The Right One Read Online Free PDF

retreated to the opposite side of the table. The greeter handed them a menu and disappeared to the now hidden post.
    She tucked the menu against the wall, knowing what she wanted. Not time to order yet anyway. Dinner depended on the man across the table.
    Paul followed Cami’s lead and clasped his hands on the table. Large hands, no callouses. Not like Alex’s. Desk and paper hands. She bit the inside of a cheek.
    “Thank you for coming tonight. I know you didn’t want to.”
    She grinned. “I’d say that’s not true, but I’m not going to lie to you.”
    He laughed quietly. “I like your honesty, Cami. Can I call you Cami?”
    She glanced down for a moment in consideration and slowly lifted her eyes. “Okay. Is it Paul then?”
    He nodded. “Of course.” He reached for the salt and pepper shakers, moving the condiments against the wall and carefully pushed the napkins and peanut basket aside. “So let’s keep this professional then, since I’ve lost your trust.”
    Cami reached down to the soft briefcase leaning against the wall at her feet. “That’s the only thing it is.” Pulling out the plans for the ranch, she spread the last year’s preparations before her as Paul scanned the plans.
    “This is a massive undertaking, isn’t it? I didn’t realize how immense at it is. You own a lot of property.”
    She scratched the side of her nose. “You don’t know much about me at all, do you Mr. Schotter, Paul?”
    He held both hands up in surrender. “Guilty there. No, Cami, I can’t say that I do. I only know you want to bring very large, very dangerous pets there.”
    She swallowed hard, fighting the urge to lunge into the familiar tirade. Pets . Hardly. “They are not pets, Paul. These are animals that should be allowed to roam free thousands of miles away on a totally different continent. They were brought here in illegal trade, sent to private homes by people who thought they’d make good pets, or trophy animals they could show off to friends, and then discarded or neglected the animals when they grew out of the cute cub stage. Some even horribly abused. This is not about having cuddly cats to curl up on the couch with, Paul. This is about rescuing the lives of creatures that are helpless to help themselves.”
    “I didn’t realize.” He looked up from blueprints with enticing eyes.
    Cami looked away. “Not many people do. People hear, there’s going to be tigers living there, and they automatically assume I’m going to have a houseful of five hundred kitty cats roaming free. They don’t understand that’s what I’m taking these creatures out of.”
    Paul leaned back, and Cami could feel him sizing her up. Her gut flinched, the scrutiny uncomfortable. She’d noticed the good looks the first time Alex came to the ranch, but sitting across from the table, those looks were distracting. The natural narrow slant to grey blue eyes, the narrowing of his cheekbones and tapering chin. Gritted teeth pained tightened muscles. He was the enemy, and she wasn’t about to think of him as anything else.
    “Are there any other questions I can answer for you, Paul?”
    “Where are the tigers going to be housed? You said something during the meeting about indoor housing. What will it look like? How much room does it allow the cats?”
    Cami drew in a breath and settled back, easing some distance between them. No getting out of the meeting easily. “Each enclosure will be large, and we’ll keep as much natural materials - grass, mulch, hay, tree branches – as possible, along with enrichment materials like phone books or boxes. When possible, they will be double housed, since some studies show siblings housed together demonstrate less pacing, and other unsettled behaviors.”
    He shifted the gaze back to the blueprints, index finger finding and pointing the areas. “And outside?”
    “Brooks and pools, trees to climb, shade to sleep in, room to run. With the amount of space we own, along with the lack