Free Here Comes Trouble by Delaney Diamond Page A

of his neck. “I don’t even know why I broke up with her.”
    “Too many wild oats still to sow maybe?”
    “Maybe. I don’t know.”
    Matthew paced restlessly. He didn’t fully understand why he’d ended the relationship. Sure, being with her scared him, but he’d been happy. And he’d known her for years, experiencing a level of comfort with her he hadn’t with other women because they’d been friends first.
    “So what changed your mind and made you want her back?”
    “I was miserable.” He stopped and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “It really hit me when I was sitting on the sofa with my arm around this girl I picked up at the sports bar, watching a basketball game, and she kept asking me all these stupid questions. ‘What happened?’ ‘Why was that a foul?’ ‘Why did the referee stop the game? I don’t understand what’s going on.’ She got on my nerves.
    “She didn’t understand anything about the game. If Lorena had been sitting there with me, she would have been quoting stats and yelling at the referee for bad calls. A completely different experience.” That was his problem. Ever since Lorena, every other woman fell short.
    Roarke watched him thoughtfully. “Now what?”
    Before he could answer, Arianna came back out wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. In her hands she held a tiny black kitten. “Look, Uncle Matt. This is my surprise.” She held up the cat for him to see.
    “Cute.” He stroked the animal’s head. “Boy or girl?”
    “It’s a girl kitty. Her name is Midnight, ’cause she’s black.” She held the kitten close to her chest and gently rubbed her fingers down its body.
    “She’s beautiful.” He stroked the kitten one more time and then tried to answer Roarke’s question. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I really want to get”—he looked at Arianna and said the first words that came to his mind—“my kitty back.”
    Arianna’s head snapped up. “You lost your kitty?” she asked sympathetically.
    Matthew nodded.
    “Did you not take good care of it?”
    Roarke choked back a laugh and turned his back to the two of them, busying himself with preparing the corn for the grill.
    “Well, I don’t know if—”
    “Kitties are a lot of work, aren’t they?”
    “Yes, but I can handle it.”
    “I wanted two, but Mommy says I have to prove I can handle one before she lets me have another one, so I’m going to take good care of her.” She kissed the kitten, and it made a little mewling sound. “How many have you had?”
    “Oh, lots. I’ve lost count.”
    “ Really ?” Arianna gasped. “You’re so lucky. I want another one so bad. I think it’ll be fun. Have you ever had two at the same time?”
    Good times . “Yes. It’s extra work, but it’s worth it.”
    “I knew it. I hope I can get another one,” Arianna said wistfully. “What kinds of kitties have you had?”
    “Oh, I’ve had all kinds. White, black, different colors. I don’t discriminate.”
    “What does disc-discriminate mean?”
    “It means he’s not picky,” Roarke interjected. “Anytime he sees a kitty, he has to have it.”
    “I’m not that bad,” Matthew said defensively. “I do have standards.”
    “The problem is,” Roarke continued, wrapping an ear of corn in aluminum foil, “he only keeps them for a short time. He switches them out often.”
    “Why, Uncle Matt? Is it because you don’t know how to take care of them?” Arianna’s worried gaze met his.
    “I know how to take care of them.” Matthew shot Roarke a dirty look.
    “No, he doesn’t,” Roarke said. Matthew frowned at him.
    “I can help you, Uncle Matt. I’ve had my kitty for two weeks now, and I’m very good at taking care of her.” Matthew smiled at the earnest expression on her face. “Lemme tell you, kitties can be difficult. When I first got her, she was scared. She barely let me touch her, so I had to be very, very careful. I put out her milk in a saucer, and