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Bec rolled her eyes. “Don’t you care about what might happen to them?”
“Yes, in an ideal world they would roam free until the end of their days. But they aren’t mine, and I doubt Ashton would listen to your pleas on their behalf, no matter how noble. We just have to face reality, Bec. There’s nothing we can do to save them without it being illegal or getting us into trouble.”
“Since when have I ever cared about getting into trouble?” Bec asked, waving a pair of tongs overhead. She lifted a roast potato from the platter Lily handed her and put it aside on a plate for later. “The way I see it, I need to make a stand on this. The only way to stop this stuff is to stand up and fight for the helpless creatures that don’t have voices of their own.”
“Well, just don’t get me into trouble with you,” Lily said, turning back to the platter she was loading up with the fruit bites she’d just prepared. “I need this party to go smoothly so I can get more clients in the future.”
“Got it,” Bec said. She picked up the platter and headed for the serving table.
Lily watched her go thoughtfully. There was never a dull moment with Bec around. Lily had the feeling that this was far from over with Bec. It felt like peering over the edge of a precipice, wondering how long it would take to get to the bottom.
“Are you crazy?” Lily looked at Bec in disbelief. “Of all the ridiculous ideas you’ve had, this one is by far the worst. What do you think you’re going to do with a litter of piglets?”
“Save them,” Bec said determinedly. “They don’t deserve to live in misery.”
“They aren’t,” Lily pointed out. “They spend all day in a nice pasture and come home at night to their shelter and food. They’re happy.”
“No, they aren’t. An awful future awaits them.”
“But they don’t know that.”
Bec’s face got a stubborn look. “I still want to save them.”
Lily could see she wasn’t going to win this argument. “All right, assuming you do rescue them, as you put it, what are you going to do with them after that?”
“We could keep them here, Lil. They wouldn’t be any trouble at all. I’d buy their food, and they would live happily without fear of the butcher’s block.”
“Which they already do,” Lily pointed out. “Besides, I’m pretty sure you can go to jail for stealing livestock.”
“Pffft! They’d have to catch me first.” Bec wrinkled her nose in disdain. “So, are you in?”
“Me? You really expect me to aid and abet you in this madness?” Lily stared at her friend in disbelief.
“Of course. We’ve always been partners in crime. What’s different this time?”
“Oh, nothing much. Just that you want me to help you commit an actual crime.”
“It’s not a crime when you’re saving innocent lives from a terrible fate,” Bec argued. “Wouldn’t you want to be saved if it were you?”
“That’s not the point. They don’t belong to us; they belong to Ashton.”
“The person who said mean and horrible things to you,” Bec reminded her.“The one who likened you to a mule.”
“That’s true.” Lily suddenly remembered that she was supposed to be still mad with Ashton. “He is rather awful. He also called me a silly goat.”
“Well, you wouldn’t want innocent little pigs to live with someone like that for a moment longer than necessary, would you?”
Lily realized she couldn’t come to Ashton’s defense without letting go of her own feelings about him. “Uh, I guess not,” she mumbled.
“I knew you’d see it eventually,” Bec exclaimed in triumph. “I’ll call Animal Freedom in the morning and ask if I can borrow their trailer. I’m sure they’ll allow it when they know it’s for such a worthy cause.”
“Animal Freedom? Isn’t that the vegan activist group that was on the news not long ago for blockading a milk factory?”
“Yes, and we had a wonderful day, too. We stopped production for the whole day! How’s that for making a statement and making a difference?”
“Er… I’m sure it did,” Lily said hastily. She didn’t want to encourage Bec’s activities by talking about them.
“Good, that’s settled, then. We’ll strike tomorrow night when Ashton isn’t expecting anything.”
