Safe At Home. Carolyn McSparren

ran into Pete’s arms through the other door. This time she buried her face gratefully against his chest.

      He held her awkwardly and patted her back. “You did great. We’ll take it from here.”

      Her heart beat so hard she heard it in her ears.

      “Hate to say this, m’dear, but didn’t you say you had to drive all the way home and get back to town before four?” Mace said from the doorway.

      “Lord, yes!” Tala ran past the two men and to her truck. As she drove by, she called out the window, “I’ll call you about the job!”

      “NOW SIT, stay,” Mace Jacobi pointed his finger at the lioness, who once more reclined on her blanket in her newly covered cage. She regarded him with wide yellow eyes as innocent as a week-old kitten’s.

      “Even house cats don’t sit and stay,” Pete said, slipping the fencing tool back into the leather pouch strapped around his waist. “Have you taken a look at what she did to the bathroom? Shredded shower curtain, shredded bath mat, and deer blood from the inside of the bathtub halfway up the walls. It’s going to take me half the night to get the smell out.”

      “Better than having her roaming around here while we worked.” Mace clicked his tongue. “That’s a gutsy little girl we’ve hired.”

      “You’ve hired, you mean. Assuming she agrees to take the job. I had nothing to do with it.”

      “The girl made the final decision, son. Besides, I think she needs help.”

      “Right. She’s not even raising her own kids.”