Free Black Cat and the Accidental Angel (Black Cat Mysteries Book 3) by Elaine Faber

mama. How odd.
    “She’s very pretty.” The words were right but her tone had a cold insincere quality. Cindy’s mama touched Angel’s head.
    Angel jerked back, as though the mama’s fingers had shocked her head.
    “I hope you aren’t going to feel bad when you find her owner.” The mama pulled out a lipstick and mirror from her purse, applied a coat of bright red lipstick and then dropped the items back into her handbag. She smacked her lips and reached for Angel. “It’s not a good idea to get attached to strays.”
    Strays? What kind of a remark was that? How could she call them strays ? They weren’t strays. They had homes and persons . He just didn’t know who or where they were at the moment.
    The smile melted from Cindy’s face. Making lost and found posters probably sounded like a good idea—in the beginning. It hadn’t occurred to her how she would feel when she found their home and had to give them up.
    Her face brightened. “Maybe nobody will call. Daddy says I can keep them if nobody comes.” Her ponytail bounced as she emphasized each word.
    The mama ran her hands over Angel’s back and around her tummy. “Did you know that she’s going to have kittens? Your daddy can’t afford to keep a passel of cats around here. Maybe it would be best if you took them to the pound before she has kittens and before you get attached to them.”
    The breakfast tuna in Black Cat’s stomach did a summersault. Kittens? Kittens? Guess that was one more thing Angel forgot to mention. His heart flipped over. He moved toward the door, his gaze locked on Angel’s face.
    She turned away from his gaze.
    She’s embarrassed. She won’t even meet my eyes . He walked slowly to the door. Please. Someone open the door and let me out before I toss a hairball.
    Why Angel kept so many secrets was beyond understanding—and now this! She might have mentioned she was expecting right from the start. It was somewhat pertinent, wasn’t it? He lowered his ears and faced the door, his back toward Angel, his heart feeling like a wad of aluminum foil in a campfire.
    The mama dropped Angel on the sofa, walked over and opened the door. “Scat!”
    Black Cat raced across the yard toward the Emu enclosure.
    One of the Emus rushed to the edge of the fence when he ran past. She craned her neck and jerked her head. Yark! Yark, Yark!
    Black Cat ignored the Emu, turned on his heel and streaked back across the yard toward a pile of firewood stacked near the end of the driveway. Across the front, a sign read Firewood:$200 Cord.
    Another of John’s efforts to put food on the table, but it was doubtful he sold enough wood to meet all his obligations. For a man who tried so hard, he sure had bad luck. Nothing seemed to go right for the guy. Nothing much was going right for Black Cat these days, either. He and John were two of a kind . The weight in his heart felt as heavy as an iron doorstop.
    Here he sat, in the middle of nowhere, didn’t know his name or where he came from. Angel was the only link to his past, however grim it might be, and she held the truth locked tight in her heart and denied him access. Now, she had betrayed him. He should run away, that’s what he should do. Just march right down the driveway, turn left and keep going. What was Angel to him anyway?
    She said she was his bride. Was it the truth? Was he the father of her kittens? Maybe. Maybe not. She hadn’t even told him her real name. He’d assumed they had a past together, but for all he knew, she might have been out for a walk one day and wandered past his broken carrier. Maybe she saw him lying in the ditch, felt a pity-pang and figured he’d be her missionary project this week. Maybe she was just a pregnant hussy looking for someone to take responsibility for her kittens. How easy it was to string him along with a bunch of evasions and lies and he’d never know the difference in his condition.
    Ever since the day they met, he had come to believe they had a