You know, in doing these excerpts about Rayvin’s sweet cat, I have gained a new sensibility about the concept of book pets. These are the critters who live in our hearts and imaginations, even if we never get to nuzzle, cuddle, snuggle, rub, or cradle them in real life. Do book pets give the same impressions if they make it to the silver screen? Or are they more effective when left to wander the printed page?
Let’s enjoy one more concentrated dose of Samantha the Rescue Kitty in Wind and Shadow: Book One of the Talbot Trilogy…
Grant removed his heavy uniform belt and dropped it on the bed. He sat down heavily beside it, and leaned over slowly to unlace his boots. His feet were sore from all the walking he’d done. Making a mental note to get new cushioning insoles, he stripped off his socks and tossed them toward the laundry hamper. He held up his footwear to check for scuffs and dirt. “Great,” he muttered. “I hate polishing these things.”
Rayvin’s cat poked her head into his doorway and meowed.
“Hey, there, fuzz-ball!” He gave her a tired smile. “Why didn’t you come out earlier, so I could take you home? I know she’s been a bit worried.” She padded sinuously toward his outstretched fingers and sniffed delicately before bumping his hand. He obediently rubbed behind her ears. “Just let me get out of my uniform before you jump up and get cat hairs all over me,” he told her.
Her tail lifted in offence, she trotted a few paces away. Samantha watched critically while he disrobed, hanging his pants up to preserve the creases and looking over his shirt for stains before putting it on a hanger. “One more day before I have to wash that, maybe two,” Grant told her. She looked up at him solemnly. “I was really careful with my lunch. No mustard stains or anything.”
Samantha turned and licked herself.
“Is that a message that I need another shower?”
She ignored him, absorbed in her task.
“I guess it must be.”
He stripped off the white t-shirt that he usually wore under his uniform, and his underwear, throwing them both onto the socks in the hamper. Nude, he walked down the hall to the bathroom and started the water running…
The shower turned icy cold, jolting Grant out of his reverie. Cursing, he ripped the plastic curtain to one side. Samantha was perched on the toilet tank, her tail curling idly back and forth. She looked at him, her expression innocent, as the water bowl completed its cycle.
“You’re a brat,” Grant told her. She looked away. “Don’t think I don’t know what you just did. A dog wouldn’t do that. Maybe it’s time I got myself a nice, big, mutt.” The cat favoured him with a haughty stare before leaping down and stalking out the door.
Happy 10th Anniversary Month to Samantha, the Rescue Kitty!
Are you wondering whether Samantha actually gets back to Rayvin? And if so, how Grant manages it? Time to get a copy of Wind and Shadow for your summer reading! (If you’re like me, you may just want to get all four books in the series, actually…)
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You didn’t think I’d leave you without just one more dose of Sylvie, did you?
Tori L. Ridgewood 