Page 21 of Midlife Animal Rescuer Bear

“I found him by the river,” he went on. “He was still breathing, but he wasn’t conscious. And he was bleeding—badly, like he’d be dead within the hour. He’d been attacked by something. And I soon got to find out what it was.”

He shook his head. “That bear came out of nowhere. Full-grown grizzly. It attacked me—teeth, claws, and all. Only reason I’m still alive today is because I managed to get the heck out of there before it turned me into spaghetti. But I still got this scar.”

Now that he mentioned it, the scar did look like it had been left by a claw. Melissa’s chest tightened. She couldn’t begin to imagine how terrifying it must have been for him.

“What about Tyson?” she asked.

The look he gave her was all the answer she needed. He pointed at his scar. “This? It reminds me of that day. Reminds me to protect myself, protect the family I’ve got. And right now, Leto’s the only family I’ve got.”

So that was where he’d been going with his story. She nodded. “I understand. And I really am sorry.” How many times had she said those words today?

He gave a halfhearted shrug. “You mentioned an emergency in the woods. What was that about?”

Deciding there was no point keeping that from him, she narrated her trip into the woods with Cal. Dale straightened in his seat.

“Animals being killed left, right, and center,” he commented. He scoffed. “And you still don’t know what’s responsible for the killings?”

She shook her head.

“You know what I think? I think there are bears roaming about those woods. Heard of any bear sightings lately?”

The thought of Cal popped into her mind then. He was, after all, the only bear she knew of. What were the odds that he was behind the recent attacks? Each time she suggested the attacker might be a shifter, he’d pretty much shut the idea down instantly. Could he be hiding something?

If Cal was responsible for all those dead animals...then she would’ve been right about him, about his kind. The facts added up: The man could turn into a bear. Who was to say that he could control the bear’s violent instincts?

Or maybe she was wrong...

She shook her head again. “No, I haven’t. But I see why you’d figure it was a bear. I might, too. I’ve encountered a grizzly before, a decade ago.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “You faced a grizzly and made it out in one piece? And they called me impressive.”

She shrugged. “I...I guess I was lucky. My point is, I understand where you’re coming from. I also understand that you love Leto, and I’m sorry I didn’t feed her when I should have. It won’t happen again; I promise.”

Dale regarded her for a long moment, long enough to make her stomach squirm.

“I know it won’t,” he said finally, “because you’re fired.”

Melissa couldn’t believe her ears. “Wh-what?”

“You heard me clearly. I was wrong about you being a great fit for this job.” He rose to his feet, a look of disappointment crossing his face as he stared down at her. “It appears hiring you was a mistake. If I were you, I’d head back to Green Sanctuary.”

Chapter Nine

“Time for a Drink or Two”

“Thing is, my friend, I’m not surprised that you kissed her,” Henry was saying. “I’m just surprised you stopped.”

Cal glanced sideways at his friend and resisted the urge to smack himself in the forehead. Sighing, he shook his head and lifted his glass to his lips, closing his eyes as the whiskey hit his throat. He set it back onto the polished counter, half empty, and regarded Henry again.

“I’m serious,” the other man went on. “I could practically smell the tension between you and Dr. Kinley the day she showed up at the sanctuary. Figured it was only a matter of time before something happened.” He frowned at his own glass for a second, then grinned at his friend. “So, how’d it feel to kiss your ex-fiancée after so long?”

Cal punched him in the shoulder.

“Easy, Cal,” Henry said.

“You’re not taking this seriously, Henry,” he said.

But even as he spoke, he couldn’t help wondering about the kiss. He hadn’t been able to think of much else since Melissa left the sanctuary hours ago. He’d come down to Rubicon Valley with Henry to distract himself, even if for just a while. But thoughts of Melissa occupied his mind, popping up every few seconds, like a game of whack-a-mole.