Page 18 of Her Tempting Traitor
If something wasn’t donequickly, Gabby was afraid they’d lose her.
Last night she’d said the same thing to Hunter, then mentioned the need to do a vaginal exam on the elephant. Her brother had reared back, panic in his eyes, and blurted, “I will leave yer arse in Inverlochy and hide, Gabby, if ye make me stick my hand up an animal’s rear end.”
Men. Like little babies they were, sometimes. She’d snorted, “As if I would trust you to doanysort of vaginal exam. Ifyou do not even know the difference between an arse and a vagina?—”
“Och, Iken the difference,” he’d scowled. “I was being polite for my sister’s delicate sensibilities.”
“Considering it was your sister’s delicate sensibilities who suggested it in the first place…”
Her twin’s expression had turned pleading then. “Gabs, I’ve never even been around an animal this big before. I spend most of the hours I’m with it talking about my horse and practicing card tricks, for fook’s sake.Help me.”
She’d had to promise she’d find a way to examine poor Elizabeth, since he was apparently at a loss. Their lie—about Hunter being the veterinarian—had been necessary…but had made things far more difficult.
At least you are able to help in other ways.
That was true. Having been unable to find excuses to investigate Cassian Grey, Gabby was devoting herself to Sir Richard’s menagerie.
The parrots already knew her, the capybaras deigned to allow her to pet them, and she’d earned the handlers’ respect. Yesterday she’d treated an abscess on one of the zebra’s legs, and spent time with young Augustus in the process. And today, she’d discovered this remarkable library. Therehadto be something to treat the elephant in here…
Remarkably, this library contained all of her favorite texts when it came to diagnosis and treatment of mammals. There was just one missing…
Tapping her index finger against her lower lip, Gabby tipped her head back.
Barnhardt’sAmong the Elephants. If Sir Richard had it, it would be on one of the upper shelves, which would mean she’d get to use the ladder.
Her grin slowly grew.Excellent.
It was impossible to deny that since she’d stepped into the room, she’d wanted the chance to climb one of those sliding ladders. Who wouldn’t? Couldn’t she just imagine how fun it would be to push off and go sliding down the shelves? Every other library she’d been in contained grumpy male librarians who got to do all the fun things like that.
Well, she was going to do it. She was going to climb up there and push off and yellwheeas she slid down the shelves.
Like a lady.
Determined, she hiked her skirts and began to climb, careful not to step on her hem and rip the cotton. Although she was having a great deal of fun, Gabby pretended professionalism. “McLaughlin, Landers, Gerhart…Oh good, we are going in the right direction. The B authors should be…ah,” she hummed. “Burnett, Bundervalt, Buchess, Buchert, oh damn, what a shame.”
Holding tightly to the ladder, she leaned backward and peered to her left. Yes, the Bs stretched for some distance.
Oh well, nothing for it. She’d have to slide her way along the shelf and pretend to be a professional.
Still, when she reached out and nudged the ladder, not expecting it to be quite so well-oiled, she sucked in a gasp and just about managed to swallow down herWheee! of excitement. The BOs went past her startled nose, then the BIs, then the BEs…until the ladder came to a stop sudden enough only her tight hold on the wood kept her on it.
Exhaling, Gabby craned her neck. The ladder had come to the end of its rail, and the BA authors stretched to her left. But—success! She couldseeBarnhardt’sAmong the Elephants! She peeked down and frowned.
Certainly, shecouldclimb back down, find the next ladder, drag it over and climb back up again. Or she could just…stretch…
Her arm wasn’t long enough. “Blast,” she muttered, shifting her weight on the ladder. Maybe if she moved her center of balance leftward a bit…just an inch…
Gabby carefully placed her boot on the ladder rail, inched to the left, and stretched again. Excellent! Her fingers closed around the book’s spine and she pulled it out. Breathing a sigh of relief, she pulled it to her chest, then shifted her weight again to climb down?—
Ah. Her boot was stuck.
Or rather, the heel of her boot was stuck in the ladder rail. For the third time, and rather more loudly than the others, she cursed, “Damn,” as she yanked on the blasted thing.
“Do ye need some help?”
The words, coming from behind her, caused Gabby to screech and throw herself forward, clutching at the ladder. The book dropped from her arm, but when she didn’t hearit hit the floor, she cautiously turned to peek beneath her arm.
Of course.
