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“Definitely,” she answered with a nod. “To be deadly honest, I like animals better than people.”
“Yeah? Why’s that?”
“They don’t judge you or make you feel stupid when you mess things up.” One of the scruffy pygmy goats went up on his hind legs and rested his tiny front hoofs on the dividing wall. Reaching over, she scratched between his sprouting horns with a smile. “All they want is to be fed and have a safe place to sleep. Whoever gives them that is their hero, and they love you to pieces.”
Drew didn’t respond to that, and she glanced over to find him studying her with a somber expression. An angry glint appeared in his eyes again, and she recognized it from when he’d noticed the healing bruise on her cheek. It vanished as quickly as it had appeared, but his grim look stayed in place.
“Are you talking about these critters,” he asked gently, “or yourself?”
His perceptiveness was unnerving, to say the least, and she clamped her mouth shut to avoid stammering in shock. Once she regained some of her composure, she replied, “Let’s just say I can relate to where they’re coming from. I’ve been in some places that I have no intention of ever going back to.”
“Making a better life for yourself,” he added, eyes now twinkling with approval. “Good for you.”
“I hope so. Seeing as I don’t have much choice but to keep going forward.”
She wasn’t usually so honest with someone she barely knew, and she held her breath waiting for him to ask her to clarify what on earth she was talking about. Instead, he gave her an encouraging smile that warmed her all over.
“That’s a great way to look at it,” he said. “I think that’s a good strategy for all of us.”
Did he really? she wondered, or was he just being nice? As he got back to work in the stalls, she pondered their brief discussion in an attempt to sort through her conflicting feelings about him. She’d grown so accustomed to guys who said what they thought she wanted to hear, she was constantly on her guard around them. Because of that, she wasn’t sure how to read Drew’s wide-open, friendly personality.
Could it be that by some crazy stroke of fortune, she’d stumbled across a truly honest, straightforward man who said what he meant and meant what he said? Stranger things had happened, she supposed. She just couldn’t recall the last time they’d happened to her.
While she was lost in her brooding, the end door swung open, and Sierra came through lugging two old-fashioned milk bottle carriers filled with what looked like large plastic baby bottles topped with oversize nipples. The residents of the baby section went bananas, bleating and calling for their breakfast while Drew hurried forward to lend a hand.
“Those look kinda heavy,” he said as he took them from her.
“They are,” she acknowledged, a bit breathless. “Thanks for the help.”
“Well, you know how that works.”
Narrowing her eyes, she nailed him with a suspicious glare. “I’m not doing your laundry like I had to when my poor Angels lost the World Series to Cincinnati.”
“Nah, nothin’ like that,” he assured her smoothly, setting the formula down on a nearby hay bale.
“Then what?”
“We’ll talk about it later,” he said with a wink. “Who gets fed first?”
“I think he does,” Bekah replied, laughing as the determined pygmy goat climbed on his buddy’s back trying to get at the bottles.
“You can start with him,” Sierra agreed.
When her meaning sank in, Bekah shook her head. “You mean, you want me to do it?”
“Sure. They know how to eat, so you just hold the bottle up for them and wait till they’re done.” Bleating up a storm, the little goat was butting his head against the wall, and she laughed. “Here, let me show you.”
She climbed into the pen and lifted him out. Grabbing a bottle, she set him on his feet and sat down on the sawdust-covered dirt floor beside him. Eager for his breakfast, he latched on to the nipple and sucked down the formula like it was his last meal.
“Wow, he’s really going to town,” Bekah commented, patting his wiry brindle coat while he ate. “Are they all this easy?”
“The trick is to keep them from running over each other or you. They’re not starving or anything, but babies don’t like to wait in line, do they?” Sierra cooed, tapping him on his forehead while he gazed up at her with adoring eyes. Right then and there, Bekah decided she wanted to experience that kind of heroine worship for herself.
Hoping to make a good impression on her prospective new boss, without being told, she clambered into the pen the way Sierra had and cradled another goat in her arms. Drew held out his hands, and while she appreciated his gesture, she firmly shook her head. “I’ve got it.”
“They squirm a lot, y’know,” he cautioned her.
“That’s okay. I’m stronger than I look.”
Approval flashed across Sierra’s face, and she met Bekah’s eyes with a quick nod. Feeling as though she’d made some progress, Bekah carefully brought out the hornless goat and set her down, settling beside her the way Sierra had done. Really, all she had to do was hold up the bottle, and the little goat did the rest.
Apparently satisfied, Sierra stood and brushed off her jeans with her hands. “Well, it looks like you’re good to go. I’ll have a chat with Drew and come back in a few. Just remember—one at a time. Otherwise, they’ll stampede all over the place, and we’ll have a horrible time catching them.”
Bekah noticed the woman had implied that if she made a mistake, Sierra would help her corral the escapees. Used to fending for herself, she found it comforting to know someone would have her back if she needed them.
Rubbing the back of the slurping goat, she replied, “Oh, we’ll be fine, won’t we, little one?”
“Keep telling yourself that, and it’ll be true,” Drew told her with a smile. “I’ve gotta get going. Thanks to Rosie, I’m later for work than usual.”
“I don’t know the first thing about horses,” she confided. “It must be a fun job.”
“Some days yes, some days no. Today we’ve gotta move a dozen or so of our boarders so we can do some maintenance in their barn.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“Nah. We’ve got a real steady Belgian draft horse named Gideon who’s seen it all, so he never gets rattled by anything, no matter how bad the others think it is. My brother Mike just marches him out first, and the rest of them trail after him like puppies.”
She couldn’t help laughing at the picture he painted. “Those are some seriously large puppies.”
“Most of ’em aren’t a problem when you know how to handle ’em. Mike’s some kind of horse whisperer, so the rest of us just follow his lead.”
Although his delivery was upbeat, she picked up on something below the surface that didn’t sound right to her. Inspiration struck, and she asked, “Do you ever get to be in charge when it comes to the horses?”
He looked surprised, then shook his head with a grin. “Man, you’ve got me pegged. The horses are his territory, and I’m more like a foot soldier.”
“What about the rescue center? You seem to know where everything is, so I’m guessing you put in a lot of time over here.”
“I like animals in general,” he said, scratching the head of a nosy miniature alpaca, “so I enjoy working here when I have the time. But Sierra’s in charge.”
“If you could be your own boss, what kind of business would you have?”
“Something outside,” he replied immediately, as if he’d thought about it often enough that the answer came easily to him. “Maybe a wilderness guide out west or something. I visited Mike in New Mexico once, and I couldn’t believe how incredible the desert and the mountains are. Totally different from what I’m used to, but really beautiful.”
His tone had shifted ever so slightly, the gold in his eyes warming as he stared down at her. At first, Bekah couldn’t define what had changed, then she replayed his words in her mind and wondered if he was referring to something other than the Western scenery.
“Anyway,” he went on as if nothing unusual had happened, “Sierra usually comes down to the house for lunch around noon. You’re welcome to join us if you want, meet the rest of our nutty crew.”
Out of necessity, she’d learned not to depend on anyone for anything. But he’d been so kind to her, she decided it was okay to bend that rule just this one time. “Thanks. That sounds good.”
“I’ll see you then.”
Giving her another encouraging smile, he followed Sierra from the shed, leaving Bekah in charge of feeding the babies. Glancing around, she counted heads and came up with twelve. Two down, ten to go. Surrounded by endless noise and questionable smells, she knew that some people might consider this the worst job in the world.
But to Bekah, this little barn tucked into the backwoods of Kentucky was like paradise, protected from the outside world and bursting with promising new lives. She couldn’t imagine any place she’d rather be.
* * *
“Now,” Drew began when he and Sierra were alone out front. “I don’t want to tell you how to run this place...”
“But you want me to hire Bekah,” she finished for him. The doubt in her dark eyes made it clear what she thought of his idea, but she didn’t say anything else.
Two could play that game, Drew mused. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, sparring with his last girlfriend had left him a master at verbal fencing. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
Oh, she was good. Warming to the challenge she was laying in front of him, he said, “I’m not sure. I’ve just got a feeling about her.”
“Again? How many is that this year?”
His reputation as a lady killer had been well-earned, and he laughed. “Not that kind of feeling. I mean she seems like she’s had a rough time of it lately, and she needs a safe place to land.”
While his mind accepted that explanation without question, his Irish heart had another idea altogether. This morning, he’d taken a route for his run that he hadn’t used in months and had hit that section of road just after Bekah’s frightening encounter with Rosie. Something—or someone—had brought them together for a reason. He might not understand why just yet, but he couldn’t shake the belief that he and the enigmatic runaway were meant to connect on that lonely back road.
He and Sierra stared at each other for several seconds, until she finally broke the silence. “I don’t know.”
“Aw, come on,” he pleaded, which was a big stretch for him. He made it a point never to want anything so badly he’d get down on his knees for it. But this was different. Every instinct he had was warning him that Bekah was in trouble and needed help. His help. “She stopped to take care of a hawk that dive-bombed her car and scared her half to death. You’ve seen for yourself how great she is with the animals.”
“We’ve stretched our budget as far as it will go this year. I can’t pay her much more than nothing until January.”
“I don’t think that’s an issue for her. She just needs a job.”
“We don’t know anything about her. She could be in trouble, or running from the police or something.”
The image of that fading bruise refused to leave him alone, and he frowned. “She’s definitely running from something, but my gut tells me it’s not the law.”
“Are you kidding me? I’m supposed to hire someone for a sensitive job like this based on your gut?”
She had a point, he had to admit, and knowing his family, they’d agree with her. Then a solution hit him. “I’ve got a buddy who works in the county sheriff’s office. I can have him run a background check on her, off the record. Would that make you feel better?”
“I guess.”
He could tell he had her on the ropes. Sierra was a caring soul with a generous heart, and he knew she felt genuine sympathy for their mysterious visitor. Now to knock her over the edge and get a full-on yes for his true plan. “One more thing.”
“Here it comes,” she grumbled, glaring up at him. It was a good thing they were such solid friends, or he’d have been worried she might smack him. “What?”
“Judging by the condition her car’s in, I’m pretty sure she needs a place to stay.”
“Don’t look at me like that, Lancelot,” Sierra retorted crisply. “My studio apartment’s more like a closet with a futon in it.”
“Okay, then I’ll ask Mom. I’m sure she can find a spot for Bekah at the house till we come up with something better.”
“Like what?”
Drew mulled the problem over for a minute, then grinned. “What about the old stable manager’s office out back? It’s got a bunk and its own bathroom, along with a small kitchen. I can get a mattress from Mom, and her old fridge is still on the service porch, just waiting to be donated.”
“That room’s filthy, and no one’s used it in years.”
“So it’s perfect. Bekah won’t be in anyone’s way, and she can have some privacy. Beyond that,” he added, going in for the kill, “she’ll be on-site all the time. Once she’s trained, she can take over the morning chores, and you won’t have to come in at the crack of dawn. Ever.”
Glowering at his logic, Sierra opened her mouth to protest, then slowly closed it. She chewed on his proposal for a minute and finally relented with a sigh. “Okay, we’ll give her a try. After your friend checks her out,” she added, stabbing Drew’s chest with a finger for emphasis. “I’m responsible for this center and every one of the animals living here. I won’t risk all that because you’ve got a feeling about a girl.”
“Like I told you,” he retorted, “it’s not that kind of feeling.”
She gave him a long, dubious look that clearly said she didn’t believe him. As she went back into the rear shed to finish doling out breakfast, he put her irritating reaction out of his mind. Right now he had more important things to worry about.
Pulling out his phone, he thumbed down to the number he needed and pressed Dial. A crisp, professional voice answered, and he grinned. “Harley? Is that you? You sound like some rich guy’s uptight butler.” That got him a less than charitable reply, and he chuckled. “Hey, I need a favor, unofficially. I don’t know—cover your monitor or something. Here’s what I need.”
Once he explained, Harley put him on hold to do a quick search of some mystical police database that would at least reveal whether or not Bekah was on the most-wanted list. Subjected to an instrumental version of a creaky old ballad, Drew strolled around the lobby until Harley came back on the line. “Your girl’s clear as far as I can see. Not even a parking ticket.”
“Awesome. Thanks, man. I owe you one.”
“I’ll add it to the list,” his childhood friend assured him with a chuckle. “Take ’er easy.”
“You, too.”
Clicking his phone off as he walked through an unmarked door, he found Sierra measuring out antibiotics for some patient or another. She held up her index finger for him to wait, and when she was finished, she looked up at him. “I can tell by the delighted look on your face that you got the answer you wanted to hear.”
“From what Harley could tell, Bekah’s record is clean as a whistle. I’m way overdue at the farm, but I’m gonna head out back and see how that old plumbing looks. I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome and step on your pretty little toes.”
“Oh, you’re a real prince. You owe me one, Kinley boy.”
Echoing what he’d told Harley, he shot back, “Just add it to the list.”
“Don’t worry. I will.”
* * *
Bekah didn’t have a watch, but the sun was directly overhead when she and Sierra finally finished taking care of all the animals and their pens. Everything was clean, everyone had been fed and dosed, and at one o’clock they had a family coming in to take home the adorable black lab puppy they’d chosen to adopt. Not long after that, Sierra had told her, it would be time to do it all over again and get everyone tucked in for the night.
Never a dull moment at the rescue center, Bekah thought with a grin. She loved it.
“Okay, rookie,” Sierra announced briskly. “Lunchtime.”
“I’m fine.”
“There are laws in this state, and one of them says I can’t work you to death. Unless I feed you first,” she added with a wink. “Fortunately for you, it won’t be my cooking you have to stomach. Maggie Kinley’s the best cook in the county, and she’s always got room for one more. If you don’t mind walking over to the house, we can chat on the way.”
That sounded promising, so Bekah agreed and quickly washed her hands at a nearby utility sink. Outside, a mild autumn breeze rustled through the trees behind the center, shaking more leaves loose to float lazily down to the ground.
