twisted in a fence. Tore ligaments. I operated on her a few days ago. She’s not doing too well. We can’t keep her off the leg without sedating her. If we sedate her, she won’t eat or drink. Today we moved her into a smaller stall, where she’d be forced to rest.” He paused, frowning distractedly at the scuff mark his work boot was making in the thick sawdust around the ferrets’ cage. “She’s one of only a dozen of her kind left in the world.”
“Dr. Bluebeard, Frank said that you traded a fancy racehorse practice in New Orleans for this hard-luck life. Why?”
“Priorities,
chère
. The world has enough racehorses. It has enough doctors who want to take care of them.” He gestured around him with one hand. “When I heardthat this place was for sale in the parish where I grew up, I came back. It’s where I belong.”
“And you’ll do anything to keep the place running. Even put up with a movie crew.”
“You got it, orange blossom.”
“Frank said your wolf was doing great, and then one morning he just refused to cooperate.”
“He’s not used to so many people, that’s all.” Paul grimaced in disgust. “One of the actors bit him on the ear.”
“Kids can be—”
“Hell, I’m talking about the old guy who plays the hermit.”
“Frederick?”
“He was supposed to whisper in Wolf’s ear. In the script it says, ‘Silver Wolf listens with great concentration.’ Ol’ Fred, he used to be on some soap opera or something and he says he would bite actresses on the ear to make them pay attention. Before I could stop him he bit Wolf.”
“Oh, Lord. He bit a
wolf
? Did Wolf bite back?”
Paul looked proud. “Wolf’s too well trained for that. No, he got revenge later, though. It was classic. Bien!”
She cocked one elbow and pantomimed a leg raising and lowering. Paul chuckled. “Exactly. Fred the fireplug.”
They both laughed. Paul realized that he wasn’t supposed to like her enough to laugh with her, and she seemed to have the same thought. They stopped awkwardly. She cleared her throat.
“How did Frank hear about you and Wolf?”
“One of the networks did a feature about the wildlife preserve here. Frank saw Wolf when I was being interviewed. When he came up with a script and movie deal, I didn’t know how complicated it would make my life. I wish I didn’t need the money.”
Paul watched her pull the ferret off her hat and cup him in her arms, stroking his head. She was coveredin the little animals, and they nuzzled her as if she were a long-lost friend. He’d never seen anything like it.
“What did you do?” he demanded, pointing at her. “Hide nuts in your clothes?”
She shrugged and looked away. “They probably just like my perfume or something.”
“Ah.
Parfum de Nut
.”
She glanced at him and smiled, her head tilted to one side. Damn, the woman almost looked sweet. “Can I see the antelope?” she asked abruptly. That snapped him back to reality. “No. No visitors.”
“I could help her, I’m sure.”
He bristled at her self-confident words. “You have a degree in veterinary medicine, yes?”
“Medicine can only go so far, doc. I use massage on injured or tense animals. They like it just as much as humans do.”
He stood hip-shot and leaned against the ferrets’ cage, eyeing her sardonically. “You have a license to massage antelopes, yes? You have training?”
“I’m self-trained, doc. There aren’t any schools for what I do.”
“Let me guess. Mommy and Daddy bought you a liberal arts degree at college, and you couldn’t get a real job with it.”
“Wrong, doc. My parents died when I was five. I was adopted by my father’s cousin and his wife. To put it mildly, we Weren’t the happiest family in the world, and I left home when I was seventeen. I never went to college.” She hesitated. “I didn’t even graduate from high school. But I’m damned good with animals. If you don’t let me help your antelope, you’re an
“Dr. Bluebeard, Frank said that you traded a fancy racehorse practice in New Orleans for this hard-luck life. Why?”
“Priorities,
chère
. The world has enough racehorses. It has enough doctors who want to take care of them.” He gestured around him with one hand. “When I heardthat this place was for sale in the parish where I grew up, I came back. It’s where I belong.”
“And you’ll do anything to keep the place running. Even put up with a movie crew.”
“You got it, orange blossom.”
“Frank said your wolf was doing great, and then one morning he just refused to cooperate.”
“He’s not used to so many people, that’s all.” Paul grimaced in disgust. “One of the actors bit him on the ear.”
“Kids can be—”
“Hell, I’m talking about the old guy who plays the hermit.”
“Frederick?”
“He was supposed to whisper in Wolf’s ear. In the script it says, ‘Silver Wolf listens with great concentration.’ Ol’ Fred, he used to be on some soap opera or something and he says he would bite actresses on the ear to make them pay attention. Before I could stop him he bit Wolf.”
“Oh, Lord. He bit a
wolf
? Did Wolf bite back?”
Paul looked proud. “Wolf’s too well trained for that. No, he got revenge later, though. It was classic. Bien!”
She cocked one elbow and pantomimed a leg raising and lowering. Paul chuckled. “Exactly. Fred the fireplug.”
They both laughed. Paul realized that he wasn’t supposed to like her enough to laugh with her, and she seemed to have the same thought. They stopped awkwardly. She cleared her throat.
“How did Frank hear about you and Wolf?”
“One of the networks did a feature about the wildlife preserve here. Frank saw Wolf when I was being interviewed. When he came up with a script and movie deal, I didn’t know how complicated it would make my life. I wish I didn’t need the money.”
Paul watched her pull the ferret off her hat and cup him in her arms, stroking his head. She was coveredin the little animals, and they nuzzled her as if she were a long-lost friend. He’d never seen anything like it.
“What did you do?” he demanded, pointing at her. “Hide nuts in your clothes?”
She shrugged and looked away. “They probably just like my perfume or something.”
“Ah.
Parfum de Nut
.”
She glanced at him and smiled, her head tilted to one side. Damn, the woman almost looked sweet. “Can I see the antelope?” she asked abruptly. That snapped him back to reality. “No. No visitors.”
“I could help her, I’m sure.”
He bristled at her self-confident words. “You have a degree in veterinary medicine, yes?”
“Medicine can only go so far, doc. I use massage on injured or tense animals. They like it just as much as humans do.”
He stood hip-shot and leaned against the ferrets’ cage, eyeing her sardonically. “You have a license to massage antelopes, yes? You have training?”
“I’m self-trained, doc. There aren’t any schools for what I do.”
“Let me guess. Mommy and Daddy bought you a liberal arts degree at college, and you couldn’t get a real job with it.”
“Wrong, doc. My parents died when I was five. I was adopted by my father’s cousin and his wife. To put it mildly, we Weren’t the happiest family in the world, and I left home when I was seventeen. I never went to college.” She hesitated. “I didn’t even graduate from high school. But I’m damned good with animals. If you don’t let me help your antelope, you’re an
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