Page 12 of Love Bomb

CHAPTER SIX

“I think I made a mistake, Tom.”

Rona hung her coat on the hook behind the hotel room door. It was still a little damp from walking through the snow.

People were always surprised by the décor in the hotel rooms of the Scottie Dog, especially after they’d met the hotel owner. Whereas Dougal Jamieson’s personal dress sense leaned more toward neon and glitter, the rooms showed none of his unique style. Instead, they were tastefully chic.

She surveyed the cream décor, tastefully accented with touches of red tartan, with some satisfaction. She’d helped Dougal pick out the red accent when she’d been a kid. Seeing it now made it feel like she had roots. Like a part of her had somewhere to belong.

“I shouldn’t have gone straight to blackmail,” Rona said as she toed off her boots. “But I lost patience. He makes me so mad. I swear the man is even more stubborn now than he was when we were teens.”

She sighed and sat on the side of the bed. A glance outside told her that the snow was still falling. She’d forgotten how pretty Invertary was, with its crooked white houses and cobblestone roads, set against a backdrop of rolling hills and a crystal-clear loch. It was especially beautiful covered in snow. Like something out of a production of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

“Let’s face it,” she said to Tom. “I was never cut out for the subtle approach anyway. What do you think? Will he go for it or ram the thumb-drive down my throat?”

She looked at Tom as he padded toward her before rubbing his big, furry body against her leg. Rona reached down and scratched behind his ear. The giant orange cat purred with approval and she felt a surge of love.

“You’re the best relationship a woman could have,” she told the cat. “Eh, Tom Cat?”

He raised his face toward her for more attention, which she willingly provided. Pets were so much better than people. They didn’t neglect you, or forget you, or abandon you. And no matter how much you loved them, they never complained it was too much.

“Did you behave while I was gone?” Rona asked him. “Please tell me you didn’t howl for attention. You’re only allowed in my room under one condition, that you’re quiet. Actually, two conditions, I need to pay to have the place cleaned properly once we leave.”

Dougal was worried about future guests who might be allergic to cat dander. Which was fair. Plus, even she had to admit that Tom had a lot more hair than the average cat.

It hadn’t been fair to bring him to Invertary and keep him in her room, but she didn’t have anyone to look after him while she was gone. And Tom didn’t do well in cat-boarding facilities. He got morose, refused to eat, and howled continually. Just like her, Tom Cat had abandonment issues. It was probably why they got on so well.

“Don’t worry,” she told him. “We’ll be home soon, and you can go back to terrorizing the neighborhood.” Mainly by being huge. Otherwise, he was a pussycat.

She grinned at the pun before sobering.

“Am I being crazy?” she asked him. “Should I just hand the folly over to my parents and move on with my life?”

Tom Cat meowed. It held an element of censure. She was fairly certain he didn’t approve of her plan. Tom didn’t like loud noises of any kind, and blowing up the folly would definitely constitute a loud noise.

“Come on.” She picked him up. He weighed a ton. “How about I brush your coat and feed you, then we’ll hit the hay?”

That earned some very loud purring.

She’d barely taken a step when there was a knock at her door.

“Who is it?” she called.

“Rona.” Bain’s voice sounded irritated. “Open the door.”

Rona felt a surge of panic. She looked down at Tom. She had to hide him. Bain couldn’t find out who he was. She took a step toward the bathroom when she remembered that Tom was a cat, and the only way Bain would find out his name was if she told it to him.

“Moron,” she muttered to herself.

“Rona!” Bain banged the door again.

“I’m coming.” She put the cat on the bed, all the while fighting the urge to tell him to keep quiet about being Tom.

There were moments when she worried that her relationship with her cat wasn’t quite sane.

She took a step toward the door when she remembered that Bain expected to find a human Tom in her room. She looked around. There were no signs that a man had ever been in the place, let alone was sharing it with her. What was she going to do? It was late and Bain would never believe human Tom had gone out for a walk. Maybe her fake boyfriend was downstairs in the bar? The pub was still open. But then, if she told Bain that, he’d go looking for Tom, just to satisfy his curiosity.

“Rona,” Bain said. “I’m getting pissed off.”