Her laughter riffled through Joe like a fresh breeze filled with the promise of life. “Thanks, Sherlock.”
Her laughter was like music and it delighted him. Little did she know how much of a Watson he really was. He took no joy in it and he didn’t look forward to the time when she would discover his true identity. Heart squeezing in pain, Joe frowned. He didn’t want to hurt Katie. She’d already been hurt enough.
In no time, they were at the south end of Jackson Hole, pulling into a very busy vet practice run by Randy Johnson, DVM. Katie drove around to the rear of the cinder-block building and parked.
“Randy likes me to bring his free patients in the back door.” She climbed out of the truck.
Joe brought the bird box and Katie walked to the rear door and opened it. Inside the cool facility, Joe could hear dogs barking and cats mewing. Katie signaled him to follow her into a large room on the left.
“You can set the bird box on the exam table? I’ll go get Randy.”
Joe placed the box on the spotlessly clean steel table. He could smell various medications and saw above the door a sign that said Operation Room. He heard Katie’s laugh as the door in the hall opened. Deep masculine laughter followed and soon a tall, thin African-American man in a white lab coat entered. His gaze settled on Joe.
“I’m Randy,” he said, offering his hand. “Katie here said you just joined her facility.”
Joe reached out and shook the vet’s hand. “Joe Gannon. And, yes, Katie just hired me. Nice to meet you, Dr. Johnson.”
Randy released his hand. “Call me Randy,” he said, carefully opening the bird box. Katie stood at the other end of the table. “So, you think the hawk’s got a broken wing, Katie?”
“Yes, the left one. The tow-truck driver said he struck the windshield of an eighteen-wheeler. The hawk bounced off the glass and tumbled onto the berm.”
“That was kind of the guy to pick him up,” Randy said, easing the hawk out and cradling him between his long hands. “Hmm, nice youngster, this red-tailed.” He peered closely at the hawk, who was staring fearlessly back at him. “Yep, I’d say he connected with the windshield on his left side because there’s some blood coming out of his left nostril. Maybe he suffered a concussion, too...” The vet continued his careful, gentle examination of the bird.
At one point, he asked Joe to hold the raptor. Going to a shelf, he prepared a shot. He then slid the needle into the bird’s upper left wing.
“This will kill the pain he’s in,” the vet told Joe. “All animals feel pain. They have nerves and, just like a human, when they break a bone, they’re going to feel it. And pain puts them into shock and it can kill them.” Randy gave Joe a quick glance. “You worked with vets before?”
“No, I haven’t.”
“Well,” Randy said as he peeled the Velcro apart, “no time like the present to learn. As I remove the fabric, I want you to hold the hawk, but place your hand beneath that left wing so I can examine it.”
For the next few minutes, Joe watched the vet work deftly with the hawk.
“Yep, he’s got a break. The good news is the bone isn’t compound or sticking out of the skin. Otherwise, that would really put him in danger.” Turning, the vet walked to the shelf. “Katie, will you help me?”
“You bet.”
“Wash your hands, please.”
“Of course.” Katie walked to the double sinks and scrubbed her hands with surgical soap. When she’d dried them, the doctor gave her a pair of gloves. She pulled them on and stood to the left of Randy. They worked like a good team to save the hawk.
“Okay, the bone is set,” Randy said softly, eyes on the partially outstretched wing. “Hand me the tape?”
Joe watched the ballet between them as they worked with careful precision to tape the broken wing. Once it was done, the vet placed a light cotton netting over the bird’s head. One side of the netting closed the injured wing next to the hawk’s body to stabilize it. The other side allowed the hawk’s good wing to be pulled through an opening so it was able to flap it.
“One of my assistants has a cage prepared for him in the room across the hall,” Randy said, lifting the hawk in his hands. The bird had stopped struggling. “Would you like to feed him?” Randy pressed on the hawk’s crop. “He’s pretty close to starvation. I’m sure he saw a rabbit, dove for it and didn’t even realize cars could kill him.”
“I think you’re right,” Katie said. “Do you think he’ll make it?”
“He’s young,” Randy said. “But he’s skin and bone. A lot of first-year hawks die of starvation. They never learn to hunt well.”
Katie opened the door to the recovery room. It was large and airy. There was a cage at the end with a door open. “Here?” she asked, hurrying toward it.
“Yep. I’m going to put him on a low perch. We’ve got water in there for him. Usually, after having a bone set, they aren’t too interested in eating.”
“I have some rabbit meat in the truck. Can we see?”
“Sure,” Randy said placing the hawk’s yellow feet on the perch. “Why don’t you go get it?”
Joe watched the vet work with the hawk, who seemed slightly dazed. “Why is he having problems sitting on the perch?”
“The bird is in shock.” Randy patiently curved the hawk’s claws around the thick perch wrapped with plastic carpeting. “In a couple of hours he’ll snap out of it. He’s actually looking pretty good.” He removed his hands from around the hawk, and the bird remained steady on the perch. Randy smiled and nodded, pleased with his medical efforts. Already, the red-tailed was looking around his new home.
A few minutes later, Katie arrived with the food. Randy had closed the cage door. She peered in at the hawk. “He looks pretty calm.”
Randy nodded. “The painkiller is helping him a lot. Why don’t you try to feed him?”
Katie opened the door. From the pouch slung across her body, she drew out a piece of raw rabbit meat. She wiggled it a little in front of the hawk to entice him.
Without needing too much coaxing, he hawk speared the rabbit, gulping it down.
“Well!” Randy said with a deep chuckle. “He’s a hungry boy! Go ahead and feed him, Katie. It will help his body work out of the shock and he’ll have a chance to recover.”
Nodding, Katie knew a starving hawk had little chance of survival even after a vet helped him to mend. In a minute, the young red-tailed had gulped down so much meat that his craw bulged noticeably out of his upper breast. She shut and locked the cage door. “I’ll come back tonight, Randy, if you don’t mind. I think he’ll be ready to eat a little more.”
“Sure. You have a key for the back door, so just help yourself.”
“Thank you, again,” Katie said. She went over and washed her hands and then hugged the veterinarian. “Thank you so much. You’re the best, Randy.”
“We’re a team,” he agreed, embracing and then releasing her.
“What’s the percentage on this hawk?”
“He’s got a sixty percent chance. It just went up because he wasn’t too shocky to eat. Starvation overcame the shock and that’s a good sign he’s going to recover.”
“I’ll be back at dusk,” Katie promised him with a smile.
Joe saw her face light up with hope over the vet’s pronouncement. Randy glowed after Katie had hugged him. Who wouldn’t? Joe wondered what it would be like to hold Katie in his arms. Really hold her. Kiss her. Groaning inwardly, he tucked the forbidden desire deep down inside himself. There was no way he could ever kiss her.
* * *
On the way home, Katie casually asked Joe, “Do you miss being in the Marine Corps?”
He smiled fondly. “I do.”
“Why?” Katie saw the pensive look come to his face, and she realized just how curious she was about him. He r
arely talked about himself. Maybe it was because he’d been in the military, or maybe it was his personality.
“I like organization. The military is like a big, messy family. I’d been in long enough to understand my own management talents and weaknesses. When I finally made captain and was awarded a company going over to Afghanistan, I felt good about it. My goal was to keep my men safe so they could come home to their families at the end of the tour.” His brows fell. “Nine months into the second tour, it was me going home.”
Hearing the disappointment in his voice, Katie reached out and gently touched Joe’s arm. “I’m sorry. I’m sure your men missed you.”
“I had a very capable lieutenant who was my executive officer. When I regained consciousness in Germany at Landstuhl Medical Center, I knew the company would be okay without me.” His lower arm tingled lightly over her unexpected touch. Joe wanted contact with Katie. He found himself living for the moment. He didn’t think an undercover agent should be yearning for his suspect in this way. He tried to distract himself. “Still no word from your mother?”
Instantly, Katie’s brows drew downward. Her hands momentarily tightened around the steering wheel as they climbed the hill up and out of Jackson Hole. “No...”
“If I’m being too personal, let me know. I can take it.”
She glanced in his direction. “Joe, you’re the easiest man to talk to. My past is littered with bad choices of men who were quiet. I couldn’t get two words out of them.” Managing an embarrassed laugh, Katie added, “You’re the first guy I’ve met who is sensitive and cares.”
“I think being a good listener is a skill that’s always needed.” He saw a sudden light in her blue eyes. Usually, there was a hint of darkness in their depths, but not right now. His heart swelled as he began to realize the invisible connection he had with Katie. He should have been elated for his mission, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t stop how he was feeling toward her, no matter how hard he tried.
Katie opened and closed her fingers around the steering wheel. They crested the hill and the gorgeous Teton Range came into view on her left. “You’re right.” She felt happiness threading through her heart. Usually, she only felt emotions for her raptors. They were safe in comparison to humans. Yet, Joe opened her up like a rosebud ready to burst. Her smile widened. “You have to admit, Joe, you are unusual. Most guys have problems with communication. Women find it easy to talk, but men don’t. How did you avoid being closed up?”
“Blame it on my mom,” he told her. “She wouldn’t let me sulk or go to my room without first dealing with the conversation we needed to have.”
“That’s wonderful.” A large raven flapped across the highway. Down on their left was a stand of trees with moose usually among them. “Is your dad a quiet type?”
“I don’t think so,” Joe said. “He and Mom are always talking and discussing things.”
“I wish...I wish I could find a man like that.”
Hearing the sudden wistfulness in her voice, Joe studied her profile. Katie might be gentle and open, but she had a stubborn chin. She had an inner strength and he was glad for her sake. “Maybe you will, someday. I believe that good things come to good people.”
“Really? Then there’s hope for me.” She laughed.
The teasing in her voice made Joe feel happy. They hadn’t worked together very long but Katie trusted him. He knew Janet Bergstrom hadn’t called back and sometimes, when Katie didn’t seem to realize he was watching, she would become sad. But then, the sadness would dissolve as she worked with one of the raptors—or talked with him.
“What are your dreams, Katie?” Joe tried to protect himself from the way her mouth softened after he’d asked her the personal question. The agent in him wanted to continue to establish trust. The man in him burned with curiosity about what made Katie the way she was.
“Dreams...oh, well, you know the first one. Finding my mother.”
“Any others?” he pressed gently.
“Others...well.” She gave him an embarrassed look before returning her attention to driving, “Finding the right man. I’m twenty-six. I dream of having a family someday.”
“Do you like kids?”
“I adore them! I love being invited into a children’s classroom to show them my raptors.” Her voice became animated. “We have a school appointment tomorrow. You’ll see what I mean. I love the children’s faces, love to watch their eyes widen in astonishment as Hank flaps his wings. They are so precious. So...innocent in our world.”
“Children today live in a very threatening world, unlike the one I grew up in,” Joe said. “I had a home, we didn’t move, my dad taught me to fish, hunt and hike. My mom taught me to cook and clean.” He smiled fondly. “Growing up here in this town was safe. We don’t seem to have the human predators many other places have.”
“I know,” Katie said. She braked the pickup for a right turn onto the Elk Horn Ranch road. “I grew up in Casper, a big city. My different foster parents were always freaking out when I’d run away. They’d find me on the streets, looking...”
“Looking for?”
“My mother. I just had this driving sense she lived somewhere in Wyoming.” Katie made the turn. “I’m a Pisces, a water sign, and I’m very psychic. I’ve lived my life on intuition. It has kept me from getting harmed. When you’re eight years old, crawl out a bedroom window and walk miles into town looking for your mom, a lot of bad things could happen. But they didn’t.” Katie drove slowly down the two-lane asphalt road toward the ranch, hidden behind a rise of hills.
Shaking his head, Joe said in a strained tone, “I can’t imagine your childhood, Katie. And I’m sure your foster parents were beside themselves with worry.”
“Oh, they were.” Her mouth thinned. “Looking back on those times I ran away to search for my mother, I understand now how much I hurt my foster parents. I’m sorry I did that to them.” She shrugged. “Over the past two years I’ve written each of them a long letter apologizing and trying to explain why I was the way I was. It wasn’t their fault and I didn’t want any of them to think it was. It was me. I was desperate to find my mother. It was a driving force so large within me, I felt controlled by it.” Katie slowed at the top of the rise. Below, the ranch lay before them. She took a side road that led to the raptor facility. “And what’s great is that every one of my foster parents replied to my letter of apology.”
“Did they forgive you?”
“Yes, they did. I wanted to go over to Casper and see them in person, thank them for putting up with me and give them each a big hug of thanks. I was such a rebellious little kid. I had temper tantrums.” She parked the truck next to the door of the facility. Looking over at him, a half smile on her mouth, she added, “I cried all the time. In kindergarten, I threw books at teachers. I wouldn’t listen. I’d do just the opposite of what the teacher wanted.”
Joe felt his heart squeeze in sympathy for Katie. “You were a child. All you knew is that you’d been abandoned by your mother. That can create a lot of anger, don’t you think?”
Katie sighed and relaxed against the seat. “I know that now. After Donna took me in, I think I developed maturity. She’s such a wise person, Joe. I miss her terribly.”
“I’m sure you do. Now, she has other responsibilities.”
“Yes. I know Donna had to leave, but I’m feeling selfish about it.” Katie lifted her head. “My emotions are like rubber bands. I’ve been ruled by them for as long as I can recall. Donna would sit me down and help explain why I was feeling like I did. She has so much common sense....”
Joe heard the need in her voice and forced his hands to remain still. “You’ll stay in touch with her, won’t you?”
“Oh, yes.” Katie smiled a little. “We’re close, Joe. I know she’s taking care of her mother who is bedridden, and I’ll call her often to see how she’
s doing.”
“Listen,” Joe said, his voice deep, “if you want to talk, I’m here, Katie. I know you don’t know me that well yet, but I do care.” Shocked at the words coming out of his mouth, Joe abruptly stopped. Her eyes went tender as she regarded him. What the hell was happening? Why couldn’t he keep his distance from her? Oh, he knew why, all right. Katie touched every yearning chord in his heart.
He wished he could share his personal dream of the perfect woman he’d meet someday. Katie would laugh when she heard it. He’d thought Zoe, his ex-wife, was the one. But she wasn’t. And Joe knew two overseas deployments back-to-back had been partly responsible for their divorce. Katie wouldn’t be so quick to give up on them. Joe didn’t know how he knew it; he just did. She was a dreamer, and clearly, she’d held on to the dream of finding her mother from the time she was born. Joe knew in his gut if Katie were his wife, she’d wait until hell froze over and never leave him, no matter how long he’d been gone overseas. Shaken by this awareness, Joe opened the door and climbed out of the truck.
“Time to go to work?”
Katie nodded. “Yep, it is. We have to prepare for Mrs. Turner’s third-grade class at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.” As she rounded the front of the truck and met Joe at the door, Katie reached out and touched his broad shoulder. “Thanks, Joe. For everything...”
CHAPTER TEN
ONCE THEY RETURNED from the grade school, Joe brought Hank’s traveling case into the facility. He spotted a note on Katie’s desk. “You got a message,” he called to her over his shoulder, walking down the aisle. The warmth of the afternoon sun would have made the area hot if not for the louvered windows that were open to allow cooler air in to circulate within the facility.
“Okay,” Katie called as she walked through the sliding doors. She set Harlequin’s traveling case on the desk and picked up the scrawled note. Her mouth widened in a brilliant smile. Setting the note on the desk, she picked up the case and walked to the peregrine’s mew.
Joe watched Hank fluff his feathers, preen a little on his perch and relax. The red-tailed was an excellent education bird and the children had loved watching the raptor fly across the room from his glove to Katie’s. It was a sight those children would never forget. One piped up excitedly that watching a hawk fly was even better than riding a broom in the Harry Potter books. Joe had to smile over the child’s exuberance.
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