“Let me make this perfectly clear,” she said, with enough crisp command to capture everyone’s lagging attention. “I’m Rachel Kessler. There isn’t a media outlet in this country—maybe the world—that doesn’t want to talk to me. I can get us more media exposure than any nonprofit could ever dream of. And once those camera crews come in here and show Becky setting a splint on an injured dog’s leg, or Tolliver making friends with a baby raptor, hell, we’ll have so much money pouring in we can … build the Taj Mahal here. And populate it with elephants. The sky will be the limit. I might not have the money right now, but I promise you I will put everything I have and everything I am into securing the future of this Refuge. It means everything to me.”
The passion in her voice echoed through the yard. Even the animals in the outbuildings seemed to be listening. Surely she was getting through to the staff members. She scanned their faces, meeting each of their gazes. Mick, the big security guard, offered a nod of approval.
“The animals do, you mean,” said Tolliver in a grumpy voice.
“Excuse me?”
“The animals mean everything to you. No one doubts that. But what about us?”
Her mouth dropped open from surprise. The people? Of course the people were important. They took care of the animals, after all. Hearing that thought echo in her mind, as if listening to her words played back on tape, her cheeks went hot. Oh my God. Had she really been that neglectful of the people who worked here? Yes, she really had. She wasn’t even entirely sure of all their names. These were people who put their hearts and souls into this place, just as she did. And yet she’d allowed an invisible barrier to come down between them.
That’s what happened when you let fear guide you.
“I see your point,” she told him. “You guys are all dedicated, skilled, and wonderful. I’m very grateful to you. Well, everyone except Dale.”
A smattering of laughter gave her hope that she was on the right track. “I’m going to be really busy for the next couple of weeks working on raising money. But after that, I’d like to get to know you all better. And I want you to get to know me. Because if you stay on, you’re investing your time and energy in me, Rachel Kessler. So what I want you all to know, right now, is this. I can be very hardheaded and willful. When something really matters to me, I fight for it. And I fight hard. Even if it means I crawl out of a cage on my hands and knees over broken glass. Even if it means I get kicked in the head so hard I couldn’t speak for weeks.”
She certainly had everyone’s attention now. The only sound to be heard was the oblivious twittering of the sparrows overhead. She hadn’t told Melissa McGuire, Fred, or even her friends the extent of the damage she’d suffered. The memories were too harsh.
“I fought to escape that kidnapper, and after I was home, I had to survive the aftermath. It took nearly a year to get back to where I had been, developmentally speaking. I had a lot of help from my father and all the doctors and physical therapists. But mostly it was sheer, pigheaded determination. I intend to fight for this Refuge just as hard. If you stay, you’re taking a bet on me. Rachel Kessler. Not my father, and not my trust fund, because there’s not much left there. I don’t know how long it will take to get the financial situation stable, but your paychecks will be my top priority.”
She looked from one to the other, letting them scrutinize her, giving them time to assess her seriousness and her sincerity.
“So …” she said finally. “Who’s with me?”
No one left. It was, without a doubt, the most gratifying moment of her life.
After a busy day of setting up interviews with board members and media outlets, she drove to the South Desert Plaza Mall, where she picked up some clothes and a few other basics. She didn’t want the staff members to figure out that she was staying at the Refuge. She felt safe there—at night it was impossible to get in without the security codes—but didn’t want the word to get out.
From the mall she headed to Fred’s neighborhood. She longed to see him. So many things kept running through her mind, things she wanted to say to him, apologies, explanations. She wanted him to know that the interview with Melissa hadn’t ruined her life; instead it opened her up to new possibilities. What would he think of her decision to do an all-out media blitz? What would he think of her speech to the Refuge staff? What would he think of her break with her father? There was so much to tell him! And that wasn’t even the most important thing. There was something much deeper, something she couldn’t keep to herself any longer. Something private, that couldn’t be shared with …
The kids from next door.
The three boisterous boys were bouncing around the front yard like rubber balls, careening off one another, pushing one another over, somersaulting across the grass, and generally creating mayhem. Fred was nowhere to be seen. When the boys caught sight of her emerging from her car, they sorted themselves out and scurried to the sidewalk.
The smallest one, Kip, she recalled, grabbed the handle of her door and opened it with a deep bow. Apparently he was still on doorman duty.