Free Larkspur by Claudia Hall Christian Page A

to
kill him,” Jill said. “I won’t bring our children to visit you in
Canon City.”
    Jacob scowled. Jill grinned and put peanut
butter on one side of the bread. She went to the refrigerator to
get the strawberry jelly.
    “ I feel awful,” Jacob
said.
    “ Me too,” Jill looked up
at the ceiling. “There. Did you hear that?”
    “ What?” Jacob
asked.
    “ Cat crying,” Jill
said.
    “ No,” Jacob
said.
    “ Well, at least we’re not
forlorn cats.” Jill finished making the sandwich and cut it in
half. “No one sees us; no one notices us.”
    “ I wish you were a little
less visible,” Jacob said.
    Jill nodded and put the sandwich on a plate.
She filled a glass of water for him.
    “ What’s going to keep Dr.
Anna from…?” Jacob asked.
    “ Nothing,” Jill said. “Not
one thing. Because of my capacity to heal, I’m
valuable.”
    “ Your cuddles.” Jacob
picked up a side of the sandwich. “And your peanut butter
sandwiches.”
    Jill smiled. He devoured the sandwich and
drank the water.
    “ Bed?” Jill asked. “We
both have big days tomorrow.”
    “ And cuddles?” Jacob
smiled.
    “ Of course,” she
said.
    “ Sounds perfect.” He
followed her to the bedroom.
     

Chapter Two
Hundred and Fifty-four
    Cats
     
    Friday morning — 5:12 a.m.
     
    “ Hey,” Jacob said as he
entered the kitchen.
    “ Hey yourself.” Delphie
held out her arms and they hugged. “How are you, Jacob?”
    “ Good,” Jacob nodded and
yawned. “Tired.”
    “ It’s been quite a week,”
Delphie turned back to the counter where she was slicing
vegetables. “I was going to make a
casserole . . .”
    Jacob scowled behind her back.
    “  . . . but
Sandy already started some soup,” Delphie said. Jacob looked
relieved. She glanced back and he smiled. “She asked me to slice up
some zucchini and we’re all set. Gosh, it’s great to have so much
help. Remember when it was just you and me? We almost
starved.”
    “ We may have more guests
than we realized,” Jacob said.
    “ How so?” Delphie
asked.
    “ Jill keeps seeing cats,”
Jacob said.
    “ Cats?” Delphie
asked.
    “ Black cats,” Jacob said.
“She said she was with you in your apartment and Cleo arched her
back and hissed.”
    “ She did?” Delphie looked
puzzled. “Cleo? I don’t remember that. But my memory is less than
perfect after the stroke. Who are you?”
    Jacob laughed and Delphie turned her focus
to her zucchini.
    “ I have a group tonight
and this weekend,” Delphie said.
    “ Sounds fun,” Jacob
said.
    “ Want to come in and give
a demonstration?” Delphie asked.
    “ Yes, Delphie, I’d love to
be a freak in your side show,” Jacob said.
    Laughing, Delphie shook her head at
Jacob.
    “ Should I call animal
control?” Jacob asked.
    “ No,” Delphie said. “I
can’t see the harm in having a few cats around.”
    “ I don’t like that they’re
bugging Jill,” Jacob said.
    Delphie nodded and kept chopping.
    “ Any ideas?” Jacob
asked.
    “ None,” Delphie said. “Are
you working tomorrow?”
    “ No,” Jacob said. “We’re
off on the weekends.”
    “ Why don’t you check out
the cats this weekend?” Delphie asked. “You’ll have
time.”
    “ Good thinking.” Jacob
kissed her cheek. “Thanks.”
    Delphie nodded. When she looked up again, he
was gone. She carried the cutting board to the crockpot and dumped
in the zucchini. She was in the middle of giving the soup a good
stir when a memory fluttered through her mind.
    When Celia was close to delivering Jacob,
she’d seen something. Delphie looked off into the distance to try
to remember what Celia had seen. Nothing came to mind and Celia was
off somewhere, probably with Valerie and Jackie. Delphie stopped
stirring, made sure the top was on the crockpot, and got her phone.
She texted Valerie:
    “ Check w Celia. See
something black when pregnant?”
    Delphie smiled at her ability to use this
technology. She stuck her phone in her pocket and went upstairs