Seattle Cinderella Part 22

Dedicated to all the wonderful staff and volunteers at Homeward Pet Adoption Center in Woodinville, Was.h.i.+ngton (www.homewardpet.org). Thank you for your help, and most of all thank you for giving so many homeless pets another chance to share their love.

Chapter 1.

Farrah Tobias waited as Cindy checked her watch. "Thanks again for housesitting for us," Cindy said. "And Kat-sitting. You don't know how much it means to us. It feels like I've been working ten hours a day, six days a week for months."

Farrah glanced at Kat, who very impatiently stood waiting at the door. "That's because you have. You need this weekend getaway. Especially on your anniversary. You and Luke go have fun. Hurry up or you'll miss your flight. We'll see you Sunday night."

Cindy glanced toward the bedroom, where Luke was still packing. "Still, I would think you have something better to do on a Friday night than making another trip to the animal shelter."

Farrah didn't, but she didn't want to tell Cindy that. In her grandmother's era, fifty was considered nearly over the hill, but in today's world, fifty-year-old women didn't spend all their time sitting in a circle sipping tea in their rocking chairs. Farrah had a rocking chair, but she wasn't ready to retire to it quite yet. Tonight a bunch of her friends had planned to get together to prepare for a shopping trip up to Canada on the next long weekend, but Susan had come down with the flu, so their planning party had been canceled at the last minute.

"Don't worry about it. Just think, when Kat gets her driver's license, she'll drive herself to the shelter."

Cindy's face paled. "That's something I don't really want to think about yet," she muttered.

"I remember when you got your license. The days your father took you out driving were some of the best, and worst, of his life."

Cindy raised one finger in the air. "It wasn't my fault when I hit that tree. Or wrecked that truck."

In the blink of an eye, Kat joined them. "You hit a tree when you were learning to drive? And you wrecked a truck? Maybe you shouldn't be teaching me. Maybe I'll go to that driving school after all."

Farrah burst out laughing. "It really wasn't her fault. Cindy and her father were driving beside a landscaping truck, and a tree fell out of the back of the pickup. It bounced, landed in front of her, and she hit it."

Kat stared at Cindy. Her eyes widened. "That must have been scary."

"Not as scary as the truck behind me," Cindy said as she shuddered. "When I slammed into the tree, I thought the truck behind me was going to squash us. It swerved at the last second and went into the ditch. Then it tipped. Watching it go over was like in the movies when all the bad things happen in slow motion. Except in real life it was terrifying. He couldn't stop because he'd been following too close. You know how traffic is around here. He wasn't badly hurt, but he blamed me for wrecking his truck."

"What about the guy who lost the tree? Did he come back?"

"No, but the car beside me chased him and had almost caught up to him when a police car caught him in his radar. Then the cop chased him while he chased the landscaper."

Luke joined them. "You never told me about that. It sounds like something that would happen in one of Trevor's books."

Kat grinned ear to ear. "Trevor gave me his autograph. I showed it to all my friends at school, and they want to know where I saw T. J. Zereth. I wish I could tell them that we're related." Kat turned to Cindy. "Am I related to T. J. Zereth? I mean Trevor?"

Cindy started counting the relations.h.i.+p jumps on her fingers. "Let's see. Luke is your uncle, and he's married to me, and I'm Zella's stepsister, only related by marriage, and Zella's married to Trevor. That wouldn't count as being related. Sorry."

Farrah shook her head. She couldn't believe that Zella had married so fast. Or Annie, for that matter.

Actually Cindy had married quickly, too. She barely had the engagement ring on her finger before the matching wedding ring joined it. Of course because of her job, she seldom wore either on her finger; instead, the rings hung around her neck on her mother's gold chain.

Farrah sighed. She'd been in love like that once, and she'd thought she would have one of the happily-ever-after relations.h.i.+ps that Cindy, Annie, and Zella were all embarking on. But it hadn't worked out that way, and time kept marching forward. She'd turned thirty then forty, and a month ago she'd turned fifty, without ever having fallen in love like that again. She had come to accept that after what she'd been through, she no longer had it in her.

Of course she was happy that love had happened for her G.o.ddaughter, as well as Cindy's stepsisters, especially now that the three girls had become almost as close as real sisters. With Cindy married to Luke, Farrah spent so much time with Kat that it was like having a G.o.d-granddaughter, if there were such a thing.

"Come on, Kat. Let's let Cindy and Uncle Luke finish packing. I'll let you drive."

Matt Robinson double-checked the catch on the gate to the cage. Fortunately this dog hadn't been abused, only neglected.

He paused and lowered his head to rest against the cold metal fencing. Only neglected. Every time he saw what some of these animals had endured, it tore at his heart, and that was why he was there. He and his partner at the clinic, both veterinarians, each volunteered several days a month at the Homeward Pet Adoption Center animal shelter. As well, when a volunteer or the staff veterinarian called in sick or needed a day off, he frequently gave them extra time, as long as his appointments at his clinic were covered.

It was Friday night, and a small group of teens would be arriving soon-a kindhearted bunch who gave up part of their weekend to walk and bathe the animals at the shelter and clean and disinfect the cages. All of them would spend time petting and comforting the animals waiting to be adopted.

He sighed as he looked at the dogs, many with their noses at the front of their enclosures, waiting, watching him. Probably hoping that he would take them home.

This same sight, replayed with each visit, broke his heart. He wished he could take them all home, but he already had enough animals. He could only suggest that when someone lost a beloved pet, he or she might think about paying a visit to the shelter.

Matt straightened as he saw one of the teen volunteers approaching with her mother. He recognized this girl because she'd been part of the adoption of a dog he'd saved after a car accident. Not long after she adopted the dog, she began volunteering at the center.

Matt found it very amusing that a girl named Kat helped her uncle adopt a dog. It was outright funny that she'd named a three-legged dog Tippy. He hadn't seen Tippy since the pooch had left the shelter, but he knew she was in a good home. In fact, from what he'd heard, it sounded like the dog was in Kat's home most of the time.

"Hi, Kat," he called out and waved. He liked to meet the younger volunteers' parents, to compliment the work that their kids did as a way of showing his appreciation.

When the two reached him, he extended his hand to Kat's mother. "I'm Matt. I'm covering for the staff vet today. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Usually Kat's uncle drops her off."

Kat and her mother exchanged a strange look before the woman reciprocated the handshake. "My name is Farrah. It's nice to meet you, too."

Matt smiled. "I wanted to say how great it is to have Kat volunteering here. She's wonderful with the cats, and she does a great job helping in the cat rooms. How's Tippy been doing lately? On my last schedule, I heard that she was burying socks in the backyard."

Farrah turned to Kat. "She is?" Farrah started to laugh. "I hope she buried those ugly socks of yours with the toes."

Kat's eyes narrowed and her mouth tightened. "Those are my favorite socks." She turned back to Matt and smiled. "Where do you want me to start?"

"Since you're the first one here, how about you start at number one. I see Jeff and his dad coming into the lot. He can start at the other end, and you can meet in the middle."

Kat grinned. "Sure, but first I want to see m.u.f.fy's kittens."

Before he could tell her that one of them had already been adopted, Kat grabbed her mother's hand and dragged her off to the cats' building.

As they walked away, Kat glanced over her shoulder at him and grinned then turned back to her mother, lowering her voice as they walked away.

"See? I told you Dr. Matt was a hottie."

Matt choked then thumped himself in the chest. He'd never been called a hottie in his life and certainly not since he was nearing forty years old.

He watched the two of them disappear around the corner, and when they were gone, he pressed one hand over his stomach, which wasn't bulging, but wasn't as flat as it used to be.

He couldn't help but be charmed by Kat's mother's smile. He knew Kat was seventeen, which made him guess her mother to be about the same age as he was, give or take a few years.

Not that he was interested in married women, but maybe there was still hope for him, after all.

Chapter 2.

Farrah followed Kat to the cat room and stood to the side as Kat got ready to start cleaning the cages.

"What do you think of Dr. Matt?" Kat asked as she hung up her sweater in the closet.

"I really didn't have much of a chance to talk to him, but he seems nice."

"He's Tyler's uncle. That's how I found out about this place."

"That's nice."

"Tyler first started volunteering here because of his uncle Matt."

"It's really good of Tyler to do that."

Kat giggled. "My friends think he's so hot because he's doing this."

Farrah lost her smile. "Tyler should be volunteering here because he wants to help the animals, not to impress the girls."

"He does help the animals." Kat nodded her head so fast her hair bounced. "He wants a dog and a cat but his mom won't let him. That's why he likes doing this. We get to hold and cuddle all the cats. It's really important to keep their cages clean, and we have to update the logs for food and meds if the cats need them. But the best part is holding them. The staff calls it socializing."

"Ah. Socializing. So that's what's going on here." Farrah smiled, but Kat just kept going.

"Tyler is going to be eighteen in a few months. After he goes through some training, he's going to change and be a volunteer to help the dogs. He says he wants to be a vet, just like his uncle. He'll make a really good vet."

It looked like Kat was quite taken with Tyler; maybe she should discuss that with Cindy. Farrah had never been a parent, but she'd loved her best friend's daughter like her own-and Dave needed help raising his daughter. It had been in the difficult year when Cindy was seventeen that Dave had first thought about getting married again, and not long after that he'd met Melissa, who was recently divorced and was looking for a husband after her ex left the country. Initially they thought it would be good for all the girls. But Melissa had never liked Cindy and only put on a show in front of Dave. Farrah had seen through Melissa's actions, but Dave hadn't believed her, and after they were married it was too late.

Now ten years later, she was more than happy to help Kat the same way she'd helped Cindy through those difficult years without a mother. However, Cindy had always been somewhat of a tomboy and never had trouble relating to the boys, especially once she had a hockey stick in her hand. But Kat was girlie through and through, down to her pink socks and h.e.l.lo Kitty cell phone.

"Dr. Matt is single."

"Why did I need to know that?"

Kat scrunched her brows, tilted her head, and crossed her arms. "Because you're single, too."

Farrah pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "My life is fine. I'm not looking to get married."

"Cindy said you need someone to love."

She would definitely have a talk with Cindy. "If "-she emphasized the word-"I need someone to love, I'll adopt a pet. In the meantime, I'm fine the way things are. After all, I have you to love."

Kat rolled her eyes. "Puh-leeze," she whined, "that's not what I meant and you know it. I think..." Kat's voice trailed off, and her eyes widened. "Speaking of adopting a pet-"

Farrah suddenly had the feeling her words were about to be used against her. "I don't know what you're thinking, but you can stop it right now. I work full-time, and I'm not going to leave an animal home alone all day, every day."

"Tiffany's sister's dog just had puppies, and they found out that their baby is allergic to dogs. Tyler's grandparents are fostering the dog and the puppies until they can find homes for them, but they need help because it's a lot of work. And it's going to be more work as the puppies are getting bigger. Can you help us with the puppies until we find people to adopt them?"

Farrah looked around Homeward Pet's facility. It looked like a very caring and professionally run place, but they probably would agree that it was best for new puppies to be with their mother in a loving foster home until they found new owners.

She didn't know how old Kat's friend's grandparents were, but she did know that looking after a litter of puppies was no small feat.

"How many puppies are there?"

"Eleven."

Farrah cringed. "What kind of dogs?"

"They don't know. The mom is mostly a fox terrier. They have no idea who the daddy was; they just say he was big. The youth group from church is helping, but none of us has a car."

"So in other words, you don't really need my help with the dogs. You want my help as a taxi service."

"Kinda."

That, she could do. She'd already met many of the teens in the youth group, and she'd never forget meeting Tyler. This would be a way to keep her eye on that one.

"I suppose I could." Farrah checked her watch. "I'll be back in three hours when your s.h.i.+ft is over, and then I'll take you out for a burger."

Kat's eyes lit up. "Sweet!"

Matt watched as his nephew ate all of his own fries then started on Matt's. Both orders had been supersized. He couldn't imagine his sister's grocery bill. Which was one of the reasons he'd given Tyler a part-time job at his clinic. Of course the main reason was that Tyler simply loved animals, and he had a heart for the larger dogs that sometimes needed a stronger handler.

He stared as Tyler blatantly finished off the rest of his fries. "Now I see why you wanted to come here. Would you like the rest of my burger, too?"

Tyler glanced toward the door, and if Matt wasn't mistaken, the boy was nervous. "That's okay. Thanks," he muttered.

Matt leaned back in the chair. "You're hiding something. What's up?"

Tyler once again glanced over his shoulder and cleared his throat. "I know I ate your fries, but that wasn't the real reason I wanted to come here. Kat and Farrah were supposed to be here. Kat said you met Farrah today and she thought you were hot."

Matt frowned. "I met Kat's mother, and that wasn't exactly the way the conversation went."

Tyler's mouth dropped open. "You've met Kat's mom? When? I didn't know you knew Kat from before."

Matt shook his head. "Before when? I met her tonight when they came into Homeward Pet."

Tyler glanced at the door, scanned what he could see of the parking lot through the window, leaned forward over the table, and lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "Uncle Matt, Kat's mom is dead."

What little appet.i.te Matt had, vanished. He tried to recall the short conversation of earlier that evening, trying desperately to remember if he'd addressed Farrah as Kat's mother or not. He'd a.s.sumed but couldn't remember if he'd actually said it out loud. "I didn't know," he mumbled.

"Kat lives with her uncle, who married Cindy, who helps out with the youth group at my church."

Pieces of the conversation started falling into place. He'd been surprised that Kat's mother didn't know that their dog had been burying socks in the backyard. Now he knew why. It wasn't Farrah's dog or Farrah's backyard.

"Then who is Farrah?" In his mind, he pictured Kat's uncle and compared him with Farrah. While it was possible, it seemed like a rather large age gap between them to be brother and sister, although with blended families these days, anything could be possible.