Cats in Cahoots (A Klepto Cat Mystery Book 18) Read Free

both.” He laughed. “Maybe I should have been twins.”
    “Yeah, that would be one solution,” Michael agreed. “Or you can walk with me this morning and help Savannah with the horse when we get back this afternoon. How about that?”
    The boy nodded and skipped toward Michael, who was strapping Lily into the stroller. “Yes, good idea.” He waved in the horse’s direction. “I’ll be right back, Peaches.”
    ****
    Later that afternoon, Adam watched as Savannah urged her mare out of the horse trailer they’d borrowed for the day. “Stand aside, Adam,” she warned. “Sometimes she comes out of there pretty fast.” Once she’d unloaded Peaches, she said, “Darn, I think I left the mane comb out in the riding arena. Would you go get it? Her mane and tail are kind of tangled.”
    “Can I comb her?” he asked enthusiastically.
    “Sure. Go get it and I’ll show you how,” she said, tying the mare to the hitching post outside the tack room. She had brushed her down, checked her legs, cleaned her hooves, and examined the tangles in her mane, when she began to wonder what was taking Adam so long. She stepped out from behind the tack room and gazed toward the riding ring, but he was nowhere to be seen. Hmmm, I wonder if he walked over to Auntie’s, after all. When she looked in that direction, however, she saw Michael still making his way to the Sheridan’s house and Adam wasn’t with him. Oh, he’s probably inside using the restroom or getting a glass of water, she thought, returning to the mare. After locating an old mane comb in the bottom of the bucket of grooming tools, she began working on Peaches’s tail and another several minutes passed. Maybe I’d better go look for him, she thought. As she turned the corner around the side of the tack room, however, she saw the boy running toward her with the mane comb in his hand. “There you are.”
    “Yeah, sorry it took me so long. I was talking to the kid next door.”
    “Oh?”
    “Yeah, he was looking for a rubber-band airplane. It flew out of his yard and landed in your orchard. So I helped him find it. Then I went to his house to watch him fly it.” When Savannah looked puzzled, he said, “That was okay, wasn’t it? I didn’t even know any kids lived there, did you? I thought that was Mr. Crankyshaw’s house. Did he move?”
    “Yeah, I guess he did. I just found out about that yesterday. I heard there are a bunch of children living there now. I’ve only seen one of them—a little girl who looks to be about eight or nine,”
    “That’s Kira…or Klara.” He spoke more excitedly. “My new friend is Timmy. He’s eleven. He and his little brother, Jacob…they like flying airplanes. Timmy has a whole bunch of different kinds of planes in his room.” Adam turned more serious when he said, “I didn’t go inside to see them. I told him I should have permission from you and Dad before I go in someone’s house.”
    “Good thinking, buddy,” Savannah said. “I was starting to get worried about you. Here, let me show you how to use that comb and you can untangle Peaches’s mane. Start at the bottom and work your way up, like this,” she suggested while demonstrating for him.
    “I hope this doesn’t hurt you, Peaches,” Adam said as he began pulling the comb gently through her mane. “Like this?” he asked.
    Savannah nodded.
    After he’d been working for a few minutes, Adam said, “Now I’ll have kids to play with when I’m here.”
    “What kids?” Michael asked as he approached with Lily in the stroller.
    “The new neighbor kids at Mr. Crankyshaw’s house. There’s a boy about my age.”
    Michael thinned his lips. “Do you miss having kids to play with when you come here? It seems like we keep pretty busy.”
    Adam stopped combing and contemplated his dad’s question. “Yeah, we do a lot when I’m here. I guess I might not have any time to play with those kids. But just in case I run out of things to do, I don’t have to