Read Online Mistletoe Cowboy by Carolyn Brown - Free Book Online

don’t hear a thing. You sure it’s not the wind?”
    She listened intently. “No, it’s coming from the stall next to the cow.”
    Creed took a step in that direction. “I’d say it is kittens, but it’s the wrong season. Cats don’t usually have babies in the winter because they don’t survive.”
    â€œWe don’t have cats.”
    Creed opened the door and pointed. “You do now. Those are newborn kittens right there. Recognize the big old yellow mother?”
    Sage dropped down on her knees and moved the mother cat to one side. “There are three of them and I’ve never seen any of these animals before.”
    Noel plowed right into the stall and touched noses with the momma cat. She purred when Noel nosed each of the newborn kittens.
    Creed smiled. “Would you look at that? She’s not afraid of the dog and Noel isn’t killing kittens. Those two are friends. There ain’t no doubt about it. A normal momma cat would have scratched a dog’s eyes out if she’d gotten close to her babies, but they know each other. They were probably hauled off at the same time. Looks like it’s a two-for-one day for you, Sage. You get a cat and a dog and you’re going to get Christmas presents early in the way of kittens and puppies. I can put some warm milk in a pan for her when I do the milking.”
    â€œThey’ll freeze out here, Creed. We’ll have to take them inside or they’ll be dead by morning,” Sage said.
    â€œThey are out of season for sure. Cats usually don’t have litters until the spring and then maybe another in the fall, but not in December. Looks of them, they were just born today, and you are right, they won’t live in this kind of cold.”
    â€œThe only thing to do is take them in the house. We can make a litter pan out of an old dishpan if you’ll bring in a bucket of dirt from the barn floor. I wonder how long she’s been in the barn.”
    Creed grinned. “Evidently she’s been here long enough to have babies. Do you want to carry her and the kittens in the house or get the eggs?”
    â€œI’ll get the eggs. I’d be afraid I’d drop one of those little things in the snow and it would freeze to death before I could find it.”
    â€œThen I’ll take her and the kittens inside and come back to finish my end of the chores,” he said.
    She’d gathered four eggs and was already in the house when she realized that she’d obeyed his orders without even thinking.
    â€œWell, shit!” she said as she washed the eggs and put them into containers to go into the refrigerator.
    What a day!
    First no Grand.
    Then a cowboy and a dog and mistletoe everywhere.
    That was more than enough for one day, but then the angel appeared along with the cardinal. And now cats!
    And this was just day one. There were twenty more to go.
    Creed came in right behind her, a momma cat’s head poking out of his coveralls at chest level. “She’s a good cat. She didn’t even scratch me when I zipped up to just under her chin. She knows I’m bringing her into a warm place.”
    â€œNoel told her when she bumped noses with her that we were good folks,” Sage said.
    â€œGot a basket and a towel or another old blanket?” Creed asked before he removed the cat from inside his coveralls.
    Sage grabbed an extra plastic laundry basket from the pantry and hurried back to the hallway to find a blanket in the linen closet. When she returned he unzipped to his waist and handed her the yellow momma cat. She was nothing but an armful of bones and long fur.
    â€œGood grief, Creed, she’s skinny. Her hair made her look like she was chubby, but I can feel her ribs.”
    â€œShe and Noel have been on the run for a while. I told you I bet they were dropped at least a week ago and they’ve been living on whatever they could scrounge up.”
    â€œWhere