Reid’s eyes still did things to her insides didn’t mean it was wise to trust him. That was more evidence that she needed to be wary and keep her distance.
“But why even come back to the Hill Country? Why not New Orleans or Houston? Don’t you have family in both of those places?” It would have been so much better if he stayed away. She had gotten good at the out-of-sight-out-of-mind game she played with herself.
“None that I want to claim. There’s nothing in Houston or New Orleans for me other than trouble. While in prison, I met Ray Martinez. His church had a prison ministry and organized Bible studies. He changed my life. Well, God used him to change me.”
Her jaw started to hurt, making her take a deep breath to relax. The resentment burning in her gut would turn toxic if she allowed it to fester. “I tried to get you to church the whole time we were dating. You were always too busy.” Sarcasm might not be the best option, but it made her feel better. “So, you found God in prison, and now you want to right all your wrongs?”
“It’s not that easy.”
He was fortunate she didn’t throw things at him. Hand over hand, she turned off the highway onto the farm-to-market road that led to the sanctuary. Silence lingered, and she let it hang between them. She needed to focus on the hurt and abused animals and her daughters. She had to figure out what would be best for them.
Pulling up to the large gate, she rolled down her window. The Texas heat hit her. It felt good in contrast with the coldness of the cab. Leaning out the window, she punched in the code for the gate. The gate paused halfway. She hit the box, and it started moving again. She needed someone to look at the motor. Maybe her baby sister would do it for free.
Dr. Ortiz followed along with Reid’s parole officer. Her long-lost husband had a parole officer. There was no reason for him to know about the twins, and her innocent girls didn’t have to find out their father was a convict.
Once parked, they all got out and sedated the cat again. As a team, they moved fast to get the cat in an exam room so Sandy could check him. There was an old break in his hind leg that they wouldn’t be able to correct. Bruises and small cuts covered his body. While the vet and Danica tended to the big guy, Reid stayed at the jaguar’s head the whole time, keeping him calm and watching for signs of stress.
Removing the gold caps from the deadly fangs, Sandy shook her head. “I just don’t understand people. Taking a beautiful animal and turning him into a freak show for their warped entertainment.”
Lowering the table, they slid him into an enormous wooden crate. As Danica closed the door, the cat lashed out and caught the edge of Reid’s hand with its teeth.
Once Danica secured the latch, she grabbed his hand. Without asking, she pulled him to the sink. “I don’t think it needs stitches.” She glanced at Dr. Ortiz. “What do you think?”
Reid tensed under her touch as they crowded around his minuscule injury. She glanced up and found him staring off at the crated cat. “Are you okay?”
He jerked his chin. “I’ve had much worse.”
Sandy went to the cabinets and came back with ointments and bandages. “It’s not deep. I think you’ll just need to keep it clean and bandaged for a few days.”
“After checking the cub, we’ll need to fill out an incident report.” Danica kept her head down.
Both women worked on his hand. At one point, he tried to pull back. His free hand rubbed his forehead. “It was my fault. You don’t need to write him up. He was scared, and we all have the instinct to protect ourselves.”
He didn’t flinch once while they worked on the cut. “The cat’s not going to get in trouble.” She carefully added the small metal clip to hold the wrap in place. “But I do have to write up the incident. Not following the rules is what gets us in trouble. Hiding the truth doesn’t help anyone.” Her voice grew a little stronger than it needed to be.
Sandy gave Reid a hard look. “We can’t put the refuge at risk because of a simple documentation you don’t want to take the time to fill out.”
Reid rolled his neck and looked down, a frown on his face. This wasn’t Sandy’s fight, so Danica wasn’t sure what happened to the vet’s usual friendly manner. Possibly she was having a tough day. Danica could relate to that. Instead of wasting time trying to figure out other people’s problems, she went to the baby bear.
The small black bear looked healthy, except for being a little underweight and hungry. Sandy filled out the health form. “He’ll need to be hand-fed for now.”
The little bear seemed to have bonded with Reid, wanting to cling to him. Danica went into the kitchen area to fix her a bottle. Sandy followed her.
“I need to go. I’ll take the new guy with me and drop him off wherever he belongs. Or I could take him to Bobby.”
“He’s fine. It’s been a while since we had a baby of this type, so I need Reid to help prep the enclosure.”
“I don’t think that’s wise. I’d stay, but I need to finish my rounds. He’s not staying here, is he?” Disgust dripped from each word.
Danica stopped mixing the formula and looked at Sandy. “No, he has a job as a wrangler at the Hausman ranch. What’s wrong with you? We use parolees all the time.”
“All the others stayed with Bobby to get their hours. Are you so naive that you don’t worry about being alone with an ex-con? Worse, as a vet tech he has access to everything in the office and will be spending most of his time with you. Alone. You just met him today. Do you even know what he did?” Her friend and vet looked more vexed than she had ever seen. She stood with her arms crossed.
“James Bolton is his parole officer. He wouldn’t bring a dangerous convict out here. The charge was transporting drugs.”
Sandy’s eyes went wide. “You have a drug dealer in here. Do you realize some of the drugs kept here have high street value?”
Danica tried to stop the eye roll, but she wasn’t sure she was entirely successful. Sandy didn’t know how well she knew Reid. “I’m not stupid enough to trust him. Yes, he’s an ex-con, and yes, I have everything of value locked away. I need his expertise to get my paperwork finished and filed. As soon as you find me a vet tech with the right degree, he’s gone.” Thrusting her hip out, she pointed to her walkie-talkie. “Bobby is one click away.”
Reid cleared his throat from the doorway. The cub curled in his arms, lying against his chest, sound asleep. Her traitorous heart thought of him holding their daughters. Heat caused her skin to burn. “Reid—”
“A girl named Sarah is here. She said to let you know she’s feeding the orphaned bats.” His eyes looked more gray than green before he returned to the other room.
Sandy stepped in front of Danica as she started following Reid. “Now, don’t go feeling sorry for him. He’s a criminal. You know I’ve always been uncomfortable with having the parolees out here.”
The need to apologize ate at her. “He’s a human who is trying to do the right thing.”
“You’ve known him one day. That man is not one of your rescue projects. He’s a grown adult that knows right from wrong, and he chose wrong.”
“You don’t know him.”
“Neither do you. Unfortunately, I do know men like him. He’ll get what he wants and leave you smashed and bleeding. When he’s taken everything he needs, he’ll walk out without a backward glance.” Sandy reached out and took the bottle from her. “Trust me. I know what I’m talking about. I’ll get this to Sarah. When I leave, I’ll take the con with me.”
Danica took the bottle back. “Thank you for the warning, but I’ve got this. You can go. I’ll have Bobby take Reid back to the Hausman Ranch. By the way, he has a name. Reid. And just like my animals, he deserves to be treated with respect. Okay?”
She