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Chapter One
“Thepiggotoutagain!”
Lilah sighed at Andy’s yell, balancing a tired toddler on her hip and a stack of dirty dishes in her hand. She looked at her eight-year-old son. “Daryll?”
“Yep!” Andy replied through the screen door. “But Ben and I’ll get ‘im!” He raced off, joined by his younger brother. She didn’t even have time to respond before he was out of sight.
“Oh boy.” Lilah abandoned the dishes in the sink and set her toddler on the ground. “Momma, will you watch Sofie? I better get out there before someone gets hurt.”
“Of course.” Lilah’s mother-in-law Gayle stood next to the round oak table, wiping it clean. She hadn’t flinched at the idea of a pig chase. That was what came of having two rambunctious grandsons. She’d seen worse. “Come to Grandma, sweetie.” Gayle reached out.
Sofie gave an overtired whine and teetered toward her grandma. As she did, Lilah moved toward the back door, hopping into her cowboy boots along the way. The screen door slapped shut behind her as she jogged outside into the warm evening air.
The boys were easy to spot. Andy and Ben were sprinting along the wooden pasture fence, chasing Daryll, the escape artist potbellied pig. Andy had his rope. Ben was just behind his big brother, holding high his weapon of choice—a carrot. Both boys ran like fire lapped at their booted heels, and their energy rippled out across the farm, sending the rest of the animals into a tizzy as well. In the pasture, Thunder the miniature horse whinnied at the top of his lungs and raced around in a circle. Curly Sue the alpaca snorted her disgust at all the commotion. The two goats—Frick and Frack—bounced around like their hooves were spring-loaded.
Needing to get the chaos under control, Lilah cupped her hands around her mouth. “Boys! Stop! Don’t scare him!”
Both boys slowed to a walk, though their faces told Lilah they didn’t want to. The animals in the pasture continued to bounce around, however, and Lilah frowned. Their antics would make it harder to catch the pig.
Ben pointed the carrot at Daryll, who had stopped and was rooting his snout around in the grass. “I went to feed him, and he ran out the stall.” Her son looked dumbfounded by this act of defiance. “I didn’t mean to let him out.” Lilah caught a waver in Ben’s voice. He was a rough-and-tumble boy but had a very tender heart. Just like his father.
“It’s okay, Benny. I know you didn’t mean to. We’ll get Daryll back in the barn. Don’t worry,” Lilah reassured her son, though she remembered how hard it had been to catch Daryll yesterday when he’d pulled the same stunt. “Can you get a bucket of grain? Maybe we can tempt him back into his pen with that.”
Ben turned and ran for the barn.
Lilah looked at Andy. “Can you get on the opposite side of Daryll and shoo him this way? I’ll stand by the barn and stop him from running past.” Or so she hoped. Daryll was fast. His stubby legs and tubular body didn’t seem like they were made for speed, but the pig had proved her wrong during his escapade yesterday. Lilah only hoped she didn’t have to hunt the little bugger for an hour again. It had been a long day. She was beyond ready to get the kids cleaned up and into their pajamas.
Andy responded with a serious nod. He began walking a wide, stealthy circle around Daryll.
Lilah started toward the barn, but Daryll suddenly yanked his snout out of the grass, squealed, and jumped back into motion.
“Here he comes, Mom!” Andy warned, and Lilah realized Daryll was running like someone had threatened to turn him into bacon. He squealed again, bolting across the green grass. Lilah sprang forward, trying to get in front of the hoofed terror to keep him from running past the barn. The last thing she needed was for Daryll to disappear down the gravel driveway and end up on the road.
I promise this is a nice place to be, Lilah telepathically pleaded with the running pig.We’ll take care of you. You don’t have to run away.
Every animal Lilah rescued came with a story. Some worse than others. Many had histories she would never know. Daryll was one of the latter. He’d been found scavenging scraps around a dumpster just outside of Maple Bay, a gash on his neck that looked like a coyote or dog bite. Lilah was only keeping him secluded in the barn so that she could doctor his wound. But apparently Daryll was not a fan of being locked up, even if it was for his own good.
Hence, his escapes.
And the reason Lilah was now having a footrace with a pig.
“You better—” Lilah pumped her arms, wishing for the millionth time that her legs were longer. She wanted Daryll to take a sharp turn and head back into the barn. Instead, he ran at her like a linebacker. Lilah lurched forward, arms wide open.
But the pig was undeterred.
He swiveled to the side, and Lilah scrambled to grab him. Too late, she realized that wasn’t a bright idea. Daryll wasn’t a piglet. He was a solid fifty pounds of forward motion and had no intention of letting Lilah stop him. Instead, he burst from her grasp, knocking Lilah off balance and sending her into a stumbling, tripping mess that primed her for a belly flop into a mud puddle.
She squealed on her way down, sounding much like Daryll. But once she flopped into the mess, she froze, almost amused by the turn of events.Almost. The pig ran free, and Lilah was belly-down in the mud. She would’ve laughed if she wasn’t still worried about catching the runaway.
To make things worse, her glasses had been knocked from her face during the scramble. She scanned the immediate area around her—a mucky pool, thanks to an afternoon thunderstorm—but there was no sign of her glasses. Being nearsighted, Lilah could see fine within a ten-foot radius, but without her glasses, the rest of the world looked like it’d been drawn by her toddler: undecipherable scribbles and chicken-scratch.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake.” Lilah peeled herself from the muck, getting to her knees.
“He went in the arena!” Ben yelled from somewhere to her left.
“Close the gate!” Andy ran past Lilah, feet thudding on the ground. Soon after, the gate hinges squeaked and both boys cheered.
Lilah paused, giving a hefty sigh, thankful Daryll was contained, even if she couldn’t see it for herself. However, now she resembled a chocolate-frosted cupcake. Slop dripped from her chest to toes.
