Vickie answered the door, narrowed an eye at him, and then grinned. “Your sense of smell is absolutely phenomenal. I made lemon meringue pies today, and now, here you are.”

Kennedy couldn’t help but laugh. “Actually, I came to talk to you and the boss about something. But a piece of my favorite pie will be a really nice perk.”

Vickie led him to the kitchen where Slade sat at the table eating a piece of pie. He smiled when he saw Kennedy. “First come, first serve. At least I’ve gotten one piece this time.”

Vickie stepped over to the work island and served up another slice onto a dessert plate. “Coffee, too, Kennedy?”

“Please.” Kennedy sat down across from his boss. “I’ve got some really awesome news. At least, I hope you’ll be excited. Jen worked last summer at a bear shelter, and after meeting Four Toes, she inquired to see if the shelter has a female bear suitable as his life partner. As it happens, the facility is really crowded right now, and they have a one-year-old female the administrator thinks will be perfect for him. Her name is Ginger.”

Slade stopped chewing and struggled to swallow. “Are you serious? Is it a sure deal? Last time when we didn’t get the bear at the very last minute, Vickie was so upset she cried.”

“It’s a sure deal,” Kennedy said. “They’re really strapped for space. All you have to do is call them, prove that you have a permit and adequate facilities to keep a wild animal here, and they’ll deliver her here within a week.”

“Oh, how fabulous!” Vickie cried. “I feel so sorry for Four Toes. We all try to keep him from feeling lonely, but it goes against nature for an animal to have no contact with others of its species.”

“I just hope they like each other,” Kennedy said after he swallowed a bite of filling. “There’s a chance they won’t, you know. Female and male black bears don’t normally hang out together in the wild. Ginger may not want Four Toes around her until she’s ready to breed, and then she may give him the boot.” Kennedy really didn’t want to say the next part, but he had no choice. “Jen also learned that altering Four Toes may be required for the adoption to occur.”

“Altering?” Slade looked none too happy at the suggestion. “I really wouldn’t want to do that.”

“I know,” Kennedy commiserated. “But we have to look at it practically, Boss. If Four Toes is left intact, he’ll impregnate Ginger. Your aim isn’t to raise black bears. And the shelters won’t want you to. Then there’s the temperament issue. As Four Toes continues to mature, he’ll become more aggressive. If he’s altered, he’ll be a lot mellower and a better companion for Ginger. They’ll just be friends.”

Vickie reached down to pat Pistol on the head. “You had Pistol neutered, Slade. Controlling the population of a wild species isn’t usually a practice, but due to no fault of his own, Four Toes is no longer wild. He’s been habituated to humans and can’t be free as God intended. Do you really want him and Ginger to have cubs?”