Cat's Eyes

The whole town had taken leave of their senses.
At least that's what Noah Riley thought as he sipped coffee and listened to the buzz of conversation in Betty's Biscuit that September morning. It seemed like half the residents of Logan, NC, population 312, were crammed into the restaurant, chatting about the movie crew that was going to be setting up in the morning. Why anyone would want to make a movie in this small mountain town was beyond Noah, but the reasons behind it didn't matter. He hated the idea.
"Isn't this amazing, Noah?" Betty refilled his coffee cup, balancing a tray against one ample hip. "Imagine! Cat McKenzie is going to make a movie here!"
"I'm not sure amazing is the word I'd choose, Betty."
She laughed at his sour expression. "Kill joy. This is gonna be fun! Wonder what she's like."
"Spoiled little rich girl, no doubt. Nothing in this town will be good enough for her, and she'll make everyone miserable for however long she's here. I know the type."
"I saw her interviewed on Oprah last month. She didn't strike me like that at all."
"She's an actress, Betty. She can strike you any way she wants to."
"Yeah, her last movie was great, wasn't it? Gave me goosebumps, that guy stalking her."
"Didn't see it."
"Well that song she did on it was all over the radio. You had to have heard that."
He grunted. Cat McKenzie happened to be one of his favorite singers, but nothing short of physical torture would induce him to admit that now.
"Well, cheer up. Maybe the whole crew will come down with the flu or something. Y'all can treat them and actually make some money for a change."
He chuckled as she moved off to the next table. Making money for treating patients. What a concept. Many of the townspeople ended up bartering for medical care - a side of beef, fresh vegetables, building supplies. That suited him fine. He didn't need much cash.
Noah finished his coffee and signed the check Betty had left on the table, tucking the copy into his pocket. The price of breakfast would come off his bill for last month's bout of strep.
It was a mile to the other end of town, a strip of pavement anchored by Betty's on one end and his office on the other. Small, mom and pop businesses lined the street - a hardware store, Cathy's Crafts, a barber shop, a small bookstore, the post office. The Church - New Life Christian Fellowship, but known simply as The Church because it was the only one in town - was across the street, smack in the middle. The closest gas station was a couple miles out of town towards the freeway. There was a feed mill at the end of one of the streets that crossed Main, but if you wanted people food you had to go to Sam's Market, next town over.
Noah walked toward the old Victorian house that he'd converted to an office. It took awhile, because people kept popping out of shops to chat, but he had no patients scheduled until afternoon. Jennifer, his medical assistant, wasn't coming in till twelve thirty. That left him all morning to work on the upstairs.
"Hey Noah!" Somewhere around eleven, he heard Jake Cooper bellow from two floors below him. He removed a drywall screw from his mouth and hollered back.
"Up here!"
The volunteer fire chief pounded his way up the stairs, sounding for all the world like he had all his gear on his back. Reaching the top, he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair and glanced at the newest wall. "Lookin' good. You're making a lot of progress here. You get tired of being a doctor, you can come build houses with me."
Noah grinned. "Yeah, well any time you want to break your arm again, you go right ahead. I could use more drywall."
"Jesse's playing varsity football this year." Jake rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you'll be getting more than your fair share before the year's out."
"You got yourself a deal. Did you come to help mud?"
"Nope." Jake overturned an empty bucket and perched his stocky frame. "I came to tell you that the movie crew called Dave and wanted to know if we could put Cat McKenzie up somewhere in town."
"Why'd they bother Dave with that?"
"Well, it's not like we have a Chamber of Commerce or anything," Jake said reasonably. "Who else you gonna call but the mayor's office?"
"Guess that makes sense. Did Dave tell them we don't have any four star hotels?"
"Told 'em we don't have any hotels at all."
Noah regarded him suspiciously as he drove another screw into the wall. "But . . . ?"
"But there's this cool old Victorian house in town. The owner's fixing it up as a bed and breakfast, and she could probably stay there."
The cordless drill hit the floor with a bang. Noah let out a four letter word he hadn't used in a long time and retrieved it. "The house isn't done."
"Second floor's done. Looks pretty good, too, with that period furniture you found. They said it's just the kind of place she would like."
"Tell me Dave did NOT commit to putting her here without asking me."
"No, he didn't. Told them he'd check if there was a room available and get back to them."
"Not interested, Jake."
"They're offering a grand a week. Figure she'd be here about a month. That's four grand just for letting her sleep in one of those rooms."
Noah blew out a sigh. "Jake, do you see any maids or kitchen staff?"
"No."
"Me neither. I'm not going to cook meals and clean up after her."
"Girl who called said she wouldn't care."
He snorted. "Yeah, right. They always care. She'll be throwing a temper tantrum first morning her latte isn't delivered to her room."
Jake looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Seems you know a lot about her for never having met."
"I know the type."
"For a small town country doc, you know a lot of types. Just what did you do before you showed up here?"
"You don't wanna know, and I don't wanna have a movie star staying here."
Silence. Jake stared off into space for a long moment, and then a grin creased his sun lined face. "Betcha."
"Bet me what?"
"Betcha she'll last the whole month, happily, without maids and kitchen staff."
"No way. She'll be gone in two days."
"Fifteen sheets of drywall says you're wrong."
"No bills for the family for the next year says you're wrong."
"Done. I'll tell Dave to call them back and say yes." Jake headed down for the stairs, chuckling.
The realization that he'd been well and truly had sunk in as soon as Noah heard the front door close. He swore again and put his fist through the new drywall.

#


"This is perfect." Cat McKenzie dropped her single suitcase on the bed and looked around the room. It was comfortably furnished, true to the Victorian style of the house without being too fussy, with a breathtaking view of the mountains out the window. She loved old houses.
"You know there's no staff here," Noah reminded her from the doorway. "You'll have to fend for yourself."
"I'm aware of that." She studied his unfriendly expression, meeting his steely blue eyes without flinching. Some part of her brain was aware of a shock of beach blonde hair that tumbled boyishly over his forehead and lots of hard muscle under that polo shirt. He wasn't leading man material, but he had a nice looking face and an intruiging cleft in his chin that must make shaving a pain. She wondered if he ever smiled. "I'm pretty good at fending for myself, Dr. Riley."
His eyes said he didn't believe her. "The bathroom's next door. You probably won't have much use for the kitchen, but I'll show you where it is."
"Thank you." She followed him down the stairs and into a small but very functional kitchen. There was nothing on the counters and no dishes in the sink. "I know you're not expecting me to, but I can use this if I want to?"
"As long as you can clean up after yourself. You'll have to get your own groceries. I don't live here, and except for lunch stuff and coffee I don't keep much food around. The refrigerator isn't even plugged in right now." He led her around the corner. She glanced into two pristine exam rooms, a comfortable waiting room, and what was obviously his office as they passed. "These rooms are off limits. If you're here, you need to be in the kitchen or in your room."
"Understood."
His eyes raked her from head to toe. Cat felt like a specimin under a microscope. "Just out of curiosity, why do you want to stay here?"
"I like to get a feel for the place when I'm working. You can't do that in a trailer on the set." She relaxed against the doorframe, tipping her head back to look up at him. "Why are you letting me stay when you obviously don't want me here?"
"I was talked into it against my better judgement."
"At least you're honest. I don't expect to be here much during the day, and since you don't live here it should be fairly easy to stay out of your way. I promise to remember you're a neat freak and keep everything spotless."
"Who says I'm a neat freak?"
She laughed. "This house. Everything is lined up perfectly. Heck, your desk isn't even messy. I'll bet you even have your tools outlined on the pegboard in your garage." His startled glance made her laugh again. "Yeah, my dad does that too. Should I be locking up when I leave?"
"I don't usually bother, but I think there's a key around here somewhere."
Cat shrugged. "I'm fine with that."
"Not scared your rabid fans are going to be barging in when you're sleeping?"
"Do you think there's anyone in this town I need to worry about?"
"No," he said instantly.
"Then I won't worry." She levered herself off the woodwork and headed for the front door. "Thank you for your hospitality, Dr. Riley."
"Where are you going?"
"To get a feel for the town. Besides, I'm starving. Gonna check out the restaurant."
"If you're expecting cordon bleu, you'll be disappointed. Betty serves pretty basic food."
Cat sighed and rolled her eyes. "Does Betty serve cheeseburgers?"
"Yeah."
"Good, because right now I really want a cheeseburger. See ya 'round."

#

She walked, leaving the SUV she'd driven up in parked outside the house. Noah stood in the doorway as she headed down the street. Cat. It was a perfect name for her. She moved like one, all loose limbed and graceful, and her eyes were an amazing shade of green. He had, of course, seen pictures of her - he had several of her CD's, - and they'd picked up her slender frame and long dark curls and almost perfect features. They hadn't, however, done any justice to those eyes.
People started coming out of the businesses along Main St. Cat stopped, shook hands, hugged, and signed things. Noah watched as she expertly worked the crowd. It would probably take her an hour to walk that mile, but the residents of Logan would be eating out of her hand by the time she walked through the front door of Betty's Biscuit.
Noah absently raked a hand through his hair. He'd give her a couple of days, and then she'd get tired of the sweetness-and-light act and show her true colors. In the meantime, he was not going to allow himself to pay any attention to her, cat's eyes notwithstanding. He turned and walked back into the house, shutting the door firmly behind him.