"It's okay. You didn't know."

"At least one of us lucked out." She smiled. "You got Jesse's number, right?"

I smiled and held up my phone proudly. "Yep. Mission accomplished."

The door creaked open, and Julie's mom walked in. "Julie, where's your truck?" she asked.

"I parked it in the garage after Taylor and I washed it."

"Honey, it's gonna get dirty again around here, no matter what you do. No sense in trying to keep it spotless," she said, smiling.

"I know, but I want it to look nice for as long as possible."

"You girls are up awfully early," she said.

"We pulled an all-nighter," I said.

"Sounds like fun. I remember having girls' nights like that. Did you paint your nails and-"

Julie grinned and nudged her mom playfully. "Mom, I'm not twelve."

She laughed. "Right. Pardon me for forgetting that my little girl isn't so little anymore. Anyway, I'm making breakfast. How do pancakes sound?"

"That's nice of you, Mom, but we're kinda beat. If you don't mind, we'd kinda like to sleep for a few hours."

"Sure, but don't sleep all day. I've got some plans for us. I figured we can go to-"

"Mom," Julie said, "we're tired, and you worked all night. Can we talk about the plans later?"

She smiled again. "You're right. We could all use a little shut-eye. Sweet dreams, you two."

A while later, after a nice, long nap, I peeked out the window, only to see Julie's truck sitting in the driveway, good as new. Even the back window had been replaced. That was so nice of Jesse, I thought.

A few minutes later, a horn beeped, indicating that my mom was there to pick me up.

"Thanks, Julie," I said. "I gotta go, but it's been...interesting," I said, smiling knowingly at her as I grabbed my overnight bag and rushed out the door.

"Right," she said. "It was a howling good time. We'll have to give it another shot sometime."

We both laughed at her punny-ness as I walked out the door.

Chapter 8.

A few days passed, and I hadn't heard from or about Jesse. I was so worried about him that I couldn't eat or sleep. Not knowing whether he was alive or dead, the anxiety overwhelmed me. I tried calling him a few times, only to get no answer.

When my phone finally rang with a call from his number, I was ecstatic. "I'm recovering nicely," he assured me. "Don't worry."

I thanked him countless times for fixing Julie's truck, silently thanked God that he was okay, then hung up the phone.

After that, we talked sporadically but texted each other every day. I thought it was best to let him recover at his own speed. I would have paid him a visit, but his mother didn't want anyone stopping by until he was fully recuperated. "Doctor's orders," he joked, though it was technically true.

Before I knew it, a month had passed by.

Jesse had a job at the zoo, and when he told me they were hiring, I filled out an application, interviewed well, and managed to land a part-time position. If nothing else, I had all my dad's lectures and all that Discovery Channel and Animal Planet documentary knowledge to go on when it came to dealing with animals-not to mention I'd survived a mountain lion attack and a run-in with a huge pack of human-harassing wolves.

My first day of work at the zoo was also Jesse's first day to return after his injuries. He'd told everyone that he had a "family emergency" to deal with, and nobody was the wiser.

I smoothed out my brown, short-sleeved, button-down shirt. It was part of my uniform and had the logo name of the zoo and my name embroidered on it, and it looked kind of cute for safari wear.

As I stood there trying to get a grip on my new job responsibilities, Jesse walked into the room with an adorable baby raccoon in his arms and a bottle of milk specially made for the little creature. His shoulder-length hair was tied back, and while I tried not to stare, I couldn't help it; he was so absolutely gorgeous that I was sure I'd never want to take a sick day off of work. His uniform was the same as mine, but it looked so much sexier on him. The material stretched across his broad chest and across his muscles, not too tight but just perfect, revealing a tribal tattoo around his bicep. I hadn't seen it at the party under his jacket, but I wanted to know what it meant, if anything. I decided it best to leave that conversation for somewhere outside the workplace.

"This is Herman," Jesse said.

The little raccoon was furry and had a bushy, ringed tail, as well as the blackest band of fur around his eyes, just like a mask.

"He's so cute!" I squealed.

"Yeah. We're trying to rehabilitate the little guy. The zoo receives hundreds of orphaned and injured wild animals every year. We do our best to fix them all up and release them back out into the wild as soon as we can so they don't become too dependent on humans or lose their natural survival instincts. If you kneel down on the floor, you can feed him," he invited.

"I don't know, Jesse. I mean, I've never fed a raccoon before. I've only fed Max."

"It's easy. I'll start, and then you can jump in." He set the baby on the floor and held the bottle at a downward angle.

The little raccoon stood on his legs and gripped the bottle with its little paws, perhaps the most adorable thing I'd ever seen-well, besides Jesse's eyes and Max when he was a puppy.

"Okay. Ready to take over?" he asked.

I gazed up at him and smiled. "Sure."

He knelt behind me and touched my shoulder as I fed the critter. "You're doing good."

The raccoon lapped away at the bottle with its little pink tongue, but it was difficult for me to concentrate on feeding Herman with Jesse's hot breath raining down on the back of my neck. Still, I tried to tune out the gorgeous creature behind me and pay more attention to the cute one in front of me.

"Tilt it a little higher," he said, touching my hand.

His hand lingered on mine, and I felt a jolt of electricity. I'd never felt such chemistry with anyone else before. No words could describe it. My heart was racing like a rabbit's as his hand rested on top of mine.

Finally, he slowly lifted that scorching hand away. "You're a real pro," he said, "and Herman likes you."

I smiled. "So...what else can you tell me about the zoo?"

"Hmm. Well, we have 190 animals representing 80 species here, and there are all kinds of exhibits, special events, and educational programs. If ya want, I'll give you the grand tour later."

After we fed the raccoon, Jesse took me to a different room, where five ducklings were frolicking in a shallow, heated pool, playing with a stuffed mama.

"What happened to their real mom?" I whispered, as if the fuzzy yellow things could understand me and might be offended.

"She was hit by a truck. Her four babies were lost and confused, following around humans because they didn't know what else to do." He paused to look down at the chirping quintuplets, then continued, "We're gonna get them big and strong, then release them back into the wild."

"Gee, Jesse, it's amazing what you are all doing here."

Jesse picked a little fluffy chick up. It was so touching to see that big, strong, muscular man holding a defenseless little bird, and it melted my heart all over again. "Shh. Don't be afraid," he told the baby. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

As he gently and sweetly patted the little animal's head, I saw a softer side to him, a side that showed that he genuinely cared for the animals. I grinned from ear to ear as I watched him place the little one down with its paddling brothers and sisters.

As promised, Jesse did give me a grand tour. He seemed to know everything about the place, and I enjoyed our walk around the place.

At the aviary, an outdoor enclosure filled with birds, he pointed. "One turkey vulture and two bald eagles live here."

"Ew! Sorry, but the turkey vulture isn't as pretty as her bald eagle friends," I said.

His gaze shot up to the repulsive-looking bird. "Maybe not in everyone's eyes, but I named her Beauty Queen."

I laughed at the irony as I gazed up at the large, dark brown bird with a red, bald head and neck like a turkey's. "I'm sure she appreciates you flirting with her," I joked.

"She came to the zoo as a juvenile with a broken wing," Jesse said. "There were complications, and the vets here weren't able to save her wing, so we can't release her. She'll be a permanent resident, and I've grown quite fond of her. You know what they say."

"What?"

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," he said with a smile. "She's a sweet bird."

"I'm gonna love working here," I said.

"Yeah, I never get tired of it. I love my job. It sure beats flipping burgers."

"I can tell you're passionate about it."

He smiled sheepishly, obviously uncomfortable taking compliments, even though he deserved a million of them.

"These birds are so big," I said, gazing up at his feathered friends.

"Beauty Queen has a wingspan of about five feet-at least the wing that's still good."

"She's a vulture, right? I bet she's got bad breath after eating all that dead meat."

"Maybe, but she can't help what she was born to eat. It's just the way nature works. No one can help the card we're dealt. Just like us, these birds and all the animals in this zoo and in those woods out there have to live and make do with what their bodies want as a food source. Maybe she despises eating carcasses, but she's stuck with it. It's eat or die."

"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be so quick to judge," I said. "She probably thinks we're gross for eating pizza."

He laughed. "I'm not that much older than you, but I've learned it's best not to judge anyone until you've walked in their shoes-or flown in their feathers, as the case may be."

"I absolutely believe that. So anyway...what's next?"

"How about some lions and tigers and bears?" he joked. "And...wolves?"

"Sorry, but I'll pass on the wolves," I said, clutching my heart.

"Bad memories, eh?"

I let out a breath. "Yeah."

"I'm so sorry about all of that."

I bit my lip. "You know what? Let's not drudge up old memories. I really don't wanna talk about it."

"I agree. Let's let bygones be bygones and just...start over."

"I think we deserve a clean slate."

All of the sudden, the door opened, and in walked a short redhead with her hair tied back in a ponytail. "Hey, Jesse," she said, "there's a guided tour waiting for you."

He looked at me, then back at her. "Taylor, this is Jeanie, my best friend in Big Bear Lake. We've been through a lot, and I don't know what I'd do without her. She'll show you the ropes while I'm gone. See ya later," he said and walked out the door.

I grinned. "See ya." As soon as he stepped out of the door, I turned my attention to Jeanie. She had natural red hair and beautiful blue eyes, though not nearly as beautiful as his, for it would have been impossible for anyone to replicate those gems. I sighed when I realized his best friend in the world also had the perfect figure, with not an ounce of fat on her.

"So...how's your first day treating you, Taylor?" she asked, making it obvious that someone had already told her my name.

"Great."

Getting straight to the point, she blurted, "I saw the way your eyes sparkled at Jesse before he left."

I arched a brow but said nothing.

She continued, "It's best to stay away from him."

I couldn't believe she was marking her territory already. "And why's that?"

"He's a player, that's why. Jesse has dated half the girls in this town."

"Isn't that what dating is all about, trying to find the right person? I mean, I've dated lots of guys, and-"

She shrugged. "Fine, honey. It's your heart that'll get broken, not mine."

I wasn't sure what to stay. I wanted to tell her to butt out because it was my chance to take, but instead, I just kept my mouth shut.

She shot me a serious look. "Look, Jesse's a great friend to have, but if you step out of the friend zone, it will go all to hell. Trust me. I know firsthand."

"I'll keep that in mind," I said, assuming she was just jealous.