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“Thanks, Max,” said Odelia, and picked up all three kittens. “Now for the most important part. What shall we name them? Any suggestions?”

She was rocking them in her arms now, even though they tried to squirm away.

My suggestion was Menace Number One, Menace Number Two and Menace Number Three, but something told me Odelia might not agree with my naming convention. So instead I said,“Why don’t you ask Gran? She named the rest of us.”

Odelia nodded.“Great idea. I’ll ask her.”

I didn’t know if this was such a good idea, for Gran has a habit of picking names from the soaps she watches. I was named after Max Halloran, a doctor onGeneral Hospital who was accused of fathering triplets with his mother’s twin sister’s mobster fianc?’s younger sister’s best friend. And Dooley could trace the origin of his name to a casting director onThe Bold and the Beautiful.Harriet, on the other hand, was named afterHarriet the Spy, apparently a book Odelia’s mom had always liked.

Brutus, of course, had been named by Chase’s mom, his original owner. I have no idea what inspired her, but Brutus has always been a butch cat, so the name seemed apt.

The kittens, meanwhile, had managed to tumble back onto the kitchen counter, and were now digging their teeth into the carton box, ripping it into tiny pieces and spreading it across the floor like confetti.

I had to bite my tongue not to make a scathing remark about littering, but managed to restrain myself with a powerful effort. This was, after all, Odelia’s house, and if she felt like raising a trio of hell-raisers, that was her prerogative.

I vowed, however, that the moment she turned her back I was going to do some serious schooling of my own. I like to run a tight ship when she’s not around, and I intended to keep it that way.

Chapter 3

Odelia could have stayed with the little cuties all morning, but unfortunately she had to go to work. By then, Chase was up, his alarm clock having launched into a cheerful rendition of Pharrell Williams’sHappy, and the hunky cop had woken up with a groan.

When she arrived at the top of the stairs, she was greeted by the pleasant scene of Chase sitting up in bed and stretching. The man was built like a tank, and even though she’d already seen him sans T-shirt many times since their first meeting, it was still a sight for sore eyes. Her eyes weren’t sore now, though. Instead, they were sparkling.

“What’s with the racket?” asked Chase now as she stepped into the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed to feast her eyes on the man’s perfect physique from up close.

“Oh, just three kittens left in a box on my doorstep,” she explained.

He did a double take.“Wait, what now?”

She nodded.“Yup. Someone left three kittens outside, with a note asking me to take care of them. Oh, Chase, you should see them. They’re just the cutest little babies!”

“Kittens,” he said, as if she’d just announced the world was ending. “Three of them.”

“I would have brought them up but I didn’t know if you were awake yet.”

He was awake now, that much was obvious. Awake and not entirely happy about this turn of events. He squeezed his eyes shut then opened them again, as if hoping this had all been a bad dream.“So you’re telling me you’ve decided to adopt three more cats?”

“I haven’t adopted them,” she specified. “Someone left them on my doorstep.”

He laughed an incredulous laugh.“You’re not seriously thinking about keeping them, are you?”

She experienced a slight diminution of the love and affection she felt for him from the moment he’d walked into her life. “I haven’t decided yet. Why? Don’t you like kittens?”

Chase hesitated. He could probably sense he’d just stepped on a potential landmine that was about to go off at the slightest provocation. Ever so carefully, he said, “You already have four cats. Three more makes seven. That’s seven cats. Four plus three. Seven.”

“Your grasp on basic math is astounding, Chase,” she said. “Yes, seven cats, divided over two homes, makes three-and-a-half cats per home. I know people that have a dozen cats.” She didn’t add that she personally felt that a dozen cats was a little ambitious for any homeowner, even if they adored the furry creatures. She wanted to gauge Chase’s response.

He blinked and gulped.“A dozen.”

She nodded cheerfully.“A dozen cats. And a happy home it is, too.”

“A dozen cats,” he muttered, and started to shake his head. Then he paused mid-shake, and gave her an odd look. “Today isn’t April Fool’s, is it?”

Her lips tightened.“No, today isn’t April Fool’s. And I don’t understand what the big deal is. Seven cats is nothing. Besides, like I said, I haven’t decided if I’m going to keep them or not.” Though she was starting to lean towards adopting them if Chase kept this up.