Every Storm by Lori Wick Page B

don't think it's just right, we'll go;away, no matter how much I want it."
    "You're sure? We could save ourselves a lot of misery by simply not looking."
    "But then Raine won't have a kitten, and I just know she would i love it."
    Ruth had to nod in agreement over that. Lorri had been heart|; broken over leaving her cat behind when she'd taken the position in Australia. When they had to write and tell her that Mr. Boots had died, it had been a terrible day for Ruth and Max.
    "All right. We'll go look."
    Max threw her arms around her mother, making the older woman laugh.
    "It's perfect, don't you see? If we take a kitten, we'll just go right back inside and get some food and things."
    "You've got this all worked out, haven't you?"
    Max's smile was very self-satisfied. She helped load the rest of the bags into the trunk and nearly skipped as they moved back toward the store.
    On the bench out front, the huge store windows behind them, sat two little girls, clearly sisters. In front of them was a box. They smiled when the Archers approached, looking a little shy when they stopped in front of the box.
    "Hello, girls," Ruth greeted them, and they chorused their hello in return.
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    "Oh, Mother," Max breathed after she looked inside the box. Sitting alone was one small kitten, a striped tabby with huge eyes and ears a little too large for the rest of its body. The kitten's face was adorable.
    "It's the last one," the older of the two girls spoke. "The other two were taken earlier."
    "How old is the kitten?"
    "Seven weeks. She was born on June 29."
    "It's a female?" Max asked.
    "Yes, we call her Muffin."
    Max laughed and said, "What a cute name."
    At the sound of the little girl's voice, the kitten moved toward that side of the box and put her paws up for some attention. The other girl gently petted the top of her head, her eyes on the pet.
    Max made herself stand very quiet and still. She thought it the perfect cat for Raine and their household, but it was her mother's decision. Max prayed that God would work a miracle in her mother's heart and she'd decide to take'the kitten home. She knew she was being dramatic and wasn't sure it was a great idea to pray about something so insignificant, but pray she did.
    She comforted herself with this one small fact: Raine knew nothing of this. Even if their mother walked away from the box, no kitten in hand, Raine would never know a thing.
    "Where's Lorri?" Ruth asked Dean when he came to the driveway to help with the groceries. "She's baking a cake." "Was she hungry for cake?"
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    "I don't know, but I had to tell her that I'm leaving again, and I think she needed to get her mind off of that."
    "When?"
    "Next week. I'll be gone about a month and then home for good."
    Ruth nodded. She'd been living with this military man since very soon after her husband died. It was nothing new, but never what she would term easy.
    "Grandpa." Max spoke from behind him, and he turned. His eyes went from Max's eyes down to the kitten in her arms and then back again. Max's smile was infectious, and Dean couldn't help himself: He grinned back at her.
    "Let me guess, someone was giving them away in front of the market."
    "Won't Raine love her?"
    "Her? You brought another female into the house?"
    Ruth and Max were still laughing when they heard the door. Max rushed around the house to hide the kitten and wasn't seen.
    "I'm glad you're here, Mother," Lorri began the moment she was close. "I can't find the vanilla."
    "We're out, dear. I brought some from the market."
    "Oh, good. Where's Max?"
    Ruth looked around as though she'd just noticed.
    "You didn't pass her on your way out?" she misled her daughter shamelessly.
    "No."
    "Well, she must have run to the neighbor's."
    Lorri grabbed a bag of groceries, giving it little thought until she got inside. The moment she did, she glanced out the window and spotted her sister in the backyard.
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    "What is Max doing?" Lorri asked of the room in