I Kissed a Dog Read Online Free PDF Page A

last of my coffee, I handed Zane a park map. “Let’s go.”

    Forcing myself to treat Zane as I would any new employee, I babbled on about the various
     animals, citing their unique traits, histories, and dispositions. Zane took careful
     notes and remained silent other than a number of questions about the black bears.
     I was grateful that he hadn’t attempted to bring up our earlier mind reading encounter
     or yesterday’s lion taming/Chloe shaming incident.
    The few times I tried to tune in to his thoughts left me disappointed. The brick wall
     remained strong, shielding his mind. The good news — he didn’t seem aware of my failed
     intrusions, at least he didn’t acknowledge them. Maybe the barrier he’d managed to
     erect was permanent, although I wasn’t sure how that would work. It wasn’t like I’d
     found a how-to-manual for my condition.
    “What’s going up over there?” Zane stopped to watch several men working on a new exhibit
     building.
    “Come on. I’ll show you.” I hurried ahead eager to see the latest developments.
    Luke’s dream to add a mini-aquarium was becoming a reality. I was amazed by the progress.
    “Hey, Chloe!” Joel, one of the younger workers, turned to wave from his rooftop perch,
     bumping several nearby metal poles in the process.
    One of the huge rods was catapulted my direction.
    With no time to move away, I dropped to my knees, covering my head with my arms. I
     felt a gust of air.
    I froze, waiting for impact. Nothing hit me but relief and curiosity.
    I opened one eye than the other.
    What I saw made no sense. Zane was lowering several poles to the ground without any
     effort.
    “Man! How’d you do that?” The worker stared at the rods, awed.
    “You should worry less about me, kid, and more about keeping this work site safe.
     You could have killed her.” Zane glanced back, his concern obvious, causing my heart
     to do an unfamiliar flip flop.
    Severe shock, again … that would explain my increased heart rate. Of course, I was
     in shock. What else could it be? The guy had saved my life twice in less than twenty-four
     hours.
    Before I could even begin finding my feet, Zane was lifting me up, holding my elbow
     to keep me steady. My legs wobbled, but with his help, I remained standing.
    Several workers offered apologies.
    Joel rushed to my side. “Chloe, I’m so sorry. I messed up. Can you forgive me?”
    I nodded and turned toward Zane, more interested in his heroic actions. “How did you
     get to me in time?” I asked, lowering my voice.
    I tried to gauge the distance he must have traveled to reach me. Last I remembered
     he’d been several long paces away, and I was convinced the steel beams weighed far
     more than any one man could lift. He’d laid them down like putting pencils on a desk.
    This latest occurrence reminded me of yesterday’s rapid rescue effort, and it made
     no sense. Men just didn’t move that fast, nor could they subdue lions with their bare
     hands. The whole incident seemed to have a surreal quality to it. And to think I’d
     wished for excitement.
    “Well?” I pressed, waiting for his explanation.
    “I’ve been known to respond with adrenaline a time or two.” He shrugged. “No big deal.”
    “No big deal. You’re kidding, right? You saved my life, not once, but twice.” The
     idea that I was indebted to this massive man didn’t sit well in my gut. “Thank you,”
     I stammered.
    Seeming to read my mind, he shrugged. “I’d have done it for anyone. In spite of what
     you might think about me, I’m a pretty helpful guy.” He released my arm.
    “You can help me anytime,” I said, making sure I sounded serious; because I was.
    “You can count on it.” Looking uncomfortable, he turned to gather my scattered papers.
    “Do you want to continue the tour?” I asked, hoping we could move on. I didn’t want
     to dwell on my latest dance with death.
    “If you’re able, I’m willing.” He smiled, a broad smile that