The Texan's Promise. Jolene Navarro

      “They’re both females,” he said, carefully studying them. “They look dehydrated and malnourished, but they’re definitely ocelots.” His eyes shimmered with excitement. “De La Rosas, you have ocelots living on your ranch. It’s amazing.”

      The kids crowded around him. “Can we keep them?”

      “No. We can nurture them back to health, but they’re wild animals and need to live in their natural habitat.”

      Jonah reached for one of the cats.

      “Careful, son. You can look at them, but we don’t want to handle them too much.”

      “We found them, and they don’t have parents. We should keep them. We feed the baby goats and raise baby chickens.” Cassie’s eyes were gathering tears.

      Belle took her daughter’s hand. “Sweetheart, we have no clue what wildcats need.”

      “I’ll call the local game warden and report the ocelots. They’ll need to be released into the wild when they’re old enough. But we might be able to nurse them until then.”

      “Daddy can do it. He’s a doctor,” one of Quinn’s girls said.

      Belle’s head went from the tiny cats to his face. That was a surprise she didn’t see coming.

      “Hannah.” His voice held a hint of warning. Then he glanced at Belle. “I’m not a medical doctor. I have a PhD in marine biology with a focus on coastal habitats. We can get these guys independent and back on their feet, then release them here on the ranch.” When they made eye contact this time, he held it. Like he had something to say but didn’t know how. “Belle, I’m not sure you understand the ramifications. This is a huge discovery.”

      He had a PhD and she’d gotten a GED. She had a hard time looking away from him. Could he see her lack of education? Did he just accuse her of being slow?

      In the distance, she heard the rumbling of a truck. “Oh.” Pulling her phone out, she dialed Elijah. “We need to call and let everyone know the kids are safe.” With a hard glare at Cassie, she listened to the rings. “Young lady, we will be talking about y’all leaving without a word. There were better ways to handle this.”

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      Once she’d told Elijah the story, he said he’d contact everyone else.

      “What’s the best way to tell Gina?” she asked. “She lost her phone. Will she answer the ranch line?”

      “I just gave her a new phone.” He read out the number.

      Belle could hear the tears in the poor woman’s voice as she explained the situation. Hanging up, she shook her head. Quinn had moved the kids to the path and was slowly heading to the house.

      Putting an arm around her daughter, who was too stubborn for her own good, Belle lowered her voice. “Cassie, do you understand how scared she was? How horrible it was when we couldn’t find you? The first thing you will do is apologize to their grandmother.”

      Quinn glanced at her, his lips in a tight line. “Hannah. Meg. After last night, this was the last thing Baba needed.”

      So much for trying to keep it private. Cassie was clearly upset. “What about Lucy and Jonah? They left, too.”

      “They’re little,” both parents said at the same time.

      Belle looked at her youngest. “But, Lucy, you know better, too. You don’t leave the house area without an adult.”

      “Yes, ma’am.”

      One of the ocelots yawned and pushed a paw out of the shirt to touch Quinn’s face. He gently rubbed the kitten’s chin and said words so soft and low she couldn’t hear.

      Her heart melted. No, Belle, it doesn’t matter if he is the male equivalent of Snow White. You are not interested in him.

      The rest of the walk to the house was silent. Once there, Belle helped Quinn find a cozy box for the babies and helped him gather supplies to feed them.

      Quinn firmly set limits on how close the kids could be to the sleeping ocelots. Now all five kids were flat on their stomachs in the living room, their chins resting on crossed arms as they watched the kittens as if they were the most interesting movie they’d ever seen.

      “The kittens have to stay with us, because our daddy is the doctor.” One of the twins was already building her case for custody.

      “But it’s our ranch and we’ve raised all sorts of animals.” Cassie looked over her shoulder. “Right, Mama?”

      “I saw them first, so they’re ours,” Lucy argued. She wiggled closer and Jonah mirrored her action.

      “Thanks.” Quinn put his phone in his pocket. The kids continued to debate shared custody, and Gina fussed over everyone, insisting she would feed them all.

      “Belle.” He reached for her hand to pull her away from the kids and cats.

      She studied his hand interlocked with hers. His was so large it made her look feminine. That didn’t happen often. They fit together well.

      Normally she didn’t like to be touched and withdrew, but he was different. Why?

      She jerked her hand back.

      “Are you all right?” It was either pity or curiosity in his gaze. She couldn’t tell which.

      Relaxing her shoulders and letting her arms drop, she smiled. “I don’t like being touched. I was just caught by surprise.”

      “Sorry.” He nodded his head at the kids. “I wanted to get out of earshot.”

      “Oh.” Heat climbed her neck up to her cheeks. She could feel it but couldn’t stop it. “What’s up?”

      “I spoke to the game warden. With my certification, I can keep the kittens until they’re ready for release. Then I’ll work with a local game preserve to make sure they’re safe to return to the wild. You get to tell your girls.” He went to the archway and looked into the living room, where the kids were lined up on the floor. “They won’t be happy.”

      “No. But we really don’t need another project, anyway. They’ll be fine, and it will give them an excuse to visit your kids.”

      “I’d like to find a time to talk. How about dinner tomorrow night?”

      “No. I don’t do dinner.”

      He raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if she’d said something ridiculous.

      “What? No one ever tells you no?”

      Surprise etched his brow, but then he laughed. “I haven’t asked anyone to dinner in a very long time. I was confused when you said you don’t do dinner. As in, you have something against eating in the evening.”

      “Oh.” Her cheeks burned again. “I eat dinner, just not with people. I mean, with men.” She groaned. “I don’t date. I want to be clear on the subject. I never go on dates.”

      With a nod, Quinn went in to gather his family.

      She needed to stay as far away as possible. One finger caressed the ruined skin that ran along her temple. If she had any unruly thoughts about this man, she needed to remember that there was no Prince Charming in the real world. This Cinderella had to save herself.