Pamela Tracy - Katie's Rescue

A WILD HOPE

Wild animals can’t be tamed—a traumatic lesson Katie Vincent had learned firsthand as a child. So when her estranged father passes away, she has no choice but to sell his beloved zoo to an animal park in Arizona. But when the park’s director, Luke Rittenhouse, reports that the panther she’d hand-raised is dying, he threatens to return all the animals unless she comes and nurses the panther back to health.

Katie has to try to save the big cat, even though she knows she’s doomed to fail. She hasn’t worked with animals in more than a decade…and she has an immobilizing fear of them since the accident. But Luke believes everything deserves a chance—even Katie. And if she can let go of her fear, he might just be the one who rescues her.

He’d expected Katie Vincent to work miracles.

Deep down, he’d been hoping she’d be able to do more for them, based on all Jasper had shared. Maybe he’d been hoping that Katie Vincent was someone like her dad, and would be able to miraculously solve all of the park’s problems.

He could use a miracle.

But he’d been wrong to even let his thoughts go in that direction. And, come to think of it, Jasper had been very careful about what he shared—and even more careful about what he hadn’t shared—when it came to Katie.

But, in his heart, Luke wanted this miracle, this woman. The one who felt such responsibility. The one who carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. The one who made him want to scoop her up and convince her all was well with the universe.

But with an animal dying and a park on the brink of disaster, she wasn’t the one he needed. He needed someone who loved and worked with animals, like he did.

Someone who understood about a labor of love.

Dear Reader,

Ideas knock on my door all the time. This time, however, the idea growled at me.

Years ago I was at Wildlife Zoo in Glendale, Arizona. I was near the big cats, and one big cat was actually right over my head. See, they had this netting that allowed the cats to jump up and rest right over where people walked. It seemed the black panther was looking down and saying something to me.

My writer’s imagination took over. Was he saying “This is boring”? Or “I’m hot”? Or even “You people really paid to come see me?” None of those were good enough. Not for this magnificent creature. Finally, I came up with “Where were you? I’ve been waiting for you.” And that’s how Katie’s Rescue was born. I looked at an exotic cat and wondered about his history, who he’d come into contact with, and who he had loved. And of course, in romance, who he had loved is a very important element, wouldn’t you say?

Quite a few people helped me with this novel. First, my critique group, who said, “Pam, this reads like a memoir! Put more romance in.” Then, there were the wonderful keepers at the Wildlife Zoo and Aquarium, the Phoenix Zoo and Out of Africa who deserve special thanks. Finally, it was Victoria Curran and Adrienne Macintosh who helped fine-tune it and bring the characters, animals and especially the romance to life.

I hope you enjoy reading Katie’s Rescue as much as I enjoyed writing it. When you’re done, visit a zoo and watch the black panthers. They’re amazing.

Ideas knock on my door all the time. Lately, there’s been a black bear pawing at it. Hmm, I think I’ll open the door wide and let my next idea growl... Er, I mean grow.

Have a great day!

Pamela Tracy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

PAMELA TRACY

is an award-winning author, who lives with her husband (who claims to be the inspiration for most of her heroes) and son (who claims to be the interference for most of her writing time). She started writing at a very young age (a series of romances, all with David Cassidy as the hero, though sometimes Bobby Sherman would elbow in). Then, while earning a BA in journalism at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, she picked up writing again—this time it was a very bad science-fiction novel.

She went back to her love and was first published in 1999. Since then, Pamela has had more than twenty romance novels in print. She’s a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writer’s CAROL award and has been a RITA® Award finalist. Readers can find her at www.heartwarmingauthors.blogspot.comor www.pamelatracy.com.

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To Sonya Bateman

who richly blesses everyone

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Contents

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER ONE

“HE’S GOING TO die unless you do something!”

The “he” in this case was not human, but that didn’t make the situation any easier.

Leaning against the wall in a crowded college hallway, Katie Vincent frowned and wished she’d ignored her cell phone’s ring. But she hadn’t and now could only ask, “How did you get this number?”

“The lawyer.”

Never trust a lawyer, especially not a semiretired one who’d kept her dad as a client because of old times’ sake.

“The panther you sold me,” Luke Rittenhouse practically growled, “isn’t responding to anything I’ve tried. Based on Aquila’s weight loss, he probably won’t last another week unless you do something.”

The man sounded annoyed, worried and bossy all at the same time.

Katie closed her eyes. This wasn’t the first time she’d been asked to make a difference in Aquila’s life. But now Katie was no longer an adolescent girl who thought herself indestructible as well as indispensable.

“Mr. Rittenhouse, I’m at work. It’s the beginning of the semester, and I don’t have any vacation coming. Plus, I have responsibilities with my younger sister. You’re asking the impossible. I don’t work with animals anymore. I can’t help you.”

“You don’t have a choice. I’ve gone over all the paperwork, and according to what you signed, you have to improve his condition or you’re in breach of contract.”

Breach of contract? Unfortunately he might be right. She’d wanted to settle her father’s estate as quickly as possible, so when Luke Rittenhouse had asked her to guarantee her father’s performance animals’ health and abilities, she’d agreed. She’d not hesitated to put it in writing. Bob Vincent, her father, animal trainer extraordinaire with almost three decades of experience, took great care of his animals—better care of his animals than he’d taken of his children.

But improve Aquila’s condition? Katie closed her eyes again and tried to remember exactly where Luke Rittenhouse lived. She was pretty sure it wasn’t Texas.