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Gunner went to the back of the truck, and Madison followed. Again, worried that she might miss something, Nova went too and got there just as Gunner was scooping the first goat out of the giant crate and lowering it to the ground. It bleated whatsounded more like a complaint than a thanks. Then it trotted off twenty feet to the right before it turned to look back for its friend. They were really close to the street. Granted, it was empty of vehicles, but still, wasn’t Gunner being a little blasé with his goat supervision?
But then, when he lowered the second goat to the dirt, the first one ran back to him, so maybe the goat farmer knew more about goats than she did.
Madison giggled and reached out to pat one of the goats, who jerked away from her touch. She stuck out a trembling bottom lip.
Gunner grabbed the goat by the collar and squatted down to be eye level with them both. “Don’t worry. She’s being shy. She’s not used to riding in the truck. But in a few days, she’s going to be falling in love with you and begging for your attention.” He guided Madison’s little fingers to the spot between the two horns. “This is where she likes to be scratched.”
Madison giggled and scratched the goat’s head.
This time, the goat let her. “See?” Gunner said. “She’s falling already.”
She wasn’t the only one.
The mom stepped closer. “Come on, honey, let’s show them their new home.”
Gunner grabbed one of the collars. “Show us the way.” Sophia turned and started walking, and Gunner followed, gently tugging on one of the goat’s collars. After a brief hesitation, the second goat followed.
Nova, feeling distinctly out of the place, brought up the rear.
Behind the trailer, in a small backyard, was the smallest barn she’d ever seen. It was cobbled together from different kinds of wood. Some of the boards had fading paint on them—red turned pink, a yellow that almost matched her van, and a minty green.
It was the most beautiful barn she’d ever seen. Her heart ached with a desire to build a barn just like that for her sisters and brother.
Unlike the barn, the metal fence around it looked brand new.
“Nice fence,” she said, reaching out to give it a shake. Yep, it was as sturdy as it looked.
Sophia smiled. “Isn’t it great? Gunner built it for us.”
Nova looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “That is one full-service goat delivery.”
Gunner laughed. “That’s one thing I’ve learned from all my goat time—how to build fences.”
“I would never have asked him to do it,” Sophia said. She put her arm around her daughter’s shoulder as Gunner led the goat through the gate and into their tiny new pasture. “But Madison here really wanted goats, and I just wasn’t equipped for them yet, so Gunner sped up the timeline.”
“So you built the barn too?” Nova asked.
Gunner’s nod was barely perceptible, but Sophia said, “Isn’t it great? Just the right size.”
Gunner pulled the gate shut and nodded toward the ground. “They’ll eat the grass in here before sundown. Do you have hay?”
Sophia nodded and pointed to a woodshed behind the house. “We’re good to go.”
“Great. Call me if you need anything.”
Sophia thanked him, and then Madison ran to him and hugged his leg. “Thank you!” she chirped.
He reached down and rubbed the top of her head. “You’re welcome, pipsqueak. You take good care of them, all right?”
She giggled. “I will.”
Nova fell into step with Gunner, and they were wordless on their way to the truck, but when she climbed in, she sensed something was wrong. “Are you okay?”
He cleared his throat. “It’s always bittersweet finding them new homes. I’m happy, of course. This is always the plan, but I get attached to them individually, and then I miss them.”
Wow, whowasthis guy? He looked like a big, tough cowboy. He looked like a guy who had never even encountered a feeling, let alone suffered from one.
“It’s a really cool thing you’re doing.”
