Robin, Crow, and Raven.â
âNo way,â Alex said, blinking.
âBunch of bird-brained morons, each one of them,â Shel muttered.
âMy parents,â Teal explained with exaggerated patience, âwere ornithologists.â
âHow interesting! Thatâs so interesting. Iâm really interested in hearing more about yourâerâinteresting family.â
Teal smiled at her and Alex could see the attraction; she could actually feel the manâs smile in her knees. Blondes werenât really her type, butâ¦poor Jenny!
âAnybody ever tell you that you look like Shania Twain?â
âUh-huh,â she replied.
âDate later!â Shel shouted, startling everybody. âBail first!â
âI think I can take care of that,â Alex said, which was just as well, because Jenny wasnât listening anymore.
Chapter 11
âT hanks for walking me toâerâwhere are we going, anyway?â
âI worked on the polar bear exhibit after you took off. I thought youâd like to see it.â
âOh, your bear came in?â
Shel shook his head. He was getting a headache from trying to look at her out of the corner of his eye. Even while walking down a muddy sidewalk in beat-up sneakers (were princesses allowed sneakers?), she was breathtaking. He couldnât believe she was out with him, here, now. Hell, he couldnât believe sheâd come downtown to grease the skids so he didnât have to spend the night in a cell!
Then, cool as a cuke, she tells Jenny and the guards (nice enough fellows with hands like iron), âThat will be all for tonight,â and like that, he was walking her out and they were climbing into her car. No pressâit was late, and Jenny had probably gotten rid of them.
The car pulled up to the back entrance of the NDISL, and they both got out. âThat will be all for tonight, Kara,â she told her driver. âIâll make other arrangements to return to the hotel.â
âHighness,â Kara replied, touching her cap with a fore-finger, and pulled smoothly away from the curb.
âIs that smart?â he asked, watching the red taillights grow smaller in the distance. âWhat if someone tries to kidnap you or whatever?â
âSomeone like who?â She gestured to the deathly quiet streets of Minot.
âWell, you know. Someone. There could be an elaborate plot to snatch you. I mean, it was in the papers. You coming here.â
She shrugged. âYouâll have to protect me, I guess.â
âI could be in on it. I could be the mastermind!â
Another shrug. The woman, he mused, either truly didnât give a ratâs butt for her own safety, or possessed the acting ability to make it appear that way.
âArenât you worried about your own safety? I mean, youâre a public figure worth big bucks.â
âNo.â
âNo, youâre not worth big bucks?â he teased, because even in the near-dark, he could see she was stiffening up.
âNo, I donât care. Shall we go? You said your bear was here?â
âNo, I never had a chance to answer. The big guyâs showing up tomorrow. I thought Iâd show you his habitat.â
âAlmost as fascinating a sight,â she said, âas the city jail.â
âYeah, yeah.â
Â
ââ¦and in a year or so, weâre hoping to get him a mate.â
âHow enthralling.â
âYou donât have to be a jerk about it,â he said, trying not to be hurt. Then mad at himself because he was tryingâ¦or even hurt! âIf itâs not interesting to you, just say so. I can take it.â
âNo, itâs interesting,â she said, poking a toe at one of the piles of snow.
The habitat was largeâbigger, Shel thought, than his own apartmentâand cool, with piles of snow everywhere, and a large pool off to the left. Since it was currently bear-free,
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