A WILD HOPE

Wild animals can’t be tamed—a traumatic lesson Katie Vincent had learned firsthand as a child. So when her estranged father passes away, she has no choice but to sell his beloved zoo to an animal park in Arizona. But when the park’s director, Luke Rittenhouse, reports that the panther she’d hand-raised is dying, he threatens to return all the animals unless she comes and nurses the panther back to health.

Katie has to try to save the big cat, even though she knows she’s doomed to fail. She hasn’t worked with animals in more than a decade…and she has an immobilizing fear of them since the accident. But Luke believes everything deserves a chance—even Katie. And if she can let go of her fear, he might just be the one who rescues her.

He’d expected Katie Vincent to work miracles.

Deep down, he’d been hoping she’d be able to do more for them, based on all Jasper had shared. Maybe he’d been hoping that Katie Vincent was someone like her dad, and would be able to miraculously solve all of the park’s problems.

He could use a miracle.

But he’d been wrong to even let his thoughts go in that direction. And, come to think of it, Jasper had been very careful about what he shared—and even more careful about what he hadn’t shared—when it came to Katie.

But, in his heart, Luke wanted this miracle, this woman. The one who felt such responsibility. The one who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. The one who made him want to scoop her up and convince her all was well with the universe.

But with an animal dying and a park on the brink of disaster, she wasn’t the one he needed. He needed someone who loved and worked with animals, like he did.

Someone who understood about a labor of love.

Dear Reader,

Ideas knock on my door all the time. This time, however, the idea growled at me.

Years ago I was at Wildlife Zoo in Glendale, Arizona. I was near the big cats, and one big cat was actually right over my head. See, they had this netting that allowed the cats to jump up and rest right over where people walked. It seemed the black panther was looking down and saying something to me.

My writer’s imagination took over. Was he saying “This is boring”? Or “I’m hot”? Or even “You people really paid to come see me?” None of those were good enough. Not for this magnificent creature. Finally, I came up with “Where were you? I’ve been waiting for you.” And that’s how Katie’s Rescue was born. I looked at an exotic cat and wondered about his history, who he’d come into contact with, and who he had loved. And of course, in romance, who he had loved is a very important element, wouldn’t you say?

Quite a few people helped me with this novel. First, my critique group, who said, “Pam, this reads like a memoir! Put more romance in.” Then, there were the wonderful keepers at the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium, the Phoenix Zoo and Out of Africa who deserve special thanks. Finally, it was Victoria Curran and Adrienne Macintosh who helped fine-tune it and bring the characters, animals and especially the romance to life.

I hope you enjoy reading Katie’s Rescue as much as I enjoyed writing it. When you’re done, visit a zoo and watch the black panthers. They’re amazing.

Ideas knock on my door all the time. Lately, there’s been a black bear pawing at it. Hmm, I think I’ll open the door wide and let my next idea growl... Er, I mean grow.

Have a great day!

Pamela Tracy

Katie’s Rescue

Pamela Tracy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

PAMELA TRACY

is an award-winning author, who lives with her husband (who claims to be the inspiration for most of her heroes) and son (who claims to be the interference for most of her writing time). She started writing at a very young age (a series of romances, all with David Cassidy as the hero, though sometimes Bobby Sherman would elbow in). Then, while earning a BA in journalism at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, she picked up writing again—this time it was a very bad science-fiction novel.

She went back to her love and was first published in 1999. Since then, Pamela has had more than twenty romance novels in print. She’s a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s CAROL award and has been a RITA® Award finalist. Readers can find her at www.heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.com or www.pamelatracy.com.

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To Sonya Bateman

who richly blesses everyone

who comes in contact with her.

BTW, your mother loves you!

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 ONE

“HE’S GOING TO die unless you do something!”

The “he” in this case was not human, but that didn’t make the situation any easier.

Leaning against the wall in a crowded college hallway, Katie Vincent frowned and wished she’d ignored her cell phone’s ring. But she hadn’t and now could only ask, “How did you get this number?”

“The lawyer.”

Never trust a lawyer, especially not a semiretired one who’d kept her dad as a client because of old times’ sake.

“The panther you sold me,” Luke Rittenhouse practically growled, “isn’t responding to anything I’ve tried. Based on Aquila’s weight loss, he probably won’t last another week unless you do something.”

The man sounded annoyed, worried and bossy all at the same time.

Katie closed her eyes. This wasn’t the first time she’d been asked to make a difference in Aquila’s life. But now Katie was no longer an adolescent girl who thought herself indestructible as well as indispensable.

“Mr. Rittenhouse, I’m at work. It’s the beginning of the semester, and I don’t have any vacation coming. Plus, I have responsibilities with my younger sister. You’re asking the impossible. I don’t work with animals anymore. I can’t help you.”

“You don’t have a choice. I’ve gone over all the paperwork, and according to what you signed, you have to improve his condition or you’re in breach of contract.”

Breach of contract? Unfortunately he might be right. She’d wanted to settle her father’s estate as quickly as possible, so when Luke Rittenhouse had asked her to guarantee her father’s performance animals’ health and abilities, she’d agreed. She’d not hesitated to put it in writing. Bob Vincent, her father, animal trainer extraordinaire with almost three decades of experience, took great care of his animals—better care of his animals than he’d taken of his children.

But improve Aquila’s condition? Katie closed her eyes again and tried to remember exactly where Luke Rittenhouse lived. She was pretty sure it wasn’t Texas.

“Are you still there?”

“I’m still here, but, Mr. Rittenhouse, I can’t do anything for Aquila. I stopped helping my father more than a decade ago. I wouldn’t know what to do. I don’t even keep a pet and—”

“I’m not letting Aquila die. Not if I can help it.”

Katie seriously doubted that Aquila was dying. He was only twelve years old. Panthers, in captivity, usually lived into their early twenties.

“I need you to come to Scorpion Ridge.”

Katie almost dropped the phone. “Are you nuts?” she said, getting the attention of the few students scurrying late to class. “Scorpion Ridge? What kind of place is that?”

“It’s in Arizona.”

“I’m not coming to Arizona. I—”

The man had no trouble finishing her sentences. “—signed a paper guaranteeing all of your father’s animals were in good health.”

“My father’s animals were in excellent condition,” Katie exclaimed. “Not only did my father’s vet, as well as yours, examine each and every animal before the sale, but we hired an independent consultant to attest to their health. No way can you claim—”

“Lady, I’m telling you, nothing we’ve tried has worked. Aquila is dying.”

Katie paused as the memories washed over her. She’d been eleven when Aquila and his brother were born on her father’s property. She’d cried for a straight week after their mother, an always standoffish black panther, rejected her two cubs. So Katie went to work alongside her father, bottle-feeding, seeing both Tyre and Aquila open their eyes for the first time, rubbing their heads, watching the silky gray babies turn black, soothing the cubs after the vet took blood samples, cleaning up after them. Anything her father asked, Katie had done because she loved those cubs, especially Aquila.

Later, her father had said she’d done “too” good a job with Aquila. The cat wasn’t supposed to be a pet; he was supposed to be a performer. But in the end, the truth couldn’t be changed. Aquila loved her, liked her father, but wouldn’t perform for Jasper—her father’s right-hand man.

Tyre, Aquila’s brother, was a typical panther and much like his mother, disdained captivity and prepped to attack. He didn’t care for anybody. When her father started training him, Tyre performed but only because his reward was food.

“Are you still there?” Luke demanded.

“I’m still here. What’s wrong with Aquila?”

“If a cat can be heartsick, I think this cat is. He won’t eat, he barely moves and he won’t perform. We’ve tried just about everything. We’ve fed him live game. We’ve put enough toys in his area to make him feel he’s gone to stalk-pounce-chase heaven. But so far he just lies there. I can’t watch him die.” His voice softened, giving Katie hope. This man wouldn’t give up on Aquila. He’d find a way to help him.

A way that didn’t involve her.

“Mr. Rittenhouse. I can’t come to Scorpion Ridge. Plus, I have a sister to take care of.”

“Isn’t your sister in college?”

So, Mr. Rittenhouse had done some homework.

“Yes,” Katie said, “but in some ways she needs me now more than ever.”

There was a long pause. Finally, he said, “Look, I have sisters, too. But I also have a responsibility to these animals, plus my employer and employees. Right now my number one priority is keeping Aquila alive. And, apparently, I need your help.”

Katie didn’t say anything.

His voice grew firmer. “Aquila was the inspiration for my purchasing your father’s menagerie, and I’m sure you’re aware I paid top dollar.”

Yes, Katie knew to the penny what the man had paid for each animal and for some extras. He’d made a wise investment. George, the brown bear, had appeared in more than one movie. The camel, Kobie, could untie a knot in a rope. Ollie, the orangutan, waved and blew kisses.

Aquila, however, had been the reigning prince of Bob Vincent’s menagerie. He could jump through a ring of fire, dive into a swimming pool and he actually danced to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

Katie hadn’t always agreed with her father’s ideas of what his animals should do, but Aquila’s affinity for dancing was entirely Katie’s doing. Most of Bob’s animals had been good dancers, at least to Katie’s music.

Well, maybe not the snakes.

Luke went on. “If he can’t perform, then I made a bad deal. One I cannot afford to keep. There’s a six-month reversal clause for breach of contract, so I’m going to have my lawyer contact your lawyer...”

Katie opened her mouth but no sound came out, and she sank to the cold, hard, tiled floor. The reversal clause would be for the whole kingdom, not just Aquila. She didn’t have any place to put four large animals. Her father’s house and land had been sold, allowing her to pay his bills and bury him. The money from the animals had allowed her to pay off her debts, get Janie into college and move into a decent apartment.

As for the lawyer, she barely knew him. Plus, from what she remembered of her dad’s lawyer, he’d be on the side of the animals.

Not that she wasn’t, but... Two deep breaths later, she managed to croak out, “Mr. Rittenhouse, are you aware I’ve not been in contact with Aquila for years?”

“Yes, Jasper told me.”

Katie all but collapsed against a wall and tried to ignore the students hurrying down the hall. She could have been one of them, if not for her life experiences and responsibilities.

“Jasper’s with you?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

The man had to be nearing eighty. He’d been like a grandfather to her once, and yet Katie had never looked into how he was doing after her father died. He and Bob had worked together for almost thirty years.

Guilt tapped her on the shoulder again.

“It was Jasper who suggested I call you before I called my lawyer,” Luke said. “He’s sure that Aquila would remember you and pull through.”

Pulling together every ounce of stamina she could manage, Katie said, “Mr. Rittenhouse, wild animals aren’t supposed to pine for people. Besides, I don’t think you realize what you’re asking. Last time I worked with Aquila, I was a kid. I’m a different person now.”

“Yes.”

She didn’t know if he was agreeing with her or encouraging her to go on. No matter, Katie had a feeling the man on the other end of the phone didn’t think much of the different person she’d become.

“Mr. Rittenhouse, the animal kingdom is no longer my world. I have no desire to work with animals again....”

She didn’t mention she also had no desire to sacrifice her job, schooling or endanger herself or her family. She didn’t say any of these things because if he worked with animals, he was a showman, and he accepted the sacrifices and ignored the risks.

“Lady, I don’t have the time or willingness to play games. I’ve gone over the sales agreement for Bob’s Backyard Animal Kingdom, and I’m real comfortable with my rights. You either show up here within twenty-four hours to help with Aquila, or my lawyer will begin proceedings to enforce the reversal clause.”

“Twenty-four hours? I’ve already told you, I have a job. I have a home. I have a little sister to take care of.”

“Just give me two weeks. Bring your sister along if you have to. Help me with Aquila. Then you can go back to whatever you’re doing now. Two weeks. Jasper said you could do it. See you in twenty-four hours.” He hung up.

Katie stared openmouthed at her cell phone until the silence of the hallway caught her attention. Thursday-morning classes had started and students were either cocooned safe inside their rooms or were already in the student union or out in the parking lot. As an interpreter for the deaf, she belonged in statistics class with her student, and no doubt both student and instructor were growing concerned. Her student, all of nineteen and extremely bright, could read lips, but this particular instructor spoke English with a heavy accent. More than once Katie had signed, “One hungry student” when the instructor had really said, “One hundred students.” The instructor also tended to speak louder whenever he looked at the deaf student, which made the class giggle.

Katie didn’t like the man.

Well, this might be her last day in Mr. Hungry Student’s class. Luke Rittenhouse had backed her into a corner. And since she’d already gotten in trouble for breaking the “Thou Shalt Not Let Thy Cell Phone Ring During Class” rule, it looked like the perfect time for a change.

Too bad Katie didn’t want one.

* * *

LUKE HUNG UP the phone and walked to the far wall of his office where a dry-erase board displayed his five-goals-in-five-years plan. Standing in front of it, he reminded himself that people who didn’t take risks were often people who stood still. Bridget’s had stood still for way too long. His job was to change things for the better.

NEW ACQUISITIONS was number five on his list, and the only one with a check mark next to it.

That had been his risk, the one that kept him awake at night worrying.

The purchase was supposed to be a step forward, but it ultimately might be the undoing of the four items above it: EMPLOYEE SALARIES AND BENEFITS, GENERAL OPERATIONS, FACILITIES MAINTENANCE AND CAPITAL RENEWAL. He’d chosen the order of importance. And he’d been the one to act on the dead-last goal first.

He moved to the window and watched as the day-to-day operations of Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure carried on.

At the front of Bridget’s, his friend Adam was painting the grand entrance. It was an ongoing work that might never be finished.

He’d met Adam fifteen years ago in a taekwondo studio. Adam, aged ten at the time, took lessons with his twin brother who’d been born disabled. Luke, then a junior in high school, did his homework while his sister Bridget had a lesson.

Adam quit lessons and soon was asking Luke for help with math. Seemed he’d doodled during every math class and was now behind. They’d been friends ever since.

Five years ago, Luke asked for a favor in return.

Even at twenty-five, Adam was still a kid—a kid without a high school diploma, but a kid who could replicate anything he put his mind to. Luke needed his talent and his perspective to design child-friendly attractions. And now thanks to Adam, the entrance of Bridget’s had cutouts of animals where kids could stick their heads in holes and become the animals. There were places where children looked in a mirror and suddenly their head appeared above a pirate, or a cowboy. Scattered among activities were animal information charts with lots and lots of pictures. And, of course, soon there would be places to buy souvenirs and snacks even before they walked under the giant Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure sign.

His little sister would have loved it.

For her, Luke’s goal was to put Scorpion Ridge on the map and make Bridget’s a success. Sure, it was a little off the beaten path, but with an orangutan that read the newspaper and took afternoon tea, an anaconda that weighed over a hundred pounds and a black panther that danced to Cindi Lauper, the number of people willing to drive a ways and spend money could quadruple.

It just needed to quadruple really soon.

As if sensing his owner’s unhappiness, Tinker chose that moment to jump off the desk, meander over and plop down on Luke’s foot to meow.

“I’m all right,” Luke said, bending down and scooping up the full-grown, long-haired, black-and-white cat that was roughly the same size as his shoe. The zoo vet, Fred, said malnutrition had stunted the cat’s growth. Luke figured the cat truly liked his compact size; the beast could fit anywhere.

Setting the feline back on his desk—there was already enough cat hair on his clothing to stuff a pillow—Luke picked up his cell phone and called his most treasured coworker. Ruth Moore was almost sixty, weighed two hundred pounds, always wore a pair of reading glasses that matched her outfit and for years had run the place.

Before Luke had turned it into Bridget’s, the property had been managed by his uncle Albert, and consisted of nothing more than a roadside petting zoo with a few exotics. And Ruth.

Ruth was straightforward, liked all animals and most people, and Luke couldn’t get along without her. He’d known her all his life, and she’d been the one who’d suggested him for the job of director. She did whatever he asked without question. And, best of all, if he didn’t ask, she figured out something to do.

She knew everyone in the animal world and definitely knew more than he did about Bridget’s. She was his go-to person.

“I’m behind the scenes with my lion,” Ruth yelled over the radio. Nothing Luke said could convince her he could hear her without the yelling. “Terrance the Terrible is yawning on command and getting his teeth brushed. We need to film this.”

Ever since Jasper, Bob Vincent’s right-hand man—and somehow part of the “extras” Luke had purchased—arrived along with the Vincent animals, Ruth had suddenly become idea woman of the month.

“Good thinking,” Luke said, just as he’d said to all her ideas for the past month. Though this idea just might be doable and affordable: Luke’s two favorite words.

After ending his call with Ruth, he checked to see what his head keeper, Meredith, was up to. Then he opened his scheduler. He had two school tours booked; one had reserved the birthday area for their picnic lunch. A good sign this early in the school year. Scorpion Ridge’s nearest neighbor, a college town called Adobe Hills, was 45 minutes away, and Tucson was fifteen minutes past that. So for most, a visit to Bridget’s meant planning in advance.

But Luke needed to entice more visitors, desperately, and to get more visitors, he needed the cats to perform.

So far the cougar did a great job of mutilating giant cardboard boxes. And the bobcat walked across the rope from his shady area to a tree—when he wanted. To Terrance, the lion’s, credit, he snored and made great noises while he slept. The kids loved it.

But Aquila...so far, nothing.

And Aquila could dance if he wanted! Something that would surely draw kids from all over.

Instead, he glared and didn’t move. He was also doing his best to qualify as a spokescat for a weight loss center—a topic the local newspaper didn’t mind putting in print. Aquila had weighed just over a hundred pounds when he’d arrived at AZ Adventures. Now he was more like seventy. Ruth refused to go near the animal; it made her cry. Jasper had tried different kinds of foods, tried different kinds of games and when nothing worked, muttered under his breath. Meredith admitted she was running out of ideas. Katie was their last hope. And maybe Bridget’s, as well. If the private society that funded Bridget’s ever stopped footing most of the park’s bills, it’d go under.

In weeks.

The door to the office opened. Meredith peeked in, looking annoyed. “Katie Vincent just called. She won’t be here tomorrow. Apparently they couldn’t get anyone to replace her at work. She’ll drive out Saturday morning.”

“That will put her here either Saturday at midnight or early Sunday morning,” Luke figured. “Did she say if she was heading straight here or to a motel?”

“She didn’t really give me a chance to ask questions.” Meredith smirked. “She simply told me to give the message to His Highness and then she hung up.”

Luke grinned and relaxed for the first time that morning. His Highness, huh? He kind of liked it. “Find out what Katie does for a living.”

Meredith bowed, something she’d never done before, and Luke just knew he heard a faint Yes, Your Highness as she backed out the door.

Before Luke had a chance to return to his schedule, Meredith came back.

“She’s an interpreter for the deaf. She attends college classes with students. They couldn’t get a replacement for tomorrow’s classes. She said if Saturday didn’t work...” Meredith’s smirk returned, and Luke could imagine what Katie had said.

“So you reached her—”

“Briefly. I get the sense that she’s less than thrilled about the sudden career change.”

No doubt Meredith couldn’t fathom why anyone would choose any career that wasn’t with animals.

“It’s not a career change,” Luke grumbled. “I asked her for two weeks.”

If not for his concerns about Aquila’s health and Bridget’s finances, Luke would have been looking forward to meeting Katie Vincent. It was clear Jasper thought she hung the moon, yet the man had admitted she hadn’t had much contact with either him or her father in years.

Still, for Luke, it was hard to get past the fact that she hadn’t personally arranged or physically attended her father’s funeral, and then had hired outsiders to pack up the kingdom and sell everything. If she’d cared one iota about her dad or the animals, she’d have been on hand and made sure everything was taken care of.

Personally.

That’s how Luke would have done it.

When he’d said as much to Jasper, the older man just muttered about bad decisions and hurt feelings.

So what! They were a part of life. What family didn’t have their share of bad decisions and hurt feelings? You fought it out, worked it out and forged a bond that couldn’t be shaken.

He looked out the window of his office again. The animal adventure had grown a lot since he’d taken it over. His little sister wouldn’t recognize it. She’d still recognize some of the animals, though. This place had been Bridget’s favorite place in the whole world.

“Someday I’ll run this place,” she’d told Luke. “You can help.”

That had been years ago, before either of them knew what their futures held, when both of them still believed—or at least pretended to—in Santa. But two weeks after Bridget died, Luke had come to say his goodbyes to the animals that had made her happy. Instead, he’d taken one look at the buildings in need of paint, the closed food concessions and the animals with no one to admire them, and he’d said, “What can I do?”

Ruth had instantly made a phone call. Next thing he knew, he’d been filling out papers and looking for an apartment. His new title was director of an animal park.

He now made considerably less than he’d made as director of marketing for a Tucson company. But to everyone’s surprise, especially his own, he’d settled into his new job and was good at it.

The degree in marketing helped; his love of animals helped even more.

In just two months, they’d celebrate what would have been the real Bridget’s twentieth birthday. Luke’s dream was to expand enough so that Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure made money, met his five goals and they could even take one day out of every month and donate the day’s take to a charity.

His sister’s charity.

The National Down Syndrome Society. But Bridget would never work alongside him, and that’s what hurt the most.

CHAPTER TWO

STANDING IN FRONT of Aquila’s enclosure on Friday morning, Luke hoped he’d done the right thing by practically forcing Katie Vincent to come.

Really, there’d been no choice if he intended to keep Aquila—and Bridget’s—alive.

Surely Katie wouldn’t lose her job, not for just two weeks.

But would two weeks be enough for Aquila?

The panther’s illness made no sense. Luke had called three zoo directors and one renowned wildlife vet. They all said the same thing. Panthers don’t bond with people, so there’s no way he could be pining.

Jasper, however, maintained that the zoo directors and renowned wildlife vet hadn’t met Aquila, hadn’t seen Aquila with either Katie or Bob Vincent.

Luke really hoped Jasper was right.

Because now, along with worrying about Aquila, he also had Katie to worry about. He hoped she’d managed to take time off with pay because she couldn’t expect a paycheck from him.

It was her contractual obligation to make sure the animals were healthy. He shouldn’t feel the need to pay her.

But he did.

“Katie’s a good girl” was all Jasper would say. And, according to Jasper, at one time the animals had been her life. Then she and her sister had just moved away. Luke got the idea there was more to the story. He knew there’d been an accident, and her sister had gotten hurt. He knew Bob Vincent had turned his daughters over to a relative. That’s all Jasper would share. Maybe now that Katie was really coming, Jasper would be more forthcoming.

Luke stopped in front of the camels’ pen. “How’s it going?”

Jasper nodded but didn’t say anything. The man preferred four-footed friends to two-legged ones, particularly those he’d arrived with. There wasn’t much about animals that Jasper didn’t know. He’d traveled with an Australian circus during his prime, but had migrated to America almost fifty years ago when Ringling Brothers leased an act from that circus. He’d been hooked up with Bob Vincent for the past thirty.

Luke knew his type. The man was an animal keeper and would die an animal keeper. It wasn’t so much that Jasper loved animals, it was more that he understood them and they him.

Ruth said the animals at Bridget’s were the only beings that could rightly get along with Jasper.

Cheeky, the camel, named not so much because of her third cheek but because of her personality, pounded a foot on the ground. It didn’t appear she much cared for Jasper paying attention to Luke instead of her.

“Hold on, Cheeky,” Jasper groused. “I could feed you all day and you’d still be hungry.”

Cheeky seemed to nod.

And smile.

Kobie, the camel that had come from Bob Vincent, ignored both Jasper and Luke. Right now Kobie didn’t smile. Dan Reeker, Luke’s vet, said animals needed time to adjust after a change.

Unlike Aquila, at least Kobie ate well, played with his rope and did what he was supposed to do. The smile would come later, Luke hoped.

If Bridget were here, she’d have Kobie smiling. She’d loved camels. Most children wanted to see the lion first. Not Bridget. From the time she was little and had seen a baby camel on the news channel, she’d been a fan.

It was an unusual choice. Camels were usually not the friendliest of animals; sometimes they were downright mean. One of Bridget’s therapists had suggested that Bridget had chosen a somewhat unlovable animal to revere because she, Bridget, felt somewhat unlovable.

Luke had never managed to forget that therapist’s words. They’d been spoken kindly, but the meaning behind the words, to the young boy he’d been, had been haunting.

It was the first time he’d seen Bridget through the eyes of the world instead of through the eyes of a brother.

He’d mistrusted the world ever since.

“You got time to talk?” Luke asked.

“Got a few things I need to do.” Then Jasper added suspiciously, “What do you want to talk about?”

“Katie Vincent’s agreed to come work with Aquila. She’ll be here on Sunday.”

Jasper nodded, his face—usually animated—void of expression. Funny, Jasper had pushed for Luke to call Katie Vincent. “About time.”

“She didn’t have much choice. I threatened to return the animals.”

Jasper frowned. “She’d have come around eventually. Too bad you had to twist her arm. Still, it’s right that she come home.”

Luke frowned. Home? This wasn’t home.

As if reading Luke’s mind, Jasper said, “Back to her roots. She’s a natural with animals. She’ll know what to do. Her daddy was wrong to send her away.”

“Then why did he?”

Jasper became absorbed with the camels. He looked as though he’d rather be anywhere but here. For days now, Luke had tried to instigate this conversation, but always Jasper found a way out. At the moment, though, he was trapped: two big camels on one side, Luke on the other.

That didn’t keep him from taking a step toward Kobie as if a four-hundred-pound camel with thirty-four teeth—weapons really—was safer than straight-talking with Luke.

When Jasper did respond, instead of looking at Luke, he studied one of Kobie’s calloused knee joints as if it were the most fascinating thing in the world. “I think at the time, Bob thought it was easier to take care of animals than to take care of animals and kids.”

Luke opened his mouth to ask another question, but Jasper—with an agility that came from years of caring for skittish animals—managed to skirt around Luke and walk away, looking older than Luke remembered.

It was something you couldn’t stop, aging. Apparently even for camels. Was that the beginning of gray forming on Cheeky’s chin? Luke and the vet hadn’t even begun to discuss geriatric care.

Lately, they’d been too busy discussing how to save Aquila.

When cats were sick—losing weight and such—they still acted as if they were in perfect health. Because in the jungle, if a cat became ill, it became a target. Nature called it survival of the fittest. But Aquila wasn’t in the wild; he was in captivity.

Luke also didn’t think Aquila was sick, not really. He was depressed, and not just about the change in venue. With Bob Vincent gone, Aquila missed the person who’d cared the most for him.

Aquila had what Jasper called a one-owner heart.

But Jasper also believed that at one time Katie Vincent had owned Aquila’s heart and that she could, with a little work, take ownership of it again.

* * *

“I CAN’T BELIEVE you’re just packing up and leaving.” Janie Vincent, all of nineteen years old, looked both dismayed and intrigued.

Not a good look coming from a little sister who was no longer little.

“The sooner I leave, the sooner I’ll be home,” Katie said.

She’d expected her sister to be upset at the thought of her leaving. After all, Katie not only paid the bills, but also stocked the refrigerator, cleaned the house and did the laundry. Plus, both Katie and Janie had issues with leaving.

But it was the intrigued look that worried Katie. At the moment, Katie playing cheerleader was the only thing keeping Janie at least halfway interested in being a college freshman—a college freshman with no idea what to major in and who only wanted to take art classes. Without Katie there to push her, Janie could easily walk away from her studies.

“You don’t even know this guy,” Janie protested. “You’re driving across two states and it might be for nothing.”

“I know a few things about him.”

More than a few, actually. When Luke had made the offer on her father’s animals, she had spent hours on the internet researching Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure and Luke himself. She knew he wasn’t an animal trainer like their father. She knew that Luke had a marketing degree and had worked at an advertising firm before hiring on as director of Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure. She knew he preferred the words animal park to zoo, and that Bridget’s had had humble beginnings. She knew that Luke had renamed the park after his sister Bridget who’d died from Down Syndrome. She knew that Bridget’s name had only been added to the marquee and letterhead a year ago.

“He’s perfectly safe,” Katie said, “and I’m not doing it for nothing. I have to make sure Aquila is all right.”

Janie nodded. A shadow crossed her face, but only briefly before her typical I-don’t-have-a-care-in-the-world look returned. “I remember Aquila. He was nothing like Tyre. He was your favorite, like a pet.”

“No,” Katie said firmly. “Wild animals are never pets.”

Janie, more than anyone, should realize that. The scar down the left side of her face was a constant reminder. She wore her hair cut in a style that hid her ear. But Katie didn’t need to see the damage.

She remembered it was there.

“Are you sure—”

Katie shook her head. Now was not the time to get into a debate about the past.

A past that would all too quickly be a reality for Katie.

On one hand, she’d love seeing Jasper again. He’d been like a grandfather. It was Jasper who’d drummed into her that wild animals should never be considered pets. Katie’s father had thought the same thing, but he was too busy buying animals and training them to take on television shoots to worry about what Katie was doing. He was just happy that she’d inherited his gift with animals and that he could market her ability.

He had plans for Katie.

She was photogenic.

She’d basked in the role of favored daughter, mistaking it for love. Sometimes, at night, Katie would replay in her mind what her father had taught her, how to hold animals, how to tuck them against the skin so they were tight and safe.

Katie had felt safe with her father.

Janie, on the other hand, had seemed to take after their mother—at least where animals were concerned. Leslie Vincent had liked animals but wasn’t so crazy about the effort it took to care for them. She’d been the bookkeeper, the organizer, the voice of reason.

And when she died, all reason left. There’d been no gentle voice to remind Bob that family came first, that their daughters still needed a father. So Katie had had to take care of Janie.

Her sister hadn’t inherited their father’s gift with animals, except when it came to drawing them. She also hadn’t inherited their mom’s money skills, though she was an expert at getting cash out of Katie. Janie did know, however, how to organize her time so that every minute was accounted for: going out with friends, surfing the internet and watching television.

Janie had a few issues to overcome yet, some Katie took the blame for. Which is why Katie needed to get to Scorpion Ridge, take care of Aquila and get home. Otherwise, judging by the earlier intrigued look, their house would become party central. Complete with an empty fridge and clothes everywhere. And without Katie there, who would cheer Janie up when she was down, remind her to eat when she was absorbed in her latest piece of art, kiss her good-night?

“I’ll miss you,” Janie said, following Katie as she carried two suitcases out to her Rav4.

Katie blinked back the tears that threatened. She’d learned long ago that tears changed nothing and only made her look weak.

She hugged Janie goodbye. “Be good, and do your homework.”

“Homework, what I live for,” Janie teased.

For a moment, Katie considered grabbing a third suitcase and stuffing Janie in it. Yet, in the back of her mind, she knew the separation would be good for them. Six years ago, at age eighteen, she’d fought the system to get custody of Janie, and she’d won. Ever since, she’d kept waiting to mess up and it all to fall apart.

The way her life had fallen apart when Janie had gotten attacked by Tyre.

Because of her.

And now she was heading back to the world that had ripped her family apart.

Katie started the car’s ignition, put the car into Drive and with a last wave headed for Scorpion Ridge. It would be a long trip. Dallas, in late afternoon, still had traffic issues. She hoped to make it to Odessa before stopping to get gas and something to eat.

If she could eat.

Then she planned on making it all the way to El Paso before stopping to find a motel. That would only leave her a six-hour drive for Saturday.

She turned the radio up and settled back, trying to let the music distract her. When that didn’t work, she thought about the first class she’d interpreted that morning. It had been a lit class with only a handful of students. Katie liked the class, the teacher and the student. She hated leaving him at the beginning of the semester, but since the law required that two translators be available per class, not that much would change for him. He would still have his other regular translator.

Katie turned off the music and instead switched over to an audio book. It worked, just barely, at limiting the unease she felt and also kept her awake. Abilene and then El Paso slipped by, and Katie focused on the evening shadows of the nearly deserted roads.

Her book ended as she drove through a tiny New Mexico town. She stopped for snacks and a bathroom break as she crossed the border into Arizona. The last of the evening dusk turned to inky blackness. Black as a panther...ready to strike....

She selected another audio book, as none of her music CDs could counter her memories of the past. A past she’d only wanted to forget.

At midnight, she figured there was still time to turn the car around. After all, she didn’t owe her dad anything. She’d gotten rid of his animals; he’d gotten rid of his children.

He’d claimed at the time it wasn’t safe to have two little girls around so many wild animals. He’d stressed the word wild as if it meant something.

She’d take a wild animal over Aunt Betsy any day.

But it wasn’t the memory of her father that kept her driving to Arizona, it was the memory of a black cat that she’d loved. Aquila.

Scorpion Ridge came into view just as the rooster crowed. Arizona looked nothing like Texas. There were no rolling green hills. Just brown dirt, the occasional somewhat dwarfed tree and lots of cacti.

Eyes gritty from lack of sleep, Katie checked the map and decided to go ahead and see if she could find Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure. It wouldn’t be open yet, but maybe that was for the best. She could explore the park when only the keepers were there.

Katie took a breath as she turned onto the street that led back to a destiny she’d never chosen for herself.

* * *

LUKE HAD BEEN up since four, crunching numbers and trying to figure out if he had the money to pay Katie Vincent for her time.

So far, it looked like not.

Though really, he’d known that before he’d reached for the calculator.

Plus, what would he be paying her for? How much extra was she willing to do? He needed Ruth’s advice.

At six, he left his apartment and drove to work. It was only a five-minute drive, but today it seemed to take longer as he contemplated Katie’s arrival.

The new animals he’d acquired from her had been a leap of faith and just one of the many changes Luke had brought to Bridget’s.

During his first year at the animal park, before they’d even added Bridget’s name to the adventure, his goal had been to make the struggling animal park self-supporting. Back then it had been just him, Ruth, Fred the veterinarian and a handful of volunteers. They’d needed to expand.

He wasn’t a natural with all of the animals, so he’d hired Meredith and devoted his time to the animals he knew best.

He’d started with the fifteen burros. He’d redesigned their enclosures, written their history and not only put them on display but added brief rides for kids.

Later, he added mules so the bigger folk could ride, too. And with a little advertising, the burro and mule rides brought a trickle of paying people to Scorpion Ridge.

The trickle turned to a steady flow on the weekends. It was enough to establish hope, but not enough to make ends meet or fulfill his plans to expand.

So he brought his best friend, Adam, in. Adam’s price was perfect: a place to live. At night, he answered the phone and acted as a security guard. During the week, he painted. Thanks to Adam, the zoo had artwork scattered throughout: snakes on the snake house, camels drinking from water bottles on the main concession and, best of all, a playground area that was alive with depicted animals.

On the weekends, Adam also sold caricatures of the visitors. Sometimes Luke thought Adam made more money than the burros did.

The kid-friendly atmosphere brought in more crowds, giving Luke some capital to expand—which he’d spent on Bob’s animals. The first risk Luke feared wouldn’t pay off.

Luke drove his truck into the parking lot of Bridget’s and got out to unlock a side gate.

“Hey, boss.”

Adam called Luke “boss” just to annoy him. Luke doubted Adam could get along with a real boss.

“Hey.” Luke didn’t have time to talk. Adam loved art and thought everyone else should, too. Stopping to talk to Adam usually meant a paintbrush in Luke’s hand. So he just drove through the gate, closed it and parked near the camel area.

* * *

IN THE PREDAWN HOUR, the birds were especially noisy, but the burros and mules clamored in, too. It also seemed the only time Terrance chose to roar was when no one was around, like now.

Luke first headed for his office to drop his briefcase off. Then he went looking for Jasper and Ruth. He found them in the turtle pen, of all places, working on one of the shelters that had somehow fallen overnight. They were a great team when they weren’t competing.

“Where’s Meredith?”

“She was here a moment ago,” Ruth said. “I think she went to check on Aquila.”

Before Luke had a chance to respond, static sounded on his radio. Luke reached for it. It was Meredith.

“There’s a disturbance at the panther pit. I think somebody’s over there.” Before Luke could ask her what was wrong, or who, exactly, might be there, Jasper stopped what he was doing, cocked his head and listened a moment before saying, “That’s what Aquila sounds like when he’s upset.”

“I don’t hear anything,” Ruth protested.

It didn’t matter that Luke didn’t hear anything, either. He was certain Jasper did, and that was enough to inspire an Olympic-style sprint toward the panther enclosure.

About the time Luke reached his destination and skidded to a stop, he realized Jasper was beside him. Who knew the old man could move that fast?

He was probably thinking what Luke was thinking.

Katie Vincent had arrived.

More than anything, Luke hoped he was wrong, because if the tall blonde standing frozen in front of Aquila’s enclosure was Katie, Bridget’s was in trouble.

“Katie,” Jasper said sharply. “What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

Aquila paced, venting his displeasure with a twitching tail. Even as Luke slowly moved toward the woman, he changed his mind about them being in trouble.

Because the woman, who surely had to be Katie, had certainly inspired Aquila. The cat was agitated, moving, responding—even if Katie wasn’t.

She didn’t move, not even her fingers that were clenched into fists. Luke moved even closer to her, careful not to make a sound or an abrupt move. He knew how to work with people facing an adversary. His sister Bridget had faced more than her share. Bridget was no stranger to making fists and she’d known how to use them.

Gently, he took Katie by the shoulder and turned her around so she faced him. He waited until her eyes focused on him.

“Are you all right?” he repeated Jasper’s words.

She shook her head. Long blond hair went right and left. She was just an inch shorter than he was and pale. Luke’s gaze took in her tennis shoes, no tread; her jeans and shirt, not protective; her nails, manicured and painted green; and up to her face.

He’d been right the first time; Bridget’s was in a world of trouble. Katie Vincent hadn’t been joking when she said he was asking the impossible. Because above the strong chin and too-full lips were her green eyes. They focused on him for only a moment before turning to look at Aquila again.

The expression in them was abject terror.

CHAPTER THREE

KATIE CLUTCHED THE gritty edge of a cement bench and kept her eyes closed, trying to shut out a splitting headache and the voices.

The headache would go away; hopefully the world would stop tilting, too. But she had a feeling the voices were here to stay. The first voice, the one doing most of the talking, was Luke Rittenhouse. At least he didn’t sound so annoyed this time.

She carefully opened one eye to a slit.

He wasn’t what she expected. For one thing, he was better looking than his website photos suggested and closer to her age. She’d figured he was older. For another, he was looking at her and not at Aquila.

Her father, had she interrupted his day by wimping out, would have put her in the hands of an employee and gone back to work.

“Katie, you all right?” Jasper inched over, right next to Luke.

Katie closed her eyes again. She wasn’t ready to deal with this, with him.

His voice hadn’t changed. It was still twangy and gravelly and soothing.

“She’s going to be fine,” the third man said, sitting beside her. This was the only voice she didn’t recognize. He felt the back of her head. “Not even a bump.”

Somebody else sat down next to her and patted her on the shoulder. She knew it wouldn’t be Jasper. He had a master touch when it came to animals but didn’t have a clue when it came to humans. Surely it wasn’t Luke. Yet, even before she opened her eyes a nano-slit, she knew it was him. He seemed like a take-charge kind of guy.

She was right.

“How long have you been afraid of animals?” Luke asked.

Katie opened her eyes and stared down at her tennis shoes. She wasn’t quite ready to meet Luke’s gaze. She’d expected a fifty-something, gruff, hard-edged keeper. Instead, she got a thirty-something, rugged, almost Indiana-Jones perfect—a young Indiana-Jones keeper.

“I’m not afraid,” she said. “I’m just surprised by how big Aquila’s gotten.”

From behind her, she heard Jasper snort. Luke just looked at her; his mouth didn’t change from a straight line. “Liar,” he said.

“It’s been more than a decade since I’ve been around exotic animals,” Katie protested, finally looking Luke full in the face. “I didn’t know how I’d react when...”

“You mean you didn’t know you were afraid?” Luke supplied.

“I’m not sure I am afraid. Maybe more like unwilling to find out.”

“You aren’t afraid of anything, little girl,” Jasper said. “What’s really bothering you?”

Katie glanced away. It had seemed like such a good idea, to come in alone and assess Aquila without any gawking eyes.

When she’d arrived at Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure, there’d been maybe five cars in the parking lot. A strange-looking man had sat cross-legged in front of the entrance. He’d smiled, asked her name, seemed to recognize it and then offered her a paintbrush. When she turned it down, he’d opened the gate and told her how to find Aquila.

Walking into Bridget’s, she’d had an almost ethereal sense of déjà vu.

All she could think, with each step, was how the smell of animals never changed, and how the morning sun seemed more pronounced when there was a vital job to do—like taking care of animals.

Katie had never felt more needed, more confident, than when she’d been taking care of Aquila and Tyre. Taking care of Janie wasn’t the same. Katie had been scared to death when, at eighteen, she’d become the guardian of her twelve-year-old sister.

To this day, she was terrified she’d mess up with Janie.

She’d never been scared with Aquila.

Until today.

She looked at Aquila and remembered his brother, Tyre, remembered what a big cat looked like with blood dripping from his mouth onto the ground.

“I’ll be all right,” she said forcefully. “Maybe it’s that I’ve been awake all night, driving. Maybe it’s the worry of being unemployed—”

“We’ll find a way to compensate you for your help.”

She felt her voice growing tight. “Maybe it’s the fear that I can’t do whatever it is you want me to do.”

“Just get Aquila to eat,” Luke said. “That’s all we want. He’s losing too much weight. If we don’t do something soon, we’ll lose him.”

Now that her eyes were open, Katie could see Aquila pacing back and forth in front of the fence. Every step was agitated. His skin sagged more than it should. His gait was slower than it should be. A decade out of the business and Katie could still spot what John Q. Public would miss.

Aquila wasn’t himself. He wasn’t holding his head quite as high as normal, his steps weren’t as stable. For a moment, she wanted to enter the cage, stroke the satiny fur. Hear Aquila purr.

But after a decade away, she couldn’t do that, even if she wanted. It would break every rule her father and Jasper had instilled in her.

And it might break Katie.

But that attitude wouldn’t get the job done—and it wouldn’t get her home any faster. Aquila might need her, but Janie needed her even more. She couldn’t help one without helping the other. No matter what it cost her. “Okay,” she said, “I’ll try.”

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and awkwardly squeeze.

Jasper’s fingers were brown and blunt. His nails as short as could be. She’d always believed him to be stronger than her father. Maybe because her dad always seemed to need help, but Jasper, with just a word or the touch of his hand, could get the animals to do anything. “Have you eaten? How’s Janie?”

Katie laughed. “You still have a way with words. I stopped about an hour ago and had a doughnut. Janie’s fine. She’s a freshman in college.”

“She okay by herself?”

“We’ll find out, won’t we?” Katie reached up and patted Jasper’s hand; he squeezed her fingers as he helped her to her feet. She managed not to fall as she repeated, “I’ll help, Mr. Rittenhouse.”

“You can call me Luke.” He didn’t look convinced she could really help, though. “How about I show you around Bridget’s first? Let you get a feel for the place.”

As she fell into step beside Luke and Jasper, Katie tried to tell herself she felt relieved because she was tired, not because she didn’t want to face Aquila yet. But she knew the truth—she was a screwup waiting to happen—and welcomed any reprieve that gave her time to regroup.

“We open in an hour,” Luke said. “Saturday’s our busiest day. We’re hoping to get at least five hundred visitors today. That’s more than double what we got before your dad’s animals.”

Katie’s headache wasn’t as pronounced now as she followed him down a path painted with cat paw prints. “My dad’s menagerie made that much of a difference?”

“Yes. Your father’s animals and their antics are definitely bringing people in.”

“Your website said you had a lion.”

Luke nodded. “Terrance the Terrible. He belongs to our veteran keeper, Ruth. He weighs three hundred pounds and is twenty-five years old.”

Katie whistled. “That’s old.”

“In lion years,” Luke agreed. “He deserves not only AARP but all that goes with it. He’s losing his eyesight. That’s what has Ruth worried. Next week he’s getting a tooth pulled. Though other than that, he’s perfectly healthy—”

Jasper cleared his throat, loudly.

“Okay,” Luke admitted. “Terrance also has the worst breath you can imagine. Ruth actually brushes his teeth twice a day, which he lets her do. She’s going to film him getting his teeth brushed—”

Jasper cleared his throat again.

“Oh, give it up,” Luke said lightly. “You know you like her.”

Jasper actually blushed.

“Is it really that exciting to film a tiger being sedated and then having its teeth cleaned?”

Luke laughed, “Oh, Terrance will be awake.”

“But—”

“He’s the calmest lion you’ll ever meet,” Luke said.

“He’s a wild animal,” Katie insisted. “It’s dangerous to—”

“Wait until you meet him.”

Katie considered protesting more, convincing him of the dangers, but forced herself to stop. She’d been invited here to help with Aquila, not give advice on how to guarantee employee safety.

“My uncle Albert lived and worked here before this was a here,” Luke continued. “Back in those days it was mostly a place to keep the few animals he had from his carnival days. Then he took in some rescued burros. My sister—”

“Bridget,” Katie noted. “I read about her on your website.”

He smiled. “My sister Bridget and I came down here every chance we got. Albert believed animals should just enjoy life. At first, he wouldn’t even let us touch the burros, but Bridget loved them so much that soon we were riding them. Especially Cheeky.”

“A camel,” Jasper supplied.

“The next few years were the happiest of Bridget’s life. On the weekends, her job was to take care of Cheeky. They were a perfect pair. See, Bridget liked quiet, and Cheeky is quiet. Plus, if something upset Bridget, Cheeky remained calm. The two of them would go out for a ride, and if Bridget got scared, Cheeky would turn around and head home.”

“Odd for a camel, I’ve never considered them friendly. Yet, the way you’re talking, it’s as if he knew?” Katie said.

“He knew.” Luke stopped in front of an exhibit and visibly relaxed.

Yes, the man was a keeper and, like Jasper and her father, more comfortable with animals than humans. He, obviously, was in his element, showing off his critters. What really surprised Katie was what Luke Rittenhouse hadn’t said. He hadn’t mentioned Bridget’s Down Syndrome. Either he was uncomfortable talking about it, or maybe it didn’t matter.

“We have two antelope jackrabbits,” Luke continued as they made their way back to the front of the enclosure, “but soon we’ll have more.”

Next to the jackrabbits stretched a huge, fenced grassy area. In the distance, Katie could see the burros. They were busy eating, although a few were kicking up their heels, nipping at each other.

A picture of a burro pulling kids in a cart had been on Luke’s webpage, clearly an attempt to attract kids—an attempt that was working.

The before-mentioned Cheeky and her father’s camel, Kobie, were next. Luke hadn’t mentioned Cheeky’s deformity, but Katie had read about it. Cheeky immediately came to the fence and shook her three-cheeked head at Jasper.

“She’s fallen in love with Jasper,” Luke said. “And he’s fallen in love with her.”

Already Jasper was slipping behind the fence to check on Cheeky, leaving Katie alone with Luke.

She studied Jasper carefully. Her dad had definitely known Jasper’s worth, but that didn’t mean he’d always appreciated it. He’d been displeased by how Aquila bonded with Katie, but that had only been one animal. He’d been more than displeased by how many animals preferred Jasper to him, which was why Aquila and Tyre hadn’t been in Jasper’s care in the first place. Unfortunately for Janie.

Unless Luke was a really good actor, Cheeky’s preference didn’t bother him a bit, and he knew how to appreciate Jasper.

“Antelope jackrabbits, burros, camels...” Katie said. “You really are staying true to the A-Z theme.”

“Not only A through Z, but AZ stands for Arizona, as well. We pay special attention to animals that are native.”

“Like a camel?”

Luke simply pointed to the information board in front of the exhibit. “A misguided military venture. I’ll tell you about it later when you’re up to it and we’re not in the sun.” He checked his watch. “And not crunched for time before the visitors arrive.”

Katie nodded. Her father was all about maximizing an animal’s performance. It seemed Luke was more into their history. “So, what D animal is next?”

“The desert tortoise.”

“And all this wasn’t enough to keep people coming?”

“People came, once. But then it might have been years before they came again. Think about it. A burro ride is fun, but not if the only thing you get to do is watch your kids take that ride. With today’s economy and mind-set, we have to provide both education and fun.”

She nodded.

“To properly care for the animals and to make a livable wage for my employees, I need gate receipts—which meant I needed bigger draws.”

Before Luke could say anything else about money or about the tortoises, his cell phone sounded. When he answered, Katie could make out the words drainage problem. Luke wasn’t fazed a bit. He barked out a few questions before ending the call.

“I’ve got to go see about something,” he said. “Are you feeling all right? I can—”

“I’m perfectly fine,” Katie assured him. She had the sense he’d stay with her if she only asked him to.

“You want to roam on your own, then, and meet me for lunch, say, so we can talk over what needs to be done?”

“I’ll do that.”

“You might want to talk to Ruth about a place to stay. Jasper’s been like a worried uncle and thinks you should stay with her. Ruth’s our senior keeper here, and she has a guesthouse on her property. I guarantee it will save you money. Plus, it’s only a mile away.” His phone sounded again. With a quick smile, he loped away.

The private tour was over.

Katie texted her little sister a quick note that she’d arrived safe. Then she checked her watch. She had maybe ten minutes before the front gate opened and the day’s visitors arrived. She’d rather try facing her fears again without a crowd watching.

Luke’s prediction came back to her: If we don’t do something soon, we’ll lose him. Aquila needed her.

It took Katie a few minutes to get her bearings in the park, but soon she was standing once again in front of Aquila’s enclosure.

That’s when she heard the scream. Her knees locked and before she could sit down, the world tilted.

* * *

SO FAR, KATIE VINCENT was a disappointment. At least in the potential-to-help department. In the beauty department, he wasn’t disappointed at all. The couch in his office had never looked so good. Tinker, his cat, didn’t agree, though. She gave Katie a look of disdain and settled down on one end, close to Luke.

“She didn’t faint because she’s scared,” Jasper said. “The girl has more grits than that. She must be hungry.”

“I hope that’s all it is,” Luke observed dryly. “She can’t weigh more than a hundred pounds.” And he should know. When they’d found her in a heap, Jasper had run to get one of Bridget’s carts, while Luke had picked Katie up from the walkway and gathered her close. She weighed less than Terrance the Terrible, more than the antelope jackrabbit and about what the full-grown javelina did.

She smelled better than all three.

But he didn’t need a woman who smelled good. He needed one willing to roll up her sleeves and get dirty. “She’s not going to be able to help with Aquila,” Luke said mournfully.

“You can’t give up yet,” Jasper said. “She just got here.”

“And she’s fainted twice!” Luke argued.

Meredith came in from the break room and set a glass of water on the table next to Katie.

“Hard to believe this is Bob Vincent’s daughter,” Fred the vet stated drolly. “Nothing got in that man’s way.”

“Katie’s very much his daughter,” Jasper protested. “She was always right there alongside her father, couldn’t have been more than four or five when she started, quite the little handler.”

“I’ve seen the videos,” Luke said.

“Her father was never one to miss a marketing opportunity,” Jasper said. “She was basically in charge of Aquila while Bob worked with Tyre. A visiting journalist snapped a photo of her with Aquila, and it made it into some big-time magazine. Bob got calls from all over.”

“Tyre was the aggressive one,” Luke remembered.

“Yes, Aquila’s litter mate. I told you about him. He’s the one who attacked Janie. Bob sold him years ago. Not sure exactly where he finally landed.”

Luke remembered the conversation about Tyre. There’d been a few articles written about the attack, as well, mostly of the wild-animals-and-small-children-do-not-mix slant. Not one article, though, said exactly how the little girl had been hurt or why both girls had been sent away—unless Bob Vincent had suddenly bought into that opinion that wild animals and small children do not mix.

Jasper hadn’t been exactly forthcoming about the attack, either.

“Maybe you ought to think about doing some videos,” Meredith suggested. “A before-and-after feature about Aquila. Get some advertising for Bridget’s.”

“Katie always took a good photo.” Jasper brushed the hair away from Katie’s forehead.

“Right now,” Luke said drolly, “the only picture a magazine would get would be of her fainting and me picking her up.”

“And of a very skinny panther,” Meredith added.

“Katie will come around,” Jasper insisted.

“She didn’t faint before, when you knew her?”

“Not once,” Jasper said.

“Could it be exhaustion?” Luke asked the vet.

Fred shrugged, “I think you should take her to the walk-in clinic. Get a real opinion.”

“It’s not exhaustion.”

All three men turned at the sound of Katie’s voice. Her eyes, a somber shade of green, were now open. She sat up with Jasper’s help. Tinker jumped off the couch, gave an indignant meow and walked over to settle on Luke’s desk.

“Then what is it?” Luke couldn’t keep the impatience from his voice. Bridget’s opened in ten minutes. He’d not done rounds or even checked to make sure his crew was in place. Instead, he’d been saving the woman who was supposed to be saving him.

“I heard someone scream.”

“You probably heard a peacock,” Luke said. “Do you know what a peacock sounds like?”

She shook her head.

“Are the memories that bad?” Jasper asked softly.

“What memories?” Luke interjected.

“The memories are that bad,” Katie whispered.

“Katie, the attack wasn’t your fault. Your daddy gave you way too much responsibility, and he should have been watching over you. Give it time. Your confidence will come back to you. Like riding a bike.”

Clearly Luke should have demanded that Jasper fill him in on exactly what had happened that long-ago day. Secrets didn’t belong in a wild animal park. They could get you killed. “I thought Janie barely had a scar?” Luke said. “You said they got her to the doctor in time. I realize that’s why your father sent you to live with an aunt, but your sister is fine, right?”

Katie and Jasper exchanged a look, one Luke couldn’t read. Finally, Katie nodded but didn’t look convinced.

“Not your fault, little girl,” Jasper repeated. “Tyre was always a bad-tempered cat.”

Fault?

“Jasper, what are you trying to say?” Luke was losing patience. It was quickly becoming clear that Jasper had left out a few vital pieces of the story, especially when he’d claimed Katie Vincent could deal with Aquila. “I didn’t buy a cat named Tyre. I bought one named Aquila. Why would anything be Katie’s fault?”

“What he’s trying to tell you,” Katie said, her voice getting clearer and red spots appearing on cheeks that had previously been white, “is that I’m not afraid of Aquila, or of what Aquila might do. I’m afraid of what I might do.”

“Lady, you’re going to need to be a little clearer because I’m not getting the picture here.”

Her eyes closed once more. For a moment, he thought he’d lost her again. Then, almost as if she were talking to herself, she said, “I’d just finished working with Tyre and something distracted me. I don’t even remember what. But I left the pen, just for a minute. Next thing I knew there was a snarling sound and screams. My little sister’s screams.”

“She’d wandered into the cage,” Jasper explained, as if Luke couldn’t figure it out.

“She thought I was there,” Katie said. “Janie always followed me around. Next thing I knew, there she was on the ground and Tyre was at her throat.”

“So why is that your fault?” Luke asked.

“I left the gate open.”

CHAPTER FOUR

TO LUKE’S CREDIT, he didn’t offer platitudes. He simply said, “Well, she’s fine now, right?”

Typical male.

Unfortunately, he then shot Jasper a questioning look that Katie interpreted as She left the gate open!

“Katie was only twelve,” Jasper defended.

“And I knew better!” Katie insisted.

“And had way more responsibility than you should have had.” Jasper said the words matter-of-factly, as if they should be believed and accepted. Judging by the nods of the listeners, after just six short months of being with the park, Jasper’s word already held a lot of weight. “And Bob wasn’t running a zoo. He didn’t answer to the American Zoological Association. He had laws to follow, but those weren’t nearly as stringent as the ones we have to follow here because we’re open to the public. There were no double gates on Tyre’s enclosure, or anything.”

Katie protested, “Janie was only six. I was supposed to watch over her.”

Luke took back the conversation by repeating, “Well, she’s fine now, right?”

Today, at least, Janie was probably more “fine” than Katie.

“She’s no doubt stocking the refrigerator and inviting friends over,” Katie agreed. “And already planning to trash our apartment while I’m here instead of watching her.”

Luke merely harrumphed. He obviously didn’t have a sister living with—

Katie immediately felt a moment’s guilt. He didn’t have a sister, because Bridget had died. No doubt he’d love to be worrying about a trashed house instead of a house that was too quiet.

Of course, no man this good-looking, this nice, had a house that was too quiet. He probably had the wife and two-point-five kids.

He wasn’t wearing a ring, though. Mind you, her dad hadn’t worn one, either. He said it deterred attention from the female demographic.

Katie glanced around the room, wishing she were back home, wishing she’d thought to stop and get a motel room, wishing she were anywhere but here in a small office, packed with Luke, Jasper, Fred the vet and a thirtysomething female she’d yet to officially meet.

And a small black-and-white cat sitting at attention on Luke Rittenhouse’s desk.

“I think I just need to rest,” Katie finally said.

Jasper patted her hand awkwardly and left the room.

“That couch isn’t very comfortable,” the other woman said.

“Hey,” Luke protested, “it’s plenty comfortable when you pull out the Hide-A-Bed.”

“Which we’re not doing today,” the woman scolded, an edge to her voice. “Don’t even think about it.”

Katie agreed. No way could she sleep here. Outside Luke’s office, she could hear the sounds of animals beginning their day. Birds provided background chatter, bison or maybe an antelope lowed and in the distance she could hear the hum of machinery testifying to the presence of humans.

It was like going back in time more than a decade and waking up twelve years old.

A time she didn’t want to go back to.

“She needs time to acclimate.” This came from the edgy-voiced woman in the room.

“You must be Meredith,” Katie said. “We spoke on the phone.”

“Yes, I’m one of the keepers.”

Jasper returned and handed Katie a glass of water. “I’ve talked to Ruth. She’s on her way in from the horse arena. She says to call her when you’re ready to go. She’ll take good care of you.”

“I just need to get into town, find a motel and get some sleep. Really, I don’t want to be a bother.”

“We’re all about saving money,” Jasper said. “Not a bother at all. You’re like family.”

“Family?” Things were happening too quickly and Katie felt as if she was losing ground she couldn’t regain. Worse, people she didn’t even know were offering help she hadn’t asked for.

Because when people offered to help, they expected something in return. Usually at a cost Katie couldn’t afford. She looked Jasper in the eye and said, “Family? You’ve got to be kidding?”

Jasper flinched, just barely, enough for Katie to see but not the others.

“No,” Meredith said, “we’re not kidding. You’re here to help Aquila. We’ll do anything we can to assist you. Ruth only lives a mile away.”

“It’s the best choice, Katie.” Jasper’s words were soft, humble.

Katie didn’t like being pushed into making a decision. She’d learned the hard way to make her own choices, and not to rely on anyone else—including those she considered family. And here Jasper was, trying to send her away.

Just as he’d done before.

She closed her eyes, remembering Jasper driving her and Janie to the bus terminal, carrying their suitcases to the cashier dock, leading them to a long line of strangers all looking as though wherever they were heading was worse than where they were at. In all fairness, he hadn’t known that Aunt Betsy was an alcoholic who would take the money Bob sent her each month and spend it on everything but the two girls.

Like her, he’d assumed the change would be temporary until Bob came to his senses.

But when the weeks turned into months and then a year...

He wasn’t one to cozy up to a cell phone or an email account, at least all those years ago. Of course, she’d not had one, either. And he’d not responded to any of the letters she’d written.

“You’ll like Ruth,” Jasper said.

“And if you don’t like me, you can bunk with Jasper. But I guarantee I smell better.” Ruth Moore walked into the office as if she owned it. Everyone visibly relaxed. The vet seemed to take her presence as some sort of permission to leave. As for Jasper, he looked at her with an expression on his face that he usually reserved for his favorite animals.

Katie used to receive that look. Not this trip.

She didn’t deserve it, anyway. She wasn’t going to be able to do what he asked and help Aquila.

In a matter of minutes, Ruth had Katie up and out the door and into a Lincoln Town Car. The fancy car looked as if it should drive presidents, but instead it had a blanket spread across the backseat, cat hair on the floorboards and smelled of cat, big cat.

The green Christmas tree freshener hanging from the rearview mirror was wasted.

Katie shifted uncomfortably. “You know, I’d be just fine at a motel.”

“Probably, but my place is closer.”

“I could follow you in my car, at least.”

“The fainting worries me. Better safe than sorry. We can fetch your car later.”

In the animal world, there were two kinds of caretakers: those who got along better with animals than people, and those who could do both. Ruth must be the first kind.

“I appreciate you letting me stay at your place.”

Ruth pushed her glasses up higher on her nose and said, “I’ll do anything I can to help Aquila. He’s a good cat and deserves a chance.”

Katie could only nod. She’d pegged Ruth correctly.

And Katie was getting one message loud and clear. These people wanted Aquila better and they expected her to accomplish it.

A moment later, Katie and Ruth pulled into a circular driveway meant for a dozen cars. Ruth lived just a five-minute drive from the zoo in an adobe home built on enough acres to start her own zoo.

“I used to have Terrance here,” Ruth confided. “If I had my way, I’d still have him and maybe more.”

“I understand,” Katie murmured, trying not to sound disapproving.

Ruth probably didn’t have a clue how much Katie understood. Katie’s childhood had revolved around how the land would best house the animals and how the paychecks would best feed and care for them. Any extra money was earmarked for the next animal. Not that Katie would have asked for it, but there’d never been talk of putting something aside for her and Janie’s college expenses.

Which was another reason why the sale of Bob’s estate had been so necessary. Katie had her own bills to pay and had been worried about Janie’s college expenses. And for a brief but blessed period, before Luke Rittenhouse’s phone call, Katie hadn’t worried.

Her father’s death had provided a stability the man himself had never offered.

“This place is really too big for me,” Ruth went on. “My husband liked to entertain. He purchased Terrance for that reason. He thought Terrance would be a great showpiece. He was surprised when I fell in love with the beast.”

“A lion’s a pretty expensive showpiece,” Katie commented.

“Grant didn’t care.”

Judging by the size of their house, Katie believed her.

“Is it all right with your husband that I’m staying in your guesthouse? I mean, you don’t really know me.”

“Jasper knows you. That’s good enough for me. Plus, you’ll be helping with Aquila. As for my husband, he’s been dead for seven years, and I don’t miss him a bit. Turned out he got me for the same reason he got Terrance. He thought I was a good showpiece.”

“How long were you married?”

“Thirty-two years.”

“That’s a long time to keep a showpiece.”

“He didn’t dare get rid of me. After just ten years of marriage, I knew where his bodies were buried.”

Looking at the expanse of desert that made up Ruth’s front yard, Katie figured the bodies could all be buried right here and no one would ever find them.

“Until we find out why you’ve been fainting, I don’t want you in the guesthouse. You can have one of the guest rooms upstairs and to the right. Take a shower, get something to eat and enjoy a nap.”

She led Katie to a room bigger than Katie’s apartment back in Dallas. She disappeared for a moment, returning with a clean, albeit too big, T-shirt and robe.

“I’ll be heading back to Bridget’s. I have a tour to guide this afternoon,” Ruth said. “I’m leaving my cell number here by the phone. If you need anything, just call. Now take a shower and get some sleep. You’ll feel better in no time.”

Then she patted Katie on the shoulder and was gone, leaving Katie feeling very much alone.

“Luke Rittenhouse,” Katie whispered, “I hope you’re already considering plan B, because if I’m plan A, it’s already failed.”

* * *

THE DAY HAD started atypically with a crisis of the human kind instead of the animal kind. Even so, as Luke finally made it through his morning routine, he took satisfaction in noting that the keepers and other employees were doing their jobs, the gift shop and concessions had their doors open, the front gate was manned and had a line and the animals were being cared for.

At two, Luke stood in line—always a good sign—and purchased a hot dog from one of the venders and made his way to Aquila’s enclosure.

“You need to eat better,” Ruth admonished Luke as he finished the last bite. He wasn’t surprised to see her there, sitting on the bench just watching. She loved all the animals, except possibly the snakes, but the cats were her favorites.

“You get Katie settled in?”

“Dropped her off, showed her the guest room, came back here. I was only gone about ten minutes.”

“You could have taken some time off and helped her out a bit.” For some reason, he had to know Katie was taken care of. She was so feminine, so sensitive.

“I’m pretty sure she just needs sleep and maybe someone to watch out for her.”

Luke hoped sleep would do the trick. As for needing someone to look out for her, he was a little worried about how many times he’d wanted to do just that.

If she’d simply stayed in his office and slept on the couch, he’d know she was all right. Ruth’s was a mile away and Katie was there alone.

“Look. Aquila’s just lying there.” Ruth interrupted his thoughts. She adjusted her glasses, the same light blue shade as the BAA shirt she wore, and squinted as if hoping the view would change. “I liked it better this morning when he was disgruntled, pacing back and forth.”

“I’ll take either way as long as we can get some weight on him.”

“What do we try next?” Ruth wasn’t one to give up, but the fact that she even asked the question told Luke that she was out of ideas.

“I’m working on it.”

“I believed Jasper,” Ruth muttered. “He said she was a natural with animals, even better than her father.”

High praise since Katie hadn’t yet been a teen the last time Jasper had worked with her.

Ruth’s radio sounded before Luke could respond. Meredith’s voice crackled over the line. “Ruth, you’ve got a group of Red Hat Ladies waiting for you at the store.”

“Ah, right on time. See you later.” Ruth loped off, ready to meet her friends and show them her babies, Terrance and the animal park.

Luke watched her head back toward the front, weaving between the afternoon visitors, stopping occasionally to answer a question or give a direction.

If she were forty years younger, she’d be the perfect woman for him.

The thought gave him pause—what woman would be perfect for him?

It certainly wasn’t Katie Vincent. He’d truly expected her to have a change of heart the minute she saw Aquila. He expected her to work miracles, the way Ruth did.

Deep down, he’d been hoping she’d be able to do more for them based on all Jasper had shared. Maybe he’d been hoping that Katie Vincent was someone like her dad, and would be able to miraculously solve all of Bridget’s problems.

He could use a miracle.

But he’d been wrong to even let his thoughts go in that direction. And, come to think of it, Jasper had been very careful about what he shared—and even more careful about what he hadn’t shared—when it came to Katie.

But, in his heart, Luke wanted this miracle, this woman. The one who felt such responsibility. The one who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. The one who made him want to scoop her up and convince her all was well with the universe.

But with an animal dying and a park on the brink of disaster, she wasn’t the one he needed. He needed someone who loved and worked with animals, as he did.

Someone who understood about a labor of love.

He’d learned a long time ago, two years to be exact, that most women didn’t understand how much of himself he had to devote to Bridget’s. They wanted the “labor of love” to be them, not an animal park— Especially not an animal park that required a 24/7 work schedule.

He’d wanted a miracle for his sister Bridget but that hadn’t happened, either. He started to close his eyes when he heard—

“I’m back, and I’m not going to faint.”

Standing next to Aquila’s wall, she looked better than she had this morning. Not so pale. The jeans were still tight, and the green button-down shirt was even more wrinkled. But this time Katie Vincent had a determined fire in her eyes.

He reminded himself that he could not afford to be impressed with her looks, no matter how much he noticed them, and he was just as determined. “Prove it.”

He watched her take a deep breath before she turned to the enclosure and stepped closer.

To the common observer, Aquila, lying on a heated spot in the grass, would appear oblivious of his surroundings.

Luke knew better.

Just this morning, for the first time in a week, Aquila had been active. Even now, Aquila’s ears were up—not moving, but definitely at attention. His shoulder blades, too, were raised just a hair. His tail had the slightest twitch. Luke wondered if Katie noticed the tension. He couldn’t tell. When she finally did say something, it wasn’t what Luke expected.

“He looks lonely.”

“Panthers are solitary.”

“I know that, but Aquila always had my dad, me, Jasper, somebody stopping by to play with him.”

“I don’t think it’s been that way for quite a while,” Luke said. “When I purchased your father’s animals, Aquila was the only cat your father still had, and Jasper said none of the animals had been out on a shoot in over a year.”

“When I was twelve, my father had seven big cats.”

“At the end, he only kept the ones that were making money.”

She nodded. “I realized how few animals he had left when I read Jasper’s accounting after the will was read,” she said softly. “Of course, by the paperwork I couldn’t tell if he’d kept the performers or his favorites. But, then, the performers always were his favorites.”

“Did you know he was sick?”

“Aquila wasn’t sick when—”

“I mean your dad. Did you know he was sick?”

Determination gave way to wariness. “No, I didn’t.”

“Why did you—?”

“What should Aquila weigh now? About one fifty?”

Luke let her change the subject. “Near enough.”

He stayed on the bench and gave Katie time to just watch Aquila. She moved close to the cement wall, oblivious of the people around her and the sounds of an animal kingdom. Eventually she relaxed enough to rest her arms on the top which was just above her waist. On the other side of the wall was an empty moat wide enough to deter Aquila should he decide to jump. But if the animal-enclosure architect had done his job—and Luke had paid him a pretty penny, so he better have—then the wire that guarded the moat would keep Aquila from even thinking jumping was an option.

“He’s never had such a big place to roam,” Katie observed when the crowds had passed.

“I’m not much of a cage man.”

“My father liked them—they were easy and cost-effective.”

She didn’t sound as if she approved. Unfortunately she wasn’t looking at Aquila’s new digs as if they were much of an improvement.

The enclosure Aquila resided in now was meant to resemble nature as best it could. Aquila had grass, vegetation and scratching logs. He had a wooden structure with a roof that he could lie under if he wanted shade, or lie on top of if he wanted sun. Best of all, he had a pool.

Luke had a pool, too, or at least his apartment complex came with one. But he wasn’t home enough to use it.

Katie remained quiet for a bit, then turned to look at him. “You know, there were people who said we should have put both cubs down. That it was cruel to keep them alive if they’d be in captivity their whole life.”

He didn’t know what to say, and doubted she’d be happy with his answer, regardless of whether he agreed with her or not. She looked so lost, so melancholy. He was half-afraid if he said the wrong thing, she’d turn and run. She seemed to be looking at or for something that wasn’t there. He had a sudden strong urge to stand behind her, wrap his arms around her and say, “It’ll be okay.”

He’d done that many times for Bridget. And more often than not, the lost expression evaporated into joy.

What would Katie Vincent look like with a joyful heart?

Instead of moving toward her, however, he said, “Aquila could be content here. We started work on this enclosure two years ago, adding to it whenever we had the money. Finally, when it was finished, we went searching for the right cat to fill it.”

“Did you know exactly what you were searching for?”

“No, I just knew I wanted another big cat, a bit younger than Terrance the Terrible. We have the mountain lions and the cougar, but they’re fairly common in Arizona. I wanted a jaguar. Arizona is the last state with any left in the wild. But I thought I could settle for a big cat that was a bit more exotic, a bit more comfortable with humans and one that came with a history. A big draw for the park. Aquila fit that bill exactly, or he would if...”

She shuddered and he knew he’d hit a hot spot.

“If you take an Arizona jaguar out of the wild and bring him here,” Katie said, “soon there will be none left in the wild.”

“I agree, which is why Aquila was perfect,” he said easily, realizing that while she claimed not to have had contact with wild animals for the last decade, her heart and opinion had remained sympathetic to their plight.

He continued, watching her eyes while he spoke, hoping to convince her that they were on the same side, at least when it came to acquiring animals.

“We rehabilitate here. The animals we keep are ones, like Aquila, who have been in captivity for so long they wouldn’t survive in the wild. Plus, I don’t have a jaguar, and even if one became available I couldn’t...”

When he didn’t continue, she said, “Couldn’t?”

But he wasn’t ready to admit that even should a jaguar become available, they couldn’t afford it. So he changed the subject to Terrance, hoping to distract her from a question he didn’t want to answer.

“Like Aquila, Terrance is also a big draw and is comfortable with humans, but he was raised as if he were Ruth’s child. He still wants to sit on her lap. The kids love him. My sister loved him. He’s had the wild trained right out of him. He’s leash-trained.”

Katie shook her head, every expression indicating she wasn’t impressed with Terrance’s rearing. A little surprising since usually only the hard-core animal activists were distressed over Terrance.

But her words were curt. “Don’t ever think that Terrance is anything but wild. You can take the cat out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the cat. Doesn’t matter the age. Surely Jasper told you this.”

“Jasper has, over and over. But when you meet Terrance, you’ll see what I mean.”

Katie frowned, seemed to shake herself out of whatever argument she’d been about to make and said, “I doubt that. At the same time, I have to admit that Aquila and the others have a good home here, so I’m glad you took an interest in my father’s animals. You’re like him. He was always looking for an animal’s potential, always looking for something to sell. Sometimes it got in the way of common sense, though.”

A family joined them and a stroller separated Luke from Katie. As the dad read aloud the plaque in front of Aquila’s enclosure, the family crowded close, hoping to see the cat move.

Aquila was as still as Katie, though, both lost in their own thoughts.

“I wish I could have met your dad,” Luke said.

“You probably would have got along well.” She didn’t look at him when she said the words, and for some reason it bothered him.

Even though he’d never met her father, Luke doubted they were much alike outside of their profession. He’d never have sent his children off to be raised by a relative. He, like every employee here, loved the animals, but not over family.

A missed softball game or romantic dinner was one thing. A missed childhood another.

“I—” Before he could tell her how unfair the comparison was, yet another family joined them and an additional stroller separated Luke from Katie.

The two parents hoisted their little ones up for a better look, encouraging the kids to find the panther. The little girl located Aquila first, although the little boy tried to take credit, too.

“Pretty,” the little boy said.

The father of the group dutifully read the plaque in front of the exhibit: Aquila is from Africa. Although called a black panther, he is really a black leopard. He is fifteen years old and can dance to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”

Luke hadn’t had time to come up with decent copy for Aquila’s inscription, and Adam hadn’t yet painted him on the wall in front of the animal park. It didn’t matter. Aquila was a draw. Even now the family lingered. Aquila was doing his part, without a single movement, to help keep Bridget’s AZ Animal Adventure going.

If only they could keep him alive.

As a privately owned animal park, Bridget’s received no state money, so Luke was constantly double-checking the figures. They earned money from admissions and concessions, but the lifeblood of Bridget’s was donations given by families, corporations and nonprofit groups.

He needed to keep the investors happy, show them that Bridget’s was a well-run, growing operation. He had to support the animals and the people who worked for him.

Her father had had to support the animals, too, but the fact that they’d lived in cages said it all. They were half of the equation. The other half being Bob himself and the attention he craved.

Jasper had been his only long-term employee.

When the family closest to him and Katie moved on, Luke sat beside her on the bench. “I went online and found some YouTube videos of your dad.”

She didn’t act surprised. “There’s probably plenty. His second-favorite place was in front of a camera.”

“What was his first?”

“In front of a live audience.”

Luke believed her. In the clips, he’d watched Bob Vincent brighten under the spotlight and at the attention of the late-night hosts. He hadn’t seem to notice that the late-night hosts were more focused on Ollie, the orangutan, who actually served tea; George, the brown bear, who weighed in at six hundred pounds and would join Ollie at the table—not to have tea but to hold hands! As for Candy, the spider monkey, she gathered up the teacups and arranged them on the talk show hosts’ desks.

Oh, the hosts were very glad Bob was there—to stand between them and the wild animals.

“You were in a few of those clips, looking very young and very serious.”

“I was always scared to death.”

“You didn’t look it.”

“I was taught to never show fear, never run. On that stage, I had an important job, especially with Aquila, who was my charge. I had to make sure he didn’t get frightened or feel like he was being backed into a corner. I made sure all my movements were calm and I was as still as possible.”

“I only saw a few clips with Aquila. He never left the cage.”

“That always pissed my dad off. Tyre wasn’t responding to Dad’s training. And though Aquila and I were doing great, because of my age and some laws, I couldn’t handle him during a live show.”

“That explains why I saw Aquila attempting to dance to ‘Girls Just Want to Have Fun’ in a cage where he didn’t have enough room to turn.”

Katie laughed, letting down her guard for a moment. “I remember that show. Aquila didn’t really get to dance. It was more like he backed up, raised his shoulders, backed up some more and then playfully leaped forward.”

“He stole the show with his haughty ‘I don’t have to act cute, I am cute’ attitude.”

“That he did,” Katie agreed.

Luke had watched the clips, trying to understand the man and his techniques. It only took a few clips for Luke to realize how distant Bob was. He used a clicker to give commands to the animals. He touched them, but not much. And, unlike the animal lovers Luke knew, Bob was more aware of where the cameras were than what the animals were doing.

Katie, meanwhile, had interacted with the animals. She’d smiled while accepting pretend tea from Ollie. She’d gently put a napkin on George’s lap and held his hand while she did it. She’d helped Candy, their spider monkey, clean up the cups.

But anyone watching could see that her smile grew wider and her face truly lit up when she was with Aquila. She’d quietly danced right along with the cat, up close to the cage, comfortable in a way her father wasn’t.

Aquila was her love.

But she’d clearly not been posing for the audience like her father. She didn’t even look at the cameras. She’d not been selling the animals and their tricks to the public.

“You didn’t care for it much, did you?” Luke asked when the family changed their position, vying for a better viewing spot.

“What?”

“Being on television with the animals.”

She gave a half grimace. “Why do you say that?”

“In the clips I watched, you were always quiet, elegant and willing to do whatever the animals needed, but you never seemed comfortable.”

“No, the lights were always hot, and the animals, except for Candy, were always disgruntled and off their routine. I was always afraid something would go wrong because the people around us weren’t animal people. Once, a secretary moved to pet Aquila’s mom. She’d have lost a finger if my father hadn’t stopped her. We had signs warning people not to approach the animals without talking to my father first, but it’s as if people thought the signs didn’t apply to them.”

The family with the stroller finished taking pictures and moved on. Katie, back to being tense, still watched Aquila. After a moment, she said, “I don’t think panthers were meant to be performers. My father should have figured that out with his mother. She was beautiful, which is why he kept her, but she wouldn’t be trained. The only thing she did to earn money was let people look at her and give birth to two cubs that made it out of infancy. That’s when my father finally made some money on her. He sold the photographs to every magazine and news show that promised a check.”

“I’ve never seen them, but I hear you were in quite a few of those photographs,” Luke said.

“Like anything in my father’s menagerie, I didn’t get a choice. He said ‘Smile’ and I smiled.”

“We don’t focus on tricks here,” Luke said. “We focus instead on natural behaviors. If an animal wouldn’t have the behavior in the wild, we don’t develop the behavior here. The only exceptions are the animals, like yours, that come to us with learned behaviors. And as long as it doesn’t endanger the animal or people, we appreciate their skill. If a bear juggling lunch boxes will increase revenue so we can have enough food, medical care and personnel, we encourage them to perform.”

She nodded but didn’t comment.

“By the way, when you let your guard down in those films, like when you were dancing with Aquila, you had the audience eating out of your hands. You were quite good in front of the cameras, and some of those long-ago smiles actually seemed real. I think you protest too much. Maybe working with animals and showcasing what they can do is in your blood. If not, you could have fooled me.”

She pushed away from the wall, arms tight to her sides. Looking him right in the eye, she said, “Maybe you’re easy to fool.”

She stood, muttering something about exploitation and fools.

He formulated a comeback, only by the time he said the words aloud, she was too far away to hear them: “I may be a fool, but unlike in those clips, you haven’t smiled once since I’ve met you.”

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