When I began this series, Max’s pet capuchin, Scottie, wreaked some sort of havoc in every story. Reviewers and readers alike loved this little troublemaker. This time he’s in trouble, and his owner will do what it takes to make him well again. Little does Max know that Scottie is about to find love of his own at the animal hospital.

Excerpt:

“Be careful,” Dr. Connor warned. “The princess may bite. She’s been a hell raiser since her owners abandoned her.”

“Abandoned?” Her heart went out to the little creature. Callie started to withdraw her hand, but the little monkey grabbed hold of her finger and stared into her eyes. In that moment, she knew how Max could feel connected to Scottie. Weird. She shook her head, but the capuchin tightened its grip on her finger and shook it, irate screeches erupting.

“Okay, calm down,” she soothed. “What’s wrong?” Callie turned to the vet.

“We don’t know. We’ve tried letting her out of her cage once in a while, but she terrorizes all the animals by climbing onto the fronts of their carriers, hopping around, and knocking things over…” He scratched his head and sighed. “The only time she’s been quiet is when Scottie here was next to her.”

Princess cried out again. Callie looked from Princess to Scottie and back again. “Maybe she’s worried about him.”

Princess relinquished the grip on Callie’s finger and paced her cage, gesturing in an angry fashion, chirping away as if hoping someone would understand.

“What happened to her owners?” Callie asked.

“They brought her in, saying she had problems with her bowels,” Dr. Connor grumbled. “She had problems all right—she shit on my shoe. On purpose.” The vet sent a glare the monkey’s way.

Callie chuckled. “Sounds like something Scottie would do.”

“He doesn’t poop everywhere,” Max defended. “He pees on everything. Marks his territory.”

Callie suppressed a chuckle. “Yeah, we know how much your sister appreciated Scottie marking her as his territory.”

Dr. Connor leveled Max with a glare. “When people take on a pet, the first priority should be to train it properly.”

Max met his stare. “Do you know of any monkey training schools in Winnipeg?”

“No,” Dr. Connor conceded with a shrug. “Good point. There is Google.”

“Never thought of that,” Max said.

“Can I take Princess out of her cage?” Callie asked, returning her attention to the aggravated monkey.

The vet sighed. “I guess so, but if she makes a mess, I’m holding you responsible.”

Callie opened the latch on the cage and swung the door open. She reached inside for Princess, but the monkey scampered out of reach and bounded from the cage. “Oh crap,” she muttered, dreading the havoc the little creature might cause.

To her astonishment, Princess scampered over to Scottie and settled herself at his side, stroking his ribcage. In monkey language, she spoke in soft tones to Scottie.

The three humans eyed the primates. “Well, I’ll be jiggered,” Dr. Connor muttered. “That’s the first time she’s shown a soft side.”

Callie walked over and petted the soft fur on top of Princess’ head. “Maybe she’s just misunderstood.”