The Rancher's Homecoming by Arlene James

sure she only has two cats?” Callie asked worriedly, looking around again in awe.
    â€œJust two,” he confirmed, slipping past her with suitcases for her and Bodie. “That’s all her lease allows.” He pushed the door almost closed with his foot to keep the aforementioned cats from escaping their palace.
    â€œAll this for two cats,” Callie said, shaking her head. Even Bodie seemed to be taking it all in from her perch on her mother’s hip.
    â€œThe good news is that you’ll hardly ever see them except at feeding time. The litter box is on the enclosed patio, and they have a pet door to let themselves in and out. The bad news is that all this doesn’t leave much room for company, so the only TV is in her bedroom.”
    â€œMake yourself at home in there,” Meredith said, pushing through the door behind them, grocery bags weighing down her arms. She kicked the door closed behind her. “I have a sitting area so feel free to go in and watch TV anytime you want. When I’m not sleeping or dressing, that is.”
    Rex rolled his eyes, and Callie laughed. “I don’t need TV. I have a baby, plenty to read and meals to cook.” She turned a circle, looking around her again, and asked, “When was the last time you dusted all this?”
    â€œYou don’t want to know,” Meredith answered, carrying the groceries through the dining area into the kitchen.
    â€œActually, I do,” Callie refuted calmly. “I’m not sure how Bodie will react to cat dander.”
    â€œOoh, I hadn’t thought of that,” Meredith admitted, looking around the end of the kitchen wall.
    â€œI’ll get the rest of the stuff out of the car,” Rex said quickly.
    As he went out the door, he heard Callie talking to Meredith about cleaning supplies. He’d thought he was being generous when he’d set her salary, but he really was not paying that woman enough. The last time he’d mentioned cat dander to his sister, she’d nearly taken his head off. Meredith kept a clean house—she was a nurse, after all—but she’d given over her whole living room and a large portion of her life to those cats. Maybe Callie could at least bring some perspective to the situation.
    He carried in the remainder of the groceries and put Callie’s and Bodie’s bags in the extra bedroom, while Meredith and Callie laughed together in the kitchen and put away the groceries. Rex stood in the pathway between the dining area and the kitchen to ask where Callie wanted the portable crib.
    â€œFeel free to move the furniture if you need to,” Meredith told her, waving her into the other room. “You’ll find a luggage stand in the closet.”
    Callie carried Bodie out of the kitchen, past Rex and just down the hall to the small guest room, where a double bed and a long, low dresser took up most of the space.
    â€œWell, I guess we should push the bed into the corner, slide over the nightstand and put the crib below the window in front of the one closet door. We can put the suitcases in the other end of the closet.”
    â€œWorks for me.”
    â€œNeed any help?”
    â€œNaw, I got it.”
    â€œI’ll go help Meredith then.”
    He nodded and started scooting the bed against the wall on one side. When he had the furniture positioned, he went back out to the truck and got the portable crib. Ten minutes after he had it set up, Callie disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door. Ten minutes after that, she remerged to say that Bodie was sleeping and that she would be starting lunch.
    â€œWhat can I do?” Meredith asked.
    â€œDon’t you have to work later?”
    â€œNot for a few hours.”
    â€œI’m guessing that means you got up early after working late to meet us and check your dad into the chemo unit,” Callie said.
    â€œWell, yeah, of course.”
    â€œGo sit with your brother,”