Damaged Billionaire Daddy Bear - Leela Ash Page 0,6

had no idea.

She didn’t owe it just to herself to find out what was up with the rescue. She had two small children to think about as well. If the town, the sanctuary itself, or the people who ran it, turned out to be the least bit unsavory, she was hightailing it out of Dodge before Theodore Cooper could so much as say “Hey”.

The moment she drove onto the grounds of Exotic Rescue, though, her budding anger and disquiet vanished in a poof as her mouth fell open in wonder. She had heard it was pretty nice, but this was beyond that. It wasn’t any old animal sanctuary. Although everything was clearly built for function and practicality, it had been built to the standards more approaching that of a luxury resort than a place for unwanted big cats and the like. One glance, and Jessica was in love. She could get used to this.

From this central hub she could see various pens and sectioned off areas for the many different types of animals that the rescue cared for. There were garages for the various trucks, and building where she assumed food was prepared for the different species. It appeared there was even a reptile building, if she were correct. Interspersed amongst the usual trappings of a rescue were lush patches of trees and brightly-colored flowers nodding their tender heads in the wind. Rows of exotic-looking coconut trees disappeared down numerous a winding paths. The property spread out in all directions with no end in sight. The main building was almost palatial and the outbuildings of exquisite design, which was rather uncharacteristic of any rescue she had ever seen. She saw a row of golf carts parked adjacent to the cars. There were workers all about, some hauling feed. As she took in the sprawling grounds, a few trucks passed hauling various types of equipment.

There was a row of rough, jagged mountains serving as a backdrop to the picturesque location. Another truck passed pulling a boat behind. Undoubtably, there was at least one body of water on the premises. Maybe it even connected with the Glades. The air was still, the silence broken, occasionally, by the chirping of birds and the hum of the wind through the trees. Everywhere smelled clean and fresh, and the dying evening sun lent a golden hue to the atmosphere, making it look like something out of a movie.

“Wowwwww,” Kal breathed from the backseat.

Jessica threw a glance over her shoulder at her wide-eyed son. “I know, right? It looks just like a slice of Heaven.”

“It’s beautiful,” Arizona chirped.

Jessica looked at her kids, “I bet we’re gonna have a lot of fun here.”

“Yeah, we are!” Kal shouted excitedly.

Jessica had to remind herself it was only for six weeks, though. But she was ready for the break. Home was … not the best of places for her right now. She loved her job at the zoo she worked at, for sure. But she had found out, just two weeks ago, that her best friend, Kate, had been one of the plentiful women Patrick had cheated on her with.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, Kate had had the utter gall to excuse her behavior with a flip, “It was really just sex, Jess, and years ago, too; so get over it. Pat just liked his fun, and you started to get a bit boring and became a stick-in-the-mud toward the end. I mean, I’m sorry it happened, but it was a long time ago.”

I’m sorry it happened? That was the best she could do? No thanks.

Getting the email from Exotic Rescue, offering her a spot in their exchange program for six weeks, had been a blessing just in the nick of time. She had jumped on it with both feet, grateful for the opportunity to be away from everyone and everything familiar for a while. She needed to process some thoughts and, more than anything, she needed some uncomplicated peace and quiet.

That thought had her glaring up at the sprawling mansion that was Exotic Rescue’s main building. She wasn’t sure why some of the locals distrusted Theodore and his outfit, but her interest had been piqued and she knew she wouldn’t rest until she found out just what was going on. Some had hinted at hearing animal sounds of pain at night. Surely, he wasn’t torturing animals here, or using them for some experiment, was he? That was a little farfetched, she thought.

A man dressed in a yellow and