You're the One by Angela Verdenius Page A

and
entered the house, locking the doors securely behind her.
    In the safety
of the house, she held the kitten up in the air. The little thing
couldn’t have been more than eight weeks old, a tiny ball of
straggly black fur with a white blaze down its nose. A quick check
confirmed it was a girl.
    “Huh.” Del
smiled at the kitten. “Well, you’re cute and all, but missy, you
stink of piddle. A quick bath and towel dry and you’ll be good as
new.”
    The kitten
didn’t like the bath, but she didn’t mind the towelling, purring at
Del and trying to grab her hand.
    “In the
morning I’ll try to find out who owns you.” Del lightly tapped the
kitten’s nose. “For tonight, you stay with me.”
    Later, lying
in the dark, the kitten tucked up to her neck purring happily, Del
had to admit she welcomed the company. It was the first time she
could remember being a little unnerved by the encounter with a
couple of drongos, but one of them wasn’t so harmless, and as for
the other two, she didn’t know anymore.
    But she sure
as hell was grateful for the new locks on the windows.
     

 
    Chapter 4
     
    Pulling into
the driveway of the big brick house, Del looked at the box on the
passenger seat. A little black paw poked out of one of the five
holes she’d put in the sides for ventilation.
    “Sorry, Missy,
but I can’t take you to work. You need access to a litter tray and
food, and that I don’t have in the shop.”
    The little
black paw waved at her. Grinning, she touched it with her
fingertip. Immediately the little paw tried to grab her.
    “Okay,
cuteness, time to meet my Mum.” Taking the box, Del got out of the
car and walked up to the front door, calling out as she entered,
“Hi Mum, it’s me!”
    A sturdy
blonde woman with grey at her temples came out of the kitchen, a
frilly apron tied at her waist. The smell of baking wafted out.
    “Are you
baking a cake?” Del sniffed the air. “At eight in the morning?”
    “Better to do
it before the heat sets in.” Mrs Miller kissed her on the cheek
before looking down in amusement at the little paw stretched out of
the box in a vain bid to grab her clothes. “Is this the little
sweetheart?”
    “This is
Missy.” Entering the kitchen, Del set the box on the table.
    Her father
looked up from where he was reading the paper, his glasses perched
on the end of his beaked nose. “Hi, sweetie.”
    “Hey, Dad.”
Del opened the top of the box. “Brought your furry foster child to
spend the day with you and Mum.”
    “You don’t
say.” He watched with mild curiosity as she scooped Missy from the
box.
    “Oh, isn’t she
adorable?” Mrs Miller cooed, tickling her under the chin.
    “And sharp
little claws.” Del stroked the kitten.
    Missy looked
around in wide-eyed wonder.
    “She’ll love
exploring the house.” Mrs Miller rubbed her behind the ears.
    “She’s small
enough to get lost, trodden on, or tripped over, so you’ll have to
be careful,” Del warned.
    “Don’t worry,
we’ll take good care of her.” Mrs Miller glanced around. “Is her
tray and food in the car?”
    “I’ve got an
old box with sand in it which I’ll bring in for now, but I’m going
to dash to the shop and grab some kitten food and milk.”
    “Don’t forget
a litter tray and litter.”
    “She might not
be staying with me.”
    Her parents
looked at her in surprise.
    “She arrived
last night,” Del explained. “Chased by a dog from over the road. I
need to find out first if she belongs to anyone.”
    “And if she
doesn’t?” Mr Miller queried.
    “Then I’ll
keep her.” Del gave him a hopeful look. “As long as she’s okay to
stay here when I’m working? It’d only be until she’s old enough to
have three meals a day. Right now she needs about four or five, and
I won’t be home to give it to her. I can only do a lunchtime
feed.”
    “Fine by
me.”
    “Meanwhile,
she stays here anyway.” Mrs Miller took the kitten from Del. “Poor
baby. Did the big doggie