Free Love Found Me 2 by Sharon Kleve Page A

Roy had his arm around her, because Roy never talked about women, only animals.
    “Hi Mitch. How’s it going?” Roy stepped from behind the register and leaned against the countertop, arms crossed in a relaxed pose.
    It only took two strides from Mitch’s six-foot three inch frame to reach Roy. He tucked his hands in his pockets to keep from fidgeting. “Zeke delivered kittens last night,” he blurted as his gaze wandered to the woman behind the counter. She smiled and returned his gaze. She was cute and confident.
    “I thought you said Zeke was male,” Roy said and slapped Mitch on the back.
    “Well, that’s what I thought. Of course, I never actually looked. You know… down there.” Mitch nodded toward a cat cleaning its belly.
    “I’m surprised you didn’t notice her getting larger.”
    “I thought it was the food I fed her. You said it was high in nutrition for outdoor cats.” Mitch’s frustration increased.
    “How did you end up with Zeke?” the pretty gal asked.
    Mitch took his hands out of his pockets and stepped closer to the counter. “A couple months ago, Zeke showed up. She dropped a mouse or bird at my feet like a gift when I arrived home from work. I’d take it and throw it for Zeke to catch and then she’d bring it back like a dog. That was fun. Then Zeke started sneaking by me and running into my house. That wasn’t fun. I’d go get her and put her out but then the constant meowing started. I couldn’t take the meowing. I let Zeke in one night and she never left. Because she was an excellent hunter and acted male—you know, seemed street smart—I named the cat Zeke.”
    “Did you say ‘street smart’?” She leaned forward, giggled and shook her head. “What? Did the cat have a red bandana wrapped around its forehead and a little AK-47 strapped to its shoulder?”
    The picture of Zeke with a bandana made Mitch laugh too. He was torn; he came to get advice on how to take care of the kittens, not flirt with Roy’s friend. “I’ll come back later, Roy.” He turned to leave and felt a soft touch on his arm.
    “Hey, I’m sorry. My sarcasm gets the better of me sometimes.” She let go and held out her hand. “I’m Chloe.”
    He hesitated.
    “I promise, I don’t bite much.” She pretended to snarl and a half-laugh, half-snort sound erupted. She covered her nose and then laughed harder. “I hate when I do that.”
    He couldn’t help but laugh with her and then Roy stepped forward.
    “I guess it’s up to me to make the introductions. Chloe Miles, meet Mitch Broden.”
    This time Mitch extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
    “You too,” Chloe replied as she shrugged into her coat. “I need to get back to work. I hope everything works out with Zeke and the kittens,” she said and winked.
    “Thank you.” Mitch watched Chloe squat to say goodbye to a couple of cream-colored, mixed breed puppies. The fabric from her skirt pulled tight against her shapely behind as she tried to pet them through their cage. The puppies yipped, lunged, and then wiggled their little rear-ends. She reached into her pocket and handed them each a treat. They immediately settled down. It looked like they had Chloe trained pretty well. When Chloe stood, she rubbed her hands down the front of her skirt to smooth the fabric and Mitch had the urge to help.
    He couldn’t keep his eyes off that blue skirt as she made her way to the door. Her hips had a rhythmic sway that was mesmerizing. At the last minute she turned, winked again and walked out. Was the wink for him or Roy? Mitch considered Roy a friend and he didn’t have a lot of those. He wouldn’t jeopardize that relationship for anything, not even a great girl.
    “Chloe’s nice. Are you two dating?” Mitch asked, tamping down his curiosity.
    “Yes, she is nice and no we are not dating. Well, we went out once but we make better friends. Why? Are you interested?” Roy grinned and cocked his head.
    Mitch didn’t make quick decisions