by Laurel Kerr
Whatever was occurring with Bowie, Katie knew one thing for certain.
She would be civil to the man. She might even become friends with him. But she would not—under any circumstances—give Bowie the opportunity to hurt her again.
* * *
A giant paw swiped down in Fluffy’s direction. Before the tip of the claw could sink into his fur, he quickly darted to the left. Frida roared in frustration, but Fluffy could see the glint of excitement in the old bruin’s eyes. They’d been chasing each other for a good five minutes. Twice, Fluffy had let the bear think she’d cornered him, but at the last second, he’d scurried away. Fluffy noticed that Frida held back when she bore down—not that a honey badger needed such consideration. Fluffy was more than capable of escaping the elderly animal, whether or not the bear swung at full strength.
As soon as Frida began to lag, her breathing labored, Fluffy lost interest. What was the point of a chase when his opponent could barely keep up? With one last tail twitch in Frida’s direction, the honey badger clambered down the moat and then over the wall. The bruin bellowed one last roar as if she’d chased Fluffy away. Fluffy let the bear have her delusions. He had more important business tonight than harrying Frida.
Fluffy headed straight toward the main zoo facility and peeked into the room where the Black-Haired One currently slept with the cougar cubs. Despite the biped’s recent efforts to keep Fluffy contained, he had escaped easily tonight by climbing up the cracks that had appeared in the newly applied concrete.
Fluffy twitched his black snout when he discovered that the Black-Haired One was not alone. The redheaded female sat on the opposite side of the room. She was bent over one of those thin, light boxes that had an uncanny ability to hold the attention of the humans for hours. Fluffy let out a whicker of frustration. Clearly, the Black-Haired One did not understand proper courtship rituals.
The female lifted her head. Fluffy scuttled backward, not wanting her to spot him.
Leaving the facility, Fluffy chittered softly to himself. The Black-Haired One needed help in wooing the reluctant female. And Fluffy was quite happy to assist anything that led to more wee ones. When it came to treats, honey badgers were excellent at the long game.
Chapter 4
Katie didn’t wake Bowie, even when the cubs began to mew again for food. Sylvia raised her head, saw that Katie had things under control, and immediately snuggled back down. Katie made sure to give the kits plenty of attention before returning them to the capybara. Bowie had told her that female mountain lions spend a lot of time with their young and that the newborns required a lot of snuggles. Not that she minded. She was looking forward to playing mama cougar over the next month while the cubs needed round-the-clock feedings.
Around six in the morning, Katie heard the door open. She looked up to see Abby standing there with a thermos and a bagel. Katie placed a finger on her lips and jerked her head in Bowie’s direction.
Abby nodded and tiptoed into the room. She sat down beside Katie and whispered, “You stayed the whole night?”
“Your dad looked tired, and I thought he needed a break. What time does the zoo open?”
“Ten o’clock.”
“I think we should let him rest more.”
Abby nodded solemnly. “Okay, but I know he doesn’t like to sleep past seven. He’s normally up way earlier.”
“I’ll make sure we wake him.”
Abby pushed the breakfast in her direction. “Here. I can bring Dad some more later.”
“Thanks,” Katie said. She’d brought snacks and Red Bull but hadn’t planned on pulling an all-nighter.
“What are you working on?”
Katie tilted the screen in Abby’s direction. “A new website. Do you want to see what I’ve done so far?”
Abby nodded eagerly. As Katie flipped through the unfinished pages, the girl leaned close.
“That looks so awesome!” she said.
A smile spread across Katie’s face. Sharing her work with a tween was completely different from showing her old, grouchy boss. Abby squealed constantly and even clapped her hands twice. She pointed at the screen, excitedly giving suggestions. Some, especially her personal stories about the animals, were great. Katie’s fingers flew across the keyboard as she felt a rekindling of her old excitement for web design. In fact, she and Abby were so engrossed in the website that they didn’t even notice when Bowie woke up.
“How long was I out?” he asked. Katie turned to see him sitting upright on the air mattress, rubbing the back of his head. The gesture caused his already disheveled shirt to hike up, revealing several inches of nicely toned abs. It also had the side effect of flexing his right bicep—his very nice, very muscular bicep.
Katie’s stomach flip-flopped. The man was seriously attractive.
Even a model would have trouble pulling off sexy dishabille so effortlessly. Sleep had cured Bowie’s drawn features and dark circles. The fact that he wasn’t fully awake only added an element of intimacy, despite Abby’s presence. His black hair stood up in uneven spikes, making Katie want to smooth it down…and not just because it looked messy.
Bowie wore the sexy look well—too well.
Katie didn’t want to feel that slow, pleasurable tug again. It had muddled her mind in the past, and she didn’t want to start gazing at him with puppylike adoration, especially now. She was having enough trouble trying to figure out her career path without adding distraction into the mix—especially distraction of the male variety.
She was an adult. She understood the pull of sexual attraction and knew how to prevent it from turning into infatuation. She certainly knew not to mistake it for love.
“It’s six thirty,” Abby chirped happily, bouncing up from the floor. “I gave your breakfast to Katie. I’ll go grab another bagel.”
She bounded from the room with the energy only someone under the age of thirteen could possess. Bowie yawned and stretched, showing even more of his stomach muscles. Halfway through, he must have realized that his shirt had slid up, because he stopped and yanked it down.
Pity. Although, really, wasn’t that what Katie wanted?
“You should have woken me,” he told her, standing up.
She shrugged. “You looked like you needed the rest, and I was on a roll with the website.”
Bowie shifted uncomfortably and said gruffly, “Thanks, but you didn’t need to do that. I’ve run on little sleep before.”
“No biggie. So have I. And I had plenty of fuel.” Katie gestured to the two empty cans of Red Bull beside her.
“Did the cubs wake up for a feeding?”
She nodded. “They drank like champs.”
“So what were you and Abby looking at when I woke up?”
Katie got up and handed him the laptop. “She was helping me put together information about the animals for the website. What do you think so far? I’ve kept it professional and user-friendly. We can add some flashier features, but I think the portal should be streamlined.”
“This looks great,” Bowie said, the enthusiasm in his voice sounding legitimate. “You accomplished all this last night?”
A part of her thrilled at his words. Even long after Katie should have known better, she’d yearned for his and Sawyer’s respect. Suddenly, her dad’s words from yesterday popped into her mind. Was a part of her still trying to prove herself? Is that why she wanted a flashy job so badly? To have something to brag about? To automatically impress people?
Before Katie could reply, the door opened, and Lou entered. He walked a little stiffly but was still steady on his feet. She wouldn’t call him frail, but he didn’t quite fit the category of robust either. Lou glanced back and forth between her and Bowie, and Katie didn’t like his speculative look. Both the elderly zookeeper and her mother were a little too eager for them to work together. Thankfully, Lou didn’t make any comment.
Instead, he just greeted them cheerfully.
“So how are my charges this morning?” he asked.
“They’re good,” Bowie told him. “Katie said they took their bottles well last night.”
Lou turned toward her. “So, you stayed the whole night. Couldn’t tear yourself away from the little critters, could you?”
“Nope, especially when they were curled up in little balls next to Sylvia. Plus, Bowie looked like he was on his last legs, so I thought I’d give him a few extra hours of sleep.”
Lou’s eyes gleamed at her last comment, and Katie nearly winced at her blunder. She did not want to encourage the elderly vet’s matchmaking.
“Would you like to help me weigh the cubs and check them over?” he asked.
Katie nodded eagerly. “I’d love that.”
“I’ll be out feeding the animals,” Bowie said. “Let me know if you’re too tired to drive home, Katie. Lou can watch the cubs, and I’ll give you a lift.”
“I’ll be fine,” she told him, surprised by his offer.
He gave her a close look. “Are you sure? It’s not easy staying awake after an all-nighter.”
“It’s not my first,” Katie said. “I’m wide awake.”
Bowie nodded and was starting to leave when Katie thought of something. “This is most likely nothing, but I thought I heard an animal last night. It was probably just my imagination.”
He immediately turned around, his voice resigned. “What did you hear?”
“A chittering sound,” Katie said, and then, as best as she could, she mimicked it.
Bowie exchanged a look with Lou. Then both men said simultaneously in the same exasperated tone: “Fluffy!”
“Who’s Fluffy?” she asked.
“The zoo’s honey badger, but he isn’t a true badger. He’s more closely related to a weasel or a marten,” Bowie answered.
Katie had never heard of the creature, which surprised her. “What part of the world are honey badgers from?”
“Africa,” Lou answered before he turned to Bowie. “You better get Abby before she leaves for school.”
“Abby?” Katie asked in confusion.
Bowie nodded at Lou before turning to her. “Abby is the only person who can catch Fluffy.”
“Honey badgers are ornery critters,” Lou said, “but Fluffy has a real soft spot for our girl.”
Bowie scowled. “It’s those honey-covered larvae that she sneaks him.”
Lou chuckled. “I think it’s more than that. I know they’re solitary creatures in the wild, but I swear Fluffy bonded with Abby when he was dropped off by his owner in a box when he was just a cub. She toddled over to him before we could stop her, and instead of biting her, Fluffy made something like a purr.”
Bowie snorted, but Katie could still hear the underlying affection in his voice. “Fluffy wouldn’t know how to purr, even if I gave him a whole jar of treats.”
Lou laughed again. “No matter what, you can’t deny that Abby is the only one who can get that animal to do anything.”
“True enough,” Bowie agreed before he turned to Katie again. “If you start feeling tired before you leave, just let me know.”
“Will do,” she said.
Bowie gave both her and Lou a parting nod before he ducked out of the room. Katie turned to find Lou studying her thoughtfully. He didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he turned his attention to the cougars. Switching into professor mode, he gave her the rundown on cougar cub care while he examined the kits.
Unhappy at having their slumber disturbed, the cubs squeaked their displeasure. Lou opened the door to their crate, and Sylvia slowly rose and then carefully stepped from the wire-mesh bottom to the floor. She stretched her round body before meandering over to Lou to bump her snout against his leg a couple of times. Evidently satisfied that she’d greeted him properly, she headed over to her food dish.
Despite the capybara’s adorable morning routine, Katie had trouble looking away from the cubs. Since their eyes hadn’t opened yet, the only flashes of color came from their little pink noses and tongues.
Like Bowie, Lou handled the kits with practiced gentleness. Tonks curled into his arms as he carried her over to a table to be weighed and measured. He lifted her onto a gently curved metal scale. As Lou started to record the cubs’ weight, he said nonchalantly, “Since you’re Helen and John Underwood’s daughter, you must be a local girl. Where have you been keeping yourself these last few years?”
She had to hide a half-amused, half-exasperated smile. Thus, the grilling began.
“Minnesota,” Katie said. “I moved there right after college for a job.”
“It was very good of you to come home to help care for your father after he was shot. While you and Bowie were out rescuing the cubs, your mom told me how much help you’ve been. I’m glad to hear that his recovery is going well.”
She nodded. “It’s been a rough road, but Dad’s definitely turned the corner for the better. I just hope they catch the guy soon. It’s been weighing on my mom.”
Lou nodded. “The whole town has been worried about your dad.”
“Everybody’s been driving out to the ranch to visit and drop off casseroles,” Katie said. “That’s one good thing about growing up in Sagebrush: neighbors stick together.”
“I suppose you went to Sagebrush High then?”
She hoped her smile didn’t look forced. “Yes. Bowie and I were in the same graduating class.”
“Were the two of you friends?”
“Uh, not really,” Katie said, trying to be as vague as possible. “We really didn’t hang with the same crowd.” She omitted the reason why.
Lou gave an understanding nod. “He’s changed a great deal since I met him. He’s a good man…an excellent father.”
“I think that’s pretty clear to anyone who spends more than five minutes with Abby.”
Lou nodded approvingly. “Bowie’s smart too. Has better business sense than I ever did. I don’t know how he’s held this place together, between the bad economy and Gretchen’s medical bills. My wife and I transferred the zoo over to him, but he mortgaged it when we had trouble making ends meet.”
Katie whipped her head around to stare at Lou. She never would have expected Bowie to make such a sacrifice. Yes, he had chosen to raise his daughter instead of giving her up for adoption, but Abby was his child. Not many people would incur debt to help an elderly couple who weren’t blood-related. Although it sounded as if Gretchen and Lou had helped Bowie out and given the property to him in the first place, the Bowie she thought she knew wouldn’t have cared.
“He’s got a natural affinity for taking care of animals,” Lou said. “It’s a darn shame that he never had a chance to go to college. He would have made a real good vet.”
Katie made a noncommittal sound. She’d never doubted Bowie’s intelligence. His pranks had been too well executed and diabolical. But she didn’t want to chorus Lou’s praise. He could definitely rival her mother in matchmaking.
“Do you have a special someone back in Minnesota?”
Katie shook her head. “Nope.”
“Bowie’s single.”
You don’t say, she thought. Instead, she responded with her trademark hmph.
Lou gave her a sidelong glance but thankfully returned the discussion to the cougar cubs. No matter how much Bowie might have changed, he still wasn’t good for her, especially now with her life upended. She needed to find a direction, and Bowie Wilson wasn’t it.
* * *
“So Katie seems like a very sweet young lady. Cute too,” Lou pronounced while leaning against the fence as Bowie cleaned out the llama pen. The herd ignored both of them, but Lulubelle, the camel, immediately wandered over to the eighty-year-old.
Bowie groaned as he shoveled manure into a wheelbarrow. “Don’t even go t
here.”
Lou threw his hands up in mock innocence. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t,” Bowie said.
“Scout’s honor.”
Bowie snorted. “I wasn’t in the Boy Scouts, but somehow I think you have the definition screwed up. And I mean it, Lou. No matchmaking.”
Lou reached over and scratched the camel on her head. “Why not? Katie’s a bright young lady and attractive too.”
“Not going to argue with you there.”
“So why don’t you ask the girl out to see a movie…or whatever you young folks do today? She’s single.”
Bowie leaned his shovel against the fence as an unpleasant suspicion formed. “How do you know she’s single?”
“I asked.” Lou didn’t even try to appear contrite. In fact, he looked borderline smug. “Told her that you weren’t in a relationship either.”
This time, Bowie did groan. He loved Lou. He really did. Although Bowie had met the older man late in life, he still considered Lou his father. But that didn’t mean he enjoyed Lou’s latest mission to see him married or at least in a committed relationship. Luckily, there weren’t too many single women in Sagebrush, so Lou rarely had a target for his matchmaking.
“Lou, why would you do that?”
Lou gave Bowie a piercing look. “Because you’ve locked yourself away in this damn zoo. You can’t make this and Abby your whole life.”
“Aw, Lou, you’re part of my life too.”
Lou ignored Bowie’s weak attempt at humor. “I am an old man, Bowie. Abby’s mature enough now that you can start dating. I can see why you don’t want to introduce a woman into Abby’s life unless things get serious, but—”
Bowie cut him off. “Lou, I’m happy. I really am. If someone comes along who interests me, I promise you that I will ask her to the movies…or whatever young kids are doing these days.”
“Katie doesn’t interest you?”
Damn. Lou would have to ask a direct question, and Bowie couldn’t lie to him. Not even about this.