Siamese Summers

George the Magnificent, the tabby-Siamese star of Cats in Clover, still rules over a small farm on Adriana Island. His slaves, Ben and Holly, have been whipped into shape but he has to start all over again when a mere kitten moves in. Kaylie, a purebred Siamese, aims to be Queen of Holly Haven and can hardly wait until she grows up enough to knock George off his throne. Ben and Holly are distracted by another arrival, Holly's mother-in-law. Ben wants to take good care of his mother, but she shocks him with her new independence and modern ideas about how to live her life. Meanwhile, Holly discovers skulduggery as ambitious land developers move onto Adriana and, already expert in feline politics, realizes she must take action to help save the way of life she's come to love.

From CHAPTER I
    Inside the box, crouched in one corner, was a cream-colored kitten with fawn feet, tail and ears. Out of a light brown little face shone the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. Definitely part Siamese. She croaked at me in a tiny voice and I picked her up and cuddled her against my chest. Her small body was warm against my hand and I could feel a steady heart beat and hear the rumble of a purr that seemed too loud for such a tiny creature.
    I looked in the box. It was empty, except for a damp patch in one corner, and smelled of urine. No water, no food. I got a grip on my rising anger and said, "How long has she been in that box?"
    "Since yesterday," Deanna said. She leaned on the counter and scowled at the kitten. "Some people in a motor home accidentally left it behind. Peter, my husband, found it trying to get in our back door. We're not going to allow stray cats around here, breeding and begging and being a nuisance."
    "She's too young to breed." I was trying not to grit my teeth.
    "Whatever. I called the people and they didn't want to come all the way back here for her. Apparently they only got the kitten because one of their kids nagged them into it. They said it wouldn't matter, that cats can look after themselves. But with my allergies, I simply can't have any animals on the place."
    "Look," I said, "this kitten is probably dying of thirst. Could you get me a little dish of water?"
    While Deanna was gone, I crooned to the kitten. Why was I calling it 'she'? Another glance at her face gave me the answer. She looked so tiny and helpless, so soft and delicate, it was difficult to think 'he.' But we'd made that same mistake when George adopted Henry. Henry had long soft cloud-gray fur, a white blaze on his nose, slanted yellow eyes and a great plume of a tail. Ben said the cat was too pretty to be male and named it Henrietta. When we took Henrietta to Jerry for shots and to have a leg wound treated, he surprised us by suggesting we have 'him' neutered. I'd told Ben it was lucky he'd given the cat a name that could be shortened to the male version.
    Deanna returned with the water and I put it and the kitten back in the box. The kitten stuck her face in the dish and started lapping.
    "I hope you'll take it," Deanna said. "Otherwise I don't know what I'll do."
    I could tell her to hand the kitten over to the SPCA in Mora Bay, but who knew when she'd get around to it? "I'll make sure she finds a home." I hauled my notebook out of my bag. "May I ask you a few questions now?"
    "All right." Deanna was keeping a wary eye on the kitten. "I hope it can't get out of that box. Is this an article you're doing about us?"
    "No, Tidelines is basically tidbits about the business community on the island. When I run out of news items, I rant about whatever is on my mind at the time." There'd definitely be some ranting in the next column about people who abandoned small kittens.