“I don’t know what happened between you, but I know she loved you very much.”

The happy images blurred as tears filled her eyes. Was it true? Did the mother she’d always thought indifferent really love her?

A tear slid down her cheek, followed quickly by another. Kelli couldn’t bear to put the pictures down long enough to wipe them away, so she let them go.

Oh, Mom! Why didn’t we fix this before it was too late?

Or was it too late? Would this crazy condition of Lillian’s trust help her to finally understand what had gone wrong between them?

Jason put an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She found his silent embrace oddly comforting, and leaned into his warmth.

Still clutching the photographs, she lifted her face to look up at Jason. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m staying.”

VIRGINIA SMITH

A lifelong lover of books, Virginia Smith has always enjoyed immersing herself in fiction. In her mid-twenties she wrote her first story and discovered that writing well is harder than it looks; it took many years to produce a book worthy of publication. During the daylight hours she steadily climbed the corporate ladder and stole time late at night after the kids were in bed to write. With the publication of her first novel, she left her twenty-year corporate profession to devote her energy to her passion—writing stories that honor God and bring a smile to the faces of her readers. When she isn’t writing, Ginny and her husband, Ted, enjoy exploring the extremes of nature—skiing in the mountains of Utah, motorcycle riding on the curvy roads of central Kentucky and scuba diving in the warm waters of the Caribbean. Visit her online at www.VirginiaSmith.org.

A Daughter’s Legacy
Virginia Smith

www.millsandboon.co.uk

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.

—1 John 4:18

This book would not exist without the assistance and encouragement of the following people:

The employees of Utah’s Hogle Zoo, especially Celeste, Stephanie and Holly. Your passion for animals is inspiring—and contagious.

The members of the Utah Christian Writers Fellowship, who provided encouragement and support for every idea I came up with.

My agent, Wendy Lawton, for partnering with me in this crazy industry.

My editor Tina James and everyone at Steeple Hill for their tireless efforts to make this (and every) book the best it can be.

My daughter, Christy Delliskave, who loves zoos and zoo animals as much as I do.

My husband, Ted, for believing in me.

And of course, the Lord Jesus, who never ceases to whisper to me, “Fear not!”

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Epilogue

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

Of all the ways she could have chosen to spend a Thursday morning, attending a stranger’s memorial service wasn’t at the top of Kelli Jackson’s list.

Especially when that stranger was her own mother.

Kelli faced the front of the open-air amphitheater clasping a completely dry tissue in her lap and trying to ignore the curious glances being cast her way. Apparently, everybody wanted to get a glimpse of the outsider who claimed to be Lillian Mitchell’s daughter. As people filed toward their seats among the rows of semicircular wooden benches in the moments before the service began, more than one puzzled whisper reached her ears.

“I never knew Lillian had any family. Did you?”

“Can’t say as I did. Looks like her, though. Wonder why Lil never talked about her.”

Kelli kept her face schooled in the detached, professional mask she wore when preparing a tax return for a new client. Wouldn’t do to show dismay at the humiliating affirmation that her mother hadn’t even cared enough to mention to those she worked with that she’d given birth to a daughter twenty-six years before. As person after person stepped up to the podium on the center of the stage to recall incidents from Lillian’s life, Kelli’s gaze kept stealing to the table where the polished wooden box holding her mother’s ashes rested, a single vase of flowers beside it.

The deep roar of a lion exploded in the distance, and a wave of gooseflesh rose along Kelli’s bare arms as the primeval cry reverberated in the air around her. The sound echoed across the years from childhood nightmares she’d thought safely forgotten long ago.

What am I doing here, Lord? This is no place for me.

The man standing behind the podium paused in his tribute and raised his head to listen until the roar died away. His smile swept the crowded amphitheater.

“Apparently Samson would like to speak a few words on Lillian’s behalf. He always was an attention hog.”

The crowd’s chuckle held an indulgent tone. Obviously Samson was a favorite among the mourners. Kelli shifted on the rough wooden bench.

“Actually, it’s fitting that Samson be included in this service to honor Lillian. She dedicated her life to making sure that he and the rest of the animals here at Cougar Bay Zoological Park receive nothing but excellent care and the highest quality of life.”

Of course she did. Kelli’s lips tightened, despite her efforts to keep her expression impassive. She cared more for those zoo animals than she did her own child.

Which was one reason she wanted to get this ordeal over with as quickly as possible and get out of here. Back home in Denver, life could return to normal. She could go to work and lose herself in the comfort of her clients’ finances. All the questions she encountered there were easy ones, with concrete answers, like, “Can I deduct the clown I hired for my daughter’s birthday since I invited my boss to the party?” (“Uh, no, Mr. Farmer, I’m sorry but that’s not a legitimate deduction.”)

“The first time I laid eyes on Lil, she was cleaning out the chimp house.” The man eulogizing Lillian—Kelli couldn’t think of her as Mom—smiled, and from her vantage point on the first row Kelli recognized genuine affection in his face. Tall and fit, with sun-kissed brown hair curling around the collar of the tan shirt with the zoo’s logo over the breast pocket. Nice looking, probably only a few years older than Kelli. What was he to Lillian? An employee, no doubt, since Lillian ran everything here at the zoo.

“I shouted through the bars that I was there to interview for the keeper position. She let me in, handed me a hose, and told me to show her my stuff.” An appealing grin twisted his lips. “I must have looked hesitant, because she barked, ‘You’re not afraid of a little poop, are you?’”

Everyone around Kelli laughed. She couldn’t hold back a smile herself. Judging from the voice she’d heard over the phone during their stilted, twice-yearly conversations, the guy had Lillian’s gravelly, no-nonsense bark down pat. He must have known her pretty well, then. Kelli cast a quick glance over her shoulder at the sparsely filled benches. No doubt these people knew Lillian better than her own daughter did. How sad was that?

“I didn’t bother to point out that she was wearing rubber boots, while I was in a suit and had just polished my shoes. Knowing Lil as I do now, she wouldn’t have cared. It’s a good thing I took the hose and got to work.” His head dropped forward, and when he continued, his voice sounded choked. “Landing this job six years ago was the best thing that ever happened to me. It gave me the chance to work with someone whose devotion to animals went far beyond anyone I’d ever met, or likely will again. Lil changed my outlook on my job, and on my life. I’ll never forget her.”

A hushed murmur of agreement rose from the mourners as he left the stage to return to his seat on the front row, a few feet away from Kelli. She watched him covertly as the minister stepped up to the podium for his final remarks. The guy sat with his head drooping forward, hands dangling between his knees. When he brushed tears from his eyes, Kelli experienced a twinge of self-reproach.

What’s wrong with me, God? My mother is dead. Why can’t I grieve, like this guy?

But Kelli’s soul felt leaden, numb, as the minister led them in a closing prayer. How could she grieve the loss of her mother today, when the real loss had taken place years before?

Twin tears pooled in the corners of his eyes. Jason brushed them away. Becoming emotional today surprised him. He’d already cried for Lil in the privacy of his apartment. In fact, he’d shed almost as many tears for her as he had when Dad died a few months ago. Lil would have been the first to tell him to pull himself together and get over it. He could almost hear her lecturing inside his head.

“Enough, already! There’s work to do. Get over there and check that fence around the wolves’ yard. If Bob gets out again we’ll have AZA inspectors crawling all over the place.”

A smile tugged at his mouth. Lil probably would have hated the idea of this memorial service, anyway. She wasn’t one to tolerate emotional displays, said they wasted energy that should be spent accomplishing something.

Was her daughter anything like her?

Jason stole a sideways glance at the young woman whose face, though pale, bore a strong resemblance to her mother’s. Same chiseled nose, same wide-set, round eyes. Although now that he took a closer look, he realized the daughter was far prettier than her mother. She was more delicate, her lips fuller and softer. And shiny with lip gloss. He’d never seen Lil wear makeup once in all the years he’d known her. Plus, this girl’s thick, dark curls hung in waves down her back, while Lil had always hacked off her straight, steel-gray hair at the chin line. So maybe their features weren’t so much alike after all, even though the daughter’s aloof expression was a duplicate of her mother’s.

Kelli. Lil told him her name was Kelli.

Did she have any idea of the blow she was about to suffer?

As though she sensed his thoughts, Kelli’s head turned and she glanced his way. For the briefest of moments, clear gray eyes looked into his, and air froze in his lungs. Guilt stabbed him in the gut. He straightened quickly and focused his attention on the minister behind the podium.

Why me, Lil? I don’t know if I can do it. Even for you.

Chapter Two

“I don’t know what the house is like yet, Nana. I came straight to the zoo from the airport for the service.”

Kelli spoke quietly into her cell phone as the mourners, most of them zoo employees judging by their clothing, filed past. She stood on a concrete path just beyond the amphitheater exit. The patchy shade from a stand of tall, skimpy trees provided scant relief from the hot Florida sun. She avoided looking anyone in the eye. No doubt she was being rude, but she didn’t think she could handle their curious gazes as they mumbled platitudes about her mother.

“How was it?” Nana’s voice wavered with age. “Were there a lot of people?”

“Around thirty. Everyone said nice things about her, told funny stories and all that.”

“That would have been nice to hear.” Nana paused. “Are you okay, sweetie?”

A drop of sweat slid between her shoulder blades. Kelli held the phone with one hand and mopped at her damp forehead with the tissue. “I’m okay. It’s really humid here, though. And hot. It’s only ten o’clock in the morning and it must be ninety degrees already.”

Kelli folded the tissue and scrubbed the back of her neck beneath her heavy mane of hair as the stream of people leaving the service slowed to a trickle. She spotted the last two men hovering just inside the shoulder-high hedge that surrounded the amphitheater, both of them looking her way. One was Lillian’s attorney, who’d met Kelli at the zoo entrance and brought her inside for the service. The other was the guy who’d spoken last and sat near her. They were obviously waiting for her to finish her conversation.

“Nana, I have to go. I need to talk to the lawyer.”

“All right. Call me tonight.”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you, too, sweetie.”

Kelli disconnected the call and slipped the phone into her purse. When she did, the men stepped through the exit and headed toward her. Mr. Lewis carried the vase of flowers in one hand and his briefcase in the other, and the younger man held—

Her breath caught at the sight of the polished wooden box in his hands.

The serious-faced attorney stepped into the small patch of shade. “Miss Jackson, allow me to introduce Jason Andover, an employee of your mother’s.”

Jason shifted the box to the crook of his left arm and extended his right. “Miss Jackson.”

“Please call me Kelli.” His hand felt cool and dry next to her damp palm. Now that she could see him face-to-face, she felt a little flustered. He was quite handsome, with a golden tan and green-brown eyes that seemed to pierce straight into hers.

“Kelli.” He drew out her name, making the most of both syllables in a faint southern drawl that sent a tickle through her insides. “I’m sorry for your loss. Lil was a good boss, a good woman. She meant a lot to all of us here at the zoo. She was almost like a mother to me.”

The words hit her like a slap. Almost like a mother? How nice for them both. Kelli tried to hold her bitterness at bay, but when his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, she realized her lips were pressed tightly together.

“Thank you,” she managed as she extracted her hand from his grip. “And thank you for your kind words during the service. I’m sure my—mother would have appreciated them.” She turned to Mr. Lewis. “I’d like to get started going through her house. Do you have the key?”

To her surprise, Jason answered. “It’s in the office. Follow me.” He turned abruptly and strode away, not bothering to check to see if she followed.

Odd. What was he upset about? She was the one whose mother apparently mothered everyone but her own daughter. She raised her eyebrows in a silent question to the attorney, but he merely nodded for her to follow Jason’s retreating back. With a sigh, Kelli hitched her purse strap higher on her shoulder and trailed after him down the sidewalk beside a high hedge with lush pink blossoms.

Mr. Lewis fell into step beside her. “There are a couple of things we need to go over.”

“You mean her will?”

He nodded and lifted his briefcase slightly. “I have everything with me. Do you feel up to talking now, before you go to the house?”

Kelli looked sideways at him, discomfort tickling in the pit of her stomach when he didn’t meet her eye. Had Lillian left a pile of debt for her daughter to settle? A financial tangle that would take months to unravel? Well, hopefully the house would sell quickly, and at a price high enough to take care of the balance of the mortgage with enough left over to resolve the rest. There would probably be some large medical bills. Kelli’s stomach churned with an unnamed emotion. Did her mother even have medical insurance?

What kind of daughter doesn’t know things like that?

They passed a large, dome-shaped cage full of medium-size brown monkeys with long tails. One let out a loud screech that made her jump. As the sound continued and gained in volume, she clapped hands to her ears. “What in the world?”

Ahead on the path, Jason glanced backward. “Howler,” he said over his shoulder.

“No kidding.” Kelli eyed the bearded primate, whose head turned as she passed, liquid brown eyes fixed on her face. The creature watched her with human-like intensity, but the smell emanating from the exhibit—or maybe from the howlers themselves—was pure animal, and seemed to be magnified by the heat. She wrinkled her nose and breathed through her mouth until they were downwind.

The path wound through a smaller set of cages containing a variety of large, colorful birds. A macaw combed its wing with a hooked beak as they passed, and Kelli admired the way the sun turned the feathers fiery red. Now, birds like these she could handle. Just as long as she stayed away from the lions.

She suppressed a shudder.

Finally, they arrived at the office, a smallish one-story building tucked behind the ticket booth where they’d stashed her luggage when she arrived by taxi from the airport. Jason politely held open the door as she entered.

Kelli blinked in the cool interior to clear her sun-dazzled eyes. Four office desks were crowded into this room, three of them occupied. As Jason led them toward a door in the back wall, one of the girls, a blonde who Kelli vaguely recognized from the memorial service, stood and stepped in front of her.

“Hi, I’m Angela. I just want to tell you how sorry we all are.”

Kelli shook her hand. “Thank you.”

“If there’s anything we can do,” the girl’s gesture included the others in the room, “don’t hesitate to ask.”

What that would be, Kelli couldn’t imagine, but she nodded. “I appreciate that.”

The back office was barely big enough for the three of them. A cluttered desk dominated the room, with two hard plastic chairs in front of it. On one corner an engraved nameplate read Lillian Mitchell, Director. The walls were cluttered with unframed pictures of animals held in place with thumbtacks, alongside crayon drawings with notations like, “Thank you for shoing me the munkes,” and beneath a gray drawing that vaguely resembled an elephant, “Elsie is my favrit.” Kelli noticed that someone had brought her luggage in here and piled it in the corner.

Jason set the box containing Lillian’s ashes on top of a crowded bookcase. He started to round the desk toward the padded desk chair, then hesitated. With a gesture for Kelli to take that place, he waited for her to be seated before settling his large frame on a plastic chair.

Why was he being included in this conversation? Had Lillian named him in her will? Probably, because he said she’d been like a mother to him. Kelli kept a smile fixed on her lips in spite of the bitter taste on the back of her tongue. She felt entirely out of her element here, like she didn’t belong.

Which, of course, I don’t.

Mr. Lewis set his briefcase on top of a pile of papers on the surface of the desk and clicked open the latches. “As you probably know, your mother made plans to settle her estate six months ago, shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer.”

Kelli swallowed, her throat dry. The truth was, she didn’t know Lillian was ill until three days ago, when the hospital called to inform her that her mother had died. Six months? She’d found out she had cancer last January, then.

Why didn’t she tell me?

“No, I wasn’t aware of that.”

Jason’s head jerked up, his eyes narrowing into a speculative stare. Heat flared into Kelli’s face. What reason did he have to look at her with that judgmental expression? Who was this guy, anyway? Whoever he was, she didn’t like him. No matter how handsome he was, he had no right to look at her like she had done something wrong. It wasn’t her fault Lillian had chosen to keep her illness from her daughter. Kelli refused to return his gaze, but looked pointedly at Mr. Lewis.

The attorney cleared his throat and extracted a document from the case. “I’ve known Lil for more than ten years, since I was first invited to serve on the zoo’s board of directors. I’d never handled any personal business for her until she asked me to set up her trust, in which—”

“A trust?” Kelli couldn’t filter the surprise out of her voice.

“Yes. Are you familiar with the purposes of a trust?”

She nodded. “I’m an accountant, so I’m quite familiar with them. A person transfers all assets into the trust to avoid probate when he or she dies. But it’s usually only necessary if the assets exceed $500,000, or if there are minor children to be cared for.” Surely Lillian’s estate didn’t come close to that amount. And at twenty-six years old, Kelli could hardly be considered a minor.

“Usually. In this case, Lillian chose a testamentary trust so she could specify certain—” he appeared to search for a word “—conditions related to the disbursement of her estate.”

She couldn’t stop herself from glancing at Jason. The guy watched her with an intensely speculative gaze that unnerved her. She looked quickly away.

Lillian, what have you done?

With iron control, Kelli managed to keep her tone even. “Go on, please.”

Mr. Lewis handed her the thick stack of papers, held together with a large paper clip. “With the exception of a few minor bequeaths, your mother named you and Cougar Bay Zoological Park as equal beneficiaries in the trust. The zoo’s half is to be paid out immediately after her affairs have been settled, and the liquid assets will go into the fund for the new African Lion Habitat. Yours will be distributed after six months, provided the conditions of the trust are met.”

A lion habitat. Terrific. Of all the things Lillian could have done with her money, that was the one sure to cause the most agony for her only daughter. No wonder she chose not to mention it to Kelli.

She sat taller in the chair, her spine rigid. She would not react to this, not in front of strangers. Especially not in front of Jason, who sat there purposefully trying to unnerve her with his silence and his narrow-eyed stare. “And what are the conditions of the trust?”

“That you accept employment as a keeper at Cougar Bay Zoological Park for a period of six months. At the end of that time your work will be evaluated by your supervisor, the new zoo director, and if all is satisfactory, you’ll receive your half of the assets in the trust.”

A blast of laughter escaped Kelli’s mouth before she could stop it. “Me, work in a zoo? That’s ridiculous.” She leaned forward across the desk. “I don’t like animals. My mother knew that.”

Mr. Lewis had the grace to look embarrassed. He handed her a sealed envelope. “Perhaps she explained her reasons here. I was instructed to give this to you after she passed.”

Kelli took the envelope and noted her name scrawled across the front in Lillian’s handwriting. She tossed it and the trust document on the desk. There was no explanation that could possibly explain this—this outrageous condition.

“I won’t do it,” she said.

Mr. Lewis cleared his throat again. “Before you say that, you might want to know the value of Lil’s estate.”

Kelli’s head shot up. “I don’t care how much it is. There isn’t possibly enough money in that trust to make me work in a zoo.” Besides, surely Kelli would have known if Lillian was wealthy, regardless of their distant relationship.

Curiosity flickered briefly across the attorney’s face, but in the next instant he was all business. “She maintained a large life insurance policy, and she carried mortgage insurance on her home, which has risen rather dramatically in value in the fifteen years since she bought it. Plus she owned twenty-five acres adjoining the zoo on the south side.” Mr. Lewis’s voice became soft, almost apologetic. “Between those and her IRAs, the value of the trust is just over $1.4 million.”

The silence in the office grew heavy. The only sound was cool air blowing through a vent in the ceiling with an audible whisper. Kelli leaned slowly against the chair back. Half of $1.4 million was—she gulped—$700,000. Of course she would never wish to profit from her mother’s death, but with that kind of money, she could open her own accounting firm, like she’d always wanted. And she could hire someone to help care for Nana, who was growing frighteningly frail as her eighty-second birthday approached. They wouldn’t have to face the looming specter of a nursing home.

But could Kelli handle working in a zoo for six months, even for Nana?

She stole a glance at Jason. He sat unnaturally still, his muscular shoulders rigid, tense. Those green-brown eyes watched her closely. A horrible suspicion stole over her.

Her gaze slid back to Mr. Lewis. “You said the zoo director would evaluate my performance at the end of six months. Has the zoo named a replacement for my mother?”

“Not yet, but the board will confirm the appointment within a few days. That was a condition of the zoo receiving its half of the estate.” Mr. Lewis glanced at the younger man seated beside him. “The new zoo director will be Jason Andover.”

Chapter Three

Beneath the cover of the desk, Kelli’s nails dug into the fleshy part of her palms. The sharp pain helped her maintain a composed expression. At least, she hoped so. She could not force herself to look at Jason.

How had he managed to convince Lillian to agree to this ridiculous condition? No doubt he’d charmed her with his good looks and that oh-so-subtle southern accent. In her job at the accounting firm, Kelli had seen several older women fall victim to an attractive younger man with dishonorable intentions. She’d never thought of Lillian being susceptible in that way, though. Which proved once again how little Kelli had known her own mother.

I should have been here for her. Then she wouldn’t have gone looking for a replacement for her affections.

Both men were waiting for her to say something, but her whirling thoughts made an intelligent reply impossible. She needed to get away to think, to pray.

Mr. Lewis rescued them from the awkward silence.

“I expect you’ll want to read through the trust document before you make your decision. Lil did include a provision for you in case you decided not to accept her conditions.” He extracted another envelope from his briefcase and handed it to Jason. “She also asked me to deliver this.”

Jason hesitated, then took the letter almost reluctantly. He folded the envelope and shoved it into his breast pocket. She narrowed her eyes. What had been her mother’s parting words to this—this gold-digger?

On second thought, she didn’t want to know.

She pushed the chair back from the desk and addressed Mr. Lewis. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to see the house now. Do I need to call a taxi, or can you run me over?”

“You don’t need a taxi.” He closed the case and snapped the clasps shut. “Lil’s house is here, at the back of the zoo.”

Kelli’s jaw went slack. “She lived at the zoo?”

Jason answered. “Not at the zoo. Her house is just beyond the rear wall. I’ll take you.”

Terrific. She’d rather not spend any more time in his company than necessary, but Mr. Lewis wasn’t jumping in with an offer.

“Thank you.” At least her voice sounded cordial, even though she still couldn’t bring herself to look at the man.

He rose and came around the desk to slide open the center drawer. Kelli rolled the chair as far back as the limited space allowed, but she was still close enough that his thigh brushed her arm. She jerked away, her skin tingling, and tried to ignore the masculine scent that clung to him. No hint of cologne, just the clean smell of soap, or maybe shampoo.

From the drawer he retrieved a set of keys, which he handed to her. “House and car. She told me there’s an extra set of each in her home office.”

She took them without a word and gathered the trust document and letter Mr. Lewis had given her.

The attorney stood when she did, and extended a business card. “If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call.”

Several pressed on her mind and she hadn’t even read the documents yet. But he probably couldn’t tell her why her mother did this bizarre thing. Hopefully, the letter would give a satisfactory answer. She slipped the card beneath the paperclip, then retrieved her laptop case from the corner and put the papers inside. When she started to pick up her suitcase, Jason leaned forward to grab it, along with the polished box containing her mother’s remains.

“Let me get that for you. It’s a bit of a hike to the back.”

The case had wheels, but rather than argue she inclined her head. “Thank you.” He was polite, she’d give him that.

Shouldering her laptop case, she preceded the men through the door. Everyone but Angela had left the office, and the blonde sat behind her desk, a phone pressed to her ear. She smiled and gave Kelli a silent wave.

The Florida heat slapped at her the moment she stepped outside, the humid air heavy in her lungs. Mr. Lewis shook her hand and mumbled, “I’m sorry for your loss,” before disappearing in the direction of the front gate. She watched him go through the turnstile exit as a pair of young mothers, each with a stroller and a toddler clutched by the hand, entered.

Reluctantly, she turned toward her guide.

“Lil’s house is this way.” Jason nodded down the path they’d taken earlier from the amphitheater.

Kelli fell in beside him. At least he didn’t try to talk with her as they walked. Nor did he roll her suitcase, but carried it easily by the handle, although she knew how heavy it was. The muscles in his arm looked firm, not at all strained by the effort. Lillian’s ashes were tucked snugly in the crook of his other arm. She couldn’t help glancing at his profile. Under close inspection, it was hard to picture him as one of those ruthless men who preyed on lonely women. He was definitely handsome enough, but she’d always figured men like that were smooth, polished. Maybe even a little greasy. Jason’s wholesome good looks didn’t fall into that category.

You can’t judge a book by its cover, Nana always said. Cliché, but true, and worth keeping in mind.

Thursday seemed to be a popular day at the zoo for moms with preschoolers. Small children flocked around every animal exhibit they passed, their watchful mothers hovering nearby. That was something she’d never enjoyed, though Nana had more than made up for her mother’s lack of attention. Kelli dodged a pair of giggling girls who raced down the path toward a colorful peacock strutting around a grassy alcove. She caught an indulgent smile on Jason’s face as the bird leaped gracefully to the top of a thick hedge, neatly avoiding his would-be admirers.

He led her around a concrete building with a sign proclaiming it to be the Small Animal House, then beside an open fenced area containing a pair of kangaroos. As they passed, one of the creatures hopped across a strip of dusty ground toward a second kangaroo snoozing on a shady patch of grass.

Their path ended at a tall wooden fence with narrow, painted slats displaying the sign, Employees Only. Jason unlocked a padlock, then gestured for her to go through. Kelli stepped into a sort of alley that ran the entire length of the zoo. On the zoo side, the fence was wooden with barbed wire at the top. Six feet inside that stood a chain-link barrier, also topped with an intimidating mass of barbed wire. A single-lane paved road ran between it and a normal-looking privacy fence, this one apparently marking the outside boundary of the zoo’s property. The surface was unbroken but for a single gate.

It was to this gate Jason led her. On the other side, she stepped into a small, enclosed yard with a steep slant. A neglected-looking orange tree in one corner provided the only shade. Dry, patchy grass was strewn with weeds and needed trimming. The house, perched at the top of the hill that comprised the yard, appeared to be in decent shape, at least from the outside. She followed Jason up the slope and into a screened-in patio with a white plastic table and a single chair that both looked as though they could use a good cleaning. Using his own keys he unlocked the back door and swung it open for her.

Kelli couldn’t maintain her silence any longer. “You have a key to my mother’s house?” Her voice rang with disapproval.

His eyelids narrowed, and he met her gaze without flinching. “I’ve been feeding her cat since she went to the hospital.”

“Oh.” Kelli dropped her head and slipped past him into the house. Lillian had a cat? She’d never mentioned it. Another thing her only daughter should have known.

The room in which she found herself was sparsely furnished, and immaculately clean. A squarish sofa rested against the back wall to the right of the front door and beneath a wide picture window with thick tan curtains. Beside it, a wing chair sat at a ninety-degree angle facing a small television set on top of a spindly cart that looked like it should hold a microwave oven instead. A curved laminate countertop separated the living room from a compact but fully appointed kitchen, and that was where Jason set the box.

He strode past her and placed her suitcase beside a doorway to the right. “This is the bedroom, and over there—” he pointed to a short hallway at the other end of the great room “—is her office. I’ve only glanced in, but I’m afraid you might have a mess to deal with. It looks about like her zoo office.”

Kelli’s gaze took in the room in which they stood. “This room is so clean.”

“I don’t think she spent much time in here.” An indulgent grin twisted his lips. “She was kind of a workaholic.”

He didn’t think. Did that mean he didn’t know, because he didn’t spend any time here either? The hint of a dimple in his chin became more noticeable when his smile cocked sideways. Looking at it, Kelli found herself hoping she was wrong about him. Maybe he was nothing more than what he appeared, a nice guy who shared Lillian’s love of zoo animals.

But what about that trust? How did he manage to get Lillian to name him as her successor at the zoo, and my boss?

A large yellow cat appeared from the bedroom behind him. It arched its back as it rubbed against Jason’s leg, meowing loudly. The sound cut off abruptly when the animal noticed Kelli. In an instant, it shot back into the bedroom.

Jason’s smile became apologetic. “Leo’s a little shy around strangers, but he’ll get used to you.” He paused and looked away. “That is, if you’re here long enough.”

He’s hoping I’ll leave. Kelli tightened her lips at the realization. If I walk out, what happens to my share of the trust? Does he get it, maybe?

The question that had hovered in her mind since Mr. Lewis told her the condition of the trust shot out of her mouth before she could reconsider asking. “Tell me something. Exactly what was your relationship with my mother?”

“My rela—” Confusion slowly drained from his face as he picked up the meaning behind her question. A flush colored the already-tanned cheeks. “She was my boss. And I like to think she counted me as a friend, too. She didn’t have many friends.” His eyes narrowed. “Or family, either, apparently.”

A jab at her. Okay, she probably deserved that. And it was certainly true. She hadn’t been a model daughter. She closed her eyes and rubbed them with a thumb and forefinger. It galled her to realize Jason knew more about her mother than she did. But that didn’t mean she had to be rude.

“I’m sorry. I’m not thinking very clearly right now.” She opened her eyes and forced a quick smile. “Today has been a shock, to say the least.”

His expression remained guarded as he stared at her. Then he nodded slowly. “I’m sure it has. I’ll leave you alone.” He pulled the key ring out of his pocket. When he had twisted off a key, he placed it on the empty countertop. “Now you have all the house keys.”

A glimmer of light caught his eyes and warmed his gaze. Kelli found herself wanting to return his smile.

Instead, she looked down at the beige carpet between them. “Thank you.”

“If you need anything, call the zoo office and ask for me. The number’s in the phone book.”

He hesitated as though he wanted to add something, but then changed his mind and left. Kelli crossed to the back door and lifted one of the mini blinds’ slats to watch as he strode across the weedy yard. When he’d disappeared through the back fence, she turned and leaned against the door. The room was sterile, eerily so.

She looked at the box. Its presence seemed to dominate the silent house. Here she was, alone at last with her mother.

“Lillian, why did you do this? Are you trying to punish me?”

Her questions fell flat. The polished wood swam in Kelli’s vision when the first tears since that terrible phone call three days ago filled her eyes. Impatiently, she brushed them away, much like she’d seen Jason do during the service. With a loud sigh, uttered more for its noise value than anything else, she lifted her laptop case to the counter and opened the front flap, where she’d placed her copy of the trust and her mother’s letter. Maybe she’d find some answers there.

Jason let himself through the gate and paused on the other side, his breath whooshing out as his lungs deflated. That girl was more like Lil than he’d originally thought. The direct way she had of fixing those gray eyes on him, of thrusting out her chin like she was ready to take on anyone who stood in her way. Just like Lil used to do when they were working on a problem with one of the animals. Only he’d caught a couple of emotions flickering across Kelli’s face that he’d never seen Lil display. Right before he left, for instance, she’d looked so tired, even a little vulnerable. Small. Lil was always larger than life, in control—of her emotions and of any situation that arose.

“Oh, Lil, we’re sure going to miss you around here.”

He crossed the trail to lean on the top rail of the fence surrounding Cali and Halil’s yard, and watched the kangaroos snooze in the shade. They’d been at Cougar Bay for a couple of years, compliments of a failed private zoo up in Kentucky. Lil had been ruthless in her determination to acquire them, their first large marsupials. They’d quickly become a favorite among zoo guests.

What had happened between Lil and her daughter? Jason’s conversations with his boss in the past few weeks had been frustratingly unenlightening. He hadn’t known what to expect from Kelli, but in some part of his mind he thought she’d be Lil’s total opposite. Flighty, maybe. Or perhaps openly rebellious, with purple hair or pierced eyebrows or something. What else besides rebellion could drive such a wedge between a mother and daughter? He certainly hadn’t expected an intelligent, beautiful woman with pain lurking in her eyes.

But he probably should have. Lil’s words, uttered in a raspy, shallow voice in her hospital bed the day before she died, rang in his memory.

“She won’t be happy about this, Jason. With good reason. It’s going to be painful, and she’ll probably hate you.” She’d paused to catch her breath. “Don’t go easy on her, though. Everybody needs to face their fears. And if she fails…” Lil’s voice had trailed off.

Jason heaved a sigh. He was getting accustomed to being hated by beautiful women. But after meeting Kelli Jackson, he found himself waging a private battle. On the one hand, his loyalty was to the animals of Cougar Bay Zoological Park, who depended on him for their very existence. That’s why Lil had trusted him to replace her as zoo director.

On the other hand, he’d only met her daughter an hour before, but he knew one thing: he didn’t want to see Kelli fail.

Chapter Four

The wing chair faced the tiny television set, and from the slightly worn appearance of the armrests, Kelli assumed that was Lillian’s habitual seat. She settled on the cushion on the opposite end of the sofa and slid off her shoes before tucking her feet beneath her. Her name, scrawled in Lillian’s untidy handwriting, drew her attention to the letter. She freed it from the paperclip and stared at it for a long moment. Lillian had rarely written to her over the years, and when she did, it was always a quick note inside a card on her birthday or at Christmas. Or brief, cryptic e-mails. Kelli couldn’t remember receiving an actual letter since she went to live with Nana when she was eight. She set the envelope on the cushion beside her. Easier to start with the trust document and its impersonal legalese.

Her gaze slid over the standard wording. The grantor is desirous of creating a trust for the purposes and upon the terms and provisions hereinafter set forth. Blah, blah, blah. The next section named the successor trustee as Jason R. Andover, and outlined the powers granted to him in carrying out Lillian’s wishes. Kelli set her teeth together. She’d assumed the trustee would be Mr. Lewis, her mother’s lawyer, or even the bank. That would have been standard. To name a complete stranger as a trustee was highly unusual.

Of course, he’s only a stranger to me. What was Jason to you, Lillian?

His handsome face swam before her mind’s eye, an angry flush staining his tanned cheeks at her pointed question about his relationship with her mother. Nothing inappropriate, Kelli now felt reasonably sure. He’d said Lillian was like a mother to him, and she found herself bristling again at the thought. Her mother had shared a relationship with someone else that she’d withheld from her own daughter. That stung. But it wasn’t Jason’s doing. The fault lay with Lillian.

Was Jason named as a beneficiary as well as trustee? Kelli flipped a page and found the section naming the beneficiaries. No, the only two listed were Cougar Bay Zoological Park and Kelli Ann Jackson. Interesting.

A few paragraphs later, she found the section outlining the distribution of the assets. Lillian’s car and the contents of the house were left unconditionally to Kelli.

She looked up and let her gaze sweep the sterile room. Bare furnishings, no knickknacks, no pictures on the wall. Lillian wasn’t into possessions, apparently.

The document went on to outline the conditions Mr. Lewis had described. If Kelli accepted an animal care position at the zoo and remained for six months, and if her performance was deemed acceptable at the sole discretion of the zoo director, she would receive fifty percent of the estate’s value.

She shifted on the scratchy sofa and scowled at the document. It specified that the position had to be “an animal care position,” which meant she couldn’t go to work in the office where she’d be far more comfortable. But even worse was the phrase at the sole discretion of the zoo director.

“So, in other words, I could work here for six miserable months, and if Lillian’s substitute son doesn’t like me, I’ll walk away with nothing.”

The harshness of her voice rang in the empty house. Her own fierce tone startled her, but not as much as the thought that caused it. Lillian assumed she could be bought, that she’d do the thing she abhorred just for the money. An angry flush warmed her neck.

The next item outlined the provision Mr. Lewis mentioned. If she chose not to accept a position at the zoo, she would receive a cash disbursement of $25,000, and the balance would be forfeited to the zoo.

“So, you didn’t leave me penniless. You gave me an out.” Kelli’s bitter whisper sounded flat in the silent room. Did her mother think that made the rest of this ridiculous document okay? Was that provision supposed to appease Lillian’s conscience for the turmoil she knew she would cause her daughter?

The zoo had conditions to meet as well. The adjoining property must be used for expansion of the existing facilities, and must include an African Habitat to house species native to the African continent. The expansion must include a suitable habitat for lions, funded by the estate’s liquid assets. Kelli flinched. Lions again. Jason R. Andover must be named as zoo director with an employment contract of one year.

Kelli’s lips curved into a grudging smile. She had to admit, Lillian seemed to have thought of everything. Without a time commitment, the zoo could have fired Jason the day after the money was disbursed. A year gave him a chance to prove himself in the position. Then her smile faded. Was that Lillian’s idea or Jason’s? Just how much input had the handsome new zoo director had into the conditions of this trust?

A soft thud from the other room drew her attention. She stiffened on the sofa. Was someone else in the house? She forced herself to relax. No reason to get jumpy. It was probably the cat. She set the document on the cushion and rose, making her way slowly in bare feet across the carpet.

At the end of a short hallway stood another sterile room, a bathroom without so much as a hand towel to give it a personal touch. Correction. Tucked between the toilet and the vanity, Kelli spied a litter box. She wrinkled her nose. How like Lillian, to give the cat his own bathroom.

The office door stood open to her right, and a glimpse inside bore testimony to Jason’s warning. Piles of paper littered the desk and the top of a two-drawer filing cabinet. A wall clock ticked loudly, and Kelli realized she’d been hearing the sound echo in the silent house since she arrived. But nothing stirred in the office. Kelli turned her back on it. There would be time to dig into that soon enough.

She crept toward the room on the opposite side of the bathroom. The place was almost empty. In the far corner stood one of those cat exercise thingies, nearly four feet tall with carpet-covered posts and a couple of platforms. Scattered across the floor were a variety of toys—hot-pink mice and a brightly colored stuffed bird. Apparently, the cat had his own bedroom as well. The orange feline himself—Leo, Jason had called him—was currently amusing himself by batting a rubber ball around the carpet. As Kelli watched, it bounced off the baseboard and created the soft thud she’d heard. Leo leaped after it and pounced, sending it flying in the opposite direction.

Then the cat caught sight of her in the doorway. In a flash, he shot through a crack in the closet’s sliding doors and disappeared from sight.

“Fine,” Kelli told the cat. “Stay in there, then. Doesn’t bother me at all.”

Instead of returning to the couch, she crossed the living room. Her suitcase stood where Jason had left it. She stepped past it, into her mother’s bedroom.

Thankfully, this room wasn’t nearly as messy as the office. Nor was it as antiseptic as the living room. At least there were pictures on the wall, all of them animal shots. Furnishings were sparse and serviceable: a double bed, a dresser, a nightstand. A thin layer of dust covered everything. Kelli knew from the hospital representative who’d called her three days ago that Lillian had been in the hospital for two weeks prior to her death.

And she didn’t want them to call me. Didn’t even name a next of kin until the end.

Across the room, the door to the bathroom stood open. Kelli started toward it, but a picture on the wall beside her head snagged her gaze. A close-up of a shaggy, golden lion, its mouth opened wide. The camera had captured a perfect shot of the vicious, powerful teeth.

A shudder rippled through Kelli, along with a powerful memory that was still too vivid, even after eighteen years. What was the matter with that woman? How could she sleep in the same room with a picture like this after what happened?

Revulsion twisted in her stomach. Wasn’t it enough that a lion had destroyed their family? A lion had been the reason Kelli grew up living with Nana instead of in a normal family with a mother and—she closed her eyes—a father. Kelli snatched the picture and set it on the floor, facing the wall. That creature would have to go elsewhere if she was to sleep in here for even one night. She looked around the room. The majority of the pictures seemed to be of lions, a fact that repulsed her and pricked her curiosity at the same time. What could possibly explain Lillian’s bizarre fascination with lions? It was sick.

Kelli shook her head. Before bedtime she’d take down all these animal pictures and stash them somewhere. Maybe Leo would like some company in his closet.

Back on the living-room sofa, she picked up the envelope and stared at it. The familiar ache, buried deep in her heart long ago, began to throb. Was this letter Lillian’s attempt to explain the actions that had such a devastating effect on her eight-year-old daughter? An attempt to heal the old wounds?

Kelli carefully opened the envelope, aware that her mother had sealed it with her own mouth. A final kiss goodbye.

Dear Kelli,

By now you’ve learned about the trust. You probably think I’m being mean to you. Maybe I am, but not without a good reason.

Your father and I both gave our lives to the preservation of zoo animals. I promise you, the strength of my dedication is no less than his. Will you give us a mere six months to see if you can get a glimpse of our passion? If I could have convinced you to do it while I was alive, I would have. I just didn’t know how. This trust is my way of asking you to share my life.

Only God knows the damage I’ve done to you. I hope He forgives me. I don’t expect you to. Ask somebody to tell you about Cocoa. Maybe you’ll understand.

I do love you, Kelli, more than I was ever able to express.

It was signed in her hurried script, Lillian Mitchell. Beneath her signature she had written, Your Mother. As if Kelli needed the reminder of who she was.

She read the last line again. Tears stung her eyes. Love? Nana loved Kelli and proved it by being there every day as she grew up, by taking care of her, by coming to her band concerts and taking her to Sunday school. Lillian didn’t know what love was. She wanted Kelli to share her life?

“It’s a little too late for that, isn’t it?” Her shout, aimed at the letter, squeaked at the end as her throat squeezed shut. “My childhood is over, and so is your life.”

She tossed away the letter. Tears blurred her vision as she watched it flutter to the floor. Once again, Lillian had proved what Kelli had long known: Her precious zoo animals were more important than her own daughter.

“It’s all about you, isn’t it, Lillian?” She kept her voice low, her whisper masking the sobs that threatened. “Your dedication. Your passion. It’s always been about you.”

Her gaze fell on the trust document, Lillian’s attempt to manipulate her, to bribe her. Well, Kelli wouldn’t play along with it. She refused to sell her soul for money.

An image of Nana rose in her mind. Frail Nana, who moved slower these days. Who sometimes forgot to turn off the gas oven until the next morning. There would come a time, and it might be soon, when Nana couldn’t continue to live alone. Lillian’s money would ensure that she didn’t have to.

“That’s okay.” Kelli lifted her chin, her decision made. “We’ll manage without it.”

She got off the sofa and went to retrieve her cell phone from her purse. Nana would be wondering what was happening, and when Kelli would be returning to Denver.

The zoo was crowded today. Jason passed a string of children in identical yellow T-shirts crowding around the red panda enclosure, and nodded a pleasant greeting at the pair of young women who stood watching them. He’d heard someone from Guest Services say they had a couple of summer camp groups scheduled today. Until a couple of months ago, he would have been assigned the task of introducing them to Samson and the other cats. But that was before Lil got sick enough to hand off some of her duties to him. Now Michael was the zookeeper primarily in charge of big cats.

But Samson had earned a special place in Jason’s heart a long time ago. No matter how busy his day, Jason always found time to pay a visit to the lion. That’s where he headed now, with Lil’s letter folded in his pocket.

Samson dozed on the shaded concrete platform in the corner of his enclosure, as he usually did during the heat of the day. Jason stood at the external barrier near a mother and her two boys, whose fingers were locked in the chain link. He studied the magnificent beast’s golden fur, his shaggy main. As Jason watched, the conspicuous dark tuft at the end of his long tail flicked upward, then collapsed again to its limp position. Besides that, Samson didn’t move at all.

“C’mon,” one boy said to his brother, his tone heavy with disgust. “Let’s go look at the monkeys. At least they jump around.”

Jason hid a smile as the trio strolled away. Samson considered himself too regal to perform for a crowd. He was, after all, the king of beasts, even if he was without a pride over which to rule at the moment.

The nearby bench, tucked into a welcome patch of shade, was empty. Jason fought off a stab of guilt and seated himself. A pile of work lay on Lil’s desk—his desk, unofficially—but that could wait for a few minutes. Here, in front of the animal Lillian had loved so much, was the ideal place to read her letter.

He ripped open the envelope and extracted the single page covered in his late boss’s familiar handwriting.

Jason,

I’ve never been good at telling people how I feel. I’m much better at telling them what to do.

Jason smiled. That was true.

I’m not going to get all gushy, because that will just embarrass you. (I guess I’m beyond being embarrassed now, aren’t I?) But I do think you’re a fine man, and the best person to become zoo director after me. I trust you to carry on the work I’ve started. You’ll get no higher praise from me than that.

I hope you and Kelli get along. I warn you, she’s going to have a hard time with this. I won’t ask you to go easy on her, but try not to make it any harder than it has to be. She carries a lot of pain. Maybe she’ll open up to you one day and tell you about it.

Get Samson out of that cage, Jason. Don’t let them take him.

Lillian Mitchell

Jason looked up from the letter, his gaze drawn to Samson’s enclosure. Lil’s use of the disparaging word cage spoke volumes. Samson’s home was pathetically small for such a glorious animal. True, it met the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ minimum requirements, barely. But Samson deserved so much more. On that, Lil and Jason had been in complete agreement. Samson was a perfect specimen, healthy and virile, and easily met the AZA’s strict breeding qualifications. But without a proper habitat, the AZA would never allow them a female lion, would never approve Cougar Bay’s application to initiate a lion breeding program. In fact, because all zoo animals technically belong to AZA, it was within that organization’s power to move Samson to another facility, one with a habitat more suitable for breeding. And Lil had been sure they would do it. Her determination not to let that happen had flickered like gray flame in her eyes whenever the subject came up.

Had she taken that determination too far? Kelli’s image rose in his mind.

“Maybe she’ll open up to you one day and tell you about it.”

Jason slowly shook his head. “You sound pretty sure she’ll accept your conditions, Lil.” He wasn’t convinced. He’d glimpsed a touch of obstinacy in the set of that lovely chin, much the same as he’d seen her mother display. Kelli Jackson wasn’t the kind to be pushed into something she didn’t want to do. Surely Lil knew that about her own daughter.

He refolded the letter and slid it back into the envelope. In the days before she died, Lil had made no secret of the fact that she expected him to be ruthless in his execution of her trust. Even though he’d been reeling from the discovery that she had a daughter, he’d tried to talk her out of the crazy scheme.

“Lil, why don’t you just leave the poor kid her half and be done with it?”

The wasted woman in the hospital bed had been a mere shadow of the boss he’d known for years. But she’d leveled a stubborn look on him and rasped with some of her precious remaining breath, “For her own good. Everybody has to face their fears.”

“But why me? Surely there’s someone else who could do a better job, as trustee and as director.”

The soft pat on his hand held so little strength it felt like a breeze. “You’ll take care of Samson. Nobody else will.”

Jason thrust away the memory and abruptly rose from the bench. He crossed to the chain-link barrier and stared into the lion enclosure. But instead of Samson, he saw a beautiful dark-haired young woman with pain lurking in the gray depths of her eyes. A young woman who would probably end up hating him, according to Lil, although she wouldn’t explain why.

Well, seemed he had a knack for rubbing beautiful women the wrong way. Aimee couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him.

“This is your fault,” he told the lion. “I don’t know what fear Kelli has to face, but Lil was right about one thing. She already blames me.”

Samson snoozed on, oblivious. Jason put the letter back in his pocket. He was used to taking the blame where women were concerned. If he had to be the bad guy with Lil’s daughter, he’d do it. Especially if it meant Samson would get a new home, as Lil and he both wanted.

Chapter Five

Despite Kelli’s fears, the office wasn’t in complete disorder. The top drawer of the filing cabinet held a series of neatly labeled folders containing various zoo records. Those, she would box up and turn over to Jason. But the rest were her responsibility to sort through.

The bottom of the file cabinet and all the desk drawers had served as a catchall into which Lillian had apparently tossed her personal documents: bills, bank statements, even junk mail. Kelli frowned at the piles, her accountant mind trying to perceive her mother’s system. After a few minutes, she gave up.

“I must have inherited my organization skills from Daddy,” she muttered.

A movement in the doorway drew her attention, and she looked up into Leo’s golden gaze. The sound of her voice must have attracted his curiosity. After barely a second of eye contact, the animal dashed away, in the direction of his closet. Kelli chuckled and returned to her task.

“What a mess.” Tsking in disapproval, she cleared the surface of the desk, then began the tedious process of sorting the clutter into a semblance of order. Time to find out if Lillian’s finances were as big a mess as her office.

A couple of hours later, Kelli started to breathe a little easier. Her mother had left surprisingly few outstanding bills. Her medical coverage—the policy was in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet—was comprehensive. There would probably be a few medical bills, but the bulk of the treatment would be covered. And she’d carried mortgage insurance on the house.

“A free and clear title. How nice for the zoo.” She didn’t bother to filter the sarcasm out of her voice. The cat didn’t care, and there was no one else to hear.

Her mother had carried several credit cards, and Kelli felt a grudging respect as she inspected the statements. Lillian paid the balances off every month.

The ringing of a telephone in the other room pierced through the empty house. Kelli jumped, startled, then hurried to answer it. She hadn’t even noticed the instrument hanging on the wall near the back door. No answering machine, just an old-fashioned telephone, the kind with a spiral cord.

“Hello?”

“Kelli, this is Jason Andover.” The low voice drawled in her ear. “We just got a call from the hospital where your mother…uh, died.” He sounded apologetic, like he hated to mention the fact. “They still have Lil’s stuff. Her wallet and so on.”

Kelli glanced toward the office. She’d seen the credit card statements, but now that she thought of it, no cards. Lillian must have taken the things to the hospital with her. Kelli had already made a list of companies to call with the numbers of the accounts to be closed out, but the credit cards should be cut up, the blank checks destroyed.

She leaned against the countertop. “Of course. I’ll go pick them up. Can you give me directions to the hospital?”

“Well…” He turned the word into two syllables. “Driving there can be a little tricky. How about if I run you over?”

Kelli straightened to attention. Why would he want to do that? Was he simply making a nice gesture, or did he have another reason?

A thought occurred to her, and she allowed herself a grim smile. He probably wanted to find out if she’d made a decision about staying on for the required six months. He wanted to know whether his precious zoo would inherit the full $1.4 million, or only half that amount.

She allowed a chill to creep into her tone. “I can handle it, if you’ll just tell me where it is.”

A pause. “All right, if that’s what you want. Got a pencil?”

She retrieved her purse and wrote his directions on the back of an ATM receipt. It actually did sound like a complicated drive, especially in an unfamiliar city and in a car she’d never driven. Maybe she’d been a little hasty in turning down his offer.

“When you get off at the exit, turn right and stay on that road for about, oh, five or six miles. You’ll see St. Mark’s on your left.” A moment of silence. “I really don’t mind driving you over.”

Kelli hesitated. “I’d hate to take you away from your work.”

His low laugh sent a delightful and completely unwelcome ripple through her. “Trust me, I’ll be here for a long time tonight. An hour or so away won’t hurt a thing.”

“Well, if you’re sure.” She sank against the counter, relieved. “When do you want to go?”

“It’s almost four. If we leave now, we’ll miss the worst of the rush-hour traffic.”

“Do you want me to come to the office?”

“It’ll be faster if I drive around and pick you up. Give me five minutes.”

Kelli’s hand lingered on the phone after she hung up. No doubt he had an ulterior motive for his good deed, but even so, it was a nice offer.

As she turned away, she spied two bowls tucked in a corner of the kitchen, one empty, one with a quarter inch of water in the bottom. Ah, no wonder Leo had ventured out of his closet earlier. He was probably hungry. What did the creature eat? Knowing Lillian’s affection for all things feline, he probably got fresh salmon or something.

A quick inspection of the cabinets revealed a package of macaroni, three cans of green beans, and half-full bag of dry cat food. Kelli dumped food in the empty bowl and put fresh water in the other one. That gave her just enough time to run a brush through her hair and smooth on some lipstick before Jason arrived to pick her up.

Not that she needed to dress up for her mother’s substitute son. Just that she wanted to look her best in front of the hospital staff.

Jason wracked his brain to come up with a conversation starter during the drive to the hospital. Small talk wasn’t his forte. Especially small talk with attractive women who obviously distrusted him. Kelli situated herself on the far edge of the passenger seat, as far away from him as she could get, and stared with a stony expression through the windshield.

The ability to maintain long periods of silence was another trait she shared with her mother.

“So, you live in Denver?”

Her gaze slid sideways for a moment. She nodded once, then looked forward again.

“What do you do out there?”

After a pause that went on long enough to make him think she wasn’t going to answer, she did. “I’m an accountant in a private firm.”

“That sounds like interesting work.” Actually, it didn’t. He couldn’t imagine anything duller than being stuck behind a desk, staring at numbers all day. “Did you go to school out there?”

“Yes, I went to the University of Denver.”

He executed a turn off the freeway. “I used to work with a guy who studied Animal Technology there. He’s probably close to your age. Maybe you knew him.”

“I doubt it.” Her lips tightened into a hard line. “I make it a point to stay away from people who work with animals.”

Jason fought to keep his expression bland. Had he just been purposefully insulted? Seemed so. This girl was holding a serious grudge against someone. Lillian, probably. What could have happened between them to cause such a rift? And why was she determined to take it out on him?

Kelli turned her head toward him, her eyes softer than a moment before. “I’m sorry. That was rude. I just—” She looked down at the hands she clasped in her lap. “I’ve had almost no contact with animals since I was a little girl. I prefer to keep it that way.”

“Why?” The question shot out before he could stop it. “What happened to make you hate animals?”

Her head tilted sideways, curiosity etched on her face. “Didn’t my mother tell you anything about me?”

“Not a word. In fact—” He faced forward, not able to look her in the face as he admitted, “I didn’t even know you existed until two days before Lil died. None of us at the zoo did.”

“Two days before? Why didn’t you call me, so I could have seen her before the end?” Her question held a note of accusation.

His final argument with Lil was still fresh in his mind. He’d wanted to do just that, but she’d remained adamant. “She made me promise not to. I didn’t even know your name or where you lived.” He paused and then went on in a quieter voice. “I could have contacted Daniel Lewis and had him get in touch with you. But I thought I could convince her. I thought she had more time.”

The silence returned as he covered the last few miles to the hospital. When Jason had parked the car in the main parking lot and turned off the engine, Kelli spoke again.

“It’s not your fault.” A sad smile twitched at the edges of her mouth. “She didn’t want to see me. No surprise there.”

Her shoulders drooped, and a wave of compassion took Jason by surprise. Memories of Dad rushed back to him. How awful to have missed those last few days with him. And yet, those had been the most difficult days of his long illness. At least Lil’s decline had been blessedly shorter, although certainly no less painful.

He cleared his throat. “Maybe she didn’t want you to see her. She didn’t exactly look herself right there at the end.” He didn’t elaborate. No sense describing the shocking change that occurred in the last two weeks of Lil’s life as she succumbed to the disease. Jason wished he could erase the sight from his memory.

“Maybe.” She turned sideways in the seat to watch him through narrowed eyes. “You didn’t know the conditions of her trust?”

“I knew some of them.” He held his gaze steady under her scrutiny, his hands still clutching the steering wheel. “I knew she was planning to offer the zoo an incentive to accept me as her replacement, and about the land and the expansion project. And I knew she’d made some provisions for someone else. I just didn’t know who, until two days before the end.”

“My existence must have been an unpleasant shock, then.”

His spine stiffened with a jerk. What was she accusing him of? “I didn’t assume she’d left me anything personally, if that’s what you’re implying.”

She studied him for a long moment, then gave a brief nod. “Sorry. There’s just so much I don’t understand.” A brittle laugh escaped her lips as she leaned forward to pick up the purse at her feet. “Not that it matters. In a few days I’ll be back in Denver, where I’ll fade into anonymity again.”

“So you’re not going to stay? Not even for six months?”

Her smile became brittle. “Not even for six days. My mother underestimated me.” Her chin rose. “I will not be bought.”

She opened the door and exited the car. Jason stayed in his seat for a long moment to let her decision sink in. The zoo would receive Lil’s entire estate. Once Kelli’s half of the assets were liquidated, Cougar Bay would have enough money in the fund to begin construction on the African Lion Habitat. Samson would have a new home. It was really going to happen.

Then why was he so disappointed?

The moment the elevator doors glided open, a strong antiseptic smell stung Kelli’s nostrils. She stepped onto a sparkling white floor and paused to read the sign on the wall in front of her. Jason didn’t hesitate, but took off down the wide corridor to the right, obviously familiar with the place.

He probably visited Lillian several times in her weeks here.

A bitter taste invaded Kelli’s mouth at the thought. He’d visited, while Kelli herself had been left out at her mother’s request.

He stopped and turned when he noticed she wasn’t beside him. “It’s just down here.”

She nodded and hurried after him, her eyes fixed politely ahead to avoid looking into the rooms she passed. The sound of voices drifted toward her through the open doorways. Halfway down the corridor, they approached a nurse’s station on the right, where a woman in pink scrubs sat in a rolling chair, tapping on a computer keyboard. She looked up. Recognition flashed onto her face when she caught sight of Jason, and she greeted him with a nod. Her gaze slid to Kelli and a smile lit her features. She stood and extended her hand.

“Hello. I’m Terri Wainright. And you’re Ms. Mitchell’s daughter.”

The hand felt warm. “That’s right. Kelli Jackson.”

“It’s nice to meet you. I was your mother’s nurse on the day shift.” The woman’s expression sobered. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you.” Kelli felt like an impostor accepting the sympathy of this woman who’d cared for Lillian during her final days. Surely, that was a daughter’s responsibility. She looked down at the floor.

“I have her things right in here.” Terri crossed to a doorway behind the nurse’s station. In a moment she returned carrying a white plastic bag with handles. “She didn’t have much with her when she arrived.”

Kelli took the bag. She could feel the contents through the sturdy plastic. Clothes and a hard, flat object in the bottom. She set the bag on the counter and opened the handles to peer inside. A green cotton T-shirt and a pair of jeans lay on top. She pushed them aside and pulled out an inexpensive leather wallet.

“She didn’t have a purse?”

Nurse Terri shrugged. “That’s all she brought with her.”

Beside Kelli, Jason leaned an arm on the high counter. “I never saw Lil carry a purse, only that wallet.”

Kelli opened it and inspected the contents. Three credit cards, as she’d expected. A few dollars in cash. An insurance card. And…

She swallowed against a suddenly dry throat. A driver’s license. She slid the card out and studied the small image of her mother. Same straight gray hair. Same eyes. Same lean face. No, not exactly the same. There were more lines in evidence, and her cheeks had thinned to the point of gauntness. She’d lost weight since Kelli saw her last. How many years ago was that? Four. Lillian had flown to Denver for Kelli’s college graduation.

Oh, Lillian. Unexpected tears stung Kelli’s eyes. If only I’d known, I wouldn’t have let so much time pass.

The nurse and Jason were both watching her. Blinking to clear her eyes, Kelli shoved the license back into the wallet and snapped it shut. When she put it back in the bag, her fingers touched a sharp edge buried beneath the clothing.

“What’s this?”

She grasped the object and pulled it out. It was a picture frame, the inexpensive drugstore kind with a cardboard stand on the back to prop it upright. When Kelli turned it over, her heart twisted in her chest. The face that laughed up at her was achingly familiar. A larger version of this same photograph hung in a place of honor on Nana’s living room wall. Daddy.

“There should be another one.” Terri pulled the bag toward her and reached inside to extract a second frame, identical to the first. “There it is.”

Kelli took the picture with numb fingers. She stared, unable to tear her gaze away from the image of herself dressed in a cap and gown, laughing into the camera with her father’s smile. Tucked in the corner was a smaller photo, Kelli’s second-grade school picture. Same smile, only with a hint of sadness in the eyes and a gap where the front teeth had been. Her last school picture before she went to live with Nana.

Terri’s voice was soft. “She kept those with her constantly at the end.”

Jason peered sideways at them. “She wouldn’t show them to me until two days before she died. When she told me about—” He gulped and shot a quick glance at the nurse. “You know.”

“She was hugging them when she passed.” Terri placed a warm hand on Kelli’s arm. “I don’t know what happened between you, but I know she loved you very much.”

The happy images blurred as tears filled her eyes. Was it true? Did the mother she always thought indifferent really love her? Or was it only the looming specter of a solitary death that caused Lillian to regret abandoning her only child?

A tear slid down her cheek, followed quickly by another. Kelli couldn’t bear to put down the pictures long enough to wipe them away, so she let them go.

Oh, Mom! Why didn’t we fix this before it was too late?

Or was it too late? Would this crazy condition of Lillian’s trust help her to finally understand what had gone wrong between them? If she agreed, maybe she would discover, once and for all, if the fault had lain with Lillian or with her.

A tear dropped from her chin onto Daddy’s picture, followed a second later by another. Jason put an arm awkwardly around her shoulders and squeezed. She found his silent embrace oddly comforting and leaned into his warmth.

In the next moment, she stiffened. No! She couldn’t let her guard down around Jason Andover, even for an instant. No matter how nice he seemed, she must remember where this man’s loyalties lay. He was a zookeeper and he would always choose his precious animals over everyone else. Just like her parents.

Well, she’d show him. Even if it killed her, she’d last the whole six months. And then she’d walk away without a backward glance.

She stepped sideways, out of his reach. Still clutching the photographs, she lifted her face to look up at Jason. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m staying.”

Chapter Six

Jason arrived at the zoo at seven o’clock Friday morning, like he always did, and took his customary walk around the grounds to check on the animals. Everything looked normal, nobody injured or sickly. He examined the repair job on the wolves’ fence, satisfied that it seemed to be holding Bob, their resident escape artist, in place. The goats bleated and kicked up a dust storm as they trotted around excitedly. Samson paced the length of his enclosure, eyes fixed on Jason as he passed, as did the cougars. The capuchin monkeys rushed toward his side of their exhibit, calling to him as he strode by.

“Hang on, fellas, food is on the way,” he promised.

The radio on Jason’s belt erupted with sound. Angela, from the office.

“Jason, Raul just called. He sprained his ankle last night. Won’t be in today.”

He stopped on the path, digesting the news. Raul, the fiercely possessive zookeeper who’d been at Cougar Bay longer than anyone else, ruled the Small Animal building like a tyrant. He even came in on his days off to check on “his animals.” The man’s injury must be severe to keep him away from his beloved charges.

Jason conducted a quick mental review of the day’s staffing chart as he unclipped his radio. Each keeper took care of a group of animals from a specific natural habitat. They developed a relationship with each animal in their care, feeding them and cleaning up after them regularly, so they could spot a potential problem before anyone else from changes in the animal’s behavior or eating habits. Of course, Cougar Bay made sure the keepers were cross-trained, so a person could step in to care for other animals during the regular keeper’s absence, a policy Lil had implemented long before Jason joined the team.

The lemurs in the exhibit up ahead saw him stop walking and, alert to the change in the daily routine, raised their voices to a screech as Jason pressed the radio button to answer to Angela.

“When Stephanie gets in, let her know she needs to pick up Small Animals today.”

Radio static and then Angela’s voice. “She’s covering the Canyon and Penguins for Erica today.”

Great. And the other keepers were already stretched thin to cover a couple of vacations and the absence created by Jason’s reassignment to the director position. They were going to be short-handed on a Friday, the busiest day of the week outside of weekends.

Besides that, Jason had planned to team up Kelli on her first day with Stephanie, the most outgoing and friendliest of the keepers on staff, but he couldn’t saddle an already-overworked keeper with a newbie. Especially one with no training and a chip on her shoulder when it came to animals.

Well, he’d just have to take care of the Small Animal building himself. And Kelli would have to hang with him. A memory surfaced, of her pulling away from him at the hospital last night. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking to put his arm around her like that. She’d just looked so sad, so forlorn, with tears running unchecked down her cheeks. Until he offered a simple gesture of comfort. Then she’d stiffened like a Popsicle.

She wouldn’t like working with him today.

“Tough,” he told Casper the cockatoo as he passed. “She’ll have to get used to it.”

Casper fixed Jason with a shiny black eye as he spoke into the radio. “If Kelli Jackson arrives before I get back to the office, tell her I’ll be there shortly. Give her a new hire packet and let her start filling out forms while she waits.”

A short pause met that news. Then, “You mean Lil’s daughter? She’s coming to work here?”

Jason allowed a smile to creep onto his face. The news would make the rounds faster than a cheetah chasing a rabbit. “That’s right. She starts work as an assistant keeper today.”

Angela was silent as she digested the revelation. Then, “There’s a story behind that and I want to hear it.”

Jason shook his head. Of course Angela would itch to hear all about it. And as soon as she knew, everyone else would, too. Nice girl, but chatty. Well, Jason didn’t intend to say a word about the conditions outlined in Lil’s trust. Let Kelli handle that however she wanted.

“Just have her fill out the paperwork and tell her I’ll be there shortly.”

“Will do.”

As he clipped the radio back onto his belt, Jason stopped beside a macaw cage. Bongo, a beautiful blue and gold, continued grooming beneath a wing and ignored him.

“She’ll just be another employee,” he told the bird. “If she thinks she’s going to get special treatment because she’s Lil’s daughter, she’s wrong. She’s going to clean enclosures like everyone else.”

Only, she wasn’t like everyone else. For a second last night when he’d pulled Kelli close to his side, he’d felt something. Like a warm breeze had blown through the cold, empty space inside him. For one moment, he wondered how it would feel to really hold Kelli in his arms.

He swiveled from the cage and strode away quickly, as though he could leave the thought behind with Bongo. He had a lousy track record with women, proven by the fact that Aimee couldn’t stand to be near him. Better to stick with something easier to handle, like porcupines.

Kelli signed her name at the bottom of the I-9 form and clicked the pen shut. There. She was now an official employee of Cougar Bay Zoological Park.

Are you happy, Lillian?

Her mind echoed with her boss’s angry words on the phone last night when she called to request a six-month leave of absence. The only way she’d managed to calm him down was to agree to continue to work part-time for him at night. Actually, she’d been relieved at the arrangement. Stepping away from her life as an accountant was a huge move, a little too final for her comfort. This way she could keep her long-time clients without worrying that whoever Gary hired to take her place would mess things up for the more complicated accounts. And besides, the work would give her something satisfying to do in the evenings. Working in a zoo certainly wouldn’t tax her mental energies.

Jason came into the zoo office as she handed the completed paperwork across the desk to Angela.

“All done?” He nodded toward the packet of papers.

Angela fanned the forms, eyeing each one quickly. “Everything looks good.” She smiled up at Kelli. “Welcome to Cougar Bay. I’ll get your name tag ordered and it’ll be here in a few days. Here’s a couple of the shirts everyone in Animal Care wears. Will a medium work for you?”

Angela picked up two folded tan shirts, identical to the one Jason wore, and extended them across the desk.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

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