The Missing Twin--A Clean Romance by Pamela Tracy

Author:Pamela Tracy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2015-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

IT WAS A GOOD thirty minutes before three when he pulled into BAA’s parking lot. Luke and Katie Rittenhouse weren’t your typical animal-habitat owners. Even though Sunday was a prime day, they were closed to the public, on a bare-bones staff, so that their employees could go to church and have a family day.

Jake texted Luke to let him know he’d arrived. Three minutes later he heard the sound of a quad. “Hey, good to see you again,” Luke said as he pulled up. He’d made the hike into Tucson to see Jake in the hospital just after the shooting. They’d been friends since Jake had started out as a forest ranger and Luke, the novice director of a struggling animal habitat, had called him because a doe had been left at his front gate. Together, the two men had returned more than a hundred animals to the wild—some right away, some after rehabilitation. Others never got returned because they’d become too dependent on humans.

That reminded Jake of something. “How’s the bear cub the tourists turned in?”

“A lot of work.” Luke opened the entrance and let Jake in before continuing. “He’s up to ten pounds. We’ll be feeding him for another six months.”

“How many does that make now?” Jake asked, referring to bears both dropped off and rescued.

“Sixteen. I know that because Crisco is turning eight, and we’ve had two a year.” Luke shook his head. “The last three years have been the worst. I wish you’d catch that poacher.”

It was a short jaunt from the entrance to the gift shop. Luke’s office was upstairs. Jake leaned against the wall of the building while Luke took a call. After he hung up, Jake continued. “We’re trying. At least we seem to have discouraged the people trying to make bears into pets. How is Crisco?”

“Still giving George a reason to live.” Luke glanced toward the east and Jake knew he was thinking about the aged bear who performed for so many visitors.

“George still giving shows?” Jake followed Luke up the stairs to the office.

“No, since Jasper died, we’ve cut back. We’re doing okay with just the bird shows and the burro rides. It makes my wife happy. She never liked having the animals perform.”

Katie’s father, Bob Vincent, had been an animal trainer. He’d supplied wild animals for movie productions. Katie didn’t think much of using animals for personal gain. It was her influence that had made BAA more a habitat than a zoo.

Jake let out his breath when he got to the last stair. He didn’t want to admit how much the climb had winded him. He was fine, had things to do, promises to keep, debts to pay.

“There’s bottled water in the fridge, snacks on the table, and I’m a phone call away if you need me,” Luke said after Jake sat on the couch. Tinker, Luke’s long-haired black-and-white cat, promptly jumped into Jake’s lap. He was one-fourth the size of Angela’s, but then Tinker’d had a rough start.

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