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“Anything,” he barked excitedly, his tongue now lolling from the side of his mouth.

“What are you eating in there?” I asked, craning my neck but failing to see into the dumpster.

“I’ll show you!” he shouted, then dived back into the dumpster and tossed a bloody carcass in my direction. Luckily, it missed hitting me.

“Ewww. What is that?”

“Not ewww.Yum.” The stray dog licked his chops.“I hardly ever find something this good to eat.”

“What is it?” I asked in disgust. As much as I liked to be polite, it was hard to ignore the churning in my stomach at the smell and sight of his half-eaten meal.

“Looks like some kind of roadkill,” Charles said.

“Why is it in the dumpster?”

“Good question. Do you think this is what the kittens got into before Mr. Gable found them?”

“Kittens? You mean cat puppies?” the dog asked, tilting his head to one side and studying us with teary, dark brown eyes.

“Yes, cat puppies,” I confirmed with a smile.

“They were the ones who first found this delicious feast, but then some man took them away before they could finish, and I took over.”

There.

That was the last piece we’d needed to piece together the entire story of the mysterious doorstep kittens. No wonder they had been so hungry. Their first meal in who-knows-how-long had been interrupted.

“Thanks for your help,” I told the dog and then added, “By the way, how do you like the name Digger? You know, because when I first met you, you were digging in the trash?”

“It’s perfect!” he barked enthusiastically. “I’m part Airedale terrier on my mother’s side, and—boy—do our kind love to dig.”

A nameless stray no more, he jumped out of the dumpster and trotted to my side, his tail wagging mightily with each step.

“Then it’s definitely perfect.” I patted him between the ears as they appeared to be the cleanest part of him. “Hi, Digger. It’s nice to meet you. Now come with us, and we’ll see what we can do about finding you a home.”

Chapter Nineteen

Luckily, Mr. Gable had a tarp leftover from when he’d painted his shop that summer. He was also more than happy to lend it to us so that we could take Digger back to my house while avoiding the spread of blood, dirt, and trash all over the back seat of my car.

Paisley immediately took the new, much larger dog under her wing. She came running straight up to him and stood on her hindlegs to complete the requisite butt sniff.

“Hi. My name’s Paisley!” she shouted while allowing him to bend down and sniff hers.

“My name’s Digger,” the other dog answered proudly, finally having a name to share.

“I will teach you everything about being a pet!” Paisley promised, then she and Digger disappeared outside. Digger didn’t fit through our pet door, so I had to open the human door to let him out.

“Where are the kittens?” I asked Nan, surprised they weren’t in the living room with her.

“Upstairs with Octavius in the fish room,” she answered casually between sips of tea.

“Don’t let him hear you call it that,” I warned with a quick eyeroll. “Have you found any of the other kittens homes yet?”

“Not yet, but I may have a couple leads.” She smiled over the rim of her teacup before taking another slow sip.

“Think you could find one for Digger, too?”

“I’ll see what I can do,” she promised, setting her cup back on the table. “Would you like some tea, too, dear?”

I shook my head.“No, thanks.”

“Not you.” She turned to my boyfriend. “You. How about it?”

“I’m not really—”

“Oh, come now. You and I need to have a little chat,” she pressed, already up and heading toward the kitchen.

Understanding that I’d been dismissed, I headed up the stairs and let myself into Octo-Cat’s room. I needed to check on the kittens, anyway.

The vision that greeted me practically took my breath away. Our two remaining kittens lay snuggled up against Octo-Cat as all three cats napped.

I was just about to turn around and head out, when Octo-Cat’s wide amber eyes blinked open and he whispered, “Wait.”

He carefully extricated himself from his slumber companions without waking either.“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he told me once he’d successfully come to stand by my side. “Let’s go out into the hall.”

“What’s up?” I asked curiously

“Those little guys aren’t so bad, you know. It was hard when they first got here and were pouncing everywhere, but truth be told I’ve liked having them around,” he revealed with a wistful sigh.

“Are you saying you want to keep them?”

He hissed at this.“Eeeesh, no! Nothing so extreme. But having them here reminded me of my own kittenhood. Have I told you that I was one of seven?”

“You may have mentioned it a time or two.” Or twenty.

“Today has got me thinking about my own brothers and sisters. I haven’t seen them since Ethel adopted me all those years ago.”

“You must miss them.” I ran my hand along his back, hoping he’d appreciate the comfort of the gesture rather than attacking me for it.

He leaned into my hand and purred.“Yes and no. I’m definitely happier being an only cat, but I do wonder if they turned out as awesome as I have.”