by Laurel Kerr
“Good!” Abby gave Katie a quick hug before she spun from the room. “I’ll tell Lou.”
Abby vanished as quickly as she’d come, and Bowie and Katie got to their feet. They stood there awkwardly. Bowie rubbed the back of his head.
“Uh, thanks for that. You were really great with Abby.”
Katie shrugged. “She’s a good kid. I’m glad I could help.”
Bowie cleared his throat as guilt swirled inside him. “What you said. About high school. I just wanted to let you know that I’m sor—”
Katie’s expression turned studiously blank. “I don’t want to talk about it. Not now. Not ever.”
Bowie swallowed and gave her a nod. “Fair enough.” He wouldn’t force his apologies on her, even if it would make him feel a damn sight better. This was about her, not him. Still, he wished he could explain that he understood that he’d acted horribly. He didn’t want to excuse his behavior; he wanted to acknowledge it. But he wasn’t entitled to what he wanted. He’d hurt Katie, and the least he could do was respect her desire not to discuss the past.
* * *
Clutching cupcakes she had purchased at June’s tea shop, Katie walked up the neatly painted wooden stairs to the Victorian house. Even though the old home was adjacent to the zoo, she’d never considered that Bowie lived here. With its cupola and gingerbread woodwork, it looked too cute and fussy. There was also the paint job—the very pastel and very intricate paint job. Frilly lace curtains hung in the windows. Somehow, though, the house didn’t look over the top, just tastefully period. But it certainly wasn’t a place where she’d expect two bachelors to live, especially one who’d just turned thirty.
Katie knocked on the door and heard the clatter of feet. The door swung open to reveal an excited Abby.
“You’re here!” The girl grabbed Katie’s hand and unceremoniously pulled her into the house. Abby didn’t let go of Katie as she continued to chatter excitedly. “Dad’s cooking chicken enchiladas. They’re my favorite.”
Katie found herself dragged down the hallway to an unusually spacious kitchen for a Victorian. Bowie stood chopping vegetables at the counter. He looked surprisingly and most deliciously domestic. He smiled broadly. “Sorry. I’m a little behind schedule. Fluffy got into the storeroom again. I took a picture of him for the website before he scampered off, but it took a while to get the mess cleaned up. Lou was going to start the food preparation, but he’s having an off day.”
Katie frowned. She really liked the older man. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah. He just has days when he’s more tired than usual,” Bowie said. “He’s resting now, but he’ll be down for dinner.”
“Is he up for company?”
Bowie nodded and glanced down at Abby. “I think he’s about as excited as Abby. Since Gretchen died, we haven’t had many visitors. She enjoyed entertaining.”
“Ah,” Katie said as the exterior of the house suddenly made more sense. “Am I safe to assume she’s responsible for the lace curtains?”
Bowie laughed. “Gretchen loved this house and its history. She wanted to keep the Victorian as historic as possible, except for the kitchen. She remodeled one of the larger sitting rooms and turned the old kitchen into a mudroom.”
“Isn’t it hard maintaining the exterior?” Katie asked. “Paint doesn’t last that long on old wood, does it?”
“Unfortunately, no. It’s a constant project, but Lou doesn’t have the heart to change it. He says it’s like having a bit of Gretchen still here.”
Katie had a pretty good idea that Bowie felt the same. After all, she doubted that eighty-year-old Lou would be climbing a ladder to apply the paint.
And maybe, just maybe, Katie’s heart squeezed. Only a little. Because she didn’t want to experience tender feelings that could make her vulnerable. Today, while comforting Abby, it had gotten too personal. She hadn’t wanted to discuss the past, especially around Bowie. She never talked about being bullied. Her mother didn’t know what had transpired, nor did June. Katie’s other friend from college, Josh, knew a little, but only because he and Katie had gotten drunk together one night and had swapped high-school horror stories. Even he didn’t know most of the details.
But Katie hadn’t been able to watch Abby suffer—not when she could try to help. So no matter how much Katie’s brain had screamed at her to protect herself, she’d knelt down and opened up to Abby. But that didn’t mean she wanted to make herself vulnerable around Abby’s father.
A tug on Katie’s hand pulled her from her reverie. Evidently, the preteen had had enough of adult conversation.
“Do you want to see my room?” Abby asked her eagerly. “It’s in the turret. Well, it’s not really a turret, but I like to pretend it is. Like the one in Tangled.”
Katie barely had time to nod before Abby pulled her from the kitchen. Katie glanced back at Bowie, who gave her a brief salute with a wooden spoon.
Considering that Abby dressed like a tomboy, her bedroom was surprisingly frilly and pink. It looked like a girl’s room in a movie, at least the bits of it that would have predated Abby’s embellishments. The girl had definitely left her own stamp on the space with the animal posters covering the walls and the gerbil and guinea pig cages in the corner. Even if the place wasn’t a pristine showplace, it was a room for a princess—at least Daddy’s little princess.
Even years later, Katie could still see the love that had gone into applying the pink-and-white-striped wallpaper and hand painting the toy box to look like a treasure chest. The window seat’s alcove had also been decorated to look like it was ivy covered. Katie supposed Gretchen could have been responsible, but she didn’t think so. She pictured eighteen-year-old Bowie, nervous papa-to-be, preparing this room for his baby girl. A smile drifted across Katie’s lips as she thought about how excited—and anxious—Bowie must have been when he first brought newborn Abby here.
Before Katie’s mind could drift for too long, Abby decided to expand the tour to the rest of the house. Although clean and neat, the Victorian had a distinctly outdated and little-old-lady feel. More than one room had pretty but decidedly old-fashioned floral wallpaper. Nothing was masculine, except the study, which featured two serviceable La-Z-Boys, an older-model TV, and a fossil of a computer. Of course, Abby’s tour didn’t include Bowie’s bedroom, so Katie supposed it could be a bastion of maleness. But really, all the place was missing were lace doilies. And Katie had a sneaking suspicion that doily removal was the one alteration Bowie and Lou had made after Gretchen’s death.
Abby was just finishing showing Katie the downstairs when Bowie called that dinner was ready. When Katie followed Abby into the dining room, Lou winked at Katie.
“I heard we were going to have a special guest this evening,” he said.
“I don’t know about special,” Katie hedged as Bowie came into the room with a steaming baking dish.
“Nonsense. This is a treat for all of us,” Lou said, his eyes twinkling. “It’s been a long while since we’ve had a guest.”
“My friends come over,” Abby piped up.
“I think Lou meant adult guests,” Bowie said as he shot Lou a warning look. The man seemed on the verge of matchmaking, which didn’t surprise Katie. Every time she bumped into him, he slyly slid in as many compliments about Bowie as he could. Katie was worried that when her mom came to help with Pirate Day, the two would start scheming together. The last thing her mother needed was encouragement. Despite Katie’s and her father’s best efforts, her mom was convinced that Katie was going to stay in Sagebrush, even though she knew Katie was getting ready to submit her résumé to a couple of advertising firms.
Unfortunately, Lou disregarded Bowie’s unspoken order not to matchmake. He gestured toward the bubbling dish in the center of the table. “Try some. Cooking is one of Bowie’s many talents.”
Bowie grunted. “It’s passable. Keeps us from
starving.”
Katie bit into the enchilada and was pleasantly surprised by the burst of creamy flavor. It wasn’t a traditional enchilada but an Americanized version. It tasted delicious and reminded her of homemade macaroni and cheese.
“This is really good,” Katie said between mouthfuls.
“You should try his Thai Lemon Ginger Chicken,” Lou said. “That’s the best recipe he’s gotten off the internet.”
“Or his crepes,” Abby chimed in.
Lou glanced over at Bowie. “Abby has a good point. Weren’t you planning on making crepes this Friday?” Then, before Bowie could answer, Lou swiveled toward Katie. “Would you like to join us?”
Seizing the opportunity, Katie said, “On one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“No more matchmaking.” She tempered her words with a smile.
Abby perked up, and Katie realized that she might have made a tactical error. Her eyes huge, Abby surveyed Katie and Bowie with undisguised speculation. Bowie shot Katie a sidelong look that screamed Help! She was scrambling for something to say when Lou unexpectedly came to their rescue.
“Now, Katie, you know I’m just teasing,” he said, although she realized the words were for Abby’s benefit only. “I like seeing you and Bowie flustered, but we all enjoy your company.”
Katie smiled gratefully. “Then I suppose I’d better accept your invitation. I haven’t had crepes since I was in Paris.”
Abby stared at her. “You’ve been to Paris?”
Katie nodded. “Back in college, June, Josh, and I spent a month backpacking across Europe.”
“You did?” Abby said, the awe clear in her voice. As Katie launched into a couple of highlights from the trip, she felt herself relax. Eventually, the conversation turned to the animals Lou and Bowie had cared for over the years and the search for a mate for Lulubelle. Katie couldn’t stop laughing when Abby, Bowie, and Lou shared stories about Fluffy’s various methods of escape. When Katie left that evening, she realized she had thoroughly enjoyed herself. It felt good to be with friends—even friends who included an octogenarian, a preteen, and a former enemy turned lover.
* * *
“Oh my goodness, they are adorable!” Katie’s mother clasped her hands together as she watched Fleur, Tonks, and Dobby scramble around the floor. “They are even cuter in person than on the animal cam.”
“Do you want to feed them solid food?” Bowie asked. He still wore the pirate costume, even though the festivities had ended twenty minutes ago. Although they hadn’t done a final tally, Katie knew the zoo had made money. The idea to coordinate the day with the end of school had been brilliant. Tons of kids and their parents had attended. They’d almost run out of construction paper to make pirate hats, but Katie had been able to run to the store and back. Her mother, who’d led the art projects, had been in her glory. They’d even gotten a few pledges to donate money if Bowie could secure the grant to care for orphaned polar bears.
“Oh, I’d be delighted!” her mom said as Bowie handed her a small plastic container. She peered inside and wrinkled her nose. “It looks like baby food.”
Bowie laughed. “It’s strained chicken, so you called it right.”
“Do they eat only meat now?” her mom asked.
He shook his head. “No, they still drink a lot of milk. We just introduced solids to them about a week ago. We’ll wean them gradually.”
Katie’s mom placed the bowl of chicken on the floor. The cubs immediately scrambled over to it, their tails swishing in excitement. Over the past couple of weeks, they’d lost their clumsy crawl and begun to tussle with each other more. Katie found their little pounces adorable. Fleur, though, still liked her cuddles.
“When are you planning to introduce them to the public?” her mother asked.
“In a little over a month,” Bowie said. “I’m building a temporary exhibit off the nursery.”
“It’s going to be adorable,” Katie said. “I’ve seen his plans for it. There’ll be plenty of structures for them to crawl on.”
“Katie’s agreed to paint the walls so it will look like the cubs’ natural habitat,” Bowie added.
Her mother shot Katie a knowing look. “Did you, sweetheart?”
Before her mom read too much into that tidbit of information, Katie quickly added, “But this won’t be the kits’ permanent home.”
Bowie nodded. “Once I finish with this small one, I’ll work on a larger outdoor enclosure. I need to complete it soon, so Fleur and Tonks can slowly get used to it before we move them there full time.”
“What about Dobby?” Katie’s mom asked with concern.
Katie reached over and patted her mom’s hand. “He’ll be transferred to another zoo.”
A protective look instantly flashed over Helen Underwood’s face. Katie’s mother watched the cubs every day on the webcam, and she’d clearly taken a personal interest in them. The idea of one of the babies leaving must have triggered her maternal instincts. “But why? Why would you do that?”
“Mom, they’re siblings. Bowie can’t keep him with the girls when they get older. Bowie will find him a good home, one with a female he’s not related to.”
“There are plenty of networks out there to rehome animals,” Bowie added. “They help make sure the captive gene pool stays healthy.”
Her mother appeared mollified but still crestfallen. “It’s such a shame you have to send him away.”
“Dobby’ll be fine, Mom.”
Her mother looked at Katie. “You know how I hate it when my babies leave.”
Yes, which was one of the many reasons why Katie was not letting her mom know about how physically close she’d become with Bowie. Her mom would imagine a fairy tale that ended with Katie staying in Sagebrush forever.
Before she could further reassure her mother about Dobby’s fate, Fleur pranced over and nudged Katie’s leg with her paw. At the demand, Katie sat on the floor, and the little puma crawled into her lap. Her mom clasped her hands together and cooed.
Bowie chuckled. “Fleur’s really bonded with Katie.”
As if on cue, Fleur jumped up on Katie as if to embrace her. Katie caught the little puma in her arms and held her close. “She’s my girl.”
Her mother beamed and then turned to Bowie. “Katie always was a natural nurturer.”
Katie felt her face flame. A matchmaking Helen Underwood knew no boundaries. Gently placing Fleur next to Sylvia, Katie stood up. “Mom, we’d better head home. It’s getting close to dinner, and Dad is probably wondering where we are.”
Her mother immediately checked her watch. “Oh, you’re right, dear. We’d better hurry.”
Katie glanced at Bowie. “This is the first time my dad’s been on his own since the shooting.”
“I wanted one of the boys to stay with him, but your father is a stubborn man.”
“Mom, Dad was happy for the alone time. He needs this, and you heard what the doctor said. Dad’s on the mend.”
“I can’t help but worry.”
“I know, Mom.” Katie happened to look over at Bowie. He was watching her exchange with her mother with the oddest expression on his face. Longing, maybe, but that wasn’t quite right. Curiosity? But that didn’t seem to fit either. Before Katie could identify it, his expression smoothed as he gave her mother one of his brilliant smiles.
“Thank you for coming and helping us today. I know you made the day special for the kids.”
“Any time,” her mother said, clearly pleased with his compliment. “I miss working with children. I enjoyed it.”
“Maybe you could come back for one of our other events.”
Excitement practically radiated from her mother as she turned to Katie. “You didn’t tell me you were planning more.”
“Just a festival this summer,” Katie said quickly. “I don�
��t know if I’ll be here for much of autumn, since that’s when I’ll start my job search in earnest. Hopefully, it won’t take too long to get an offer.”
Her mother’s joy immediately dimmed, and Bowie said, “We’re very grateful for any help that Katie can give us. She’s really improving the zoo’s visibility.”
Her mom smiled again. “See, Katie, your talents are put to good use here in Sagebrush.”
“Time to go,” Katie said, shepherding her mother from the nursery.
“I don’t know why you’re so bent on finding a job in a big city,” her mother said as they shut the door to the animal hospital behind them. “There are plenty of opportunities in Sagebrush.”
“Mom, I love you very much, but we’ve had this conversation.”
Her mother fell silent as they walked through the zoo and climbed into the car. As soon as Katie started the engine, though, her mother turned and cheerfully said, “So Bowie seems like such a nice man.”
Katie shot her mother a sidelong glance. “Not going to dispute that, but I’m not starting a serious relationship right now, Mom.”
“His daughter is adorable.”
“Yes, she is.”
“She seems very comfortable with you.”
Katie focused on the road. “We spend a lot of time together when I’m helping out with the cubs. I’ve promised to keep in touch with Abby when I leave.”
“Maybe we should invite them to your birthday party. Lou as well.”
“Mom, my birthday is still over a month away, and I told you I didn’t want a big blowout…just family.”
“But it’s your thirtieth! Your friend Josh is even coming. June will be there too.”
Katie sighed in frustration. “I’ve known June and Josh since college. We’re very close.”
“But—”
“So what did you think of the cougar cubs?” Katie asked, hoping to steer the conversation away from Bowie. Although her mom allowed the subject change, Katie recognized the resolute set to her shoulders. Helen Underwood was determined to see Katie resettled in Sagebrush, and she’d just found a ready-made family. Now her mom wasn’t just imagining having Katie home for good. She was picturing a brand-new granddaughter and son-in-law. Katie needed to be very careful about how much she talked about the zoo and Bowie.
