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"Never should have left a goat in your room," Honey says firmly. "He could have chewed on an electrical cord or eaten something sharp. Goats aren't meant to be indoor pets. Dani told you that."
I hadn't even considered that Barley might hurt himself in my room. I did move the obvious stuff that might hurt him, but he's a climber. He could have gotten into anything. "I made a bad call," I say. "But I found him a home, so that's good news right?"
"You found a home for a goat while you were lost in the woods?" Dani asks.
Shit. I didn't think that one through. "You know what? Let's just get Barley somewhere safe for now."
Honey glares like she'd like to pull my brain out of my head through my nose, Dani looks somewhere between angry and concerned, and Goldy looks vaguely amused.
"Got him!" Grant strides out of the kitchen, Barley tucked in his arms. "Where do you want him?"
"Out in the—" Dani starts.
A blood-curdling scream erupts from somewhere deep in the house and my sisters take off toward the sound. I follow behind, mostly hopping on my good leg, but trying to keep up.
Daisy is in the back den, tossing shreds of paper in the air like she's celebrating with confetti. Only she doesn't look happy. "Who did this?" she asks. "Why would anyone do this?"
Her eyes narrow when she spots me. "You," she says, seething "This isn't funny, Clover. This is my livelihood you're messing with."
"It wasn't Clover," Dani says. "It was the kid she locked in her room. This wasn't malicious, Daisy."
Daisy continues to glare at me. "I know you want me out of this house. Fucking up my only opportunity for a job that will take me out of here is the wrong way to go about it."
She storms out before I can say a word. It's just as well, since I don't have anything nice to say to her.
When the rest of my sisters turn to me, the question clear on their faces, I change the subject. "Did you say you have an idea for where Barley can stay tonight?"
"I cleared space in my workshop," Honey says. "We'll have to keep him in the crate we used for the puppies, so it's not ideal, but it'll work for one night if you can take him somewhere tomorrow?"
"Yes," I say. "The guy who helped me and Asher find our way out of the woods would love to have a kid for a pet. I can go out to his place tomorrow and find out if it's acceptable for Barley."
I expect skepticism from Dani, but she nods. "I'll have the adoption paperwork and the new home checklist ready for you tomorrow morning. It'll be on the counter in the kitchen."
"You trust me to find a good home for Barley?"
She snorts. "You were so upset about Barley being bullied by other tiny goats that you kept him in your room. I trust you won't give him to someone who's going to make him into goat meat stew."
Barley lets out an unhappy maaa like he understands and the tension in the room dissipates.
"Grant, give Barley to Honey. It's way past time for bed."
Grant hands the kid off to Honey and wraps an arm around Dani's shoulders as they leave the den. Goldy follows on their heels, leaving me and Honey alone in the room.
"I'll help you get him settled," I say.
Honey glares, still clearly unhappy with me. "I can handle getting this little guy settled. You should start cleaning."
My knee throbs, shooting pain from my shin to my hip, and I want to sit, but there's way too much to do. Grabbing a wastebasket from the far corner of the room, I start cleaning up Daisy's confetti-ed manuscript.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Asher
Dad lets me into Amelia's small house, his expression grim. "I'm sorry to drag you into this, son."
"It's fine," I say as I step inside. "That's what I'm here for."
Mom is on the couch, a black smudge on her cheek. Amelia is next to her, Harper asleep on her lap.
