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Dash took a step back, and the other goat followed his lead.
She glanced over her shoulder to find Lane following her. She whispered to him, “Stay there.”
When she turned back, she found the goats had retreated another step. “It’s okay, Dash. The big guy isn’t going to come near you. Lane doesn’t know that you’re friendly. Huh, Dash? You’ve never bit anyone, have you, boy?”
She slowly inched forward, not wanting to spook either of the goats. When she was within reach of Dash, he continued his retreat. She lunged forward and caught her fingers around his red collar with the little bell.
With one hand holding the collar, she ran her hand over Dash’s back. Thankfully, his goat friend wasn’t going anywhere without him. Now the trick would be to keep him calm while she called Sam Bell to come get his goat.
Before she could reach for her phone, a cart pulled to a stop. “There you are.”
Josie turned her head to find Aster Bell, Sam’s wife. She got off the golf cart with a frown on her face. “We’ve been searching everywhere for you, Dash, and you too, Billy.” And then she turned her attention to Josie. “I’m so sorry about this. Thank you for stopping them.”
“No problem. We were just riding along when they came strolling down the road.”
“Dash is a wanderer and a bad influence on the other goats. I was cleaning his pen this morning and must not have gotten the latch on the gate secured. I haven’t been feeling good lately.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Josie noticed that her friend did look a bit pale. “Do you have the flu that’s going around?”
Aster shook her head. “I don’t think so. It comes and goes.”
“Maybe you should visit Doc Mullins.”
“If it doesn’t go away, I will.”
“Can I help you with the goats?”
“Thanks, but I’ve got it. I swear Dash must have a special radar and detect when the gate’s not locked. If you hadn’t stopped them, I’d still be driving around looking for them.”
“Happy to help.”
“Would you mind holding onto Dash a little longer while I get Billy settled in the cart?”
“Sure.” Josie’s gaze moved to Lane. “Do you want to pet him?”
He shook his head. “I’m good.”
Something told her that he’d never witnessed farm animals strolling down the street before. If he was around Bluestar long enough, he’d get used to it. If nothing else, this little island was unique in many ways.
What kind of place was this?
Lane still couldn’t believe there were farm animals wandering through town. What would prospective buyers make of Bluestar? It certainly wouldn’t appeal to high-end buyers.
Maybe before agreeing to go with Jo to the last stop, he should have asked their destination. If it was a farm or something along those lines, he could skip it.
He cleared his throat. “Where exactly are we headed?”
Jo sent him a sideway glance. “Are you worried now?”
“Of course not.” Maybe just a little. “I would just like to know our destination.”
She stopped the cart. “We’re here.”
He glanced around, noticing a big brick store with furniture in the display windows. As his gaze lifted, he noticed the large wood sign with a half dozen black lanterns mounted across the top. The sign read: Turner Furnishings.
The name struck a chord in his memory. And then he recalled Jo’s name plaque on her desk. “Is this your family’s business?”
“It is. It was started by my grandfather. Now my parents run it. And when they retire, my brother Kent will take over.”
