AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gunner opened the truck door for Nova before climbing behind the wheel. The whole time, Kash’s words echoed in his brain: She needed a job, a house, and a husband if she was going to get those kids.
She had a long way to go if she was sleeping in her van. He glanced in the rearview mirror. Especiallythatvan. He was surprised it had run at all. He started the truck to get the AC going. “I’ll call Rodney. Do you want the van towed to his shop or my house?”
She thought about it, chewing her lip.
“The shop is fine.” She didn’t sound sure, but he didn’t argue.
He called Rodney and made the arrangements.
When he’d ended the call, she thanked him.
“You’re welcome.” He pulled out onto the road, and she watched her van shrink in the side mirror.
“So how does your goat rescue work? Is it like an animal shelter? Can people adopt your goats?”
He swallowed hard. He was glad that he’d found these goats a loving home, but he always struggled to give them up after he’d gotten to know them. But it was nice that this woman was showing interest without being critical. Everyone poked fun at him for the goats, but he didn’t hear a hint of ridicule in Nova’s voice. “I keep them for a while to make sure they’re not bullies, and I do all the health testing to make sure they won’t infect other goats with something if they join another herd. And of course, I don’t want someone to adopt an unhealthy goat.So ...” He realized how much he was talking and became self-conscious.
“So?” she said.
“So ... yes, I keep them for a while, and then if someone wants to adopt a goat, they can come visit the ranch.”
“That’s so cool. I wanted to adopt a dog once, and they wouldn’t let me because I lived in my van.” She let out a dainty growl. “They weresojudgmental. I had to fill out this fifty-page application, and then they denied me because I didn’t have a fenced-in yard.” She shook her head. “I mean, they were euthanizing dogs because they couldn’t find homes for them, but me and my van weren’t good enough.” She looked at him. “Do you make your people apply before you’ll let them be heroes?”
He shook his head. “I just make sure they don’t plan to eat them.”
She let out a startled laugh. “Oh no! That would be awful.”
“Yeah. I’m pretty sure the goat would think so.”
She laughed again. “Hey, you’re funny!”
He didn’t say anything. She was wrong, but he wasn’t going to argue.
“So what made you decide to start a goat rescue? I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“It was an accident. I took in a few goats for people in need, and then word spread that I would do that, and then I was inundated. And then the Bannons got involved ...” He looked at her. “You know who I mean, right?”
“Yeah, the biggest ranch in the state? The people with the gold mine?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, them. Well, they got involved, and then I had the funding to do it for real, and so I did.”
“And you like it?”
He nodded. He didn’t want to admit how much he liked it.
“And these ranch hands ... are they there for the goats?”
“No,” he said quickly. “It’s still a cattle ranch, and it’s been going pretty well, so I couldn’t keep up with everything myself. You know, with the goats and everything.”
“So cool. I’m riding around with a real-life rancher.”
Unsure of how to respond to that, he asked, “Would you like some music?”
“Sure!” She sounded excited. “What do you have?”
“Uh ... the radio?”
She giggled. “Okay. I’m up for some time travel.”
