Page 46 of Single All the Way

“I am,” I said without hesitation.

As we’d gone through that house, I’d tried to keep an open mind, as he’d suggested. It needed a lot of work.A lot. There was enough room in my budget that I could’ve handled some of the more pressing projects right away, but that wasn’t the reason I’d easily decided it wasn’t the right property for my kids and me.

The twenty acres were partially wooded, but the section the house was on included a vast, heavily landscaped yard that was painstakingly cared for by the previous owners until they’d become no longer able to handle the work. Apparently they were a retired couple who loved gardening more than home maintenance and spent most of their days tending the gardens, weeding the flower beds and stone paths, and keeping more than twenty bird feeders full. Though everything but the evergreens was dead and brown right now, the photos from other seasons had shown a stunning landscape suited for a garden show and full-color magazines. I couldn’t imagine keeping it up.

“You passed the litmus test,” Darius said with a chuckle. “That’s good news. I like to make sure there’s no second-guessing. Personally I think you made the right decision.”

“My only concern is how soon I’ll have more options,” I said. “But I know you’ll keep me posted.”

“You know I will,” he repeated. “I’m watching every day, checking in with my colleagues. We’ll find the right place for you and those kiddos.”

“Thanks, Darius. I appreciate you letting me know.”

“Hopefully I’ll talk to you soon with more options,” he said. “You have a good evening.”

After ending the call, I turned into Ben’s driveway, noting the clinic lights were out for the evening, and all the cars were gone, including Ben’s truck with his supplies. As I pulled up to the house, I noticed the animals were still in the pasture. Ben had likely forgotten them when the emergency call had come in.

“Crap,” I said as I turned off the engine and grabbed my purse. I knew enough to understand we needed to get them in before too much snow fell or the temperature dropped for the night. “Looks like we’re going to figure out how to get horses and llamas inside.”

I jogged inside and found Grandma Berty and the kids at the table, eating.

“I’m sorry we didn’t wait,” Berty said. “I wanted to have them ready in time for the play.”

“I’m glad you got them started.” I noted their plates were nearly empty. “We have a problem. The horses and llamas are still out, and Ben’s?—”

“Out on an emergency,” she finished for me. The dear, seventy-something woman stood. “Did he close the barn doors today?”

“Daddy said he closed them because he wanted the animals to get some exercise,” Ruby said. “Since it’s supposed to be snowy for the next few days and they’ll have to stay inside.”

“We just need to open the doors and feed them,” Evelyn said.

Perfect. Just feed the animals who were six times my size and could trample me in a heartbeat. “Okay,” I said.

“The kids can go out with you and take care of it,” Grandma Berty said, thankfully unaware of my feelings toward the llamas. “They’re just about done eating.”

Her lack of concern helped me relax slightly. “Okay.” I picked up a dinner roll and ripped off a bite, my coat and boots still on.

“You want to eat first?” Berty asked.

I shook my head. “I want the animals in. The snow’s picking up.”

The older woman went to the window. “Goodness gracious. Evelyn, are you about finished, honey?”

“I’m done, Grandma.”

Thank God.

“You should put on your snow boots,” Evelyn said as she carried her plate past me to the sink.

“Good idea.” I was so out of my element with barn stuff it wasn’t funny. My outdoor boots were in the mudroom. I slid my brown cowboy boots off and replaced them with the weatherproof ones.

Five minutes later, the three older kids were bundled up and ready to help. While Skyler helped Berty take care of the kitchen, I led the older three outside, acting confident. I was mostly just confident Ben’s girls knew what they were doing, and probably my son did too.

As we approached the pasture, I noted the three horses were gathered at the fence, watching us, as if to say,Hurry up, humans. We’re hungry!

I spotted one of the llamas along the fence on the opposite side of the property and scanned for the other one. I frowned, not immediately seeing the white one, a knot forming in my gut.

Not losing hope, I kept searching the pasture, easily visible with the whiteness of the snow cover reflecting light. I angled out to better see up against the barn, thinking maybe she’d huddled for protection from the weather.

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