all moved in?” Mimi asked.
“Not yet. I figured I’d set up my office first. I have some emails I need to send.”
