An Island Christmas Read Online Free PDF

adoption at Safe Harbor?”
    The curly-haired girl looked baffled. “Maybe. I’m not sure—” Suddenly a smile broke out over her face. “Hey! Here comes Tim Thompson. He’ll know. He volunteers for Safe Harbor, taking care of the animals when the director’s on vacation.” She ran out from behind her desk to catch Tim as he was stepping out of his pickup truck.
    Tim stood very still, listening, expressionless. Good news? Bad? Jilly and George looked at each other and shrugged.
    Tim followed the girl back into the building. A lean Irishman in jeans and a wool vest, he had the soulful look of a man who played sad songs on the guitar.
    Without saying hello or even smiling, Tim announced morosely, “We have only one animal for adoption.”
    “What kind of animal?” Jilly quickly asked, imagining a potbellied pig or, worse, a snake.
    “Cat.”
    “We’d like to see him or her,” George said.
    “You won’t want him,” Tim muttered direly. But he walked away from the front desk, down a corridor, around the corner, and began to unlock a door into a small annex.
    Jilly and George dutifully followed, entering a small rectangular space filled with metal cages. Two large windows let in the dim winter light. Tim clicked on the overhead electric light and the room brightened.
    “There.” Tim pointed.
    Jilly and George scurried up to the cage positioned at eye height. Inside, curled up in a round bed, lay an orange-and-white striped cat.
    “Hello, kitty,” Jilly whispered.
    The cat opened its gold eyes and stared at Jilly with skepticism, then elegantly rose and stretched, as if to show off its remarkable stripes and spots.
    “He looks like a jungle animal,” George said.
    “He’s feral,” Tim explained. “Captured out on the moors.”
    “Is he tame?” Jilly asked.
    “Don’t know,” Tim said. “He’s young, not a year old yet, so he could be domesticated. Maybe. Could be a challenge.”
    “Is he mean?” asked George.
    “Not mean so much as he’s got an attitude problem.” Tim opened the cage, reached in, picked up the cat, and set him on the cushioned bench where various cat toys were scattered.
    For a few moments, the orange cat hunkered down, as ifexpecting to be attacked. He stared at the humans with suspicious eyes. After a moment, he stood up, stretched full-length, and paced the length of the bench, ignoring the cat toys as if they were far too foolish for him.
    “He’s got striking markings,” Jilly noticed.
    “We were hoping for a kitten,” George remarked.
    “No kittens. Cats don’t time their litters to fit with human holidays.” Tim leaned against the wall and folded his arms, as if ready to wait for hours. “He’s an unusual cat,” he told them. “He’s not striped as much as spotted. And he’s smart.”
    Jilly drew near the animal, and reached out a hand. “Can I pet him?”
    Tim shrugged. “I don’t think he’ll bite you.”
    George warned, “Be careful, Jilly.”
    Jilly slowly brought her hand closer to the cat. It sat down, staring up at her. Such alert gold eyes. Would it scratch? “Hello, sweetheart,” she cooed in a soft voice. Cautiously, she touched him between the ears. He didn’t move. She drew her hand from the top of his head down to his neck.
    The cat closed his eyes. Jilly scratched between his ears. She stroked the animal the entire length of his body. An odd stuttering noise, like a rusty old engine coming to life, emanated from the cat.
    “I think he’s purring!” Thrilled, Jilly dared to reach out her other hand and gather the animal up against her chest. The cat nestled against her as if he belonged there.
    “He likes me,” Jilly whispered. “Oh, George, let’s adopt him.”
    “What’s the fee?” George looked at Tim. “Can we take him home now?”
    “Nope,” answered Tim. “He’s got to be neutered first.”
    “What does that mean?” Jilly asked.
    “Castrated, testicles removed,” Tim said bluntly.
    George winced.
    “Will it