Read Online Depawsit Slip (Vanessa Abbot Cat Protection League Cozy Mystery Series Book 1) by Nancy C. Davis - Free Book Online

replied.
    “No way!” she exclaimed “Sit down. We’re only just getting started.”
    Pete smiled and sat down again. “All right. Where were we?”

Chapter 8
    Vanessa rolled over in bed, but she made sure not to disturb the cats. AngelPie peeped on her pillow, and Foxle squirmed under the blankets down near her feet.
    “Another day, my lovelies. Time to get up.”
    She snuck out of bed and took a shower. When she came out of the bathroom with a towel around her head, she found the cats waiting for her. They cried for breakfast.
    “I’m coming,” she told them. “Just wait until I get dressed.”
    They didn’t wait. They screamed and crowded around her, sitting on her feet so she could hardly walk. She didn’t have the heart to push them away. She waded through them to her closet and got dressed.
    She spotted Teddy in the mirror while she ran a brush through her hair. “You don’t have to worry. I would never give you up for anything, not even that nice detective.”
    She put on her sweater and went to the kitchen. AngelPie jumped up on the counter to watch her open the cans.
    “You know better than to get on the counter, AngelPie,” she scolded.
    The cat didn’t move, and Vanessa put down her can opener. She hooked her hand under AngelPie’s stomach and set her on her feet on the floor.
    “Stay down, now. Don’t make me tell you again. You know the rules. You don’t see anyone else doing that.”
    She fed the cats in the kitchen. Then she took another dish of food to Aurora in her nest by the fire. The kitten crawled out of the blankets and came toward her.
    “That’s a good girl,” Vanessa murmured. “I knew you’d be all right. Yes, you’re right. He’s a very nice man, and he seems to like cats. That’s what I like about him.”
    The kitten bent her head into the bowl and started to eat.
    Vanessa burst out laughing. “That’s funny. You’re such a clown, Aurora, and it’s so nice to see you getting your sense of humor back. You’re going to make a wonderful addition to the Cat Protection League family.”
    The kitten licked her lips and glanced up at Vanessa.
    “No, I would never give you away,” she told the cat. “Not even to a nice family.”
    The kitten started licking her paw and cleaning her face.
    “Well, if you really want me to, I will,” Vanessa told her. “If you want to live with children, I’ll find a suitable family. This is the first time any of my cats has expressed any desire to live anywhere else. I’m stunned.”
    The kitten sneezed and blinked.
    “Yes, yes,” said Vanessa. “I can find a family for you. I’m not sure how to go about it, but if that’s what you want, I’ll do it. No, you haven’t hurt my feelings. I suppose it’s different for a young kitten like you. I’m used to surly old buggers like Henry and Ambrosia who don’t want to do anything but eat and sleep all day. I understand perfectly how it would be a different story for a young cat who wants someone to play with.”
    Aurora settled into her nest again. Vanessa regarded her. Then she sniffed and sighed.
    “I was just getting to enjoy having you in our family, Aurora,” she murmured. “I’ll miss you, and I know the others will, too. Oh, I know. It will be much nicer for you to be the only cat in the house to get all the attention and all the treats and all the affection. It wouldn’t be very nice for you here, where I have twelve others to care for.”
    Aurora put her head on her paws and closed her eyes. Vanessa sighed again and walked back to the kitchen.
    “I suppose it had to happen some time,” she muttered. “I just wasn’t expecting it. I never thought a cat would want to leave me.” She touched a tear at the corner of her eye.
    Henry strutted into the kitchen from the living room. He glanced at the row of cats with their heads in their food dishes. Then he looked up at Vanessa. He blinked once and jumped up onto the counter in front of her.
    “Oh, Henry.” She