Lisa never meant to keep the kitten. It had shown up on her porch one evening, trembling under the wicker bench, its fur matted and its meow hoarse like it hadn’t been used in days. Lisa was halfway through unpacking groceries when she heard it.
At first, she thought it was a bird or maybe even a baby raccoon, but when she crouched down and coaxed the little thing out with a slice of turkey, two wide, amber eyes peeked out from the shadows. Just skin, bones, and whiskers. But it purred the moment she picked it up. She wrapped it in a dishtowel and fed it from a shallow saucer.