The Defender. Lindsay McKenna

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СКАЧАТЬ and she desperately needs someone like you. You sound perfect.” Iris gripped his arm and said in a conspiratorial whisper, “Joe, you’re just the salt of the earth and I’ve always admired you. If you take the job, I will guarantee a very good wage for you. Plus, medical insurance is included.”

      He grinned. “Miss Iris, you’re such a saleswoman. But I have to see if Katie thinks I’m right for the job first.”

      “Oh, of course, of course.” Coloring, Iris touched her flushed cheek. “My, this is so fortuitous meeting you here at Mo’s. This is our lucky day!”

      “It’s kismet,” Joe agreed. “Let me buy you breakfast, Miss Iris. It’s the least I can do,” he said, digging into the pocket of his Levi’s.

      Iris slid off the stool. “Why, that’s very kind of you, Joe. You don’t have to do it.”

      “But I want to, Miss Iris.”

      She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Oh, all right. Welcome home, Joe Gannon. I know Katie will love you as much as I do. Bye-bye...”

      Joe paid the bills, feeling pretty good himself. Dizzied by the synchronicity of events, he walked out the door and into the late-morning sunshine. Why hadn’t this happened earlier in his life? His divorce from Zoe had devastated him. Now he had some sudden good fortune...and a woman who interested him. It was time to call Katie Bergstrom. Would she want to hire him? Joe really didn’t know. This was his chance to at least prove one way or another whether she was working with her mother, Janet.

      * * *

      KATIE HAD JUST PUT SAM into his mew after cleaning it out when her cell phone rang. Hurrying up the long concrete walkway between the fifteen mews, she picked it off her small oak desk near the front door.

      “Hello, this is Katie. Can I help you?” Her voice sounded breathless.

      “Hi, this is Joe Gannon. I saw your ad in the paper this morning for a falconer.”

      Katie sucked in a breath of air. “Oh!” And then she released the air. “Are you calling about the position?” Iris had persuaded her to try the ad, but Katie had doubted anyone would apply. Her fingers tightened around her phone as she prayed for a miracle.

      “Yes, I am. I’m working toward my falconer’s license with Eddie Barton, back in Washington, D.C. Perhaps you’ve heard of Eddie?” Joe knew the man was a very famous falconer who had written a number of books on how to handle eagles. There wasn’t a falconer in the world who didn’t know about this respected man.

      “Why...yes, of course I’ve heard of Mr. Barton. You studied with him.”

      “Yes, I did. I’ve just moved back home to Jackson Hole. Is it possible to meet with you and apply for the position in person?”

      Katie felt joy thrum though her, as if her heart would explode with joy. She closed her eyes, took a breath and tried to slow down her speech; when she got excited, she talked at the speed of light, or so her friends told her. “Of course I’d be interested. You said you’ve just come home? Did you live in Jackson Hole before this?”

      “I was born here, Miss Bergstrom. It’s a long story and I’d be glad to answer all your questions if I can come over.”

      “Absolutely. I’d love to talk with you. Anyone trained by Eddie Barton...why...you must be good. There’s a waiting line of falconers who are dying to train with him.”

      “I guess I got lucky, then,” Joe said. “I just had breakfast with Miss Iris. I know where the Elk Horn Ranch is, may I come over now? Or is there a better time?”

      “That would be terrific. Miss Iris loves my raptors. I’m sure she told you she moved my raptor facility to her ranch.”

      “Yes, she did. I’ll be showing up in a dark green Ford Focus.”

      Katie blinked. She recalled a similar-colored car at the elk fence this morning. Had that been Joe Gannon? Her intuition told her it had. “Great, come on over.”

      “See you in about twenty minutes,” he promised.

      Katie moved from one foot to the other. Rubbing her hands in excitement, she danced a little dance around the office area. She heard Hank, her red-tailed hawk, whistling softly. Moon, the barn owl who had the mew next to her office desk, was sleeping the day away in her wooden nest box. Sam, the golden eagle whistled, his piercing call echoing throughout the facility. Laughing, Katie called out, “It’s okay, Sam. I’m dancing for joy. There’s a falconer coming for the job! Yippee!”

      * * *

      JOE EASED OUT of his car and admired the huge metal-and-glass building with louvered windows. He could see the many mews through the clean glass. The entire roof was draped in dark netting, shielding the inner area from an excessive build-up of heat. Raptors don’t do well in high heat. He spotted a propane tank at the other end of the building to warm it during the winter. Huge fans positioned on both ends of the building were turned on to push fresh Wyoming air through the state-of-the-art facility. Iris had said she had spared no expense on this modern raptor facility and she was right.

      As Joe shut the car door, he saw the glass entrance door slide open. Katie Bergstrom appeared. He wasn’t prepared for her natural beauty as she waved enthusiastically and hurried toward him. Her black hair was loose, shining like a raven’s wing in the sunlight, blue highlights dancing here and there. But it was her eyes that mesmerized him as he walked around the front of his car to greet her. They were a turquoise blue, the kind of color he’d found in Belize where he had scuba-dived. Her oval face was wide, her eyes incredibly alluring and yet, as his swift gaze dropped to her mouth, Joe felt himself go suddenly hot. How to keep his face carefully arranged?

      “Hi, I’m Katie. You must be Joe Gannon?” She gripped his hand and felt his monitored strength. Indeed, her heart pounded, but not because she was excited about his possibly working with her raptors. No, Joe was ruggedly handsome and he made her pulse race. Katie drowned beneath his very male smile, those forest-green eyes alert as an eagle’s. His black pupils were large, the surrounding color reminding her of the Douglas firs on the slopes of the Tetons. What was there not to like about this gorgeous man? Nothing! Breathless with building hope, Katie released his hand.

      “Yes, I’m Joe Gannon. Nice to meet you, Miss Bergstrom.”

      “Call me Katie. I don’t stand much on formality. Come on in. Let me show you around.”

      Joe admired her willowlike form and those legs fired his imagination. Joe tried to tamp down his unexpected reaction toward her. Katie was far more attractive than any photo in the FBI files. Her eyes danced with life, like gold sunlight dappling across a blue lake’s surface. She moved ahead of him to the door and turned, a wide smile on her lips. She wore no makeup, and he thought Katie looked more like a wood nymph from the Greek myths than a real woman. He sharply reminded himself that she was suspected of working for the Los Lobos cartel, yet, she had a trusting face.

      Inside the facility, Joe stopped to admire it. Katie stood off to his right, cheeks flushed. Why was she blushing? Because he was applying for the job? He secretly wished it was her reaction to him but that was idiocy. “Wow,” he uttered, admiration in his tone, “this place rocks. I thought Eddie had a modern facility, but yours puts his to shame.”

      “Thank you. I owe it all to Iris. I showed her blueprints of other state-of-the-art СКАЧАТЬ