Elizabeth Goddard - Undercover Protector

She tried to smile to cover the pain. He’d settled on the big old orange couch next to the fire and appeared mesmerized by the flames, deep in thought. Good, he hadn’t watched her limping walk.

“Here you go.”

Slowly he turned his head to her, seeming to shake off his daze. “Thanks.”

She handed the mug off. Of course their fingers brushed. But Gemma had already been up close and personal with Gray, so she didn’t understand the current she suddenly felt. She wondered what he might look like when he was all cleaned up. Where had that come from? Ignore, ignore, ignore. “Well, we’re off to an awkward start.”

He quirked a brow and flashed a dimpled half grin. “At least it wasn’t uneventful.”

Gemma’s heart hammered again at the reminder. At least she thought it was the reminder of her crash that elevated her heart rate and not his dimpled grin.

His smile suddenly dropped away. “I shouldn’t have made a joke about it. You could have died. It could have been much worse.”

Shaking her head slightly, she slurped in the warm cocoa. This was definitely what she needed. Get her core temperature back up and her brain working. It might be spring in southwest Oregon, but the rain dropped cold in the mountains.

“It worked out because you were there, at the right place at the right time. You’ve proven that you’re physically strong enough to handle working for us, but tell me about your background—who are you, where do you come from, why do you want to volunteer and what experience do you have with animals, specifically big cats?”

“That’s a lot of questions in one breath.”

Gemma was botching the interview, but it all came rushing out and then she let the one question burning her mind spill.

“And why were you on the mountain today?” It wasn’t like he’d simply shown up for an interview early. He’d been on the sanctuary property up in the mountains. The thought made her bristle.

* * *

Whoa with all the questions at once. But at least he’d anticipated them, even her last one. He had thought of an answer for that one while she’d gone to get the blankets. He hadn’t expected for anyone to see him on the mountain or to rescue Gemma from a Jeep.

Without hesitation, he said, “I parked my truck where the county road meets Highway 101 and then hiked in. I was early for the interview and like to see the lay of the land where I’m going to work.” It was as simple as that. And completely truthful. “Or, um...volunteer. But whether I’m salaried or not, I always take my work seriously.”

“But you were on private property.”

“Actually, I wasn’t. I was still in the Wild Rogue Wilderness when I heard your cries for help. Only then did I cross over onto your property.” Sure, he’d been checking the tigers and facilities from a distance with a set of binoculars—left behind when he’d run after her. Still, by the look on her face, he might have said too much.

She cocked a brow. “Getting the lay of the land, huh?”

Time to switch the topic. “I recently rented a house on the coast from a friend. I wanted a change of scenery from my place in Portland. I have a biology degree and worked in wildlife conservation before. I know that tigers are the most imperiled of the wild cats. Three subspecies are already extinct. There’s only about three thousand left, living in the wild.”

She arched a brow. Impressed? Or maybe he was trying too hard. He needed this volunteer position. But he couldn’t let her see just how much.

“It’s because I believe in what you’re doing that I wanted to volunteer my time while I’m between contracts. It makes me angry when I read about the dwindling endangered species populations and abused animals. You’re doing a good thing here. I believe in your cause.” Okay, now he was repeating himself. His pulse was beginning to roar in his ears. He’d better shut this down or he’d go off again and she would think he was too crazy to keep around.

But he didn’t have to worry as he saw the suspicion drain from her face. And all because he said he believed in her cause.

She limped closer to the fire and, without thinking, he offered a hand. “Are you sure you’re okay?” Then remembered she’d said her limp was part of her now. She didn’t want his help. “Since you were in an accident today, maybe you should see a doctor.”

Her look silenced him on the matter. “I’ve already told you what happened. The reason for my limp.” She bent over to stoke the fire, her long hair hanging down.

“You didn’t, actually. Just that you had an injury. How did it happen?”

“I was in another car wreck.” She straightened up. A distant look came into her eyes.

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Gray almost tossed out a joke about her skills as a driver but thought better of it. As she stood by the fire to warm up, her eyes grew bright, flames dancing in them. He’d never seen anyone more alive than Gemma Rollins. And she truly seemed to be passionate about sheltering the abused wildlife and caring for them. Yet someone at this sanctuary was involved in crimes against the tigers. To use a sanctuary as a cover for trafficking was about as low as a person could go in Gray’s opinion. Was there any chance someone else was behind the trafficking? Who would have the authority or access to do so without Gemma noticing? The simplest answer was the one he didn’t want to believe—that she was involved in the trafficking after all. He could hardly believe the conflicting emotions she stirred in him. But it was time for him to push them aside and get to know the real Gemma Rollins and what she was really up to with the sanctuary.

“Thanks. It happened a long time ago.” With a frown she refocused on him. “What do you do, Gray, when you’re not volunteering? You mentioned you’re between contracts.”

“I’m a computer programming whiz.”

She angled her head, confusion in her eyes.

He chuckled. “I know what you’re thinking. I have a biology degree and I’m a computer whiz? As it turns out, learning to code is an important skill for biologists or any other science field, especially those who spend most of their time crunching data. I had a heads up on that skill. Growing up, I spent too much time playing video games and ended up learning to code early on as a side hobby. Though when I wasn’t playing games, the rest of the time I was outdoors, exploring nature. I love animals, and I want to do something meaningful with my life.” There. He hadn’t even had to lie to keep his cover. He was currently working on installing new accounting software for Wilderness, Inc., a wilderness survival training company run by his brother, Cooper, though he’d had to put that aside temporarily to investigate Tiger Mountain.

Gray was only a silent partner at Wilderness, Inc. anyway. He invested in the business but didn’t want to make decisions or be involved in running the place.

He’d been at the Wilderness, Inc. office in Gideon when he’d received the tip about Tiger Mountain. With this new tip, he believed he was close to solving this case, and he was geographically close as well.

Gemma sat on the sofa and he did the same, across from her. She studied him over the rim of her cup of hot chocolate.

Gray shrugged. “Any more questions?”

“Nope. You have any for me?”

Yep. I have plenty of questions. But he had to be careful and ask the simple questions a volunteer, a wildlife enthusiast, would ask.

“I’m a hands-on kind of guy. I like to learn the ropes as I work. So any questions I have for you can be answered while I’m working. Oh, well, I guess there is one question. You going to let me volunteer or not?”

She gave him her soft and simple smile, the same one he’d seen on the road. It kindled a feeling he hadn’t experienced in a long time and he didn’t want to feel that again. He’d have to be careful around Gemma.