“There were two intruders,” he said.
“I thought so. The robber and the wolf who decided to take advantage of an open door.”
“It’s complicated, but I swear I’m gonna find out what happened. You weren’t imagining things, Taylor, and it was smart for you to bolt out of here when you did.”
“What if it was Jonathon?” I asked with a shudder.
“Not possible. He’s…out of town.”
“Maybe he was, but what if he came back?”
“Like I said, not possible,” he said, sounding absolutely sure.
“You’re right. He probably would’ve killed me in the shower, just like Norman Bates.”
A car pulled in the driveway.
When I opened the door and recognized the vehicle, I was relieved. “Thank God. It’s just my parents.” I threw my arms around them as soon as they stepped in the door.
My father looked at me, noticing that I was in a robe and slippers, then looked at Jesse and raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?” he shouted, absolutely livid. “We leave you alone for one night, and you invite a boy over? Why are you dressed—or rather, undressed—like that?”
“Dad!”
He looked at Jesse again, this time with anger washing over him. “Go home, young man. Get out of my house!”
“Mom,” I said, “please make Dad stop. He doesn’t know the whole story. It’s not what you think.”
“I trusted you, Taylor,” he said, shaking his head.
“Let her explain,” my mom pleaded.
I touched my dad’s arm. “Please, Dad! Jesse just got here. Somebody broke in, so I called him over to help.”
“What?” he asked in disbelief. “Someone broke in? With you here by yourself?”
I explained the entire story to my parents.
My dad’s tone softened. “I’m sorry, Jesse. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions. I-I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.” He then turned his gaze to me. “You’ve been through a horrible experience, and I shouldn’t have accused you of anything. I apologize.”
“It’s okay, Dad. I know it didn’t look very good.”
My mom wrapped her arm around me. “Baby, you’ve had a rough evening. Would you like me to make you some hot chocolate?”
“Mom, I’m not ten anymore, but thank you.”
“You stayed up late with Julie last night watching horror movies,” my dad said. “What if you imagined the robber? Are you sure it wasn’t just a shadow?”
“Dad, the door was left open, and the power went out,” I retorted.
“You’re tired from work, hon’. It’s easy for a tired mind to wander and—”
“I would have remembered leaving a door open. I heard a wild animal howling.”
“We live in the woods, dear. If the door was left open, something probably wandered in.”
I swallowed hard. “Dad, I didn’t leave the door open,” I said again. “Like I said, the power even went out. I had to get the flashlight out of the drawer.”
“We’re in a remote area, and the wind really picked up tonight. It could’ve easily knocked the power out temporarily.”
“I’m gonna go, now that you folks are here with her,” Jesse said.
“Goodbye, Jesse,” I said, gazing into his eyes. “Thanks for coming over and checking out things for me.”
“Not a problem.”
“Thanks, Jesse,” my dad said, swallowing his pride and his accusations.
“Yes, thank you, Jesse,” my mom said. “You take care of yourself, now, and have a good evening.”
After Jesse was gone, I turned to my mother. “I was so scared, Mom. My entire body was shaking.”
She looked at me with concern on her face, the way she had when I was little and had a fever. “I’ve never seen you this terrified before, sweetheart.” She turned to my dad. “Something scared her. If she says she saw an intruder, I believe she saw someone. Maybe we should call the police.”
“I’m sure everything is okay now,” my dad said. “Nothing seems to be missing or damaged.” As if he refused to believe the obvious, he turned to me and said, “Honey, maybe you’re just having a hard time adjusting to such an isolated life out here in the woods, or maybe you’re missing Sean. I know how much you cared about him.”
“Dad, I know I cried for over a month when we broke up, but I’m over him. Besides, this has absolutely nothing to do with him. Sean breaking up with me was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
My mom wrapped her arm around me. “How was dinner? I made spicy chicken. Did you like it?”
“I didn’t eat,” I said. “I was warming it up in the microwave when I saw that man through the glass.”
“That’s too bad, darlin’. Let me warm it up for you.”
“I’m really not hungry now, Mom.”
“How about something to drink?”
“I’d love that. Surprise me.”
My mom smiled, and I headed up to my room. I replayed the entire situation in my head. Maybe I did overreact, but I know that growl was real. It was so loud! I was glad I didn’t check it out on my own, or I might not have lived to tell the tale.
With that thought on my mind, I slipped into a nightgown and crawled into bed. I usually kept the door closed when I slept, but this time, I left it open.
A few minutes later, my mom stepped in with a steaming mug of cocoa.
“Hey, Mom,” I said with a smile.
“Hi, honey. Look, I know you’re not a child anymore, but I also know you still love hot chocolate, especially loaded with marshmallows.”
“I have to work early tomorrow, so I hope it won’t keep me up.”
“It shouldn’t. At least have a few sips. Goodnight, honey.”
“Goodnight,” I said. “And, Mom…”
“Yes, honey?”
“Please leave the door open, just this once.”
Chapter 12
When morning dawned, I peeked out the window and into the woods. I didn’t see any intruders lurking around. It was actually beautiful outside, complete with all the shining sun and chirping birds the outdoors had to offer.
In hindsight, I felt silly for asking Jesse to meet me at McDonald’s when I was barely dressed and hysterical. I realized now that I should have called my parents and left him out of it. I was relatively certain he didn’t want to date a stark-raving lunatic, but the damage had already been done.
Realizing I couldn’t turn back time, I took a shower, put my uniform on, and left for work.
* * *
Again when I clocked in for work, Jesse was waiting for me.
He looked so handsome in his uniform and with his hair tied back, and I felt a flutter as he pulled me aside. “How did you sleep?” he asked.
“Look, Jesse, I’m sorry I bugged you last night. I’m so embarrassed. I should have—”
“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” he cut in, speaking with heartfelt sincerity.
“I beg to differ. I was at McDonald’s in a robe.”
“Technically, you were in the parking lot.”
I smiled at his attempt to make me feel better. “I guess. But anyway, I’ve had enough of the wild animals around here. They’ve gotta do something about their wolf problem.”
He smiled. “I totally agree.”
Ms. Aikers approached us, bid us a quick “Good morning, folks,” then handed us our assignments for the day.
“Looks like my job’s for the birds today,” Jesse said. “I guess that’s all right. I’ve been missing Beauty Queen.”
I glanced down at my assignment sheet. “Mine’s worse. She put me on cage cleanup.”
“I can get my stuff done pretty quick, and then I’ll come over and help you,” he offered, ever the good Samaritan.
“That’s so nice of you. Thank you, Jesse.”
“Not a problem. I’ll see ya later.”
“Okay,” I said with a big smile.
* * *
I was mopping
one of the empty cages when screams echoed in the air. I quickly threw down the mop and hurried out to find a crowd of people gathered around the cage across from me, screaming in panic about a five-year-old who had fallen into the mountain lion’s cage. The child was unconsciousness in the enclosure, and the big cat was quickly approaching. Shouts and cries pierced the air, especially from the little one’s mother.
“Can you help?” the kid’s mother yelled at me, noticing that I was wearing a zoo uniform.
“Uh…” Not sure what to do, I began to scream and yell and try to get the animal’s attention. When that didn’t work, I reached down and grabbed several rocks, then started throwing them at the mountain lion. The animal didn’t even flinch, as its attention was completely absorbed by the child.
Suddenly, zoo workers entered the pen and desperately tried to get to the child as the mountain lion snarled at them.
Its menacing growl made me shudder, and when I felt a tap on my shoulder, I jumped like an NBA player.
“What’s happening?” Jesse asked.
“A kid fell in!” I said.
Without waiting for any further explanation, he took off in a flash to help the other workers. On the way over to help, I ran into my boss.
“Taylor, stay back,” she said.
“But I want to help, and—”
“You stay right here,” Ms. Aikers commanded. “We’re getting tranquilizer guns.” The woman looked frazzled, more shaken up than I’d ever seen her before.
My gaze shot to the pen. Just as Jesse hopped in, the mountain lion lunged at one of the zoo workers and sank its teeth into the bald man’s head, causing blood to gush everywhere. Somehow, Jesse managed to pry the animals jaws open and free the man, and the victim gasped for breath and crawled away. That left Jesse face to face and alone with the big, angry cat. The bald man was three times Jesse’s size, so I didn’t know how Jesse could possibly escape the animal.
“Jesse!” Jeanie shouted. “Get out of there!”
I knew it was better if Jesse didn’t run, if he just stayed and confronted it, tried to look big and bad. If Jesse tried to run, the cat would only be instinctively driven to give chase, and Jesse would become helpless prey.
The lion snarled and focused on Jesse, and I wondered why Jesse wasn’t screaming and yelling at it or lifting up and flailing his arms, all the usual tactics for getting away. Instead, he just looked at the animal and calmly spoke to it, boldly staring into its eyes. The mountain lion turned and calmly walked to the back of the enclosure and just waited, and the other workers cautiously rushed in and grabbed the child.
When Jesse came out, I ran into his arms. “I was so worried,” I said. “You’re so brave.”
Jesse was smoking hot, but he was also the most caring, selfless person I’d ever met. He was a hero, with a heart to help others, and I’d already been on the receiving end of that more than once. It was yet another of the amazing qualities that drew me to him like a fly to honey.
He gazed into my eyes. “I didn’t mean to worry you, but I had to help that kid.”
Jeanie rushed over and hugged Jesse long and tight. “Jesse, you scared me half to death,” she said. “But, as always, you’re a hero. As a matter of fact, a news team is waiting at the office to interview you.”
“How did they get here so quick?” I asked.
“They were already here, doing a piece on the grizzlies,” Jeanie said.
“Great,” Jesse said. “Just great.”
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I don’t like the spotlight. I didn’t do anything but what had to be done.”
“Are you crazy, Jesse? You saved a little kid and Bob. You deserve your fifteen minutes of fame and then some, so quit being so humble.”
“Jesse,” I said, “she’s right. You did something wonderful here today. You saved two lives. If that’s not newsworthy, I don’t know what is.”
He looked at Jeanie. “How is Bob anyway?”
“The EMTs said he’s fine. He just needs a few stitches.”
“Thank God,” Jesse said. “That thing had hold of his head pretty good.”
“Yeah, and he would be dead if it weren’t for you,” Jeanie said, her red ponytail swishing from side to side as she spoke. “You aren’t going to be able to pull this one off like Batman, lurking around in the shadows and saving people without anyone seeing you. Everybody’s got a digital camera and camera phone these days, and the whole thing’s gonna be on YouTube going viral in the next five minutes.” She smiled. “You’ll probably get Employee of the Month out of it.”
He closed his eyes and exhaled. “I’ve just majorly screwed up. I gotta go.”
“Screwed up?” I asked, confused. “Jesse, what’s wrong?”
His eyebrows furrowed into a deep line. “I’m in a whole lot of trouble, that’s what.”
“With who?”
“I’ve gotta run,” he said, refusing to talk about it.
“Nobody should be mad you jumped in there. I think it’s admirable that you’d even take that kind of a risk,” I said, presuming he was talking about his mother.
“She won’t see it that way,” he said.
“Jesse, if you need anything, I’m here for you.”
“Thanks. That means a lot. I’ll call you later.” He turned and left without another word.
Jesse had a certain sense of mystery and moodiness about him. He wasn’t telling me everything, and I knew he was hiding something, but I didn’t want to press the issue. I was sure that in time, he’d fill me in on everything. For the time being, I just wanted to be as supportive as possible.
Suddenly, Jeanie’s voice jerked me out of my thoughts. “Jesse’s mom hates it when he’s in the limelight. She’s really weird about it, like she wishes he was a hermit. I think she maybe kidnapped him or something.”
I cocked a brow. “What makes you say that?”
“She won’t let him be in the spotlight for any reason. One time, we did this big campaign for the zoo online, and Jesse’s picture was in it, holding one of the bear cubs. She was livid and marched right down here, demanding that Ms. Aikers remove his picture immediately. She caused so much trouble that his picture was taken down twenty-four hours later. Then one other time, after the zoo helped to cure three geese who had been shot with arrows, a local photographer took photos of him during their release. His mother actually paid the guy some outlandish sum of cash for the memory card so he couldn’t publish the pictures.”
“Maybe she’s just a very private person.”
“She goes overboard.”
“What does she look like?”
“She’s pretty—tall and thin, with light blue eyes and dark hair like him,” Jeanie said. “Anyway, we better get back to work. I’m sure Aikers isn’t gonna be in a good mood after all this.”
I nodded. “Yep. Back to mopping floors in stinky cages.”
“No rest for the weary,” she said.
I chuckled. “You got that right!”
Chapter 13
A few weeks passed, and I didn’t see much of Jesse. His mother, furious with him after the incident at the zoo, had grounded him and wouldn’t let him out for any reason. I didn’t get what the big deal was, and I found his mom to be a little odd. Jesse said she didn’t like guests either, so he never invited me over; whenever we got together, it was always at my house or somewhere else. My parents, on the other hand, had met him a few times, and while they thought he was very polite and a nice guy on the surface, there was something about him that they just didn’t trust. My guess was that he didn’t fit up to the preppy image they expected me to date. They hated his shoulder-length hair and labeled him a bad boy just by looking at him.
Meanwhile, the ducklings had grown. They were strong and healthy and ready to be released, and Ms. Aikers had given us permission to set them free. In our zoo uniforms, we stood beside Bear Lake, admiring the scenery and the gun glistening on the water. After a few minutes, Jesse took the an
imal carrier out of the company Jeep and opened it, and the five little ducks waddled into the water and glided away from us.
Jesse smiled in victory. “We did it,” he said.
“We sure did.” I’d never felt so happy. It was the most rewarding feeling, and I couldn’t stop smiling.
As Jesse and I watched the birds swim around the big lake, I felt his hand slip into mine. All over again, that familiar electricity flowed through me. I couldn’t believe a guy like him was holding the hand of a girl like me.
“I see why you love your job so much,” I said. “They look so happy out there.”
His blue gaze lingered on me as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. When he smiled, his white teeth gleamed.
Bzzzz!
When his cell phone rang, he answered it. After a minute, he hung up and looked at me. “We have two pressing cases that need our immediate attention. There’s an orphaned baby squirrel that hasn’t eaten in days, and the bird that was trapped inside a tire in that huge puddle of oil is ready to be washed.”
I smiled and shrugged. “Duty calls.”
We jumped into the Jeep and sped off, heading back to the zoo.
* * *
We went straight to work, tending the hungry squirrel first and then the bird. It had a yellow bill and had a bare yellow skin patch behind its dark eyes. The bird was blanketed in black oil, so it was going to be a messy job. Jesse handed me a pair of long, yellow latex gloves, and I also put a waterproof apron around my neck to prepare for the job.
“This is a yellow-billed magpie,” Jesse said. “What’s unique about these birds is that they don’t leave California. They’re songbirds, part of the crow family. They eat acorns, insects, carrion, fruit, and berries. You can’t tell now because she’s covered in oil, but she’s black and white, one of California’s prettiest birds under all this sludge.” He held up the bird and smiled when it made loud clucking noises. “I think we’ll call her Sally.”
As he talked so enthusiastically about the bird, I couldn’t stop staring into his eyes. I loved his caring nature, his love for animals and his evident need to protect them—just more qualities to admire about Jesse. He was gorgeous, but there was so much more to him than his striking good looks. I could have listened to him every second, every minute of every day, and I never would have grown tired of his voice or of what he had to say. His dedication to this zoo and these animals amazed me. Some of the workers told me he spent countless hours there, even when he wasn’t getting paid. He’d often go in on his day off to feed a baby animal or bird, and he never once complained.
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