SBC Fighter: Tails Of Love Part 26

"Why?"

She leaned back so he could see her face and she could see his. So much love shone down at her it was hard to believe she'd ever thought it gone.

"It's our son's birthday. I want to celebrate his life. With you."

He handed her the matches.

SCAREDY CAT.

Patricia Sargeant.

To my dream team:.

My sister, Bernadette, for giving me the dream My husband, Michael, for supporting the dream My brother Richard for believing in the dream My brother Gideon for encouraging the dream My friend and critique partner, Marcia James, for sharing the dream And to Mom and Dad always with love Thanks to Lori Foster and Dianne Castell for including me in this project.

CHAPTER ONE.

"Come on, Tom. Stop playing hard to get and come to me."

Kendra Wil is balanced on the aluminum extension ladder propped against the single-car garage attached to her town house. She'd reached her right hand toward her suddenly deaf, short-haired tabby American bobtail. Her left hand formed a white-knuckled grip around the edge of the roof. She hated heights.

She masked her fear with a soothing croon. "Come on, Tom. Come here, baby."

Thomas blinked his wide, gra.s.s-green eyes and crouched his silver-and-black striped body even closer to the red-tiled roof. He lowered his head to his paws.

Kendra gaped. "You're . . . you're not going to sleep up here, are you?"

"Forget that d.a.m.n cat."

She glanced down-way down-in response to the grouchy voice. c.r.a.p. She hated heights.

Her boyfriend, Harvey Sievers, stood on her black- topped driveway. June's early evening sunlight glinted off his silver BMW. A ruby-red polo knit jersey clothed his lean torso. His tight buns, clad in tan khaki pants, rested against his driver's side door. Annoyance tightened his perfect mocha features.

"I've told you before. Tom has a name."

Harvey crossed his long legs at his ankles. "Leave it."

She narrowed her eyes at his deliberate chal enge. "I can't go to the movies with you if Tom's stuck on the roof.

We'l be gone for hours."

Harvey checked his silver-and-pearl Rolex, then refolded his arms across his chest. "If we don't go right now, we'l be late for the movie."

"Then help me get Tom down." Her voice wobbled with nerves and frustration. "At least hold the ladder steady so I can climb up to the roof."

"If you're so afraid of heights, get off the d.a.m.n ladder and get in the car."

"I can't leave Tom outside. If something happens to him, I won't be home."

Harvey uncrossed his arms and came off his beemer.

"I'm getting tired of this, Kendra. You act as though that cat is your child. It's not."

"I know that." She was precariously balanced on an extension ladder. Did Harvey real y need to have this argument now? Unbelievable.

Obviously, Harvey wasn't going to steady the ladder so she could climb up, and Kendra was too afraid to come down. Besides, Thomas was stil on the roof. She looked up at the brawny bobtail. He returned her gaze with wide, innocent eyes. Unbelievable.

She scanned the town house complex, wondering if her neighbors were watching this spectacle. Identical brick- and-concrete homes grew in neat grids framed by narrow, paved roads. Wel -tended lawns and young trees decorated each two-story unit.

A couple of houses down, a man stood, hands on hips, inspecting his yard. He reminded Kendra of an NFL tight end at training camp. Long, sculpted legs extended from black running shorts and a charcoal-gray T-shirt strained across a wide chest. Funny, she didn't recognize him.

Harvey continued his lecture. "It's a stray you took in two months ago. So you saved its life. That doesn't mean you have to turn yours upside down for it."

That made her mad. "Tom isn't a stray. He's my cat. And I'm not turning my life upside down for him. I'm taking care of him. Now, please hold the ladder so I can climb onto the roof."

"If I come anywhere near that ladder, it wil be to get you down."

Kendra gripped the edge of the garage roof with both hands. Sweat col ected on her palms, making her hold slippery. Oh, man. If she fel , she'd make her bobtail and her boyfriend real y, real y sorry.

She looked over her shoulder at her very annoyed date.

Wel , she was annoyed, too. "What about Tom?"

"Make your choice, Kendra. Me or the cat?"

Had he lost his mind? "You can't seriously be jealous of Tom."

"Ever since you took in that cat, you don't have time for me. I'm sick of it."

Kendra gasped. "That's not true."

Harvey spread his arms. "Tonight is a perfect example.

We've been talking about seeing this movie for months.

What are you doing? Chasing after your cat. That's not how I want to spend a Friday night."

"I haven't been ignoring you, Harvey. We just spent Memorial Weekend together. Three. Whole. Days."

"That was last week. And it was at your place with your cat."

Harvey would have a problem with parenting. If he couldn't handle one self-sufficient cat, he'd freak with a baby.

He raised his voice. "Are you coming or not?"

Kendra's neck was getting stiff. Her fingers were growing numb. "I won't choose between you and Tom."

Harvey dug his keys from the front pocket of his pants.

"You just did."

She watched in disbelief as he climbed into his car and reversed out of her driveway. Without giving her another look-another thought?-he drove away. Leaving her stuck on the ladder. Leaving her. Over her cat? Unbelievable.

Kendra met Thomas's wide-eyed gaze. His ears twitched. With one fluid motion, he rose and prowled to the end of the roof. He looked over the front of the garage down to the driveway, glanced back at Kendra, then dove graceful y over the edge.

"Tom!"

She watched, incredulous as he landed on his feet.

Without missing a beat, he walked into her open garage, settled into a shaded corner and groomed himself.

"You've got to be kidding. And you couldn't have come down twenty minutes ago because . . . ?"

"Because it's his world and things only happen on his time."

Kendra squeaked, startled into almost losing her balance on the perilous ladder.

"Sorry."

A smooth, smoky voice rose to her from her driveway.

The tal , dark-skinned stranger from a few town houses over stood bracing the ladder. Thank goodness she was wearing black linen capris instead of a skirt.

Hallelujah. She was saved.

But Kendra stil couldn't move. She was pinned to the ladder, not by fear this time, but by the stranger's liquid brown gaze. His almond-shaped eyes were kind and amused as he stared up at her. High cheekbones and a strong, square jaw completed a very attractive face.

Competent hands held either side of the ladder. His muscular shoulders looked like they could bear her weight if she lost her balance.

"Climb down. I won't let you fal ."

Just those words, so casual y offered, relaxed her.

Kendra believed him.

He never let go of the ladder, not even when she stepped onto the driveway. His long, muscled arms caged her in. He smel ed warm and sweaty from his early-evening run. His T- shirt was damp, molding the cotton to his pectorals. Kendra fisted her hands to keep her palms from doing the same.

She ducked under his right arm to put distance between them. Just because Harvey was being a b.u.t.thead didn't mean she could fal into the sweaty embrace of the first bronze Adonis who held a ladder for her.

"Sorry." Her rescuer dropped his arms. He stepped back, running a hand over his close-cropped hair.

"Thank you for your help." Her voice was husky, making her self-conscious.

"You're very welcome." He offered his hand. "I'm Paul Strahan."

"Kendra Wil is. I'm lucky you happened by, otherwise I would've spent the night on that ladder."

He had long, s.e.xy dimples that bracketed ful , kissable lips. "I doubt that. You weren't that far off the ground."

"Maybe not from your perspective." The man must be six- foot-two to her five-foot-three. Heights were relative.

"If you're that afraid of heights, why did you climb the ladder?"

"To get Tom."

Kendra looked at Thomas. Her silver-and-black bobtail watched them with a deceptively casual manner, which meant he was paying closer attention than he wanted them to realize. What was he thinking?

"You should have asked your friend to climb the ladder for you."

She had. Kendra returned her attention to Paul. He'd noticed her arguing with Harvey. Had he heard them? She hoped not.

"My boyfriend doesn't care for Tom. I think the feeling's mutual."

"They say animals are good judges of human character."

Kendra eyed him suspiciously. What was he implying?

She saw the interest in his brown eyes. As flattered as she felt, she wanted him to know she was otherwise committed. "I don't know that I agree with that."

Paul glanced at Thomas, then held Kendra's gaze.

"Frankly, my money's on Tom."

Kendra had no response to that. She stared at him, speechless and confused.

Paul smiled, his kil er dimples coming back. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

Kendra watched Paul continue his jog down the road, then turned to Thomas.

"Come on, Tom. You've tortured me enough today. Time to come in."

The bobtail dragged his attention from Paul to Kendra.

He stood, stretched, then started in the direction Paul had taken.

"No, Tom. This way. You know where we live."