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Here she was,out afor a man she hadn’t even known for a week Her , the story of how her parents met Her mother had come into the pet shop as a nanny with two little hellion boys under her care Her father had outright refused to sell therounds that the spoiled children would bring the creature to harm

"What do you reco" had been his response

Her mother had been so impressed that she asked if he needed any help around the shop, with cleaning cages or handling the creatures He hired her The next day, she gave her notice to a frazzled High Street duchess andbut a secondhand valise and an extra hat

"It was love at first sight," her h

When Charles had first arrived with Bertraht she finally understood what her parents had meant She had been infatuated with the exotic charmer, with his slick ways and pretty words, his sly winks and dark eyes But now she knew the difference between girlish fancy and a woman’s intuition

Charles had hurt her and left Tho back just to keep her safe Four days suddenly see in love with a real man

Frannie was juh neck of her blouse, each ti over the door Every time a bird squawked and flapped, every time a puppy yipped, she sidestepped as if the white kitten was diving for her flesh She searched the shadows for adorably lass in the door And every tilass jars, she couldn’t help feeling that the s The next time a dark dai for a quick profit and be done with it

Aside froi pup to a teen girl who’d been blinded in an autoirl’s radiant s joyfully, brought tears to Frannie’s eyes A char Bludman and his wife stopped in for a crow, and another orphan brought by a green parakeet in exchange for sos of seed, biscuits, and treats, slipping lemon candies into the hands of impatient children Lizards and finches and tortoises left for new ho in pink-and-white-striped boxes tied with black ribbon

At dusk, she checked outside for last-n Back in the kitchen, she sipped tea and pulled a bit of string for Filbert to chase, the s the air Frannie noticed the bludkitten lurking in a corner and readied herself to catch the little menace, should it come after its once-brother where he played by the fire When Casper appeared suddenly in the doorway, she couldn’t help gasping His stocking-clad feet had been silent on the stairs, and when the white kitten leaped from the shadows to land on his foot, he poked it with a toe It sniffed him and hissed and bolted back up the stairs before Frannie could shriek a warning

"Mischievous little puffball," he said with a winning grin

"Catch it! It’s a killer!" she cried, snatching Filbert into her lap with one hand and grabbing a uhost"

"Thatthing It’s a bludkitten They all are, except Filbert They attacked h and scratched his stubble "Ah, yes Bludkittens Of course TheFilbert into her pocket, she spun around and pulled down her collar to show the nasty scab that had formed where the kitten had ripped into her neck "What do you think did that?"

"I’ look "But I noticed that Thoasped, mouth open, then went to the corner for her broom She shook it in his face, and he backed away froives you three er here I’ain But after that, you’re out, lad CallingI’ll readily forgive"

"I’m sorry, Frannie Really I--"

"You’ll keep to your roolecting the pups, trying to get on adabouts"

He sround "Is that why you left last night? I arrived at ne and found it e into fists "Someone shot a crossbow at ht have noticed, if you’d ever looked away fro crowd"

He opened hisfroer to solicitous concern in the span of a heartbeat "Someone shot at you?"

"Aye, with an arrow It ruined my best dress and barely missed me, and Thom carried me home in the crowd at intermission Did you not find the arrow in the seat?"

"No ht seem, I’d have noticed that"

He moved to a stool and sat, his eyes far-off

"Why you, Frannie? Do you have any enemies?"

"Tho I told hi worth killing for"

He snorted "Speaking of , you wouldn’t believe how badly I beat Edwin’s ass last night Trying to trickLike I don’t know them all already You did see that part, didn’t you?"

She took Filbert from her pocket and set hier and purred, as a kitten should "That was cruel of you That poor man Nobody likes soirls like it fine Just not, as you so astutely pointed out, the nice ones"