Mistletoe Magic Read Free Page B

understanding why anyone would want to dress a kitten in
clothing. No wonder cats acted so put-out all the time. He would
too if someone tried to dress him up like Santa or a comic book
super hero or a baby. “Do you want to play holiday dress-up before
administering SubQ fluids or after the blood draw? Why not stick
Veronica’s antlers on Chewy so he’ll look like the dog from The
Grinch Who Stole Christmas?”
    Kelly’s eyes
brightened. “Max! He would look exactly like him. If Mistletoe
starts feeling better—”
    “ Joking,” Noah interrupted.
    Her smile
fell. “Don’t joke about Christmas. It’s serious stuff around here.
Especially tonight.”
    “ I’m figuring that out.” Noah didn’t mind any of the Christmas
decorations except the mistletoe. He especially liked the lights
hanging around the windows, hanging like his dad hung them when
Noah was a kid.
    The town liked
gingerbread, too. Every business in Marietta had a replica
gingerbread house of their establishment thanks to a new baker from
Arizona who was in town for the holidays. A mastiff named Duke had
taken a chunk out of the Copper Mountain Animal Hospital
gingerbread house. Thankfully Rachel Murphy, the baker, had assured
them and the worried pet owner that all parts were edible. “I’ll be
out front if you need me.”
    Noah hoped the
cat continued to stabilize and not crash.
    For Caitlin’s
sake.
    And theirs,
too.
    After all,
tonight was Christmas Eve.
    A time for
miracles and, dare he hope, second chances.
     

     
    Footsteps
sounded down the hallway, ones too heavy to belong to Zumba-thin
Kelly, who taught Zumba fitness and dance in the school gym a few
nights a week. Caitlin looked up from the Country Living magazine
on her lap.
    Noah walked
toward her, his strides long, his gaze focused on her.
    Her heart
jolted.
    Seeing him
made Caitlin feel a mix of emotion, mostly good, but she hated that
she found him so much more attractive. That just wasn’t fair.
    And then she
remembered…
    The
kitten.
    Caitlin jumped
to her feet. The magazine hit the ground with a thump, a way she
imagined her heart might sound if Noah came any closer.
    He swooped up
the periodical then handed it to her in a single motion, a knight
in shining scrubs. She didn’t need rescuing, but she knew who
did.
    “ Mistletoe… ?”
    Noah moved
closer, too close for her comfort level, but with the chair behind
her she couldn’t move. His soap and water scent tickled her nose.
She stopped talking. She didn’t remember him smelling good enough
to take another sniff.
    Move away.
Now.
    Caitlin
stepped to her left, then placed the magazine on the table next to
her. “Is Mistletoe going to be okay?”
    “ She’s showing signs of improvement from the hypothermia. We
don’t want to warm her too quickly. A slow increase in temperature
is good.”
    The rich
timbre of his voice sent a burst of warmth flowing through her
veins. She forced herself to concentrate on the small tabby. “Poor
kitty.”
    “ It’s a good thing you brought her in when you did. You may
have saved a life today.”
    “ May have?” A lump burned in Caitlin’s throat. Her lungs
trapped her breath. Tears stung the corner of her eyes. “That
doesn’t sound good.”
    He pulled her
into his arms, a place she’d only dreamed about being for a very
long time. “She’s getting better. But with animals, especially
young ones, we tend toward the cautious side.”
    His heart beat
against her chest. She should back away, but didn’t want to. Not
yet.
    The feel, even
the smell, became more familiar with each passing second. Her body
remembered, wanted to be closer, but the attraction thrumming
through her was new. Different. Overwhelming.
    She didn’t
know how long they stood there. She didn’t care. She hadn’t dated
anyone in the last six months. She’d missed… this, a comforting
touch. She longed for someone of her own, someone to give her
comfort and support when needed, someone to… care. The way