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"So do I," the little boy says. "Does Mari love pizza, too?"
I laugh. "Mari's favorite food is fresh, green grass."
The little boy makes a face. "Yuck."
I wave to the mother and the little boy and make my way toward the barn. Whether Mari wants a break or not, she's been out here hugging people at our first annual open house and fundraiser for over two hours. She might not need a break, but I sure do.
We pass picnic tables laden with fresh food provided by a local caterer, a few booths with vendors, like Sunny, who's selling her homemade soaps and candles and other locals with handcrafted items. Clover is working at a booth selling my vegan bakery items.
The hay wagon is loading up now to take another group of kids and adults on a tour around the farm. Many of the animals we've gotten in the past nine months are still wary of humans, and prefer a wagon to a herd of humans on foot, some of whom might reach between the slats of the fences to pet them.
I lead Mari into her barn. Honey moved her tools into another building solely devoted to her pottery last month. She sells her finished products out of the front half of the building and teaches pottery classes and creates her art in the back half. She's also still waiting tables and I'm still selling my pastries at the bookstore, because so far our nonprofit isn't profitable enough to pay us.
I stop in front of Mari's stall and unhook her lead from the halter, giving her the choice of stall or outdoors. She ambles toward the far side of the barn and the open doors that lead to her grassy, verdant pasture.
I'm not surprised. After spending the first two months refusing to leave her stall, she now prefers to be outside.
"Seems like Mari's been loving all the attention." Grant steps up next to me with two plates laden with food.
"She really is. Makes me wonder if she's been lonely."
In the pasture, one of the pigs trots up to Mari and they snuffle each other like he's asking about her day. The two cows who share her pasture mosey on over to join the conversation.
"Yeah," Grant says with a chuckle. "She seems lonely." He hands me one of the two plates and we head to the small storage room in the front of the barn.
"Got a few people who filled out adoption applications," I say. "Mostly interested in Arty and the other goats."
"That's good news." Grant flips a bucket for each of us and takes a seat. I sit next to him and dig right in, because I am starving.
"Honey said you've reached your goal for this fundraiser all ready."
I pause mid-chew and stare at him. We're only two hours into a four-hour fundraiser. I swallow. "That's amazing. That means we can build the barn for the animals with special needs."
His grin is radiant. "I know."
"That means we can bring in friends for Gerry." Gerry's one of the alpaca from the hoarder. She's recovered well, but she lost her eyesight. She's learning to get around, but she can't handle being buffeted by exuberant or energetic animals. A special needs barn and pasture just for her and other animals who need a gentler environment would be amazing.
"It does," Grant says. "I checked on Skidmark and he's sleeping soundly. He's totally unaware of the ruckus out here."
"Thank you for that. You're good to have around, Grant Holiday."
"Oh, yeah? Now that I've accepted you don't need rescuing?"
I smile around the corn cob I'm gnawing on. Grant and I rescue each other now, after discussing it first, of course. We're a team and I've never been more in love.
We chow down in silence, both aware we probably won't be left alone long.
When we're done, I climb onto his lap and wrap my arms around him. "Sunny said the drug dealers have finally stopped hassling her about producing a new grow site."
"I heard. So it wasn't a terrible idea I had to announce publicly that the resort staff would be regularly sweeping the surrounding areas for illegal activity?"
It's been months since the feds made a big show of swooping in and burning out Sunny's grow site, but the dealers her grandfather worked with had been persistent and threatening about Sunny getting them more product.
"It wasn't as good as my idea to infiltrate their gang with an undercover agent and sabotage their operation, but it seems to have worked."
Grant chuckles and squeezes me tight against him.
I twist and straddle him, kissing him long and hard before pulling away to look at this man who loves me unconditionally and with his whole heart. I never thought a love like this could exist, and I certainly never believed I could ever have it. Every day I'm grateful.
