Jake Wilkerson, a disillusioned young pastor who is an expert at hiding his fears, takes on a new assignment at a small rural church in Coudersport, Pennsylvania--which is a far piece from anywhere and full of curiously odd and eccentric people. His first day on the job, he is adopted by Petey--a cat of unknown origins and breed--but a very sentient cat who believes that he is on a mission from God to redeem Jake and bring him back to the truth. Jake must confront his doubts early on when he meets Emma Grainger, a single woman and a veterinarian who dismisses all Christians as "those people." Then, Tassy, a young runaway with a secret, arrives at the door of the church looking for a place of refuge. How does Jake deal with this runaway and his interest in Dr. Grainger? More importantly, can Jake rekindle his faith? Petey does his best to lead all people to the truth, in a most subtle and feline way. “I need to save these people from themselves.”―Petey, your not-so-average cat. Jim Kraus grew up in Western Pennsylvania and is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He attended the Paris-American Academy in 1971 and has spent the last twenty years as a vice-president of a major Christian publishing house. He has written more than 20 books and novels (many with his wife, Terri) including the best-selling The Dog That Talked to God (Abingdon Press, 2012). His book, The Silence, was named as one of the top five releases in 2004 by the Christian Book Review website. He is also an award-winning photographer. He and his wife and 14-year-old son live outside of Chicago with a sweet miniature schnauzer and an ill-tempered Siberian cat. The Cat That God Sent By Jim Kraus Abingdon Press Copyright © 2013 Jim Kraus All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4267-6561-2 CHAPTER 1 Jake pulled to the side of the road, stopped the truck, thenslid out into the chill of the dawn. He flexed his back, left andright, hearing the bones pop. He slowly rotated his right arm,in a windmill fashion, like a relief pitcher warming up. Themuscles hurt most at the top of the arc, when it was closest toheaven. "Think I'll get a sign today? That would be nice. Some sortof sign that this is the right move. That I'm doing the rightthing. How about it? Even a little, bitty sign would be okay,too. A sign that doesn't look like a sign—okay as well." He waited and heard nothing. He held his forced smile fora long moment. If God really were listening, he would knowthat Jake was only kidding—or at least mostly kidding. "Well, the proverbial doors were open, right? That wasa sign, right? An open door—or rather, an open road toCoudersport?" The road between Kane and Coudersport remained emptywith only sounds of the few birds that made north centralPennsylvania a stop on their early spring migration. To theeast, the sun lit the top of a tree-covered ridge, illuminatingthe still-bare trees with a golden backlit glow. "Now, here's the thing, though. Those preachers on TV getsigns all the time. You talk to them. Why not me?" Jake knewhe was being snarky and he was pretty sure God did not like,nor quickly answer, snarky prayers. He took a deep breath, massaging his right shoulder withhis left hand. "Well, at least my shoulder feels better today." He tugged on the ropes covering the tarp that held down allhis earthly possessions. He checked every rope. By nature andtemperament, Jake was a most careful person. He felt a twinge. "Almost better." He started the engine, looked both ways twice, and pulledout onto the road. He had one more hour until he reachedCoudersport. "And that's where I'll start over. That's where I'll show every-onethat I can do this. Right? Where I'll find my faith again." He hoped the words would become his reality. He reached into the glove compartment of the truck andpulled out one of a couple dozen eight-track tapes. One of these days I'll get a new truck or put a CD player in thisone. He did not bother to look at the title. None were current. Do they still sell eight-track tapes? He popped the tape into the slot and turned up the volume. It was a compilation of Christian camp favorites. Thefirst selection was "Onward Christian Soldiers." Jake couldnot help smiling and began to sing along. Loudly and off-key.Then his shoulder twinged again, sharply, as if giving himan omen of what was to come. However, the troubling thingabout omens is they are open to interpretation. The dried seed husks at the top of the tall field grass rustledtogether, stirred by the spring breeze with its hint of warmth.Green tendrils poked about at paw level. The cat stopped, satdown slowly, carefully, and sniffed. A fecundity in the air. He sniffed, his nose twitching. I heard that word on that radio station that talks all the time andis always asking for money. The cat would have smiled if he could have smiled. If hehad the correct muscle structure. Fecundity. That's a weird word, isn't it? Fecundity. Funnysounding. I know, I know ... I can be a b