Stray Cat Strut by Shelley Munro Read Free Book Online Page B

forced out. Our relations in Perth refused to have us.” She bowed her
head, covering her face with her hands. “No one wants us.”
    Her whisper hung on the air. Lucas cast a
frustrated and uncertain glance at me before resuming pacing.
    I grabbed the phone and rang an order
through for soup. “Get into bed, sweetheart. Keep warm.” I felt her forehead.
It was warm, but not too hot and her color had returned. Once she was in bed
and the soup had arrived, I glanced over at Lucas. He didn’t look much better
than his sister.
    I took the tray from Leticia and helped her
settle. “Will you be okay if I take Lucas for a drink?”
    She reached out and touched my cheek before
tucking her arm under the blankets again. “You’re good for him. I haven’t seen
him so happy for ages. I wish…” she trailed off, a flicker of pain bringing a
frown. “I’ll be fine. I just want to sleep.”
    “We won’t be away for long. I promise.”
    Leticia’s expression was intense. “Do you
keep your promises?”
    “Yes, sweetheart,” I said, maintaining her
gaze. “I keep my promises.”
    I dragged Lucas off to the bar, even though
he protested every step of the way.
    “Leticia needs sleep,” I said.
    “How do you know what my sister needs?”
Lucas snapped.
    I released his arm and opened the door to
the lodge bar. I shunted him over to a private table near the window and pushed
him into a seat. “I don’t, but I’ve come to care for her. Both of you. I’ll get
the drinks.” I strode over to the bar, taking a deep breath. Lucas hadn’t
reacted, hadn’t even moved a muscle when I said I cared about them both. I
sighed heavily, my gut roiling with disappointment. Hell, what had I expected?
We’d only known each other for a week.
    I ordered a couple of beers and a plate of
chicken sandwiches because we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. A wave of
homesickness engulfed me. I wished I could talk to Felix and Leo Mitchell.
Frowning, I picked up the beers and headed back to the table where Lucas
slumped in his chair.
    “I’m going home. I’m handing in my notice
and going home,” I announced, placing a handle of beer in front of him.
    “I’m pleased for you,” Lucas drawled, South
Africa heavy in his tone. “You’re lucky you have a home to return to.”
    I sat and leaned back in my chair. “You’re
coming with me, Lucas. And Leticia,” I said before he had a chance to speak.
    “I—” Lucas broke off, his mouth opening and
closing so much he reminded me of a fish.
    “Things are slackening down at work. They
can do without me now. I’m taking you home.”
    * * * * *
    “I don’t think this is a good idea,”
Leticia said from the rear of my SUV. She leaned forward between the seats,
worry puckering her brow.
    “It will be fine,” I said when I turned
left. A right turn took us parallel to the railway tracks with the Middlemarch
pub on the other side of the road. At least I hoped it would be all right. I
pulled up outside the doctor’s house.
    “I don’t want to see a doctor,” Leticia
protested for what seemed like the fiftieth time.
    “He might not want to see you either,”
Lucas said, earning himself a chiding look from me.
    I leaned over and kissed him. “Either way,
we’ll work it out,” I said. “Wait here and I’ll go and see Gavin. I won’t be
long.” I exited the vehicle, leaving tension behind. In truth, I took tension
with me as well. Even though I knew our shifter doctor Gavin Finley well, I
couldn’t be sure how he’d react to looking at Leticia as a patient. I picked up
the brass knocker and rapped it against the door. The sound on the television
lowered and footsteps approached the door. It opened.
    “Gavin.”
    “Saul! How are you?” Gavin’s grin was broad
and I didn’t read anything apart from genuine pleasure at seeing me. “Come
inside.”
    I followed his rangy figure into the
lounge, nerves vibrating in the pit of my stomach. My throat and mouth were
suddenly dry. I