Page 13 of First Chance

Once they figured out who I was, they all avoided me like the plague. A known conservative father and a liberal college don’t exactly mix. Not that I could convince them that I despise my father for far more reasons than they ever could.

“What does ‘School Field Trip’ mean?” He asks suddenly, looking at one of the sticky notes I left for him on the counter.

“I was brainstorming ways that you could earn more money. I thought maybe partnering with schools to do educational visits might help generate a little profit, but a lot of good publicity.”

“No.”

“What, why?”

“This isn’t a petting zoo.”

“Well, I know. I knew not to suggest opening it to the public.” He throws daggers in my direction as if I suggested it anyway. “But education is so important. Helping new generations of kids learn the importance of conservation and wildlife management could be helpful in the long run.”

“Who would willingly let their kids around a bunch of ex-cons and wild bears?”

“The bears are in an enclosure. The ex-cons… Well, that might be something we’d have to work around.”

“No. One brat sticking their hand through the fence, and this whole place could get shut down. These bears aren’t typically aggressive, but they’re animals, and this is their home. They aren’t here to be gawked at,” he argues. He’s notyelling at me, but he’s passionate enough in his inflection that I know this isn’t a fight I’ll win.

“So, no private parties, then?” I cringe even saying the words, but it was my last idea. He harrumphs and stalks out the back door.

Back to the drawing board, I guess.

* * *

Another week goes by, and I still don’t have any more profit-inducing ideas, but today I’ve ventured out onto the porch to enjoy the weather. It’s getting warmer in the mountains, and the sun’s been out more, drying up most of the mud puddles.

Hayes walks by and does a double-take when he sees me. “Everything alright, Jo?”

“Yeah, I was just getting a little cabin fever being stuck inside.”

“Hmm. Must be contagious in that house.”

He doesn’t elaborate before he joins me on the porch. I don’t remember if Lochlan’s rules included not talking to Hayes, but he initiated the conversation, not me.

“This is Loch’s favorite chair, don’t tell him I’m sitting in it,” he says after he plops down in a sturdy rocking chair.

“I’ve never seen him sit in it.”

“He sits out here at night after all the work is done.”

“What work exactly? He’s always pretty vague about what he’s doing.”

“Mostly securing the fences and fixing everything that’s broken. We check the entire property every day to make surethere aren’t any holes or damage. We also try to get a visual on all the bears every couple of days to make sure they’re doing alright. They like to hide, so it can get tricky, but with what’s been going on, Lochlan insists on having eyes on them as often as possible.”

“The harassment, you mean?”

“The fence has been cut intentionally a couple of times. It seems like someone is trying to encourage the bears to get loose, but we keep them comfortable enough here that they aren’t eager to run. Normally, human intervention is discouraged, but none of these bears have any business going back out to the wild.”

“I read about that online. You have a couple that have been hit by cars, right?”

“Three. Dodie is missing his front leg because of it. Rocko and Minnie had enough internal damage that they were hospitalized, and then the vets didn’t think they’d survive being reintegrated back to where they came from.”

“I’m glad they could come here.”

“Mr. Dane always had a soft spot for the bears, but they were Mrs. Dane’s favorite animal.”

“Did you know him well? Mr. Dane?”

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