Page 19 of Keystrokes and Kittens

She gazed at him. Then her nose twitched.

“Now would be a good time for her to sniff the blanket.” Noah grinned, even as he held it. “Sam, would you like to do the honors?”

I blinked.

“Oh, no pressure. I can do it—”

“No, Noah. I can do this.” I had to if I was going to live here for the next few weeks. I held out my hand.

He placed the blanket in it.

Tibby watched with rapt attention. She exuded calm—which I appreciated. I’d never had a dog, but loved my job at the store. I’d come close to being bitten a couple of times—and had met some truly terribly behaved animals—but I understood the reactions came from fear and bad training. Most animals didn’t want to cause harm to humans or other animals.

Or so I told myself.

I stepped toward Tibby.

She cocked her head.

I lowered myself to my haunches and met her gaze. “I’ve brought kittens to stay for a while. Oh, and I’m staying for a while. And you don’t understand all of this. Would you like to sniff?” I gently held the blanket before her, and my breath caught when she leaned forward.

She sniffed, paused, and then sniffed again. The entire time, she held my gaze.

“Friend.” Whether she understood that word was completely beyond me, but I wanted her to get what I was trying to say. I willed her to comprehend.

To my surprise, she gently licked my hand where it gripped the blanket. Involuntarily, I laughed. “You are a good girl.”

Her dark-brown eyes shone. As if saying,of course I am. How did you not know that before now?

Slowly, I rose. “Now, what?” I gazed between Noah and Soren.

“Now, we let Tibby decide.” Noah sat next to the crate.

She cocked her head. Then she gazed up at Soren who looked down at her.

“You can—if you want.”

As if understanding her handler’s words, she rose and moved toward the crate.

Again, I held my breath.

She approached the crate—clearly with her nose leading her. When she reached the door, she continued to sniff. Then she gazed at Noah.

Wonder. Happiness.

At least those were the emotions I read in her eyes. Curiosity as well.

“Kittens. Friends.” Noah enunciated the word.

Tibby rested her chin on his thigh and gazed up at him.

“Yes, you’re a very good girl.” He scratched her ears. “Maybe in the future you can meet them when they’re outside of the crate. For now, you just get to watch.”

She blinked.

I yawned.

Tibby turned her gaze to me. To her, I could manage a smile. “I’m done in, girl.” I met Soren’s gaze. “You’re really okay?”