Page 34 of The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Jamison Valley 1)
“Okay.” I nodded.
“Kittens are two girls and a boy. Boy is the one with white paws. They’re barn cats so they’ve never had shots or been to a vet. But they’ll keep the rodents away.”
“Sorry, I’m new to country life. Rodents are bad because . . . ?”
“Mice attract snakes, Freckles,” Jess said.
I shuddered. Too many rodents in my barn. Hence the snake.
And if there were mice in the barn, there could be some scurrying close to the house, leading snakes from the confines of the barn to my yard where my four-year-old little girl loved to play.
“She loves to play outside, Jess. You don’t think snakes would come out here, do you? Is it safe by the house?”
“Most critters, including snakes, stay away from people. They’re more scared of you than you are of them,” he said.
“I seriously doubt that, honey.” The “honey” just slipped out but I liked it.
“Baby, you were too close, and you scared that snake in the barn today. It didn’t seek you out and viciously attack you. It just reacted on instinct. Nine out of ten times, it would have left before you ever got close. Could be you were being quiet and it didn’t hear you. Could have a nest in there and didn’t want to leave it,” he said.
“Okay, now I’m totally freaked again!” I threw a hand out in the direction of the barn. “A nest? Meaning miniature evil creatures are on my property?”
“It’ll be fine. I said I’d take care of the barn and I will. Promise. Just stay out of there,” he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.
“Soon?” I asked.
“Tomorrow.”
“Okay. And for the record, that snake absolutely did seek me out and attack me viciously. Don’t you dare defend it,” I said, pointing my index finger up to his face.
Silas chuckled before hauling an enormous bag of cat food out of his truck. The bag was twice as big as Rowen.
“How about we take a look in the barn?” Silas asked Jess.
“Sounds good. Let me grab a shovel,” he said and walked toward the side of the house.
“For the record, Gigi, cats will help keep snakes away. Haven’t seen a snake by my house or barns in years. Not even a garter snake.”
“Thanks. That helps,” I said.
He nodded once and left to catch up with Jess.
I crouched down to examine the kittens. My kittens. I’d never had a pet before. Not even a goldfish.
“What should we name them?” I asked Rowen.
“Mommy, I need to think about it. I can’t just give them names. I just met them. I have to get to know them first.”
“Oh . . . sorry. Silly of me to assume otherwise. How about we take them up to the porch and you can get to know them up there while Mommy drinks a little glass of wine?” I asked.
As we walked, she said to my back, “I could get to know them even better if they stayed in my room.”
“Not happening, Roe. These are outside cats.”
I carried the box up the porch steps and went inside to get my glass of wine. A big glass.
It was almost gone by the time Jess and Silas stalked out of the barn with something hanging over the end of Jess’s shovel.
Correction. A dead rattlesnake hanging over the end of Jess’s shovel.
