Rescued By The Farmer

скачать книгу бесплатно


That left her imposing on the Kinleys. Again. Not the ideal solution, but once she’d gotten all her clothes clean, she’d have some time to come up with a better one. While they ate, they chatted about the various animals housed at the center, and Sierra gave Bekah a brief lesson on the computer system they used to track everything from food and supply orders to wildlife release dates.

She was no computer expert, but she’d used enough of them that she couldn’t miss the flashing red shield at the bottom of the monitor. “What’s that?” she asked, pointing to it.

“Some kind of alert I haven’t been able to diagnose. This is a hand-me-down system from a donor, and I’d say we got what we paid for.”

“When I get some time later on, I’ll take a look at it. Maybe it’s just a matter of finding the explanation online and downloading a program that will fix it once and for all.”

“If you can get this thing running properly, I’ll owe you big-time.”

“Just part of the job, boss,” Bekah told her with a grin. “We all do what we can, right?”

That got her a short laugh. “That’s one of Drew’s favorite lines. I think you’ve been spending too much time with that troublemaker.”

“Troublemaker? What do you mean?”

“He’s one of those love ’em and leave ’em types, and he’s left a string of broken hearts from here to Louisville. He’s a good enough guy, but he just can’t seem to settle down.”

Bekah knew perfectly well that Drew’s romantic exploits were none of her business, but her curiosity got the better of her. “Why do you think that is?”

After considering the question for a moment, she replied, “Either he’s looking for something particular that he can’t find, or he’s got no clue what he wants and is hoping to blindly run into it somewhere along the way.”

“Or he’s happy being unattached,” Bekah suggested. “Some guys like having the freedom to wander from one woman to the next whenever they get bored.”

She’d known more than her share of them, she added silently. Men who told a woman what she wanted to hear, then shed her when things got too serious or she asked too many questions that he didn’t want to answer. Either way, he broke away cleanly and got on with his life, while she was left behind, wondering what had gone wrong.

“It’s like Erin always says. Boys are stupid.”

“You mean Drew’s sister?” When Sierra nodded, Bekah couldn’t help laughing. “With those three as brothers, I guess she oughta know.”

“Got that right. So, our new tenant is a dehydrated squirrel with a broken leg. Are you ready for your first lesson in squirrel care?”

“That depends. What’s the medical term for a broken leg?” She’d watched enough medical dramas to have a decent idea what the answer was, so she figured it wouldn’t be too hard for the struggling vet tech to come up with something reasonable.

“Ugh, not now.”

“Yes, now,” Bekah insisted. “Come on, you must know at least one of the words.”

“The upper bone in a leg is the femur.”

“And?”

Sierra stared up, as if she might find a clue written on the water-stained ceiling tiles. Then she snapped her fingers and gave Bekah a delighted smile. “Fractured.”

“Let’s see if you’re right.” Tapping the phrase into the search box on the computer, she angled the screen so her new friend could see that she was right. “Nice job.”

“Great,” Sierra muttered with a wry grin. “One down, forty-million to go.”

“One step at a time,” Bekah reminded her. “No matter how big or small a project is, that’s how everything gets done.”

Sierra studied her for a long moment, then smiled. “Forget Lily. I think I just found my new tutor. How much do you want?”

Stunned by the request, she firmly shook her head. “Me? I’m not a teacher.”

“Teachers help their students learn, and you just did that perfectly. I can’t afford the time or money to retake classes, which means I have to pass on the first go-round. So, are you going to name a price or make me come up with one on my own?”

Bekah didn’t have the first idea what that kind of job should pay, but the humming laptop inspired her. “Why don’t I look up what private tutors normally make, and then we can talk?”

“Deal.” After they shook hands, she said, “Now, come with me and I’ll show you how to examine our little acorn-loving rodent without getting bit.”