by Marks, V. R.
"Who's the boss?" Marley called after him as the door swung shut again. Turning back to Kate, leaning against the counter, her expression became serious once again. "You're sure you'll be fine? I really can stay."
"We've got things covered. I'm going to keep trying for some marketing help, but aside from that it's business as usual."
"Keeping my fingers crossed. If you find someone, you can start them and I'll make it official once I get back."
"Marley, are you getting on that plane or not?" Tyler shouted from outside.
"Go!" Laughing, Kate nudged Marley out the door and waved as the dusty red Ford rolled away.
Returning to the office, Kate scooped up her refilled mug and stepped back onto the porch. The sunset cast purple shadows and golden glints across the barns and animal runs. Her office had a wide picture window overlooking the same views, but there was something so much better about standing on the porch of the repurposed cabin home. A dirt road crossed in front of the administration building, leading down to the interns' lodge and the clinic. The lodge stood empty and Luke, their resident veterinarian had shut down the clinic over an hour ago. For once, the overnight cages were empty and wouldn't need checked every few hours.
Maybe Kate wouldn't need her coffee tomorrow.
Not that Kate disliked her work. The Blue Mountain Reserve was a breeding and conditioning setup for rare and endangered animals. Marley had founded the ranch as part of a zoo collective and ran it as a successful education center. The Reserve also served as a wildlife rehabilitation center for the local community. No one could say the job was tedious, and Marley made sure none of her employees stayed indoors. Everyone pitched in and got dirty at some point.
Finishing the last dregs of liquid caffeine left in the mug, Kate sat down to pull on her farm boots. One last walk through and she could collapse on her bed. Tomorrow was early enough to worry about finding new interns and checking the forums for out-of-work media specialists.
No sooner had her brain finished punctuating the thought when a low roar ripped through the quiet dusk. A figure pulled up on the offending motorcycle, throwing a cloud of dust into Kate's face.
"I'm sorry, but we're not open to the public today. If you come back tomorrow – " Her voice trailed off as the rider pulled off his helmet, revealing an all too familiar face.
Eyes green as grass peered out from under tousled brown hair. Black combat boots steadied the dusty road bike as the rider paused to hook his helmet over the handlebar. Faded blue jeans covered lean legs and a burgundy pullover emphasized the muscles built through months of work in a gym.
Ethan Myers certainly knew how to make a picture, an entrance, whatever. Butterflies spawned in Kate's belly even as her hands clenched tight. A thousand miles and three years had done nothing to lessen her reaction to him.
"What in hell are you doing here? Long way from the studio, isn't it?"
Ethan's eyes shot to the woman on the porch as he wiped his suddenly sweaty palms on his jeans. Nothing ever went the way he planned it. Why had he thought leaving New York would be any different? Of course he'd noticed the woman standing on the porch like a queen surveying her kingdom, but the portrait had taken shape before he'd really seen her. Blurred face, faded background, emphasis on the light and the angle… Shaking his head to focus on the situation and not the photograph, he reached out a hand and opened his mouth to, what, apologize? Ethan could feel his face flushing but couldn't say if it was in anger or embarrassment.
And really, what was he doing here? The last time Ethan had seen Katie Hoss, she'd been returning his spare key and packing for sunny California. God, three years. Three long years since she'd shredded his heart without bothering to tell him why.
Katie stomped down the porch, brushing by, apparently oblivious to his confused response. She was still a firecracker, all constant motion and high energy packed into a small, curvy body. Her hands fisted and swung at her sides, no longer accompanied by the long blonde braid Ethan remembered. The new cut suited her, but he couldn't help missing the –
Damn it, he needed cash and the woman decided to walk away like she couldn't wait to rid herself of him once again.
"Katie, stop. Seriously? Come on." Ethan easily caught up to her, his longer legs eating up the distance. He resisted the urge to reach out a hand and pull her to a halt.
"It's Kate. It's always been Kate. I've got work to do, okay? I don't have time for this. Come back tomorrow when we're open and I'll have someone give you the tour." Katie's eyes flashed icy blue fire.
Not sure what else to do, Ethan shoved his hands deep into his pockets and followed. "I don't want the tour. Look, can you just tell me where the owner is? I'm here to talk to her."
"How do you know Marley?"
His cheeks got even warmer. "Look, it's business. There was a job –" Ethan felt his own anger sparking. "Why are you here?" His mouth twisted. "Aren't you supposed to be in a condo overlooking some bright red bridge?"
Her matching blush made Ethan want to smile. Apparently Katie – Kate – did not share his amusement. No, instead she moved to storm off again. This time he didn't hesitate as he reached out and snagged her arm, thinking all's fair in – Better not go there. Love had hardly been part of things last time. At least from her side.
"I work here, for Marley. Until she gets back, I'm running the show. And unless you want me calling the cops, you'll let go." If eyes really could shoot daggers, his hand would be a bloody mess.
Deciding not to call her bluff, he released her with a careless shrug. Katie had always been contrary, more so when she felt cornered. She must have been an alley cat in a past life.
"You said you work here?" A nod. "Fine, I'm here about a job."
"It's intern season. Decide to give up your high-flying career as New York's ‘rising star' in portrait photography to be a zoologist?"
Grimacing, Ethan trotted after Katie, who had started moving again. "Nah. More like the cheap glitter got annoying. I'm here for that other job the site mentioned. Media specialist?"
Interesting, he hadn't thought it possible to hear someone's jaw clench.
"I want to know why you want this. Why here, why now? I can't agree to anything without knowing that much."
He couldn't hold back a sigh of relief. "I'll tell you if that means I have a shot. Can we go inside? I've been on the road all day."
Kate shook her head. "No. I have to do a check of the barns and lock up. You can talk to me while I work."
Fine. Ethan could appreciate the necessary distraction of work. He followed her to a long barn painted in a cheerful green, small runs branching off several of the stalls. "Alright, you remember the studio, the exhibitions I had going."
"Yeah. Hard to forget when your prints and paperwork were all over the apartment."
He ignored the growl that accompanied the mutter as he waited for Kate to fish a key ring out from her cargo pants. "Okay. Well, that all started to tank last year. Two months ago I packed up, sold everything but my gear, and hit the road."
A grunt. This time Ethan couldn't keep back the frown. He didn't want her pity, but a bit of curiosity wouldn't be amiss. Some recognition. Maybe their year together really had been nothing to her. Well, either way, he had to move on if he was going to get the job. Katie finally found the right key and swung open the barn doors. "I've been riding down the coast, trying to figure stuff out, and –"
His jaw dropped. Katie grinned. A pair of camels leaned over one of the stall doors. Another stall had been replaced with wire caging that held a great-horned owl with one wing. A lemur peered through a length of fencing and a tortoise wandered through a sandbox at the end of the aisle. Something growled and something else hissed in response.
"It's a bit of a menagerie."
"A bit?" He tried to take it all in.
"Yeah, well. This is for monitoring new arrivals or for temporary living when the habitats are being adjusted or cleaned. It's getting colder too, so that's part of why t
his barn is full. We have two more for some of the larger animals. Let me just check the water bowls."
"Sure. Right. So I've been driving down and just passing through wherever. But the job looked interesting and I need to stop for a while anyways."
"Your money ran out." The flat tone managed to convey a wealth of disappointment.
"Yes and no. I need some, but I'd be good for a month or so. Mostly I'm just tired of riding and I need a new project." Ethan waited. The ball was in her court now.
This really couldn't be happening. Leaving was supposed to mean closure, an ending, never again. Maybe Kate had regretted the move in the first few months that followed, but the break needed to happen. And it was always better to be the first one out the door. It hurt less.
It still hurt a helluva lot.
In running away, Kate had taken a detour. Had found a place and people that were starting to matter to her. And dammit, Marley trusted her to make the best decisions for the Reserve while she was gone. Ethan may have been a terrible candidate for lifelong partner, but no one knew how to promote an exhibition like Ethan Myers, world-renowned photographer, beloved for his art and charm. The Blue Mountain Reserve needed the boost Ethan could provide.
Practicality sucked.
Kate finished checking the stalls, topping off water or re-distributing straw as she went. Stalling, she shepherded Ethan out of one barn and towards the next one as she secured the padlock at the entrance.
"Trial basis. You get some shots, get a plan, an angle together. We'll work on it and see how it goes. If things don't work out, I will make sure you get paid for the time you put in. If things do, you and Marley can figure out a contract or whatever after the holidays."
Ethan nodded.
"And you can stay in the lodge. Tyler's our only intern right now, so there's plenty of room."
"Thanks. Want any help?"
She resisted the urge to snort. "I've got it. Go ahead and move your bike. We'll talk shop in the morning."
Ignoring the urge to watch him walk away, Kate moved on with the chores. After all this time, a grown woman should have been able to forget an ex. Ethan had certainly forgotten her. Still focused on his work to the exclusion of all else.
That had always been their problem. Two people who loved their jobs and hadn't been ready or willing to compromise on their ambitions. And boy, had Ethan's paid off. His work grabbed the attention, and the approval, of several art critics just a few months after he and Kate had begun to date. And Kate had started to climb the corporate ladder, becoming a team leader well on her way to joining the executives.
But Ethan had been more and more wrapped in his work, putting in hour after hour at the studio and complaining about anything that dragged him away. Kate had started working longer, less flexible hours. It was obvious someone would have to give if their relationship had any value. And Kate refused to be the only one to make changes.
She still regretted it.
Kate paused in the act of latching one of the enclosure gates. She hadn't known she still held that regret inside.
"Whatever. Move on, grow up, get over it. Maybe Ethan was your all, but you've got something else now. Something better."
Marley had given her a job and time to consider the options when Kate had felt trapped. Quitting her job had been rash, but New York City had been too full of reminders for her to want to stay.
Sleepy, middle-of-nowhere North Carolina had been just the right mix of daydreams and reality for Kate. The mountains nearby created a dramatic skyline that, surprisingly, suited the woman who had once thrived on the frenetic beat of big-city life. And maybe, just maybe, the Reserve had become home.
-Two-
Ethan woke up the next morning feeling more tired, if that were even possible. He'd spent the night tossing around in the bed, unable to keep Kate out of his head.
He'd never thought he would see her again. When she had given him the key, announced her plans to move to San Francisco, and walked out the door, Ethan had been frozen. Struck mute. He knew he had been busy, sure, but things had been great. Every free moment had been spent with her. Kate showed him a world he could live in, not just the one he viewed from behind the camera lens.
She'd taken that world with her. Ethan hadn't been able to find it since she left and now he had a chance to learn why. He deserved to know why.
God, he needed coffee. Caffeine would help him shake off the mood and settle down to work. Once his brain kicked into gear, he'd not only be able to build a killer portfolio for the Blue Mountain Reserve, he'd have a plan for getting his answers.
Shuffling across the floor, he pulled on a pair of jeans, leaving the button loose as he walked down the lodge stairs to the shared kitchen. He may not have seen it the night before, but the smell of fresh-brewed coffee guided him. The intern – what was his name, Taylor? No, Tyler. Whatever, the college kid was already awake and sitting at the table with a half-eaten plate of eggs.
"Morning, sir. Everything edible's either in the fridge or on top of it."
Ethan grunted as he poured hot coffee into a mug and tossed a bagel into the toaster. Checking the refrigerator, he found a tub of cream cheese. "It's Ethan. Not 'sir' or 'mister' anything."
The kid nodded. "Alright. I'm Tyler. I'll show you around the place once you're ready. Kate drove in and took morning rounds, so we're on cleaning detail."
Scowling, Ethan smeared his bagel with the Philadelphia before looking at his watch. "It's only eight. What unholy time do you have 'morning' rounds?"
"Six." Tyler grinned. Clearly a morning person.
Ethan refused to dignify that with a response. He could get up that early for a project. Every day? Not happening. Choking down the bagel, he poured a second cup of coffee and carried the mug back up the stairs.
Five minutes later saw him fully dressed, his camera hanging from his neck and a tripod slung across his back.
"You're going to want some farm boots."
Ethan looked down to his feet. Lifted an eyebrow. "I have boots."
Tyler lifted an eyebrow in turn. "Yeah, nice ones. There are some spare rubber work boots in the office. We'll get you a pair."
Frowning, Ethan followed Tyler out of the lodge and down the road.
Smiling, Kate settled down at her desk with her third cup of coffee and the lists of supplies that needed to be ordered. Luke needed more surgical gloves, gauze, and plenty more dish soap for the clinic. They had used the last of it to treat the fleas on a litter of abandoned kittens. The nutritionist had submitted an eclectic grocery list, including a request for kangaroo formula and frozen trout. And a student from a visiting elementary school had managed to break two snake hooks during a field trip the previous week.
Maybe pushing Ethan off on Tyler had been an act of cowardice, but the distance would give Kate's hormones a chance to calm. No way would she get tangled up with Myers again. She wanted more than a moment of fun.
Frowning, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and opened her email. The creak of the screen door pulled her eyes from the monitor.
"Morning, Kate. Everything look good when you went through?"
"Morning, Ty. Everybody was fine."
Tyler nodded, but didn't leave. "Do we have any boots Ethan can borrow?"
For the first time, Kate noticed Ethan curiously looking around the cabin from over Tyler's shoulder. He didn't miss a thing, taking in the coat rack decked in rain gear and sweaters, the bookshelf full of magazines and instruction manuals.
"Nothing like your old office," he commented.
Kate gave him a cold glare.
"I like this better. More personality."
She appreciated Tyler's attempt at a bored expression even as she fought to keep the surprise from her own. She had forgotten how insightful Ethan could be when he tried. Clearing her throat, she remembered Tyler's question and tossed him her key ring. "We should. Check the storage closet."
"Got it."
"And don't do all t
he work yourself. Marley will make sure Ethan pitches in when she gets back. He might as well learn now."
Ethan leaned towards her as he followed Tyler out the door. "Thanks, but I'm sure he didn't need the reminder."
Kate smirked. "Never hurts to double-check. Better get to work. I hear the lady-in-charge is a stickler for commitment."
Ethan had to hand it to the woman, she knew how to score a hit. Hypocrite. No matter, some physical labor with a bit of photography thrown in would help smooth him out.
And then he and Kate would have a nice, friendly chat about old times.
"Do you mind if I get some pictures of you with the animals, doing some of the regular chores? I'll stay out of your way and swap off with you whenever you want."
"You want pictures of me shoveling out cages?"
Ethan had to grin at Tyler's disbelief. "Yeah, sure. You know, the day-to-day work. I bet you have fun and you get to do some cool things, but at the base of it it's a basic job. Any information or pictures about the work should reflect that."
Tyler snorted. "If you say so."
"I do. You want more interns like yourself. People who know the work is tough and smelly but like it anyways, because it's worth it."
A slight nod. "We'll start with the porcupines then. Tessa's pretty friendly with strangers and won't mind the camera."
As Tyler unlocked an enclosure off the second barn, Ethan cautiously surveyed the area. Porcupines had quills, and as far as he was concerned, even friendly ones posed a threat. A clucking sound distracted him, and he looked down to see Tyler chattering to a porcupine the size of a corgi. A three-legged porcupine.
"What happened to Stumpy?" he asked, even as he pulled the cap off his Canon and started framing the shot.
"This is Tessa. A dog found her when she was younger and managed to get her leg before she perforated his nose. The owner brought her to us and Luke, that's the vet, he fixed her up. "