Had the noise she heard been a part of her dreams or an actual sound? She slipped from beneath the warmth of the comforter, planted her feet on the carpet and rose out of bed. When she pulled back the curtain, it was still light out. She checked her watch, nearly five o’clock. She had slept a full eight hours. Cassidy would have gone home by now. Jenna stepped into her loafers. She felt a sense of urgency she didn’t understand. She needed to check on the birds. She grabbed her keys off the counter and headed out the door. Her first stop was the flight barn. The barn was designed to help rehabbed birds practice flying in a safe environment. It was over a hundred yards long with perches scattered around the front of the barn. The flight barn was their newest building, only a year old, courtesy of rancher Peter Hickman’s generous fundraising. Jenna suspected that Peter had chosen to help the center as a way of becoming a part of the community that was slow to accept outsiders, but in any case, his annual fundraiser was an answer to prayer.
