Free A Semi-Precious Christmas by Jan Elder

pop in on the petite feline. I just hoped they were giving her time to catnap in between visits.
    At five o’clock sharp, we closed and locked the doors.
    I was grateful to get out of there. I had a kitten to deliver. Todd rang up the very last soon-to-be-engaged gentleman while I slipped out.
    Chris had called that afternoon to tell me his car was in the shop. With his mother visiting her sister in New Jersey, it was good my car was in working order.
    I pulled up in front of Chris’s house and opened the cat carrier beside me. The little fuzz ball was completely sacked out in the plush cat bed Chris had purchased the night before. I brushed a finger over her silken ears and threw a light blanket over the carrier.
    I called Chris and waited a couple minutes so he could corral Maggie in her room. I could hardly stand the suspense. I sneaked into the unlocked house and tiptoed to the guest room. A litter box, cat toys galore, and food bowls painted with feisty red and green cats waited for us.
    A delicate mew came from under the blanket. Time to get this show on the road.
    A tap sounded on the door followed by the tinkle of a little girl’s laughter. “What Daddy? Where’s the very special present?”
    “In here, Magpie.” The door swung open, and Chris and Maggie danced into the room.
    Maggie squealed when she saw me, which really boosted my ego, and raced to hug me tight. “Good present, Daddy.”
    “Nice to see you too, Maggie, but your daddy has another gift for you.”
    Chris plopped onto the floor next to me and pulled Maggie into his lap. “Close your eyes and don’t even think about peeking.”
    Another giggle.
    I opened the carrier, lifted a squirmy kitten, and placed her in Chris’s outstretched hands. The kitten opened up those tiny feline lungs and wailed with gusto.
    Maggie’s eyes flew open. “Oh, Daddy. It’s a cat. You got me a baby cat!”
    The wriggling bundle landed in Maggie’s lap.
    I slid over, grabbed Maggie’s hand, and showed her how to gently hold and pet the kitty, no tail-pulling allowed.
    Maggie drank in every word and then took Chris’s hand and showed him. “See Daddy? This is how you take care of a kitty.”
    Warmth seeped through me.
    Chris laughed, tickled the kitten’s chin, and smiled down at Maggie. “What will you name her?”
    “She doesn’t have a name yet?” Maggie whispered, eyes round.
    “Nope.”
    The white, longhaired kitten with one blue eye and one green eye yawned.
    Chris set her four pink-padded feet down on the carpet and rolled a ball in front of her.
    The kitten streaked across the room, pounced, straddled the ball, and landed in a heap on her butt.
    Maggie clapped her hands and lobbed the ball.
    We chuckled at the kitten’s spirited antics.
    “She’s so funny, Daddy. And she’s so pretty. Can I name her Snowflake?”
    “Snowflake, it is."
    ~*~
    The three of us finished dinner and wore ourselves out playing with the kitten.
    Maggie, ready to collapse, climbed onto the couch and tumbled into dreamland, Snowflake atop her tummy.
    Chris and I cleaned up the kitchen and talked for a while, sharing some of the funny anecdotes Miss Margaret had told us about each other. Conversation flowed.
    He heaved a sigh. “I almost hate to go to church and separate the twosome, but Maggie loves the Christmas Eve service. The sanctuary’s lit by dozens of candles, and the music is angelic—a foretaste of heaven.”
    “I’m looking forward to it. Do we have time to stop at my house on the way? The cats would appreciate a quick dinner.”
    Chris lifted Snowflake and cradled her in his large hands. “Sure. And speaking of cats, good call on the kitten, Peri. She’s perfect.” He transported the kitten to the guest room and shut the door. Next, he crouched beside the couch and gently woke Maggie. “Time for church, Magpie.”
    She rubbed sleepy eyes and stood. “Where’s Snowflake? Can she come, too?”
    “Sorry. They don’t allow cats in church, but