Vera nodded and smiled sweetly. "I'm yours to command anytime, anywhere."

"So what about Jerry?" Charlie asked, looking at the kitten on his lap. "The trip might take a while.

"Decan can take care of him," Vera replied. "He's been taking care of plenty of livestock for me, and he knows his way around all of them—horse, pig, rat, dogs, cat, rabbits. And he's a better owner than I am."

Charlie then looked up at the blooming kombuc tree. "Even this one?"

Vera smiled faintly. 'It's resilient in