Читать книгу: «The Texan's Promise», страница 2
Chapter Two
A gentle touch brought Quinn back to the arena. Thunder rumbled, sounding farther away than earlier.
Concern had Belle’s forehead creased. “Is everything okay?”
He lowered his voice so his girls wouldn’t hear. “There’s a fire at my house.”
Belle’s startled gasp caught everyone’s attention. She waved off their questioning glances. “It’s okay.” Her grip on his arm tightened. She leaned closer. “Do you need to go?” she asked in a hushed voice. “Everyone’s fine, right?”
He nodded. “My mother-in-law and son are with the sheriff. I don’t know anything other than that. I need to make sure they’re safe.” He glanced at his girls.
“They can still go with me. I’ll have Xavier follow us out, and I’ll call you as soon as we get there.” She held out her hand. “Give me your phone and I’ll put my number in your contacts. I won’t say anything to them. Is there anything else I can do?”
“Find me a place to live?” he half joked. His kids were homeless in the middle of a storm.
Sorry, Kari. His wife had been gone for almost five years now, but it seemed that every time he turned around, he was finding new ways to disappoint her. He jabbed his fists deep into his jacket pockets, fighting the need to rush out of here, but there was nothing he could do. He gritted his teeth. The girls needed to be in a safe place, too.
“That rental was hard enough to find.” He watched her fingers type her number into his phone. They were strong hands, capable. But gentle when she was soothing a scared horse or a terrified man.
“I might be able to help you with that. We have a few bunkhouses and cabins on the ranch. We’re on the Diamondback Ranch.”
His breath seized somewhere between his lungs and his throat. She couldn’t have said what he thought she said.
“We are a bit out of town, but as you’ve pointed out, there aren’t many options in Port Del Mar.”
Right. It would be ironic if he ended up living there. Should he tell her that was the reason he was in town? He hadn’t gathered all the facts yet, but the Diamondback Ranch had one of the longest privately owned beaches on the Texas side of the Gulf Coast. And it wasn’t developed yet. He was here to ensure it never would be.
Jazz joined them, cutting off anything he might say. “What’s going on?”
“There’s been an emergency at Quinn’s house. I’m taking the girls to the ranch.” Her gaze sought his. “Right?”
He nodded.
“What kind of emergency?” Jazz asked. “Is it medical? Should you go with him?”
He broke eye contact with Belle and looked at Jazz in confusion.
The petite woman pointed to Belle. “She’s one of our county’s backup EMTs and an official Red Cross volunteer. She’s not on call tonight, but she’s the perfect person to have on-site. Xavier and I can drive the girls and horses to the ranch.”
Belle’s hand tightened on his bicep again. The contact shouldn’t have comforted him. “Will that work? I can go with you.”
“Yeah. I need to be there. She says they’re fine, but—”
“I get it.”
Quinn pulled out his keys to unlock his Land Rover and was surprised to see his hands shaking. He had lost the stupid key fob a few months ago. He should have taken the time to replace it.
Belle had gone to get something out of her truck and was now talking to her girls. Raising her head, she made eye contact with him. The keys fell out of his grip. Picking them up, he tried unlocking his door again.
She hugged her daughters, then joined him. Her steady hand gently covered his trembling one. “I’ll drive. It’ll be safer.” Then she opened the driver’s door and climbed in behind the wheel.
“I can—”
“I know you can. But your focus is on your family right now. Mine would be, too. Let me focus on the road and get us there safely.”
He gave her his address, then rushed to the passenger side. As soon as he was in, she was moving. “EMT. Red Cross. Animal rescue. When you said you could take care of yourself, you were being modest. It seems you can take care of everyone.”
With a shrug, she kept her eyes on the wet roads. “Running a ranch and raising two girls alone in a small rural community kind of forces one to be self-sufficient. There’s always someone who needs help. It feels good to provide it.”
The wipers cut back and forth, but the rain was coming down so hard they couldn’t keep up. He wanted to ask her about the beach that ran along her ranch, but he wasn’t ready to explain why he was in town. Locals had been known to react badly when they found out he was trying to stop development. But he also didn’t want to get information without her knowing who he was. That wouldn’t be fair.
She cared so much for her community. Maybe she cared about the land, too.
He didn’t want this to turn into a small-town conflict.
“Maybe it’s not that bad, and you can stay in the house,” she said.
One could hope. “She said it was only in the back.”
Turning the steering wheel hand over hand, she drove down his street. Flashing lights from first-response vehicles lit the night. Smoke billowed over the neighborhood. The bright colors of the three-story coastal homes were muted in the stormy night.
She moved in behind a fire truck, but before she came to a complete stop, he was out of the SUV.
Everything inside him went still. As usual, his mother-in-law was the queen of understatement. It was not a small fire. Half of the house was gone. Nothing but a blackened shell stood where the girls’ rooms had been. The front of the house looked untouched. But even he could see it was a total loss. The support beams had to be compromised.
Gina and Jonah had been in there when the fire started. His muscles locked.
Firefighters and police were everywhere. He scanned the area for his mother-in-law. She had Jonah. He needed to see them. Hold them.
“Mr. Sinclair?” A tall officer in a tan cowboy hat approached. “I’m Sheriff Cantu. Your son and mother are over here.”
He didn’t bother to correct the man. Gina often introduced herself as his mother. They were in the sheriff’s SUV. Jonah was cocooned in a blanket, his cheek resting against his grandmother’s chest. Tears streaked his face.
Opening the door, he wrapped his son in his arms and pressed him close. Their hearts matched up. “Shhh. It’s okay. I’ve got you, little man.”
“Daddy, a big bang hit our house and woke me up. It’s on fire. Buck is inside.”
He laid his lips against the top of his son’s silky black hair. The faint smell of smoke replaced the usual clean scent of his apple shampoo. “We’ll get you a new Buck.” The floppy toy pony had been with Jonah since his birth.
Kari had bought it for him. Quinn closed his eyes tight against the grief. “You and Baba are safe. That’s all that matters.” The stoic expression was barely covering the distress in his mother-in-law’s face. “How are you, Baba?” He had fallen into the habit of calling her by the grandmother title.
The rain stopped hitting him. Glancing up, he saw a huge rainbow umbrella. Behind it was Belle. The blue and red lights flashed across her face.
The sheriff moved closer to her. “Hey, Belle. I thought Miguel was on Red Cross duty tonight.”
“He is. But the father and his two girls were with me at the arena. Please, let Miguel know I’ve got them covered. They’ll be at the ranch if anyone needs to talk to them.”
“Sure thing. We almost lost the whole street, but the rain helped control the fire.” He nodded to Quinn. “Sorry about your loss.” Then he moved toward the fire truck.
Belle leaned into the SUV and held her free hand out to Gina. “Hello, I’m Izabella De La Rosa. I’m with the Red Cross, and I have a warm, dry place for y’all to stay tonight.”
Gina took the offered hand. “Thank you. I’m Gina Yamazaki.” She looked at Quinn. “The girls?”
“They’re with Belle’s daughters. We’ll be following them,” he reassured her.
“We should go now. They won’t let you close to the house tonight. My kids are about the same size as yours, so we’ll have everything you need. My brother and cousins keep a change of clothes at the ranch.” Carefully holding the huge umbrella over them, she guided them to his Land Rover. The rain soaked her clothing. He wanted to hand Jonah to Gina and make sure Belle was under cover, too, but he doubted she would appreciate his offer.
As they made their way back to his car, he kept his gaze away from the house they had moved into less than a month ago. His goal was to get to know the people of the community and the land. Right now, he wanted his family in one safe place where he could see them and hold them.
With everyone secured, they drove out of town.
“I smell like smoke,” Gina said from the back, next to a now sleeping Jonah. Turning in his seat, Quinn reached over and placed a hand on her knee. Order and control were her happy places. She twisted her wedding ring as she stared out the window.
Belle made brief eye contact. “It’s been a trying night. Once you get settled in the cabin, you can take a nice, warm shower. Jazz is more your size, Gina. She has some extra clothes at the ranch that will fit you. The cabins are one room with a loft. There’s a double in the room with two bunk beds upstairs, and the sofa folds out into a bed. There’s only one bathroom, but it’s big. We’ll get the kitchen stocked for you. You’ll be able to stay as long as you need.”
“How much longer until we’re there?”
“We’re about twenty minutes out of town. Another fifteen, and we’ll be there. It’s the Diamondback Ranch.”
Her eyes went big. “Diamondback? Is that the—”
“It’s your family’s ranch?” He didn’t want Gina to say too much yet. Not until he could figure out what direction they were going to go. There was a lot of shoreline to explore, and her ranch was a part of it. How much of a part?
She took some time answering. He wasn’t sure if it was the weather she was driving through or the question.
“Yes. Frank De La Rosa ran it for the last twenty-five years, but he passed away recently. It’s complicated. He was my uncle—my mother’s brother—but raised my brother and me along with his kids. If you had any dealings with him, I’ll apologize so we can move on.”
Quinn studied the woman driving. This was not going to go well. “We did know of Frank. I had spoken with him on the phone several times.” He had not been a pleasant man and had been putting roadblocks up.
Belle kept her focus on the road. The rain and winds had settled a bit, but it was still rough going. Why would he have had business with her uncle? Did they owe him money, and he was here to collect? Or was it worse? With her uncle, there was no telling.
Her stomach roiled. Everything was still unsettled with the ranch. They were at risk of losing it.
With her uncle’s death and her mother and cousin missing, the estate was a mess. Her mother owned part of it, but they hadn’t been able to find her. It had been over twenty years since she’d abandoned Belle and Elijah, and there’d been little contact since. For all they knew, the woman was dead.
Don’t borrow trouble where there is none. She took a deep breath to settle the nausea before it got out of control.
“Jazz said you’d been in town for almost a month. What brings you to Port Del Mar?” What she really wanted to know was the reason he had spoken with Frank.
“Business. I work in Houston with agencies that deal with marine conservation. Port Del Mar is small, but it’s a rich environment for many of our endangered species and fragile communities.”
Okay, that didn’t sound like it had anything bad to do with her uncle.
“So how long will you be staying?” She glanced at his son. “Cassie and Lucy didn’t say anything about seeing your kids in school. It’s a very small school, but we’re able to attract top-notch educators due to our lifestyle. People love the opportunity to live on the coast.”
“Each assignment is different. This one looks to be six months or so. Due to my work, it’s easier to homeschool.”
“Oh. There’s also a very active homeschool group. You probably already know that.”
“Yeah. They’ve been very welcoming.” He turned and checked on his son and mother-in-law again. He reached out and touched the older woman’s hand. She gripped it, but neither said a word.
The fact that he was so close to his mother-in-law said a lot about the man. It had to be death and not divorce that had separated him from his wife.
Thunder rattled the night, and Belle fixed her gaze on the road ahead. At least he wasn’t here because of some dark deal with her uncle. The last thing she needed right now was more complications with the ranch. She was barely hanging on as it was.
Quickly lifting a prayer of thanksgiving, she stopped the negative thoughts before they became a spiral of doom. There was so much to be grateful for. Her girls were healthy and happy. Their father wouldn’t be a threat any longer. He had built a life in another state.
More important, Xavier was home and Elijah was sober and reunited with his wife and daughter. The people she loved were safe and close in her orbit.
“You’ll be able to stay in the cabin as long as you need. It’s not as big as the house you rented, but long-term rentals are impossible to find. If it won’t work for you, there are more options across the bridge. It’s not that far of a drive.”
“I like to stay in the community where I’m doing the work. Plus, we’re water people. The closer to the water we are, the happier we are. Most of my childhood summers were spent in South Padre. Plus, my kids are used to being close to the ocean.”
Gina leaned forward. “My husband started the Yamazaki Marine Foundation in Houston. Then my daughter took over when we lost him. Now Quinn runs it. The ocean has always been a family mission.”
Lightning danced across the sky, but it was in the distance now. The rumbling of the thunder subdued as she turned into the ranch. A trumpet blared into the car, and Quinn pulled his phone out of his pocket.
“That’ll get your attention,” she laughed, after her racing heart settled.
“It’s the girls.” He lifted the phone to his ear. “Everything okay?”
He waited a bit. “Yes, we’re staying on the ranch. Baba and Jonah are fine, but there was a fire at the house. It’s going to be okay. We’re at the ranch entryway. I’ll explain everything when we get there. It should be soon.”
“Less than five minutes,” Belle told him.
He smiled and nodded at her. “Okay. Yes. Baba and Jonah are fine. I’ll let her know. I love you more. See you in a minute.” With a heavy sigh, he lowered the phone. “Mr. De La Rosa said to meet him at Cabin Two.”
She frowned. “Mr. De La Rosa?” He knew her uncle was dead. “Oh, Xavier?” She laughed. “I’ve never heard him referred to as ‘Mr.’”
“He owns the ranch now, right?”
“His father was Frank, so he and Damian have more rights to the ranch than I do. My grandfather gave seventy-five percent to his son and twenty-five percent to his daughter, my mother.” She tightened her lips. Why was she offering him information?
“But you run it?”
From the corner of her eye, she saw the intensity of his eyes as he studied her. “I manage the ranch. The daily running. We’re trying to locate my mother so that we can...” She wanted to slam her head against the steering wheel. She didn’t talk family business with anyone. If she did, she’d have to explain why they were trying to get their mother taken off all family holdings. She didn’t want to say that she couldn’t trust the woman who gave birth to her. It was humiliating. “And Gabby. She’s Frank’s youngest. She was sent to live with a great-aunt after her mother, Frank’s wife, died. We’ve lost touch with her.”
He didn’t need to know that her brothers had sent her away at the age of nine to protect her from her own father.
She had worked hard to change the reputation of the De La Rosa family. Her daughters, niece and nephews were not going to grow up as laughingstock of the county like her and the boys.
She was proud of all her brother and cousins had overcome, and she was going to make sure the ranch stayed in the family and flourished.
That was a full-time job. The last time she’d allowed good looks and a charming smile to distract her with dreams of another life, it hadn’t ended well. Her hand lightly touched the mark along the side of her temple.
Unfortunately, she had the scars to prove it.
Just because he was nice to his mother-in-law and obviously loved his kids didn’t change the fact that she wasn’t interested. She wasn’t.
Chapter Three
As the sun touched the land the next morning, Belle turned the horses out. She stood at the fence and watched them run. The air was fresh with wet earth, and the sky was clear. No sign of the storm.
She hadn’t ridden the southwest pastures in a while.
Fence day was on her schedule this morning. Starting her daily ritual, she patted the post next to her as she spoke to it. “Oh, Guardians of the Pastures, it’s time to visit your brothers-in-arms in a faraway land.”
She rolled her eyes at herself. Really, Izabella, you need more time with adults. This was what happened to someone who didn’t have time for people.
Selena might be right to worry about her holding conversations with objects. At least they weren’t answering back yet.
“Mom!” Cassie came running around the barn with her five-year-old sister and Frog, their Australian shepherd, close on her heels. That dog rarely left their sides. “We did our morning inside chores. Can we go to Cabin Two? We want to show Meg and Hannah the baby goats.”
Lucy nodded, her dark curls flying around her face. “And the chickens.”
Belle waved Lucy over to her and slipped the rubber band off her wrist and onto her daughter’s unruly hair. “It’s early and Meg and Hannah had a long night. Feed the chickens and gather the eggs. I’ll cook some breakfast and, before we feed the goats, I’ll call and see if they want to come over. They have a lot to deal with, so I’m not sure what their dad wants to do.”
Lucy pouted. Cassie’s shoulders slumped. “But they wanted to feed the baby goats and I told them they could help. They were super excited.”
Before she could say anything, her phone vibrated in her pocket. “Girls, I’m not arguing about this. The chickens are waiting for you.”
Heads down, they moved to the henhouse as if they’d lost their puppies. She shook her head. So dramatic.
Her phone vibrated again. It was Quinn. “Hi, Quinn. Sorry, I was distracted.”
“No problem. I assumed that running a ranch you’d be up already. The girls are driving me crazy saying that they’re supposed to help bottle-feed baby goats this morning. Do you know anything about this?”
She laughed. “We’re going to have to watch our girls very carefully. They’re plotters. Poor Jonah doesn’t have a chance. Cassie told me they’d asked to help feed the goats.”
He groaned. “I’m sorry. I’ll talk to them about inviting themselves.”
“I’m pretty sure Cassie organized all of this. She has a knack. I know you have a lot to deal with today. Why don’t you bring them over to the house? In another hour I’ll have breakfast ready. You and Gina can join us. The kids can hang out with me today while you take care of the house.”
“Three extra kids? That’s a lot.”
“Nah. Around here, that’s the norm. Yours are all potty trained and can feed themselves. That’s a bonus. You remember Xavier? He has triplets. Two-year-old triplets. And my brother’s little girl is here all the time, too. She’s six. Yours will fit in fine, and if they don’t, I promise to call.”
“So, it’s okay if we come over?”
“Sure. In fact, I’ll be driving past your place, so I can pick you up—I have to drop some mail off to Damian.”
“Damian?”
“Yes. Another De La Rosa. We’re everywhere. Xavier’s younger brother. He lives in the farthest cabin.”
“Okay.”
With a slight shift in plans, Belle loaded the girls into the old Suburban, gathered the Sinclair clan and went by Damian’s. As usual, her cousin was sitting on the porch, looking as though he were on guard. His two Belgian Malinois sat on either side of him. She hadn’t even heard of the dog breed until he’d come back from the army with one. Now he had two. They were as silent and stoic as their master.
“Stay here. I’m going to give Damian his mail. He doesn’t like strangers.”
As she climbed out, she heard Lucy say, “He likes horses and dogs. He doesn’t like people at all.”
She shook her head. Were they making it worse, letting Damian hide from the world? Everyone was afraid to force the issue. He was safe out here. But was it enough? Would he ever be happy?
A few words, very few, and they were on their way to the barns. Once inside, she loved the sound of all the childish giggles as they took turns bottle-feeding the four goats. A local rancher had given them to her to hand-raise after their mother had abandoned them.
The morning flew by. Before she knew it, all the chores were done, and breakfast was eaten. As she made her way to the stables, Elijah joined her to help check the fences.
Jazz and her daughter, Rosie, were hanging out until after lunch. Then Jazz would be heading to town for a meeting.
The best part was that Gina had volunteered to watch the kids for the rest of the day. Her girls didn’t have grandparents of their own, so they were eating up the attention and already calling her Baba. She would be added to the list of adopted grandparents her girls were collecting. They craved family connections, and Belle was grateful that Xavier’s and Elijah’s in-laws accepted her daughters, too.
Out in the pastures with Elijah, she discovered that the storm had caused more damage than she’d predicted, and they didn’t get home until the sun was close to the western horizon. Horses put away, Elijah headed for his truck, and she went to the back porch. Gina was in a rocker, reading.
“Sorry. We’re later than I thought we’d be. Have you heard from Quinn?”
Looking over her glasses, she nodded. “My car is totaled, but the insurance company is being difficult. Everything in the kids’ rooms is a total loss.” She shook her head. “Every time I start thinking of all the little things we lost, I get overwhelmed, so I’m reading. We’re all safe and have a place to stay. Thank you for your help.”
“De nada. Reading’s a good strategy. It’s one of my favorites. Where are the kids? Are they inside?”
“They watched a movie, then asked to go out to the garden.” She pointed to the large area surrounded by the tall fence.
As Belle headed toward the garden, she planned out the next week in her head. She reflected that ranch work was hard, but it recharged her heart, mind and body. She reached the garden gate. “Cassie?”
No answer. “Lucy?”
She stood in the center of the garden and listened. Five kids should make some noise. “Cassie. Lucy. I’m tired and not in the mood for hide-and-seek.” They loved hiding in the garden. The walls of green bean runners and bamboo teepees were not yet covered with cucumber vines, but it still made for cozy hiding places. It was early in the season, and plants weren’t as solid as they’d be in another month.
They weren’t there. Had they gone inside without Gina seeing them?
She walked through the garden again. It was a quarter of an acre, so there was some space to cover.
She called their names. The back gate was open. Her heart fluttered. Her girls knew better than to take off away from the house without adult permission.
But they had new friends to impress. Standing outside the garden, she called all their names. There was a path that went to the barns. Maybe they had gone to play with the goats.
Her dog was missing, too. That made her feel a little better. That dog would be barking like crazy if anything was wrong. Jogging to the goat barn, she rushed through the doors, calling their names. Nothing.
Don’t panic. They’re here somewhere. The chickens. Kids found chicks irresistible. Deep breaths and long strides got her to the large chicken coop. No kids.
It was time to call for help. Elijah wouldn’t be too far out, and she needed to call Quinn. Maybe the kids had gone to the cabin.
On the way back to the house, she called her brother. He immediately turned around. Then she called Quinn. She’d promised him his kids would be safe with her. She wanted to throw up.
Gina was still in the rocker. Her chin was down as if she was sleeping.
“Gina.” Belle shook her gently on the shoulder.
Sitting straight up, the older woman blinked to clear her eyes. “Everything all right?”
“The kids left the garden. I went to the barns, but they weren’t there. They might have gone to the cabin. Elijah’s on his way, and I left a message for Quinn. I’m going to walk to your cabin on the back path. My girls would have known about the path connecting the house to the cabins. You stay here and keep an eye out. Tell Elijah and Quinn where I am. One of them should drive to the cabin. The other can follow me on the path. Okay?”
Oh, no. Tears were forming in Gina’s eyes. “I thought they’d be okay in the garden.” She stood. “Let me help find them.”
“I need you to stay here. Elijah and Quinn are coming here, and I might miss the kids if they come back to the house. So, stay here.”
Gina walked to the railing and scanned the area. “Okay.”
Jumping off the porch, Belle dashed to the back of the garden and slowly started tracking the path they’d have taken if they’d gone to the cabin.
Cassie was old enough to understand the dangers. What had led them to leave the garden? Something moved behind her. Heart pounding, she turned. Someone was walking through the thicket. Someone larger than a child.
Belle crouched, putting herself in a better position to run or charge depending on what was needed. She had her knife on her belt, but no gun.
The thicket was pushed back, and she saw a black cowboy hat. Clear blue eyes met hers. Quinn.
She stood and sighed. “I’m so happy to see you. You got here really fast.”
His mouth was tight. “I was pulling up to the house when you left the message. My phone is off while I’m driving. Gina sent me this way. Have you seen the kids? How long have they been missing?”
Returning to the trail, she glanced over her shoulder at him. “Less than forty-five minutes, longer than thirty.” Her phone vibrated. “Elijah sent a message. He’s driving straight to the cabin. If they’re not there, he’ll get Damian and Xavier on horseback, and they’ll cover more ground. But I think we’ll find them between here and the cabin.” She pointed to some of the shrubs. “The branches are broken, and grass is trampled here.”
She stopped. The thicket was pushed back. “It looks like someone went off-trail.” Crouching, she pushed her way through the smaller area. She was too big for this.
“Did you find something?” He was right behind her.
“Cassie,” she called. Her heart raced.
“Mama. Shhh. You’ll scare them.” Cassie’s voice came from deep in the underbrush, somewhere to the left of her. Belle’s faithful dog, Frog, was flat on her belly, pressed against Cassie. Her brown and blue eyes shifted, then looked away, guilty.
“Cassandra De La Rosa Perez!” She wanted to cry in relief and yell in anger all at the same time.
One of the twins came out of the thicket, her dark blue eyes shining with excitement. “We’ve been tracking kittens. They’re lost and hungry. But every time we get close, they run again.” She put her fingers to her lips. “They’re getting tired. One keeps falling. We want to help them, but they’re scared of us.”
“Sweetheart, you know to leave animals alone. Their mother is probably looking for them. We were scared because you said you’d stay in the garden, but you didn’t. Baba is scared and worried. I was worried. We have Cassie and Lucy’s uncles looking for you.”
The other twin came out holding her brother’s hand. “Daddy, when you see them, you’ll understand. They don’t have a mother. They’re super skinny, and they look sick and beat-up. They need help and we were the only ones around.”
He groaned and tilted his head. “Even more of a reason not to follow them. You should have told Baba and waited for us.” He went around Belle and knelt in front of his children. “You are in major trouble, and we will figure out a consequence. First, apologize to Ms. De La Rosa.”
All three turned to her and said they were sorry for scaring her and leaving the garden.
“Where are these orphaned kittens?” she asked.
They turned and crouched to get through the thick undergrowth. Belle crawled through the little tunnel they had made to follow the kittens. Cassie was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest. Lucy was flat on her stomach. Her arms stretched out in front of her, reaching farther into an area Belle couldn’t see due to the branches and plants.
“Lucy! What are you doing? There could be snakes or all sorts of things that could hurt y’all.”
Cassie looked up at her. Big tears hovered in her gray-green De La Rosa eyes. “Mama. They’re hurt and sick. Lucy’s letting them get used to her so she can get close enough to grab them. Please, Mama. I know we should have told you, but they were running away, and if we didn’t follow, we’d lose them.” The tears fell. Her baby had the biggest heart.
Crawling her way to them, Belle grimaced, sure she was tearing and staining her clothes past repair as she made her way through the thick bush. “Where are they?”
Cassie pointed, and Belle looked through the branches of the shrubs. In a bed of dried leaves, two spotted kittens were curled around each other. The girls were right. They didn’t look like they’d make it much longer.
