Free Wanted By The Alpha Lion (Heroes of Shifter Creek 2) by Clara Moore

owners is to get them on board with the conservation mission. When they can appreciate the special value of the animals they have living on their land, then it’s easier for them to swallow the fact that they may not be able to move forward with some of their plans.”
    “The only value Roger understands is financial,” Danny said. “It’s all about the bottom line with him. He’s been like that for as long as I’ve known him.” The other two men murmured in agreement. “Kind of sad, really.”
    “Well, if we’re done, I’m going to head home for some dinner,” Steven said. “The wife has people coming over, and I’m not going to miss out on that spread.”
    “You got room for one more?” Jorge said. Steven’s wife was well known for her cooking. “Because I could eat.”
    “Sure,” Steven said. He turned toward Danny and Janelle. “Do you want to join us?”
    “Thank you, but no,” Janelle said. “It’s quite a drive back to San Antonio, and I want to get back before it’s too late.”
    “I’ll try to head out that way later on,” Danny added, “but I’ve got a few things I want to take care of first.”
    They smiled and stood while the older two men departed, and then faced each other.
    “So,” Danny said. “Are you going to let me take you out to dinner?”
    Janelle smiled. “If you didn’t ask me, I was going to ask you.”
    “Do you like green enchiladas?” Danny asked.
    “I don’t know,” she said. “But I’m willing to try anything once.”
    “Oh, you’re in for a treat,” Danny said. He led the way to his pickup and opened the door. “I’d like to take you to Rosalee’s.”
    Rosalee’s didn’t look like much from the outside. Honestly, it didn’t look like much on the inside, either – there were a few tables surrounded by folding chairs, and a basket of cactus set in the front window. Danny and Janelle had the place to themselves. She looked around skeptically.
    “Trust me,” Danny said. “We’re a little early. Mama Rosalee doesn’t officially start cooking until five.” He smiled at the young man who’d come out to take their order. “But Luis is going to take care of us just fine.”
    Luis smiled. “You want enchiladas?” he asked, adding something in a rapid fire Spanish that Janelle couldn’t follow.
    Danny nodded, and said something in Spanish back, before concluding in English, “Yes, she is very beautiful.”
    “So,” Janelle said, after Luis disappeared toward the kitchen, “we know that you’re shy and subtle.”
    Danny laughed. “Guilty as charged.”  He tilted his head and smiled. “Beautiful women don’t just show up in Loma Rita on an everyday basis. Never mind ones with a brain like you’ve got.”
    “Be careful, Mr. Russell,” Janelle said. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”
    “I’ll take that warning under advisement,” Danny replied. “So tell me, how’d you get into the bat business?”
    “It didn’t start with bats,” Janelle said. “I grew up in Chicago.”
    “Not exactly known for its wildlife,” Danny said.
    “You’d think that,” Janelle said. “But when I was eight years old, I was walking home from school one day. Not too far – just a couple of blocks through my neighborhood. It was me, my best friend, and her older brother. We were walking along, and out of nowhere, a deer came bounding across our path. And that deer was flying. She was running as fast as she could go.” She shook her head and smiled. “There we were, shocked – none of us had ever seen a deer before. It went over a fence and was gone in the blink of an eye. And right behind it? Three coyotes.  They were right on her tail, but they couldn’t clear the fence.”
    “How close were you all to them?” Danny asked.
    “As close as you and I are right now,” Janelle said. Her eyes met Danny’s, and for a long moment, neither of them spoke. “Of course, we were terrified. But my friend always had a big mouth, so she started