“I don’t know, Officer.” He played innocent, pretending that he didn’t know anyone who wanted to see the sanctuary closed down. Of course, that was almost too predictable an answer, so he decided to elaborate a bit. “I mean, there are always people who don’t understand what we’re doing, or maybe don’t agree. But I don’t know of anyone that would go so far as to turn Buster loose.”

“What about the graffiti on the gate?”

He frowned. “What about it?”

“What do you know about it? Is this the first time?”

In truth this was the fourth time but he wasn’t sure what, if anything, Emma had already told this cop. Damn it! His story had to match up or, at the very least, seem plausible.

“No, but I haven’t kept count and Emma doesn’t like to talk about it so I really couldn’t give you a specific number.”

The cop narrowed his eyes, his gaze as penetrating as any television detective. The only thing missing was the interrogation room and crappy lighting. “Between you and me, what do you really think of Emma?”

“What do you mean?” He was careful to keep his expression blank, passive, maintaining a poker face that could break the house.

“I mean, you have to know what people are saying, thanks in part to these articles. But, unlike most people, you’re around her all day. You know her and you’ve worked with her father for years. What do you think? Are the articles right?”

He leaned forward, clasping his hands between his knees. “Well, officer, here’s the thing. I’m not stupid and I like my job. I’d like to keep it as long as possible.”

The cop shrugged and waved one hand his way. “I’m not here to tattle on you, or turn your boss against you. I’m just trying to protect this town and get to the bottom of whether Emma Jordan is detrimental to it. Whether it’s due to negligence or . . .”

This was his shot, a clean kill. Just tell this cop she was dangerous, that she didn’t take care of the animals, that she was completely incompetent and he could watch Sierra Track close its doors. Except he didn’t want to see Sierra Tracks closed. He simply wanted it under new management—with him and his brother in charge. The only way to do that was to run Emma out while not letting anyone know who was responsible. He needed the town to turn on her personally, not the facility. To do that, he had to walk a thin line of loyalty.

“Emma’s not perfect and she’s trying. Sometimes she succeeds and sometimes she doesn’t. You want to know what’s going on here, do your job and investigate. I do know Emma, but I don’t know or trust you.”

“I could arrest you for obstruction.”

“But you won’t, because you need my help. You need someone to give you the behind the scenes info. So, what’s in this for me?”

Emma finished cutting up the rats she needed to feed their newest addition in the aviary, a great horned owlet that came in a couple weeks ago. Dropping the pieces into a Baggie, she soaked it in a bowl of hot water to warm it for mealtime. After washing and drying her hands, she tossed the towel aside and leaned back against the counter, rubbing at the ache forming behind her temples.

Ben’s brother had already talked with everyone else and was finishing up with Monica, but she had no idea what to expect from him afterward. She prayed he wouldn’t really make her take him on a tour of the facility just to turn around and close her down. Or maybe he’d just call the state immediately to come take possession of her animals? She wondered if she could convince him to give her a few days to find rescues to take them in.

“Miss Jordan?” She heard Office McQuaid’s voice just before he knocked lightly at the door, as if uncertain whether she was inside.

“Come in,” she called, standing up again as he came inside. She watched the doorway, expecting Ben to follow him, and not wanting to acknowledge the disappointment when she saw he wasn’t there. It looked like he’d finally listened to her and left.

There was a hint of humor in the cop’s eyes as he glanced behind him. “Expecting someone else?”

Smart ass. She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of admitting she was. “Are you ready for that inspection?”

“I wanted to talk to you first. After talking to your staff, I think we have a bit of a problem.” He slid the door shut with a quiet snick.

Here we go. Emma squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for the bad news that was coming. Somehow she’d managed to single-handedly destroy her father’s legacy, and in record time.

“I think it’s pretty fair to assume someone is targeting your facility.”

Emma’s heart plummeted hearing her worst fears confirmed. She’d seen more than her share of animal rights’ activists while working at the animal park but never here, not when Sierra Tracks simply cared for animals who couldn’t do it for themselves. Most of her animals were eventually released back into the wild. Why would someone mark her facility when there were so many other, more questionable, facilities nearby?

“I can’t prove that cougar was released on purpose but after hearing your staff confirm your procedures and meeting you, not to mention seeing that front gate, I’m pretty certain this wasn’t an accident. I’d suggest you reserve keys to the cages for only those who absolutely need them.”

“I already do.” If she took the keys to the cages back, she’d spend her entire day running around just locking and unlocking doors.

He shrugged. “Of course, it’s up to you. But, as an added precaution, if I were you, I’d also change the locks and the code on the gate.”

“Do you realize what sort of expense you’re talking about?” She mentally calculated how many locks she had on the cages and other facility gates as well as what it would cost to replace them. It was going to cut deeply into her already dwindling budget.

“Whatever it is, it’s going to be cheaper than if that lion escapes again,” he pointed out. “I can explain it escaping once, especially in light of the vandalism you’ve experienced, but if it happens again, the people of Hidden Falls are going to demand answers.” He shot her a careful look. “Not to mention, your resignation.”

He was giving her another chance. He wasn’t going to shut her down.

“Which brings me to my next issue. I think whoever let that cougar out is also tipping off the newspaper. You haven’t seen any suspicious cars at the gates, or parked off the road outside your fences? Anyone lurking around who has no reason to be here?”

She cocked her head to one side. “You mean, other than your brother?”

Office McQuaid laughed and, in spite of the serious cop persona, it sounded natural coming from him. “Yeah, what’s that all about?”

She crossed her arms. She still held her suspicions that he’d sent Ben to spy on her the morning after dropping off the kitten. She wasn’t about to discuss her relationship with Ben, even if it was nothing more than a lapse in her better judgment and unlikely to be repeated.

“Okay,” he acquiesced with a grin. “I guess I should apologize since I’m the one who sent him here in the first place. I had no idea he’d turn into your guard dog when I sent him out to pick up that kitten.”

“It was a bobcat,” she corrected. “And are you really going to stand there and pretend that’s the only time? That you didn’t send him over here yesterday too.”

“Actually, that wasn’t my suggestion.”

She tipped her head to one side and rolled her eyes.

“Nope, can’t pin that on me. He took that all upon himself,” he assured her.

If he didn’t send Ben, then why had he really come over?

He twisted his lips to one side, not about to be deterred from his own questions. “I have to admit, I’m surprised, because you’re not really his type.”

“No?”

“It’s funny,” he continued. “I’ve never known my brother to have such a compassionate heart for animals. Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him interested in their welfare at all before.”

Her heart skipped for a moment, allowing her to believe she might actually mean something to Ben. She squashed the feeling just as quickly, reminding herself that she couldn’t let emotions become involved. For the first time, Emma regretted the solitary, lonely path she’d chosen.

Growing impatient with the roundabout questions, she decided to put an end to this discussion about her relationship, or lack of, with Ben. He might think he was being clever, but she could see right through Ben’s brother. “You’re right, that is odd. Perhaps you should address your questions with Ben. I hope you’ll excuse me but I have an owlet whose lunch is late.”

She reached for the bag of meat and a package of sterile forceps from the drawer.

“You know, I find it strange that my big brother would jump to your defense so quickly.”

She was tired of this man beating around the bush. If he wanted to ask her a question, then he better get to the point. She spun on him with a loud sigh of exasperation. “And what is that supposed to mean, Officer McQuaid?”

“Andrew,” he corrected, “and it doesn’t mean anything.” He gave her a smug grin. “Just do me a favor. Don’t make me arrest you too. I don’t want to have to be the one to put his girlfriend in handcuffs.”

“This is a professional call, remember Officer McQuaid?” Emma frowned. “I’m not his girlfriend.”

“Hmm.” Andrew bobbed his head, changing the subject before she could say more. “I left my card in your office with my cell number on the back. Call me if anything else happens, and that includes any more vandalism or escaped animals. If you see anything out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate to call me. Otherwise I’ll check in with you in a few days.”

Turning on his heel, he headed for the door. “I’m not his girlfriend,” she repeated, more confidently this time.

“Not yet.” Andrew laughed as he raised a hand, letting the door close behind him.

“You said what?” Ben clenched his fists at his sides. He couldn’t believe his brother would hang him out to dry this way with a woman. “You had no right mentioning what happened with Laura.”

Andrew leaned against the side of his patrol car, looking far too sanctimonious, making Ben want to wipe the smirk from his face.

“What are you getting so worked up for? It’s not like everyone doesn’t already know about Laura.” Andrew rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the car. “And she missed the reference anyway. She was too preoccupied with me calling her your girlfriend.” Andrew let out a sigh. “You want to know what I think?”

“Not really.”

His brother went on, ignoring him. “I think you really did want to put the moves on the hot vet last night.”

“In case you’re forgetting, there was a mountain lion on the loose and four people in the barn watching the other animals. I wasn’t about to leave her alone to watch the house and the trap. Besides, you’ve met her. She would have headed out here alone to catch that damn cat.”

“Oh, I see,” Andrew began with a laugh. “So, this was about you being a hero?”

“No. This was about me protecting your ass so you didn’t drive up and get ambushed.”

“Ah. So, you were being my hero?”

Ben tried to still the irritation welling up, threatening to be unleashed. It was better to save it for the football game coming up. Chances are, that was why his brother was trying to get in his head anyway. The cops had lost the last three years running and it wasn’t sitting well that they’d been bested by firemen in the last four competitions: the Thanksgiving food drive and Christmas toy drive last year, and the baseball and basketball tournaments earlier this year.

“Look, I don’t care what you think,” Ben interrupted. “Emma needs our help. Somebody let that cougar out and people could have been hurt. This isn’t just about vandalism anymore.”

Andrew grew serious, a frown creasing his brow. When it came to discussing their actual duties to Hidden Falls, he was all business.

“I know. I don’t like the fact that the news of this cougar has gone public because of that article. Our phone at the station has been ringing off the hook all morning. People are upset, and rightly so but, although I don’t think Emma is to blame, I’m worried the town’ll be out for blood. I think I’ll head over to the paper and see if I can find out who wrote the article. It’s pretty unlikely they’re going to give up their anonymous source but I have to try. You heading to the fire station or are you volunteering here today?” He made air quotes with his fingers.

Ben looked toward the barn, ignoring his brother’s insinuations. “I’m heading home to shower first.”

“Sure you are. And she’s not in there, she’s in with the birds. Said something about an owl.” Andrew chuckled as he rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the side of the car, pointing at his brother. “You need to be careful, Ben. You don’t need to be everyone’s hero, you know.”

“I’m not trying to be a hero.”

“I call bullshit. It’s what you do. You find a woman who needs help and you try to rescue her. You did it with Angie after she broke up with her boyfriend and had no place to stay. That ended up with her cheating on you. Then you did it with Laura and she emptied your apartment. You would have done it with Bethany, but she was too smart to fall for a water fairy.”

“Don’t even go there.” Ben was grateful he’d never dated the woman who was now very happily engaged to their older brother, Grant.

Andrew laughed as he slid into the patrol car. “I’m just telling you to watch yourself.” He jerked a thumb at the barns. “This one doesn’t seem to want or need your help. Know when to walk away, bro.”

“Thanks for the advice, Dr. Phil. Don’t you have some evidence to tamper with?”

Andrew glared at him. “Yeah, that’s not funny. Especially after we just suspended one of the guys for stealing marijuana from a crime scene.”

“Only cops.”

“What the hell are you talking about? You guys just let it burn and inhale the smoke. I saw that fireman on television. Don’t act all high and mighty with me.”

Ben shook his head, waving as his brother made his way down the driveway and back toward the highway. He wandered back into the center of the facility, hoping to find Emma in the aviary. They needed to talk—about last night, about her accusations, and the truth about the trouble the sanctuary was facing.

“You know, it’s all well and good that you want to help her.” Ben turned and saw Jake leaning outside one of the cages with a clipboard. “But Emma’s bent on doing things her own way, even if it takes all of us down.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t get involved, man. Conrad was a stand-up guy, ran this place like a well-oiled machine. He knew exactly what to do to make it work and where to prune so it got better. He made sure we all shared his vision. But since Emma’s taken over . . .” He shook his head sadly. “Let’s just say, I’m keeping my options open and my ear to the ground for another position. I’m not sure how long this place will last with her in charge.”

Ben was struck again with how much he didn’t like this guy. Or trust him. There was such an open animosity in the way he looked at Emma. The way he talked about her that made Ben wonder what had happened between them. However, it wasn’t his place to ask and neither of them seemed inclined to offer up a reason for what he believed was a mutual hostility.

“Emma seems to know what she’s doing.”

Jake scoffed as he jotted down a few notes. “Yeah, if this place was a zoo or one of those animal experience joints like Sea World. This is a rehab facility—but I haven’t seen one animal leave this place in the last month since she’s arrived. She’s not rehabilitating animals, she’s hoarding them.”

“If it were me,” Jake continued, not even bothering to look up from the cage of raccoons cleaning themselves, tucked into a shaded log in the corner of the cage, “I’d watch my back. Just because she’s beautiful, doesn’t mean she’s not dangerous. Like these guys, she’s just doing what comes naturally. But Emma is trouble, plain and simple. She doesn’t have to go looking for it. It just seems to find her. Her dad knew it too, which is why he didn’t want her running the place alone. Maybe that brother of yours should ask her about that.”

Emma held the meat out to the baby owl until he snapped it from the forceps. He was getting stronger in the short time she’d had him and was ready to be released into the pen with Mama Hoot, the female her father had rescued after being hit by a car and left to die on the side of the road. The accident had caused her to lose an eye, but she’d made a fantastic surrogate for owlets and, because of her, her father had released four young owls back into the wild just last year. Soon, this one would be able to begin hunting for live prey.

“What’s wrong with him?”

Emma jumped at the sound of Ben’s voice. A lot of things were making her jumpy lately and she hated feeling that way. She was usually alert to her surroundings, aware of everything around her and constantly assessing various scenarios. It came from working with unpredictable wildlife. But lately, she was getting so lost in thought, or her stupid fantasies about a certain fireman, that she was forgetting to pay attention, and it was proving to be a hazard.

She looked at him through the netting surrounding her face. It kept the owl from recognizing her as a human but, for now, she was grateful that Ben couldn’t really see her face through it either. It hid her conflicting thoughts about him. She was drawn to him, wanting to lose herself in him, something she’d never felt with anyone else. Her body practically hummed with anticipation when he was near. She wanted to ask him to stay again and knew if she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about last night, or the way his hands had moved over her body. It was easy for her to let the physical attraction take over, to enjoy the pleasure of his touch, his kiss, and let him carry her away with it.

But it wasn’t right to put him into the middle of her turmoil. She was on the cusp of being ruined professionally and she couldn’t let him follow her over that cliff, especially when he felt a so much responsibility toward the town. It would destroy his credibility and, honestly, she liked him too much to be the one to cause that. He was a nice guy who didn’t deserve the judgment siding with her would bring him.

“Emma?” His brows furrowed in concern and she realized she’d been staring at him.

“He was abandoned by his parents. At least, that’s what we were told by the lady who found him. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance he’s already bonded to humans and can’t be released. He should be trying to fly by now.”

“How old is he?”

“About seven weeks.” She glanced back at him, standing outside the room, and saw his frown. “I’m introducing him to his surrogate mother after he eats. Hopefully, she’ll teach him how to be an owl.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then I’ll finish taming him down and add him to an educational program once I start it up again.” She held another piece of meat up to him between the forceps and the bird took it gently this time, a sign he wasn’t as interested in the food as she’d hoped he’d be.

“A pet.”

Emma felt the muscles in her shoulders bunch with tension. She didn’t turn toward him, regardless of how much she wanted to challenge the accusation she heard in his tone.

“No.” She kept her voice level but inside, disappointment gnawed at her. She needed to cut him some slack. He didn’t know anything about these animals, maybe he wasn’t judging her. But she couldn’t quite convince herself. “An unreleasable bird that can’t survive in the wild because someone has imprinted with it before I could keep that from happening.”

“Have you thought of getting another opinion?”

She clenched her jaw. He was questioning her judgment and her ability. She had enough people criticizing the way she was running the facility, but until now, she hadn’t lumped Ben in with them. She’d thought he was different. He’d said all the things she’d wanted—needed—to hear, until now. Now he sounded like Jake, and whoever was writing those articles.

Ben didn’t say anything else as she placed another piece of meat in the forceps. This time the owl turned his head away, refusing to eat more. Rather than causing any unnecessary stress on the animal before turning it in with the surrogate, Emma exited the space serving as a nursery, stripping off the protective gear, to prepare for his move.

“I am more than capable of making this decision.”

“I know that.” His voice was contemplative, thoughtful, but she also heard the doubt.

“Do you?” She spun on him, trying to control her temper. “Because it sounds like you don’t. It sounds like you think setting this owl in a tree and letting nature roll the dice for his survival might be a better option. It sounds like you might agree with everyone else that I’m not qualified to run this place, regardless of my experience, training and degrees.”

She brushed past him, shoving open the door, the sun blinding her as she stepped outside. Ben reached for her arm, turning her to face him.

She squinted up at him, trying to ignore the burning in her eyes, unwilling to entertain the thought that it might be from anything other than the sunlight. She certainly wasn’t going to admit that it might be tears. There was no way she would cry over some guy she barely knew, even if she’d ignored her better judgment and trusted him. And she had.

After the way he’d stayed to help her with the graffiti, or to try to help her get Buster back. He’d soothed her worries last night, offering her support. Hell, he’d even stood up for her to his brother. But like everyone else, he’d turned on her.

“You’re putting words in my mouth, Emma. I didn’t say that. I simply asked a question.”

“No, you didn’t.” She jerked her arm from him, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You were doing the same thing everyone else around this damn town has and making assumptions about how I run this place. You talked to Jake, didn’t you?”

Emma could see the guilt in the way he shifted his gaze to the horizon, as if searching for answers there. She didn’t need any other confirmation.

“Calling him a pet was a dead giveaway.” She shook her head. “You should go. I’ve got enough people judging me. What I needed was a friend, not another critic.”

Emma turned her back on him. She didn’t care what he thought. She couldn’t. Because if she did, she’d have to admit that his lack of confidence stung far more than any one-night fling should.