“Why are we here?” she asked again.
“Go peek in the box right over there,” he replied, pointing to a cardboard box with an old, sheepskin-lined plaid blanket draped over it.
He leaned in the doorway with his arms loosely folded across his chest and a smile she could only describe as compassionate while she peered into the box. As soon as she saw what was inside, her heart melted. A small, longhaired calico cat with a pretty, mostly white face and beautiful green eyes met her gaze and meowed softly. Snuggled into her soft belly fur were three tiny kittens—a solid black, a marmalade, and a calico—that couldn’t be more than a day or two old. Tentatively, Beth reached in to stroke the mother’s head, and the feline head-butted her palm. Moments later, the cat was purring.
“She’s so friendly,
