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“Any potential adoptors for Daryll yet?” Trace asked as they neared the gate.
Setting her wine on top of a fence post, Lilah gathered a few carrots from a bucket just outside the paddock. “Not yet, but his Facebook post is getting a lot of likes and shares.” Lilah had taken photos of Daryll yesterday and posted them on the Hooves and Hearts Facebook page, along with a bio in which she tried to capture his goofy personality. “I just have to find the right person.” With each potential adoptor, there was an interview process and a home inspection, to make sure the adoptor and the animal were the right fit for each other. Lilah aimed to find forever homes for each of her rescues.
“You don’t think he’ll become a permanent fixture here on the farm?” Trace asked. Metal jangled as he unclasped the chain and opened the gate.
“Well . . .” She followed Trace into the pasture and shut the gate. “I never say never, but I’m hoping to find him a home.” Lilah didn’t rescue with the intention of keeping the animals herself, but there were exceptions to her rule. Those with special needs were hardest to adopt out. They required extra care and work, but in Lilah’s experience, they provided even more love that made the extra effort worthwhile.
Her little herd was comprised of a handful of special cases.
Thunder was prone to bouts of laminitis. His diet had to be cautiously managed. Sometimes he had to wear little rubber boots to give his hooves extra support. Curly Sue the alpaca was born blind. When she first came to the farm, she was frightened of everything. Frick and Frack, the dwarf goats, had more allergies than Lilah could count. Their diet also had to be carefully managed or else they’d itch and cough. But Lilah didn’t see any of their medical issues as negatives or hardships. The animals needed her. She needed them just as much. They had a way of making her worries fade away.
“Daryll fits in pretty well here,” Trace noted as the critters circled them. “And the boys seem to really like him.”
“The boys are like me. They love every animal they set their eyes on. We’d keep them all if we could.” Lilah scratched the top of Daryll’s head. “Plus, they think his snorting is hilarious.”
Daryll grunted as if on cue. Trace laughed. “I mean, it is pretty funny. And cute.”
“He’s winning you over too, isn’t he?” Lilah smirked at Trace and handed him the carrots. “Can you occupy the rest of the crew while I give Thunder his probiotics?”
“Sure can.” Trace broke a carrot into pieces, and all the critters crowded into his personal space. He handed the orange pieces out like candy. As he did, Lilah turned to Thunder. She knelt, put a hand under his neck and gently took hold of his face. Pulling the probiotic tube out of her jean pocket, she set the tip of the plastic tube at the corner of his mouth. When Thunder graciously opened his mouth, Lilah squirted the tummy-soothing paste onto his tongue. He licked and chewed like a good boy.
“There you go.” She patted him on the neck. “Now you can have a carrot piece.”
Trace offered the treat, and Thunder raised his head hungrily. His whiskered little lips gobbled it up.
“All gone now, guys.” Trace showed his empty hands to the animals. They sniffed his palms, making sure there weren’t any bits left.
Lilah stood, putting the plastic tube back into her jean pocket. She gave each of her fur-babies a pet before stepping over to the fence and retrieving the two glass jars sitting atop the posts. She handed one to Trace. Then she leaned against the fence and took a sip of wine, tilting her head back. The inky sky and twinkling stars captured and held her attention. Swallowing, Lilah pushed her glasses up on her nose and stared off into the bewildering combination of dark and light.
“What a beautiful night.” She took another sip of wine, savoring the deep black-cherry tones and a light hint of vanilla. “It’s nice to have a few minutes at the end of the night to relax. Thanks for giving me that.”
Trace walked over and leaned on the fence next to her. “Thanks for asking me to join you for a jar of wine.”
She glanced over and smiled at him. Trace was an arm’s reach from her. His elbow rested on the top board of the fence, almost touching her shoulder. When he tipped his head to the stars, she studied his profile. The curve of his neck, the breadth of his shoulders.
Standing here with him—just the two of them after a long day—felt easy and right.
“Trace?” she asked before her brain could stop her.
His head tipped towards her, meeting her stare. Her tongue stilled. She wasn’t sure how to verbalize her thoughts. Trace had been there for her through her lowest lows. He’d been an unforeseen rock and support. The kids considered him family. So did Henry’s parents.
Was it wrong that she wanted him to pull her close?
“Am I crazy or . . .” Her heart began to race. She wanted to ask if he felt the same spark she did. Would he be with her, sipping wine and standing under the moonlight, if he didn’t?
“Crazy for what?” Trace’s eyes bored into hers, as if he was trying to read her mind.
Before she could make her mouth work again, a warm breeze tossed a lock of hair across her face. Lilah raised her hand to sweep it back, but Trace beat her to it. In a single, slow movement, his fingers grazed her forehead, brushed over her temple, and tucked the hair behind her ear.
Lilah stilled at his gesture, unsure if she was breathing. And when his fingertips trailed down the curve of her neck, a shot of electricity darted through her.
“Lilah,” he started, resting the edge of his hand against her clavicle, sending a shiver down her spine. Not trusting her voice, she nodded and looked up into his eyes. Swirls of blue and silver were rimmed in navy, urging her to step close. And she couldn’t stop herself. In that moment, all she could see was Trace. She took a step toward him.
In the next breath, Trace dipped down and brushed his lips to hers. His hand ran back up her neck and into her hair. Rough stubble grazed her skin.
Lilah set a hand against his chest, steadying herself, not sure her heart could beat any faster. Trace kissed her in a way that made her see stars.Constellations. With her eyes closed. She couldn’t remember the last time she . . . the last time she . . .
The memory gripped her, and her whole body went rigid.
