Rescued by Elle James

Author:Elle James [James, Elle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Twisted Page Inc

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The day dawned overcast and depressing. A perfect start to his community service hours. Jake’s father drove him to the refuge and dropped him off in front of the gift shop. Having lost his right leg, Jake had yet to drive with the left, refusing to learn, knowing the change meant he’d have to accept his disability, and he just wasn’t ready.

The thought of seeing Cara that evening had him tied in knots, his stomach roiling and his heart squeezing so hard in his chest he could barely breathe. That night, he’d officially break his engagement to the woman he loved. Working at the refuge seemed insignificant in comparison.

A group of around twenty people gathered in the front of the refuge store, laughing and talking to each other. Jake clambered out of the passenger seat and eased down on his prosthetic, hidden beneath a regular pair of jeans and a tennis shoe.

“Taking your crutch?” his father asked.

Jake hesitated then shook his head, determined to blend in and pretend he was like anyone else. Surely working the counter inside the store wouldn’t be a problem for a one-legged ex-warrior. As long as he was on smooth, level ground, he’d be fine. He walked slowly away from the truck.

“Are you one of the volunteers?” a young woman wearing a Kappa Delta sorority shirt asked, as he joined the others.

“Yeah,” Jake answered, refusing to elaborate on his real reason for being there.

“This is my first time volunteering here. I can’t wait to see all the big cats. I’ve heard so much about the great things the refuge is doing for the animals here,” the girl rattled on.

Jake tuned her out, nodding occasionally.

The door to the shop opened, and a woman wearing a tan uniform stepped out, smiling.

Jake’s stomach hit bottom, and he staggered backward, almost falling.

Cara Miller—his Cara—smiled at the volunteers. “Welcome to the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, and thank you for coming out to help us make our residents’ lives more comfortable.” Her gaze skimmed across the faces of the others, searching for and finding Jake.

He waited, dreading the moment their gazes would meet, and when they did, he flinched inside while schooling his face to be poker straight.

“Today, some of you will be assisting with the construction of our newest habitat. The work you’ll be doing will give another three large cats a place to roam outside the confines of an eight by ten cage.” Finally, her gaze met his, her lips parting for a brief moment, before she continued, “The work is difficult, but rewarding. Others will assist with cleaning the lockdown cages. Kappa Delta ladies, you’ll go with Paul, who will assign tasks and show you where to begin. Everyone else will come with me.”

As the dozen college-aged women followed a man in a similar uniform to Cara's, Jake's heartbeat sped. He'd resigned himself to breaking it off with her that night. Not now. The ninety hours of community service stretched before him like a jail sentence

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