their enthusiasm to drive down the price. If she glimpseda client’s face during that first reaction, she almost always gauged the person’s thoughts correctly. Nick had blanked his expression when Marcus hugged her, but not before she saw a scowl that lasted a nanosecond. He liked her and was jealous of Marcus, though judging by his expression now—a mask of neutrality—he didn’t want her to know it. Some women would have used that flash of jealousy to fire up his interest, but Kate refused to play games.
She stepped to his side, putting them shoulder to shoulder as she spoke to Marcus. “I’m thrilled to be here. My grandfather loved condors.”
“He was a good man,” Marcus replied. “How’s Leona? I heard about the stroke.”
Kate gave her standard answer. “She’s recovering.” Any other reply led to lengthy explanations.
“Glad to hear it.” After a respectful pause, Marcus indicated a path that led to a rocky hill. “Are you ready for the ten-cent tour? It’s a bit of a hike, so we’ll have plenty of time for questions.”
“Sounds good,” Nick answered. “Where are we going?”
“To check out Tin Canyon. Two of our condors are flirting with each other. Elvis is a ten-year-old male who flew down from the program near Big Sur. He’s interested in Moon Girl, and she’s staked out a nest site in a cave. With a little luck, we’ll see courtship behavior.”
“That would be amazing.” Kate tightened her grip on the camera. “My grandfather would have loved this.”
“You will, too,” Marcus replied. “If Elvis puts on his usual show, you’ll see why he’s named for the king of rock ’n’ roll.”
“Sounds like fun,” Kate said.
“Oh, it is.” The biologist waggled his brows, then made a suggestive remark.
Kate laughed, but she didn’t want to encourage Marcus—either his interest in her or the ribald joking. Apparently Nick didn’t like the joking either, because he placed his hand possessively on the small of her back. The biologist stepped to Kate’s other side, and the three of them headed up the path. Kate asked the question foremost in her mind.
“I’d like to know more about Number 53. Does she have a name?”
“It’s Wistoyo , which means ‘rainbow’ in Chumash. And she’s not Number 53. Technically she’s Number 253. We drop the first digit on the tags. She’s fifteen years old now and one of our veterans. We need her to find a new mate and breed, and to teach the younger birds how to survive.”
“A new mate?” Nick asked.
“She was paired up with Number 174. About a year ago he perched on a power pole and was electrocuted.”
Kate’s thoughts drifted to her grandfather’s sudden heart attack. What a loss it had been for her grandmother. “Condors mate for life, don’t they?”
“Yes, but they’ll find a new mate if the first one dies.” Marcus kicked aside a rock. “Wistoyo was conceived at the Los Angeles Zoo, raised by foster parents, and released into the wild about six years ago. She went through aversion therapy to teach her to avoid humans, but she’s still one of our more curious birds. A thousand years ago that trait would have been an asset, but today it’s a flaw that could get her in trouble.”
“Why?” Kate asked.
“She’ll check out something she shouldn’t, like old farm equipment leaking toxic fluids.” Marcus heaved an exasperated sigh. “Condors and people don’t mix. The same dangers that led to their near extinction are still present.”
Kate knew the history of the birds as well as she knew her own family tales. In ancient times, condors ruled the skies from Oregon to Mexico, with Southern California being theirprimary home. As civilization encroached, new dangers entered the condor’s world. Power lines, trash, antifreeze, poachers, and lead poisoning all caused their numbers to dwindle. Conservation work began in the 1960s, and the birds were added to the endangered species list in 1967, in part
She stepped to his side, putting them shoulder to shoulder as she spoke to Marcus. “I’m thrilled to be here. My grandfather loved condors.”
“He was a good man,” Marcus replied. “How’s Leona? I heard about the stroke.”
Kate gave her standard answer. “She’s recovering.” Any other reply led to lengthy explanations.
“Glad to hear it.” After a respectful pause, Marcus indicated a path that led to a rocky hill. “Are you ready for the ten-cent tour? It’s a bit of a hike, so we’ll have plenty of time for questions.”
“Sounds good,” Nick answered. “Where are we going?”
“To check out Tin Canyon. Two of our condors are flirting with each other. Elvis is a ten-year-old male who flew down from the program near Big Sur. He’s interested in Moon Girl, and she’s staked out a nest site in a cave. With a little luck, we’ll see courtship behavior.”
“That would be amazing.” Kate tightened her grip on the camera. “My grandfather would have loved this.”
“You will, too,” Marcus replied. “If Elvis puts on his usual show, you’ll see why he’s named for the king of rock ’n’ roll.”
“Sounds like fun,” Kate said.
“Oh, it is.” The biologist waggled his brows, then made a suggestive remark.
Kate laughed, but she didn’t want to encourage Marcus—either his interest in her or the ribald joking. Apparently Nick didn’t like the joking either, because he placed his hand possessively on the small of her back. The biologist stepped to Kate’s other side, and the three of them headed up the path. Kate asked the question foremost in her mind.
“I’d like to know more about Number 53. Does she have a name?”
“It’s Wistoyo , which means ‘rainbow’ in Chumash. And she’s not Number 53. Technically she’s Number 253. We drop the first digit on the tags. She’s fifteen years old now and one of our veterans. We need her to find a new mate and breed, and to teach the younger birds how to survive.”
“A new mate?” Nick asked.
“She was paired up with Number 174. About a year ago he perched on a power pole and was electrocuted.”
Kate’s thoughts drifted to her grandfather’s sudden heart attack. What a loss it had been for her grandmother. “Condors mate for life, don’t they?”
“Yes, but they’ll find a new mate if the first one dies.” Marcus kicked aside a rock. “Wistoyo was conceived at the Los Angeles Zoo, raised by foster parents, and released into the wild about six years ago. She went through aversion therapy to teach her to avoid humans, but she’s still one of our more curious birds. A thousand years ago that trait would have been an asset, but today it’s a flaw that could get her in trouble.”
“Why?” Kate asked.
“She’ll check out something she shouldn’t, like old farm equipment leaking toxic fluids.” Marcus heaved an exasperated sigh. “Condors and people don’t mix. The same dangers that led to their near extinction are still present.”
Kate knew the history of the birds as well as she knew her own family tales. In ancient times, condors ruled the skies from Oregon to Mexico, with Southern California being theirprimary home. As civilization encroached, new dangers entered the condor’s world. Power lines, trash, antifreeze, poachers, and lead poisoning all caused their numbers to dwindle. Conservation work began in the 1960s, and the birds were added to the endangered species list in 1967, in part
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