Read Silver Christmas for Free Online Page B

pads of its feet
and winced at how cold they were. Six was still okay, but wouldn't
last long if she was chilled and hungry.
    Behind her the bathroom door opened, and she
glanced over her shoulder. Owen stepped in, clad in his blue robe.
"Is there a problem?"
    "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you." He was up
at six most mornings to check in on the goats' early milking.
    She cradled the tiny kitten in her hands,
holding her close and rubbing her to warm her up. "I think we'll
have to bottle-feed Six to start with."
    Owen crouched at her side. "That was the last
one born, the one you had to help?"
    She nodded.
    "I thought that one looked a bit small and
weak."
    "She's chilled as well." Jennifer rose to her
feet and Owen did too. "Will you cuddle her to warm her up while I
mix the kitten formula? She needs to be warm before she feeds."
Thank heavens she'd had the foresight to make a quick trip to the
local pet store and pick up some formula and a nursing bottle
earlier.
    "No problem." Owen parted the lapels of his
robe and unbuttoned his pajama top, exposing a v-shaped section of
muscular chest.
    Jennifer held her breath as he took the
kitten from her hands, eased it inside his top against his skin and
closed his robe, holding the tiny animal close to his warmth. She
pressed her hand to her mouth and blinked, feeling a little warm
herself now.
    "Shhh, little one," he said, walking slowly
to and fro, gently rubbing the precious bundle.
    She stared at him, momentarily forgetting
what she was about to do, tender feelings welling up inside her,
almost bringing tears to her eyes. If he was trying to make her
regret leaving him, he was doing a darn good job.
    He glanced up, eyebrows raised. "Are you
going to fetch the bottle?"
    "Oh. Yes. Of course. Back in a few minutes."
Almost light-headed with conflicting emotions and tiredness,
Jennifer hurried downstairs to be greeted by Owen's two dogs, Zack
and Heidi, as she entered the kitchen.
    She patted them both and sent them back to
their beds by the stove, then prepared the kitten formula at the
right temperature. Once done, she hurried upstairs again, hoping
fifteen minutes sharing Owen's body heat would have warmed the
kitten enough that it was ready to feed.
    As she approached the bathroom, she could
hear Owen's voice. She paused and listened.
    "Hey, little Silver Sixpence, you'll grow
into a strong, healthy cat and have a wonderful life catching mice
in the barn and putting the dogs in their place."
    Jennifer chuckled to herself as she pushed on
the door. "So she's called Silver Sixpence, is she?"
    Owen cleared his throat and looked a little
embarrassed as he pulled the kitten out of his top and handed her
over.
    Jennifer wrapped Sixpence in a soft towel to
keep her warm, and held her on her lap in the correct position to
feed. She dripped a couple of drops of milk on the tiny pink tongue
and smiled when Sixpence latched onto the nipple and started
feeding, her tiny front paws kneading the towel on her lap.
    "I estimated her weight at three ounces to
gauge the amount of milk she needs. I need to weigh her tomorrow to
make sure we give her the right quantity for her stomach
capacity."
    "We can weigh her on the kitchen scales."
Owen sat on the side of the bathtub and watched.
    When she finished feeding Sixpence, she held
the kitten up to her chest and gently rubbed the thin furry back to
burp her.
    Owen changed the hot water bottle under the
blankets in the cat bed while Jennifer helped the kitten relieve
itself by rubbing a cotton swab on its back end. Then she laid the
tiny creature in the warm box with her mother, positioning her
among her brothers and sisters with an unclaimed nipple near her
mouth.
    "I'm hoping once she's warm, she might find
her mama's nipple and take some milk herself."
    As she rose, pain jabbed her side and she
pressed her hand to the place, pausing before she straightened.
    "Jenn, are you okay?" Owen was there in an
instant, his arm around her, his hand under her