Page 67 of Highland Hearts Holiday Bookshop

“I’m sure he’ll be delighted.” Alexander pulled the tote open and peered inside. “As am I. Even though I’m not sure what your plan is for a baking dish.”

“Don’t worry. No puffins are on the menu tonight.”

“Good, because I’d hate to have to figure out where to bury your body.” Alexander laughed as I poked him in the side. I then followed him around the side of the house.

My heart stopped.

“Oh, Alexander. This … this isn’t just an enclosure. This is incredible.” I blinked at the sudden press of tears against my eyes. The man was crying out to nurture someone, something, anything.

The enclosure was huge. It took up a massive chunk of his backyard, likely sacrificing a good portion of his beautiful view, and he’d done it without a second thought. The entire structure was enclosed in chicken wire, and one side had a lean-to that sheltered a small boxed-in pen. Alexander stopped by the door and crossed his arms over his chest, watching me as I took it all in.

Tattie stood on top of a rocky outcropping, focused on the pool of water below him. I gasped when he jumped in, but he came out with a minnow in his mouth and I couldn’t help myself. I applauded.

“Look at him go.” This time I did lean in and hug Alexander. He wrapped an arm around me, and I turned, my face pressed into his chest, and watched as Tattie waddled around his new home. “Truly, this is mind-blowing. Can you walk me throughyour choices?”

“You want to know why I built it the way that I did?” Alexander’s voice was a rumble in his chest at my ear.

“I do.”

“Are you deliberately trying to turn me on?”

I laughed.

“I like learning. And knowing you, there are logical choices for the decisions you’ve made.”

“Well, since you asked.” Alexander drew back and rubbed his hands together, like a kid about to dive into a year’s supply of candy. “Right, so since the vet wasn’t entirely sure if Tattie’s wing would heal, since sometimes clipped feathers can grow back after a molt, but it depends on the extent of the damage, he didn’t seem overly optimistic. He said the wing was quite damaged, but we’re still going to hold out hope he can fly again one day. Which meant I wanted to keep his enclosure as natural as possible, but also make it safe for him.”

“How on earth is he not going to escape through that pool?” I pointed to the shallow pool of ocean water that Tattie was currently playing in. From my vantage point, it looked like a tidal pool where the ocean water rushed between rocky outcroppings. Tattie wasn’t that big. “Surely he could just escape through there if he wanted?”

“Do you want to go in and see?”

“Can we?” I asked, adjusting the tote bag at my shoulder.

“Sure, you can give him his toy.”

“Oh, I need fish for it.” I’dforgotten that one crucial bit.

“Show me.” Alexander took the bag from me and pulled out the baking tray and the small grate I’d found to nestle in it.

“So the idea was to put the fish below the grate, and then add some pebbles and so on. He’ll have to dig a bit to pull the fish out. Kind of like a puzzle feeder.”

“Ah, sure, sure. Cool idea.” Alexander went into the shed and returned with a small bucket of fish, and I watched as he laid them out in the pan, and then covered them with the grate that had beak-sized spaces in it. Then he added some pebbles and sand from a nearby dune.

“Think this will suit?” Alexander asked.

“No idea.” I shrugged. “But we can give it a go.”

“I hope he knows that we care.” Alexander held the door for me, and I ducked through inside the enclosure. Once inside though, I could stand up straight, as could Alexander. He’d installed large posts throughout the enclosure which held up the chicken wire roof, and it was quite spacious, easily forty feet long.

Tattie hid behind a rock and peered out at us.

“Hey, bud, I know it’s scary because you’re not used to us. Yet. But here, we have a treat.” Alexander laid the tray on the sandy shore, close enough so some of the water lapped over it. Easing back, he nudged me to go around the other side.

“So basically you’re keeping his environment as natural as possible then?”

“That’s the plan. See here?” Alexander pointed to where I’d thought there was an opening in the rocks to head out to the sea. “I put more chicken wire and somesmaller pieces of timber down there. It shows him the way is blocked so he doesn’t try to swim through, but it is wide enough to allow the tide to come through, along with some schools of minnows.”

“Smart,” I said, seeing now how he’d cleverly worked with the natural environment.

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