.. could I please... ?" but she was cut off by a wave of Ben's big hand as he grimaced in pain."Please, child, do you have to shout?" he groaned, and ...ictoria saw that the big man must have had a hard night. His face was lined even more than usual and his eyes glared redly from their deep-sunk sockets, while his hands kept up a barely perceptible trembling."Prince behave himself last night?" Ben asked. Victoria felt paralyzed with fear for a moment, wondering if by some chance Ben might know. “They call her ‘Freckles’ on the show,” turning towards Katie, “and you have freckles. Hell! You guys could be twins!”Not wanting to discuss a celebrity, “Phil? Please, I’m begging you. Just let us pay for the damage.”The Jacksons have been good neighbors but he always thought Fred’s wife had become a huge flirt over the past year with all the men in the neighborhood, excluding him, “Hmmmmm, this is a big deal. Drinking and driving isn’t going to help you with your silly beauty pageant.”“I. ..”He gestured for the tablet and she handed it to him, then scrolled to the predators section.“Black bear, and Siberian tiger.” He pointed to the animals, and her eyes lingered on the tiger.“It looks ... like me.”“It’s a big cat species, similar to your evolutionary ancestors. It’s an apex predator, skilled in ambush tactics, very big, very strong. Even a Borealan shouldn’t take any chances, if you meet one, kill it on sight. Bears aren’t too bad, they’ll mostly just run away unless their. Her long, blonde hair was in a ponytail, and her pale blue cotton shirt and tight jeans gave me some clue as to just how attractive she might be. As I approached, she turned her horse and was hidden behind it. She was about finished with her task and was walking out from behind the animal. It was then that I got a good look at her.I felt my intake of breath. I was frozen in place. I couldn't believe my eyes."Bernie?"She looked up, the surprise showing immediately as she recognized me, then the.