A man. A tiger. A tornado. Jared Montaine owns a big cat rescue in Florida and faces financial pressures, getting over his ex-wife, and the challenge of suburbia creeping ever closer to his enclave for the animals. But when a tornado wrecks part of the refuge, Jared's worst fear comes to life: his Siberian tiger, Sultan, escapes. It's a big cat handler’s nightmare: a tiger on the loose, confused, lost -- and hungry. Jared races against the police, the media, and the hysterical public, all of whom are clamoring for the tiger's hide. He must re-capture Sultan before the cat is killed -- by traffic, by SWAT, or by a civilian who just wants to shoot a tiger. With fellow wildlife handlers at his side, Jared fights desperately to find and capture Sultan before the tiger injures or kills a human. Because that would lead to his worst nightmare -- having to kill the tiger he hand-raised from a cub. Jared’s commitment is tested -- to his animals, his refuge, and his belief that saving the life of even one tiger is worth losing everything.

The Tiger Whisperer

She had been attracted to Jared, she had wanted to get involved. It had been easy enough over the years to fend off the jerks and the tedious married men who had “arrangements” with their wives. This was different. Jared, warm-hearted and so devoted to his cats, Jared had potential.


Don’t get involved, don’t get attached, be professional: the watchwords of her life. Cool detachment had worked so well for her in an academic setting.


Dr. Augustus Wolf. She thought it amusing that a man who studied big cats was named Wolf , but kept that to herself; the man had no sense of humor. He was a solid six foot six, big-chested with long blond hair that he kept carefully layered and feathered back. No matter how hot the weather was, he never wore his hair in a ponytail. His beard had small tufts of silver interspersed with gold. He had just turned fifty when they met. That he looked like a lion amused her as well.


Chapter 47