Page 110 of Shallow Remains

“What?” she whispered, feeling like she was about to burst from happiness.

No more uncertainty. No more loneliness and fear. She was going to stay here, live on Lachlan’s cozy houseboat with him at her side and call Skeleton Island her home.

“I think we should look at adopting a cat.”

Maddy gasped and threw her arms around his neck, her cast resting on his broad back. “Oh my God, really?”

“You said you’ve always wanted one, and now that we know we’re staying here…” He shrugged. “What do you think?”

She burst into tears and wasn’t even embarrassed about it. After everything they’d been through this level of joy was too much to contain. “I think this is the happiest day of my life!”

FIFTY-EIGHT

“What kind are you thinking?” Mae asked, balancing her uneven gait with her cane as she led the way to the front door of the animal shelter. “Male? Female? Long-haired, short-haired?”

Maddy could hardly contain her excitement. The instant it had been socially acceptable to leave Blaine’s house, they’d said goodbye to everyone and left. Maddy had practically dragged Lachlan to his truck and called Mae as soon as she’d climbed into it to ask if she knew about cat adoptions on the island.

Just four hours later, here they were. “I don’t have any specific kind in mind. I think I’ll just know when I see the right one.” She had a strong feeling the cat would pick her.

Mae nodded. “I think you’re right.”

Lachlan hurried ahead to grab the door for them, his eyes dancing as he grinned at Maddy. It made her love him even more that he wanted to do this to fulfil one of her childhood dreams. “After you, ladies.”

Maddy waited impatiently while Mae chatted with the woman at the front desk over the sound of all the barking coming from the dog kennels, which were out of sight down the hall on the other side of a closed door. She thought of how Rufus had wound up in one of them, felt sad that there were others here waiting for someone to give them a home.

Maybe they could adopt a dog later on if they could find one that got along with the cat.

“Cat area’s this way,” Mae said, waving them forward as she took the lead like they were on an expedition.

The cats were kept in a separate building out back, tucked against the edge of the forest in a quiet spot away from the barking.

Mae fumbled with the key in the lock, hand shaking. She cursed under her breath and turned to Maddy. “Here, you do it.”

Maddy unlocked the door and stepped in, wrinkled her nose a little at the strong smell of used litterboxes. One wall was stacked with cat cages. A few little meows came from the far side. She scanned them all, read the little bios attached to the front of each occupied unit.

There were a few kittens. Young and fully adult cats with various colors and markings.

The cage at the end was larger than the others. There were two cats inside it. One a shorthair with deep, smoky gray fur, and the other a black and white with longer fur and an adorable mustache.

Bonded pair, the sign on the front read. Tera and Byte. Oh my God, they had IT names!

Maddy kept reading. Both seniors, one male and the other female, approximately ten years old. Surrendered when their human had suddenly passed away.

Seven months ago.

“Oh, that’s so sad,” she murmured.

“Rrreow,” the gray one said, and got up from its little bed in the corner to come to the front and check Maddy out.

“Hi, sweet one,” she said softly, placing her palm flat against the wires. “I’m Maddy.”

The cat stared at her for a long moment with pale green eyes, then partly closed them and rubbed the side of its furry face along her hand.

She smiled when its long whiskers tickled her palm through the wires. It reminded her a bit of Oscar. Made her wonder if this kitty would give her its special rock if it had one.

“A bonded pair means they can’t be separated,” Mae said.

Maddy nodded, her gaze moving to the black and white one still at the back of the cage. It was watching her silently. Stuck in this wire cage in a strange place with all these other crated cats after having a loving, familiar home of their own for the past decade.