"The Cats Of Stony River" by Joyce G. Reilly

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Chapter 8 – Paul

September was a beautiful month in the mountains. The days were clear and crisp, the nights were just starting to get slightly chilly. Carrie and Suzanna found themselves using Carrie's balconies and Suzanna's porch quite a bit in the evenings, laughing at the cats' antics, poring over catalogs, listening to the public radio station, or just chatting about their day. Little Belle was still absorbing as much information as she could from the Internet and her home-schooling lessons and the older cats as she continued to grow.

One evening in the middle of September, the cats came racing to the balcony.

"Look," said Meows, pointing down the street. "There's a very large limo parked at the B&B, blocking the drive. Did you have a VIP coming in tonight?"

"Not that I know of," said Suzanna, frowning. She set her teacup down and began to get up when her cell phone rang. Grabbing it from her purse, she flipped it open. "It's Sunshine Inn."

Suzanna stepped away from the table and strained her eyes toward the B&B.

"WHAT?!" she erupted suddenly. "Call the police. I'll be right there."

She snapped the phone shut. Carrie got up, and the cats raced ahead through the cat doors and waited by the apartment's front door.

"What's wrong?" asked Carrie.

"Some woman is down there insisting on a room, and apparently she kicked Sunshine." She clenched her jaw. "If he is hurt, whoever this broad is will wish she'd never even gotten out of bed today."

Three pairs of cat eyes narrowed, three sets of cat ears flattened, and three fur coats crawled with rage. They waited irritably while the women put their cups in the sink and filed out the door. Once outside, the cats bolted toward the B&B, not waiting to ride with Suzanna and Carrie. They would beat them there.

The cats waited on the back porch as Suzanna and Carrie pulled up in Suzanna's cottage driveway. The limo was blocking the entrance to the B&B parking lot, and they couldn't get in there. The cats froze when they saw who it was. That weird, icy woman with the yappy poodle who had come into the shop months ago demanding that the cats get out was now standing in the big foyer, demanding a room this time. The poodle started yapping and barking when it saw the cats, who again hissed and fluffed up. Meows hadn't seen her before, but knew instinctively this woman was bad news. Bart and Belle would never forget her. The guest who had Sunshine sat with him in his lap, comforting him, and Suzanna flew to her cat.

"His side seems to hurt him. He got a vicious kick," said the man, putting him in her arms. "I'm so sorry, it happened so fast and I was just too late in seeing what was happening."

Suzanna cuddled Sunshine, but Carrie frowned.

 

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"Suzanna, it's not all that late. Let me call Dr. Wyatt. He does emergencies, and he can check him out tonight -- just to be on the safe side. You go kill that woman. I'll take care of Sunshine," said Carrie.

Overcome with worry and rage, Suzanna let Carrie take Sunshine from her.

"Okay," she said, and marched up to the welcoming desk where the woman stood, loudly railing at the shocked teenaged girl behind the desk.

"Excuse me," said Suzanna. The woman ignored her, and kept her tirade going at the girl.

"EXCUSE ME," she repeated, very loudly.

"And just who the hell are you?" asked the woman.

"The owner of this inn. You kicked my cat, and your land yacht out there is blocking my guests' access to the drive. The police are on the way, you will be charged with animal abuse and preventing entrance and egress to a commercial establishment and anything else I can come up with," Suzanna said firmly. "That is who the hell I am."

"Oh please," the woman scoffed at her. "You'll do no such thing. I will OWN you if you try anything that foolish. Now give me a room."

Own her? Suzanna's eyes blazed. Oh really now?

"I knew it," hissed Bart to Belle. "I had a feeling this one would be bad news. Only I thought she might do something to Carrie."

Belle's kitten tail lashed and Meows's fur rose even higher. Bart growled.

"No, I will not give you a room, and no, I will not be owned by anyone. You or anyone else. Who all saw this happen?" Suzanna asked around the immediate area, as a few guests were there. Four guests came forward and two of the staff, plus the girl at the desk, said they had also seen it.

"Would you please explain what you saw to the police?" she asked.

They would be more than happy to. The guests said they'd even come back to town and testify in court if Suzanna needed them to.

The woman watched all of this in scoffing amusement. "My lawyers will tear you people to shreds," she laughed derisively.

"Don't bet the farm on it," snapped Suzanna, just as two police officers strode in. Suzanna turned just in time to see Carrie slipping out the door with Sunshine, and said a quick prayer. Then she turned her attention to the events at hand.

 

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"...so, anyway, she got charged, and now I have another court date," said Suzanna later that night as she and Carrie sat at her kitchen table with hot tea and shortbread cookies.

"Well, at least Sunshine will be okay...in time," Carrie assured her. Poor Sunshine lay in a cage at the vet with two cracked ribs and a dislocated front left leg. Dr. Wyatt had put the leg back in place and wrapped the ribcage as best he could, then gave him some sedating medication so that he would not move much for a while. In time, he would heal just fine, but right now he was hurting and needed his rest.

"Poor baby. I hope this doesn't make him afraid of people, but who could blame him if it did? The fellow that had him tonight felt so sad, he even told the police it was his fault he got kicked. I tried to tell him it was not his fault, but nothing I said seemed to get through." Suzanna sighed.
Carrie shook her head. "Why did she kick him, anyway?"

"She said he was upsetting her dog, and she was afraid Sunshine would somehow leap up there and eat the poodle, and she says she shoved him away with her foot, not kicking him. But everyone said it was a solid kick and it sent Sunshine tumbling into the bottom stair, and he just lay there for a second or two, stunned, until the guy who had him ran over and picked him up. I felt like choking that woman."

"Me too," said Carrie.

"You don't want to know what I felt like doing to her," Meows muttered darkly.

"I hear that," agreed Bart.

Belle snarled and lashed her tail. She hadn't said a lot since the incident, and she was still bristling with rage. Bart suddenly realized Belle didn't just have an attitude, but she had a temper. Good, he thought, you never know. That might save her life someday.

Two days later, Sunshine returned to Suzanna's care, seeming none the worse from his experience. He limped a tiny bit, but that would go away soon, and it was thought best not for him to be handled too much for a few weeks or so, until the soreness went away and the ribs and leg healed. He rested in the cottage and feasted on extra tidbits from Lowery's Porch, and cuddled with Suzanna on the big bed. The guest who had him that night he was kicked came to see him before he left, and he seemed relieved to know that Sunshine would be all right.

The same man came back on a rainy afternoon in early October, and showed up at the B&B to see if a room was available. Fortunately for him, Suzanna had a cancellation that morning, and was glad to give him the room,

 

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complete with a cat. Sunshine ran to him, purring. His name was Paul Draper, and that afternoon before dinner, he sat in the Friendship Parlor with Suzanna and Sunshine hearing about Sunshine's recovery.

"I see you're from the city," said Suzanna. "What brings you out here again?"

Paul laughed. "Well, you know what? I'm not sure. I just retired early, and I'm looking for a nice place to live where I can just sit back and write."

"Oh. What are you wanting to write about?"

He scratched Sunshine's chin. "I'm working on an historical account of this area around the early 1900s right now. When was this place built?"

"It started out as a boarding house in 1905, and over the century, it was added to and redone several times. I'm not even sure how much of it is original, or if any of it is. Even most of the foundation has been replaced," she replied.

"It's very interesting. Where's the library?"

"The public library or the B&B one?"

He smiled. "The public one."

"Oh. Across the street and turn left, two blocks. There's a map of downtown in the foyer if you need one."

"Thanks, I'll get one. Do you know or can you point me in the direction of a good realtor?"
"Definitely. The one I went to is straight up Second Street in the only brick building on that block. I'll mark it on the map for you; you can't miss it," Suzanna offered.

"How's the area just outside the town limits? From what I've seen, it's absolutely beautiful. The mountains are just dazzling in the fall, and some of those views are incredible."

"Just as you described it. Real estate-wise, I don't know. I think it depends on what you want."

Paul thought about that. "I need a pretty big place. I have two grown kids and three grandchildren, so I need something with some room, inside and out."
Suzanna looked at him. Carrie's house hadn't sold yet; two potential buyers had backed out at the last minute.

"How does four bedrooms, three and a half baths, dining room, living room, office and family room, four-car garage, almost five thousand square feet on seven acres straight up the side of a mountain with an unbelievable view grab you?" she asked.

"How much?"

 

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"Half a million. It's prime property, and has a beautiful creek running through it.”

"Who's got it?"

"My best friend," she laughed. "She owns the antique store two blocks down."

He laughed too. "Well, when do I get to meet her?"

Suzanna looked at her watch. "In about ten minutes. It's five-fifteen, and she'll be along as soon as she closes up. It's an enormous log home and I think it might be what you're looking for. Not a neighbor in sight." She noticed his wedding ring. "Does your wife like log homes?"

He looked away. "I'm - not really married any more. My wife died last year. I just don't want to take my ring off."

Suzanna could have slapped herself. "I'm very sorry, Paul. I didn't mean to pry. But if you're looking for a place to begin again, this is the place to do it. I did, last year. Carrie - the one with the store you're going to meet - started over here too, although she had been here for years."

"That's pretty much why I'm here, too. And, I'm fifty-five...the traffic and crap in the city is really starting to get on my nerves and I need out."

"Oh you aren't kidding about that!" smiled Suzanna. "It drove me nuts too. Ah, here she comes."

A red Subaru station wagon was pulling up the drive, and he leaned forward in his chair. In a moment, Carrie breezed in the big double front doors.

"Carrie!" Suzanna called. "In here! I got someone in here you need to talk to..."


The two women watched as Paul walked around the house, admiring it and asking questions.

"The furniture comes with it," said Carrie. He raised an eyebrow.

"The less stuff I have to move, the better. You only want half a million for it? The place is huge," he said.

Carrie nodded. "That's pretty much what we have in it."

"I want it," Paul said simply. "It's exactly what I need."

Carrie and Suzanna exchanged a glance. "Don't you want to look at other places?" asked Carrie.

"What for? This is perfect for me. Anything else would kind of be a waste of time. Besides," he smiled, "I don't have a room for tomorrow night, so I will probably have to go home, and I'll need to return soon to close on it and all."

 

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"Oh dear." Suzanna looked distressed. "I'm booked solid through the New Year."

Paul smiled. "I'm glad it's so successful. I'll get a room somewhere. Know any place that takes pets?"

"The Stony River Inn does," said Carrie. "You have a dog?"

"No. A cat," he said, grinning. "The biggest, fattest, most spoiled Manx tabby cat you ever saw."

Suzanna laughed, and Carrie rolled her eyes.

"Of course you'd have a cat," smiled Carrie.

"That's why I like having Sunshine so much. I'm so glad he wasn't reserved tonight," said Paul.

"He really likes you," said Suzanna.

Paul looked around again and sighed. "I wish Molly -- my wife -- could see this. She'd be all over me to buy it."

"You'll be happy here," said Carrie, looking around a little wistfully. "I had many happy years here, and so will you."

"Thank you." He offered her his hand. "Consider it sold at your price. Your friend there can be a witness."

"Welcome home," Carrie smiled, and shook his hand.

"Geez! I'm soooooo glad that's over!" Carrie plopped down a pile of papers on Suzanna's desk in the little cottage. "I forgot what it's like to close on a house."

"Well, it's over, and his check didn't bounce. Now what are you going to do with that money?" smiled Suzanna, putting the papers in an envelope and sealing it. They were copies of the paperwork for the sale of Carrie's house she was keeping in case Carrie somehow lost hers and needed them.

"Well, I was going to sit on it a while and think about it. I don't know. I do want to redo the shop a little and replace that damn front door to it. That thing still sticks and squeaks and it's driving me nuts."

"That's smart," her friend nodded. Meows came in, licking his whiskers. "Thank you for bringing the goodies, Carrie. That was delicious."

Bart and Belle came in behind him. "Sure was," said Bart.

Belle burped. "I liked the peas. Those are good."

Bart rolled his eyes. "A vegetarian cat. What an embarrassment."

Belle crossed her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue. "You have no idea what you're missing," she said and sauntered out, going for Meows's laptop in the next room.

Carrie and Suzanna laughed.

"Little thing is just full of attitude," said Carrie.

 

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"I have another name for it," glowered Bart, following Belle out.

"I bet you do," said Carrie.

The cats headed for the laptop, and Suzanna logged off her computer. It was six o'clock on a Friday night after a hectic week, and neither one of the women felt like cooking. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and the day before, everyone was at Ralph's cooking and serving Thanksgiving dinners again. The five cats played on the computer and with each other upstairs in Carrie's apartment, staying out of the way of busy feet and getting plates heaped with tempting delights. Paul helped too, early in the day, and then went home to greet his children and grandchildren who arrived to see him and stay through the weekend. It had been a wonderful day, but tiring.

"Too bad Thanksgiving doesn't occur on Sundays," sighed Suzanna. The phone rang, and she picked it up.

It was Joyce. She had fixed a nice London Broil and scalloped potatoes for dinner, and the couple down her street she had invited had gotten called into work at the last minute. The London Broil still had ten minutes to go and so did the potatoes.

"So here I am with all this yummy stuff," Joyce said. "You girls have any plans for dinner?"

"Coming over there and having London Broil and scalloped potatoes sounds like a plan," laughed Suzanna. Carrie nodded.

"Come on over," she said. "Bring the cats. Pook and Saav will love that."

"We will. See you in a bit," said Suzanna, and hung up.

"Well. That solved that little problem, didn't it?" said Carrie.

"Sure did. Let's go stuff ourselves and a few cats."


"Ohhh...I ate too much," groaned Carrie, flopping on the couch in Joyce's livingroom. Suzanna squeezed in between Carrie and Joyce.

"You're not the only one," sighed Suzanna.

"I guess popcorn with our movie is out," remarked Joyce. Suzanna threw a pillow at her.

"Aaaarrrrrggggh," Suzanna snarled with a smile.

Carrie poured the sparkling grape juice into the crystal goblets, and they made a toast to the cats. Joyce hit the play button on the remote, and the three women's favorite movie appeared on the screen; Gone With The Wind.

"This movie would bore Justin to tears," said Joyce. “I can’t watch stuff like this with him.”

"Why? It's a classic!" Carrie replied.

 

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"I guess there aren't enough dragons and light sabres and spaceships and stuff in it," Joyce said.

"Oh. Well, they have cannonballs and bullets and plenty of blood and suffering. You'd think that would be somewhat appealing," giggled Suzanna.

Joyce laughed. "Yeah, you'd think so."

Saav jumped up on the coffeetable and sniffed Suzanna's glass, then belched.

"Dinner was good," she said.

"I can tell," smiled Carrie.

Pook joined her, and sniffed at Carrie's glass. "Gaaaahhhhh! You actually going to drink that or use it to clean the oven?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Seems to me the stuff could remove paint too," added Saav.

"Grape juice critics," sighed Suzanna.

Meows appeared in the doorway. "The dinner was delightful, Joyce. You are a most competent cook."

Joyce laughed. "Thank you, Meows."

"You're welcome, he replied, padding in and jumping on Suzanna's lap.

Bart came in, settling on the floor in front of the piano for a wash-up. Belle poked her head around the corner from the kitchen.

"Hey, you guys going to eat any more of your salad or potatoes?" she asked.

"No," the four cats chorused.

"Knock yourself out," said Pook.

"Thanks!" Belle said gleefully, and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Is that really normal?" Joyce asked Carrie.

"NO," said Bart loudly from the floor. "And it's not my fault she doesn't know she's a carnivore!"

"I HEARD that!" Belle yelled from the kitchen around a mouthful of salad.

"GOOD!" Bart said even louder, rolling his eyes. Belle's affinity for vegetables drove him insane at times, and he really found this unnerving in a feline.

They heard a strange noise from the kitchen, a cross between a hiss and a sneeze. Bart's eyes widened and he flattened his ears.

"Woooooooooo! Bart got raspberried again," giggled Saav.
.
Pook snickered. Joyce and Suzanna looked at Carrie.

"She raspberries everybody lately," Carrie said with a shrug.

 

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"Dang, what a 'tude!" laughed Joyce. "She's a feisty little thing, isn't she?"

Carrie nodded. "She even raspberries stoplights."

Suzanna giggled. "Feline road rage."

"Well, I hiss at tourists," said Pook. "And stoplights are just as annoying, so I think that's cool."

Saav glared at her. "You would. You even hiss at Mom’s friend Lorraine when she comes over."

"I don't like her. Plus, she hissed at me first, remember? She started it," Pook defended herself.

Saav shook her head. "You're weird."

"I'm weird? You're the one who's weird. You have to have all the faucets on in the house so you can drink out of the taps, and you say I'm weird?"

"The dog sticks her paws in the water dish sometimes," said Saav. "That's gross! Who wants to drink water a dog has been splashing around in?"

"Geez! It's not bad, Mom keeps it fresh. Plus, you snore, break wind, and roll all over me when you sleep."

"I do NOT snore," protested Saav.

"Amazing she didn't object to breaking wind," muttered Carrie.

"Yeah, that would have been my first choice," agreed Suzanna.

Saav looked at the humans on the couch with an I'm-trying-to-be-tolerant stare. "Of course I didn't object to that. I have that down to an art. Pook, you drool worse than the dog when you sleep."

"I do not," Pook snarled.

"Yes you do. And you always have litternose. Mom even took a picture of you having litternose," retorted Saav.

Pook gave her sister a nasty look. Saav glared back, flattening her ears. She belched again.

"You two might want to calm down," suggested Bart. "If you try to kill each other now, you both will be revisiting some London Broil."

"Enter the voice of reason," smiled Meows from Suzanna's lap.

"Just in time to save me a mess to clean up," Joyce smiled.

"I just thought of something," said Carrie. "We have five talking cats between us and we pay what for cable TV?"

"Really," nodded Bart. "Like we're not entertaining enough? Please."

"Well, the Weather Channel is nice," said Joyce.

Pook rolled her eyes. "Bah! We can predict the weather by just sniffing the wind."

 

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Meows shrugged. "I think TV is overrated anyway. Seems like there's a lot of junk on there that is anything but enlightening."

Belle came in and flopped on the floor. "There's some good programs you can learn from on TV. History Channel's good, and Animal Planet is cool. I like Discovery too."

Meows smiled. "As long as you can drain information out of it, you like it, Belle."

"Why not? I like to learn," said Belle.

"We would have never guessed," Bart quipped.

"Not in a million years," giggled Carrie.

"Life isn't any fun if you aren't learning new things," said Belle. "Speaking of, Pook, Saav, can I use your computer? I want to look at the NASA site again."

Pook reached over and pawed the girls' laptop on. "Sure, Belle. They have some really cool pictures on there."

"Oh, dear," moaned Bart. "Here we go. Outer space. Planets. Asteroids. Meteors. Stars. Another sleepless night."

"Yep, looks like it," sighed Meows, but he got out of Suzanna's lap and went over to the little student at the laptop with a smile.


The first of December brought rough weather. Suzanna was glad she lived behind the B&B; Carrie was more than grateful she lived above the shop. A vicious ice storm hit the area, followed by a severe snowstorm that buried the little town in over a foot of snow and ice. Joyce missed two days at work; she could not get out, and Bart, Belle, and Meows missed Pook and Saav at the shop. Temperatures hovered well below freezing, and power was out in many areas. This wasn't unusual in the mountain town, but it was always difficult.

Power went out on the B&B block downtown for a few hours, and while the power company worked frantically to restore power, the fire department, armed with chain saws, cleared the front yard where a tree had fallen on a power line. Suzanna had all the fireplaces going in the parlors and library, and the generator in the back supplied some power to the kitchen.

The guests at Sunshine Inn didn't seem to mind the inconvenience. They came downstairs when the lights went out and gathered around the fireplaces, talking and having coffee. Sunshine, loaned to an elderly guest for the night, sat in the lady's lap as the other guests admired him. There was one guest's dog, a huge German Shepherd, who seemed to like cats and kept

 

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trying to groom the B&B cat, and Sunshine let her do it. He liked dogs. He liked everything and everyone, and his run-in with the woman who kicked him didn't faze him at all. Sunshine was the star of the inn, and he enjoyed that to pieces.

Suzanna mingled with her guests, making sure they were comfortable, refilling cups, and saying a grateful prayer that everyone was accounted for. No one had been out in the storm, which had been particularly fierce that day. Carrie and the cats were safe, Ralph and his family were fine, and Paul Draper, way out on the mountain in Carrie's old home, was doing fine as well. Joyce, iced and snowed in at home, was swearing at the weather and griping about her power being out, but she was fine. Pook and Saav were bored and complaining about not being able to get to Ralph's kitchen. They had their priorities.

Carrie didn't bother to open up the shop that Tuesday, but she didn't feel like sitting at home. She wrapped Bart and Belle up in blankets, tucked them into a big picnic basket, and lugged them outside and down the street to the B&B. She dropped them off to visit Meows in the cottage, and waded through the snow to the inn.


"Hey, girlfriend!" Suzanna was surprised to see her. She helped Carrie with her coat, and hung it on the coat rack in the back hallway to dry. "I didn't think you'd be out in this mess."

Carrie shrugged. "I just didn't feel like staying home. Thought I'd come down here and see if I can help. I saw the firetrucks and the power people down here. Bart and Belle are visiting Meows."

"I don't need any help, but I sure love your company. They'll have us back up and running in about an hour. Paul called a little while ago, and said he'd lost a couple of pines up in the back of the house."

"Yeah, he knew those were going to go. I offered to take them out before he moved in, but he said that since they weren't threatening the house, he wasn't really worried about them and didn't want me to spend the money to get them out." Carrie accepted the fresh cup of coffee Suzanne placed in her hands. "I sure didn't think your tree would fall, though. Weird."

Suzanna shrugged. "It's not too bad. Have you talked to Joyce today?"

"Not yet. She doing okay over there?"

"Well, besides screaming about not being able to get to work, she lost most of that big maple tree in her front yard."

Carrie frowned. "That's a shame. That is a gorgeous tree...I bet Joyce is heartbroken."

"She is," said Suzanna. "She's just sick over it. She said that tree was the only thing that was decent about that place when she bought it."

 

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"Ohhhh, it was. That place was trashed. She had to completely gut it and start over from the subflooring. It was a foreclosure, and I guess the people who had it before didn't care and just ruined it. Joyce got an incredible deal on the house, though, because it was so nasty and the bank just wanted rid of it. It had sat there empty for months. You'd never know it now."

"Did you see it before?"

Carrie nodded, and sipped her coffee. "Yes. It was disgusting. I stepped inside the front door and the smell was so gross I had to stay outside and peer in through the windows. I was almost sick."

"Yuck! Boy, she was brave."

"Braver than I would have been. I wouldn't have touched that place with a barge pole. But sure enough, now it's nice and I don't feel like I need to get my shots updated when I walk in."

Suzanna laughed. "I like her little house. It's almost as big as my cottage. Well, I do have the separate dining room and a bath and a half. She only has one bathroom, doesn't she?"

"Yeah. I told her she had room to put another bath off the master bedroom, but she doesn't want to give up that big walk-in closet," said Carrie.

"I don't blame her. Isn't that Saav's favorite hangout too?"

"Oh yes," laughed Carrie. "She likes to climb up the clothes to the top shelf and yowl and swat Joyce when she changes clothes. Scares her to death, every time."

Suzanna chuckled, picturing that. "I bet. I'm glad Sunshine and Meows don't do that to me."

"Speaking of...." said Carrie, looking toward the dining room.

The elderly lady who had Sunshine was in the dining room with him, and slipping him tidbits from the party trays Suzanna had set out. The lady looked around guiltily, as if she'd been admonished one too many times when she was a child about feeding pets at the table. Suzanna snickered.

"He likes ham better than turkey, and if you'd give him a good-sized chunk of that smoked cheddar, he'll love you forever," Suzanna told the lady.

She looked at Suzanna, blushing. "He's so sweet. I didn't know if you allowed him to have table scraps or not, but I couldn't resist." She cut a chunk off the cheese, and he dove into that.

Suzanna winked at her. "He can have just about anything. He doesn't like sweets much, but his favorites are cheese and seafood."

 

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"I'll be sure to remember that," said the lady with a big smile. Suzanna smiled back, and took Carrie's arm.

"Come with me," she said. "There's a gorgeous German Shepherd in the Friendship Parlor I think you'll love."

Carrie and Suzanna were sitting by the fire in the Friendship Parlor when the lights came back on about an hour later. Everyone cheered the power and fire crews, and Suzanna invited them in for coffee and sandwiches. There were five men on the fire department crew, and three on the power crew. They came up the front porch steps and were about to step inside when one of the firefighters stopped.

"Hold up, fellas. She's got nice carpet in there." He pointed to his wet boots. "We better leave these out here."

"Oh, yeah," said another one, and they sat down and pulled their boots off.

"Geez, I hadn't thought of that," Suzanna admitted. "Thanks, guys."

They came inside and Suzanna seated them around the big dining room table, and the staff served up coffee, sandwiches, and sugar cookies for them. Suzanna had just put a tray of cookies on the table when she happened to glance out the window, and saw a snowplow clearing Main Street, with Joyce's red car right behind it.

"Hey, Carrie, look who's here," she smiled.

Carrie looked out the window. "Oh, good! The more, the merrier. Hope she brought the cats."

"Bet you she did," said Suzanna.

Joyce managed to fight her way into the driveway at the cottage after half a dozen tries, parking rather precariously on the snow and ice. She picked up Pook and Saav, stuffed them into her coat, and dropped them off at the cat door in the back of the cottage, then headed for the B&B.

"Howdy, y'all," she said as she came in the front doors.

"I see you finally got out," said Suzanna, taking her coat and scarf.

"I had to. Pook and Saav were making me crazy and I was getting major cabin fever. A friend is out in the front yard with a chain saw for a while, so I decided to break loose and get out. Phew! The roads are a mess!" said Joyce.

"I heard about your tree. That's terrible," Carrie said sympathetically.

"Oh, it's awful. I lost about two-thirds of it; I hope it comes back," sighed Joyce. "I dropped the girls off at the cottage, I figured you were here when I saw the shop closed. I see there's been a tree problem here too."

 

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"Yes, and a power problem," replied Suzanna. "Did you get your power back yet?"

Joyce shook her head. "Not yet, but they think it will be on by tonight."

"Do you need anything?" Suzanna asked.

"Oh no, I’m fine, thanks. I have heat and plenty to eat, and water. I'm going to run by the store later...do you girls need anything while I'm out?"

Carrie shook her head. "I stocked up before the storm."

"So did I. I'm good for a couple days," said Suzanna. "Want some hot tea?"

Joyce smiled. Suzanna always had her favorite tea on hand for her visits. "I'd love some."

"Be right back," she said.

Joyce looked at the hungry fellows at the table, digging into huge sandwiches on sub rolls. "She thinks of everybody, doesn't she?"

Carrie smiled. "She sure does. Belle was right when she called her the 'magic lady.'"

"She is." She peeked into the Friendship Parlor and saw the German Shepherd.

"Wooo, nice puppy in there."

"Yeah, she's a sweetie. She likes to groom Sunshine, and he tolerates it," Carrie said.

"Poor Sunshine," Joyce smiled.

Suzanne returned with her tea, and refilled her and Carrie's coffeecups. "Boy, I'm glad the power's back on. I think it's my turn to cook tonight, isn't it?"

Carrie laughed. "Damn right it is. I cooked the last two times in a row, you slacker."

"What's for dinner?" asked Joyce.

"I don't know yet," Suzanna smiled. "Why, you want to freeload tonight?"

Joyce shook her head, smiling. "No, hon -- I have some hamburger I need to cook before it goes bad."

"But what if you don't have power back on?" asked Suzanna.

"Oh, it's no problem. I'll just fry up some hamburgers on the grill. It'll be a little cold, but at least I won't have to throw it away. I hate wasting stuff," said Joyce.

"Ugh. So do I." Carrie made a face.

"Hmm," said Suzanna. "How about burgers here too, Carrie? We haven't had those for a while."

 

[CatPat]

"Sounds good. Throw in a salad and maybe some fries for Belle," Carrie suggested.

"Salad and blue cheese dressing, no less," laughed Suzanna.

"Blue cheese dressing?" Joyce asked.

"Oh, absolutely. She only likes Ranch on her veggies, not her salad," Carrie told her.

"Oh, my," said Joyce. "She's such a funny little one."

"That she is," Carrie agreed with a smile.

Suzanna's day in court against the woman who kicked Sunshine was the following Friday, and she was nervous as she got dressed and ready to go.

"I don't know why I'm nervous about this, Meows," she said to him as she brushed her hair.

"She's evil," said Meows. "She hurt Sunshine pretty bad, on purpose. She's pure, unadulterated evil. And that makes good people a little nervous."

Suzanna sighed. "I guess. I shouldn't be nervous, though, it's not like I'm a total stranger to a courtroom."

"I still think you should have hired a lawyer, though," Meows fretted.

"What for? I have all the proof, and I am still an attorney."

"She's going to have an army of them, you know," Meows warned her.

"Good for her. She's still going to lose," said Suzanna.

"I wish I could go with you," Meows sighed.

"Oh, I can see trying to explain that to the judge," she laughed at him, and scratched his back. "Don't worry, we'll run right to the shop and tell you guys how it went first, okay?"

Carrie was going with her as a witness to Sunshine's injuries and for moral support.

"I guess," said Meows morosely. "I don't like that woman, Suzanna. And watch your back. If you win today, she may go for a payback. She looks vindictive. We cats can all feel it."

"I'll be okay. I know she's not a nice person. Don't worry so much, Meows."

"I can't help it," he said, nuzzling her hand.

She petted him, and looked at the clock. "I guess I better go."

"...and the judge took one look at her and her four lawyers, and then he looks at me, and the whole time her lawyers are bellowing and going into theatrics about how Sunshine was an imminent threat to her dog, and there's

 

[CatPat]

her dog in her arms yapping and barking and snarling and he just kind of shook his head. Finally he says, 'Where's the cat?' and I tell him Sunshine's at the B&B where he belongs, not in a courtroom..." said Suzanna to Ralph and the cats.

"Oh yeah, that was pretty funny," laughed Carrie. "Then the judge tells her he wants to see for himself how bad a threat Sunshine actually is, so he calls for a 15-minute recess so we can go get Sunshine...so we bring him back to the courtroom and there's Sunshine, draped over Suzanna's shoulder like a fluffy rug, not even flicking an ear in the dog's direction. The dog goes insane, barking and snarling his head off. She takes Sunshine up to the judge's bench and plops him down next to the gavel, and Sunshine just lays there and purrs at him..."

"And the judge looks at the woman and pronounces her guilty as charged, and nailed her with 90 days in jail and community service for something like one thousand hours and he pounds the gavel. Sunshine wasn't expecting that, so he flies up in the air, lands back in front of the judge, looks at the gavel, and jumps on my shoulder, his eyes all big and wild like 'What the hell was that?' I thought the judge was going to die laughing. The woman was furious! One of her lawyers took the dog, and they packed her butt off to jail," concluded Suzanna.

"Uggghhh," said Pook. "I like the jail part, but can she do the community service thing in the city? If she can't, that means she'll be right here in town until that's done."

"Unfortunately, no, she has to do it within this court's jurisdiction so they can verify her compliance," Suzanna replied.

"Make her pick up trash at the B&B," suggested Belle.

"No way," said Meows. "That would be fun to see and exactly what she deserves, but I don't want that creature anywhere near our Sunshine. I think she'd try to hurt him again if she could."

"Oh," Belle nodded. "No, we don't want that at all."

"They'll come up with something appropriate," Meows said.

"I don't think this will do anything except make her mad," said Bart. "She'll be back."

Pook and Saav nodded. "I think she will. She's mad as hell now, and three months in jail is going to give her plenty of time to plot revenge and then she's still going to be here when she gets out, so that gives her the time to carry out whatever plan she hatches," said Saav.

"That was kind of in the back of my mind, too. I've got that ADT security system in the B&B, but I think I'll have them install one in the cottage, too," said Suzanna.

 

[CatPat]

"You might want to think about putting it in here too, Carrie," Bart suggested.

Carrie looked at Ralph.

"Let's do the whole building, both floors, and split the cost. You do live here, Carrie, and she did threaten you a while back. I'd feel a little better," said Ralph.

Carrie nodded. "You're right. We'll do that."

"I hope she just goes away," sighed Belle. "I don't want her hurting any of us again."

"We can always pray for that, Belle, and in the meantime we can do something to make ourselves a little safer. People are nuts sometimes," said Suzanna.

"I hate to resort to this," Carrie frowned.

"Unfortunately, it's necessary. That woman is trouble," said Meows. "And we haven't seen the last of her, either. I can feel it."


Three days later, it was Christmas. As usual, Lowery's Porch was bustling early in the morning as the friends and volunteers showed up to help with Christmas dinners for the poor. Paul came to help, as he saw his children and grandchildren the day before Christmas. He and Ralph had become friends very quickly, and Paul believed in helping people. This year, Suzanna jumped into it, and as she slid her special pumpkin pies into one of the big ovens, she smiled.

"What are you grinning about?" asked Joyce, swatting Carrie’s hand as she attempted to steal a cookie.

"I remember this time last year. I was all alone with just Meows in that hotel suite," she replied. "I was thinking what an incredible year it's been for me."

"It has been a year of massive changes," agreed Carrie.

"I learned a lot about cats," Ralph said with a wink. He had to be careful what he said, as Paul was there, and didn't know the secret.

"So did I," agreed Carrie.

"This building sure changed," Joyce added.

"So did that property on the corner," Ralph said.

"The year of changes," Paul smiled, sliding three pans of biscuits into an oven.

"Good changes," agreed Suzanna. "Even though we got thrown a few nasty curves."

"Yeah we did," sighed Carrie.

 

[CatPat]

Paul looked at Carrie sympathetically. "You sure did. The New Year will be better, though."

Ralph loaded up the cats' plates with seafood leftovers from the day before. "Want to help me upstairs with these?" he asked Paul.

"Sure," he replied, picking up two plates. Ralph got two, and Carrie reached for the last one. Together, they went upstairs to Carrie's apartment and opened the door.

The cats were talking back and forth, loudly as the door opened. They were gathered in Carrie's computer room, with their laptops up and running, helping Belle with Greek mythology.

Paul turned pale. Carrie and Ralph exchanged a look.

"I need to sit down," he said weakly. The cats whirled around, aghast, and fled from the room. Carrie set their plates down for them, and Paul sat down in Carrie's desk chair, shaking.

"Those cats were talking, weren't they? And using computers?" he asked shakily.

"Yes," said Carrie. "They're very different. We don't tell people about them doing that, because it's too much of a shock."

"If it got out," said Ralph, "it could be very dangerous for them, if someone wanted to exploit them."

"Nobody would ever believe what I just saw in here," breathed Paul. "I'm not saying a word...people would think I was senile. You're right, Carrie, it's a shocker. How did -- what --?"

Carrie smiled. "How did we find out they talked? I heard a rumor that Pook and Saav spoke to people to mess with them. So I asked. They answered. Then I somehow ended up with Bart and Belle, and Suzanna had Meows. We just ended up with them."

Little Belle came back into the room slowly, and gently put a paw out to Paul. "We're sorry we scared you," she said.

He reached for her, and she jumped into his lap with a purr. Paul just stared at her, amazed, as he scratched her chin. "What incredible creatures," he said softly. "I'll take this secret to my grave, I promise. This really could be dangerous for them."

"Thank you," Carrie said, relieved.

The other cats peeked in, and Paul smiled at them. Carefully, they approached Paul and Ralph returned to the restaurant, leaving Carrie with Paul as he calmed down.

"Do you think that maybe you and certain other people were chosen to have these special cats?" Paul asked.

"I try not to think about it," said Carrie. "That's a little scary."

 

[CatPat]

"Oh, I guess it might be," he replied, raising an eyebrow. "Who all knows about them?"

"Ralph, Suzanna, Joyce, you, and me," she said.

"Hmm. Well, that's enough, I guess. Whew! That's quite...a shock." He took a deep breath. "Well. I guess we'd better get back to work."

"You ok?"

"I think so." He laughed. "I'll let you know later when this really does sink in."

That evening after the restaurant closed and they cleaned up, Paul sat upstairs in Carrie's apartment with her and Suzanna, watching the three cats on the laptop computer. Tonight's topic for Belle was the French Revolution, and Paul was amazed at how much Bart and Meows knew.

"You know, if I didn't actually see this, I wouldn't believe this," he observed.

"It is a little unbelievable," said Suzanna. "The first time Meows spoke to me, I almost fainted."

"Did you really?" he asked.

Meows looked through the doorway. "That's a little of an understatement. She actually screamed. Good thing we were alone."

"Well, I thought I was going to faint this morning, so I can imagine screaming too. How did Joyce react when hers spoke?"

“She’s such a cat freak she probably expected it," said Carrie.

"I can believe that," laughed Suzanna.

"What about Ralph? What did he do?" Paul asked.

"Belle accidentally spoke in front of him, and he took it pretty well. It was a bit shocking to him, like it was for you, but he didn't faint or scream," said Carrie.

"Hmm. And Sunshine doesn't talk? He's a regular cat-cat?"

"Right," nodded Suzanna.

Paul watched the cats, and shook his head. "This is unreal. I never in a million years would ever have thought I'd see this."

Carrie rose and went to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a tray of hot tea and pound cake. Paul reached gratefully for a cup, and cake for the cats was broken into cat-sized bites and put on saucers for them. They abandoned the laptop, and jumped up on the coffeetable to enjoy their cake and warm milk.

Paul looked over at the cats eating. "I wish my cat talked. That would be some neat company, but he's a good guy anyway."

"Did you ever ask him?" asked Carrie.

 

[CatPat]

He looked at her, surprised. "Well, no, I really never thought about it until now."

"Try it when you get home," suggested Suzanna.

"What happens if he does talk? Then what?" asked Paul.

"Start a conversation," smiled Carrie. "Just don't faint. You might fall and hit your head and knock yourself out."

"Hmm. Don't think I want to do that," he grinned.

"It probably wouldn't really be too much of a shocker for you, now that you know talking cats do exist," said Suzanna.

Belle looked up. "How old is your cat, Paul?" she asked.

"He's about two years old," he replied, reaching to pet the little one's head.

Belle purred. "I'd like to meet your cat sometime," she said.

"Well, if it's okay with Carrie, I'll bring him out one evening for a visit. How's that?"

"I'd like that," smiled Belle.

"Me too," said Meows.

Bart belched. "So would I."

"Fine with me, anytime," said Carrie. "He is a beauty."

"What's his name?" Belle asked.

"Booger," said Paul.

Meows choked. "You named a cat 'Booger?'"

Carrie almost dropped her cup. "You're kidding!"

Suzanna roared. "My God, that's funny!"

Belle looked up. "What's 'Booger' mean?"

"We'll Google it later, Belle," Bart said hastily.

Carrie and Suzanna laughed. "That's going to be fun," chortled Suzanna.

"Is it a bad word?" Belle asked, perplexed.

"No, just a little gross. Like Bart said, you can Google it later," said Meows. "Really, Paul, why in the world did you name a wonderful feline that?"

"I didn't," said Paul. "My sister's feral cat had kittens and she gave me the runt, and she named him. Actually, I think her daughter named him. I don't know, but it kinda fits him. He has quite a personality."

"Joyce had a huge orange tabby, bigger than Bart there, named Monster," chuckled Carrie. "And I tell you, he was definitely a monster!"

"Monster...geez," Suzanna laughed.

"His real name was originally Squeaky, but he shredded her German lace curtains and tore up the house pretty bad when he was a kitten, and then