Page 51 of No Man Left Behind

Three horses stood in the closest area, grouped in the corner and watching them. They were bigger than the horses she’d seen overseas. Those had lived in desert or mountain areas. These looked like they were built for speed and strength.

Another paddock held sheep and cows. When Marcus joined her, two peacocks walked around the corner of the barn and headed for the horses. Three goats followed. The lead one spotted her and Marcus. It studied the humans for a second, then bounced over and bleated at them.

Marcus laughed and scratched the head of the lead goat. “This is Popcorn. The others are Raspberry and Butter. They’re friendly. Actually, they’re more than that. They’re self-appointed therapy goats. No animal can stay depressed with these three around, and they help all the newcomers adjust.”

Finch obviously remembered the goats as he hurried forward to butt his head against them. Then he moved into his sniffing routine while the goats danced around the three of them, demanding the humans give them some love as well.

A loud bray from the side had her spotting who had to be Snoops, the cranky donkey. A tiny goat curled up nearby.

“Michael J. Fox. Michael J. Fox.”

Elina whirled at the voice right behind her. Instead of a person, she found a colourful parrot sitting on the fence post, staring right at her. She laughed. “Hello, there. Are you named after Michael J. Fox? He’s a pretty fabulous guy.”

“Shania Twain, Shania Twain.”

She grinned. “Well, okay then. You’re not Michael, and I’m not Shania.”

“Keanu Reeves, Keanu Reeves.”

Laughing, she turned to find Marcus smiling, too. He gestured to the bird. “This is Canuck. He only speaks in Canadian celebrities.”

The parrot bobbed his head and showed off his wings. “Donovan Bailey. Donovan Bailey.”

She didn’t know the names, but she’d be looking them up.

Kimi approached from between the fences. “I see you’ve met Canuck.”

“Terry Fox, Terry Fox.”

Kimi tapped the bird’s beak. “Hello, my friend.” She glanced at Elina. “I’ve learned a ton about Canada since he arrived one day. He just flew in and landed on a fence post beside Snoops, and started speaking. Hasn’t stopped since. No one has claimed him, so he’s still here.”

The parrot spread its wings and flew over to the donkey’s paddock, calling out about Christine Sinclair.

“He’s amazing.”

Kimi laughed. “He is. I’ve put out all kinds of notices on social media and to other vets in neighboring states and provinces, but no one has claimed him yet. I’m kind of hoping things stay that way. He’s happy here.”

Elina looked around the property she could see. “I can see why. This place is incredible.”

Kimi grinned. “This is just the front yard. Let’s follow Pretty and Awesome so you can see the rheas.”

The peacocks, appropriately named Pretty and Awesome, strutted back around the side of the barn.

“Nina has named almost all the animals. She has fun doing it, and she’s come up with great names.” Kimi brushed her hand over an orange cat sitting on a fence post. “This is Molly, proud mom of Ginny, Ron, Fred, and a bunch more.”

Elina met the rheas which looked like small ostriches, and they all had names starting with R. She wasn’t sure how anyone could tell them apart. Then, she met pigs named Jenny, Tadpole, and Chickadee. Pygmy goats with munchkin names. Three alpacas who’d been found wandering in the woods were bonding with an equal number of ponies. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. Frodo, Sam, and Pippin. And a llama named Gandalf.

Then they found chickens who liked to swarm humans they thought might be carrying food. Chickens with names like Harriet, Hazel, and Harmony. And a rooster named Radar, who strutted as grandly as the peacocks. Finch played with most of the animals, although he and the llama kept side-eyeing each other and kept their distance.

Elina didn’t know all the names or references Nina had chosen, but she now had a list of books and movies to check out.

When they moved over to Garrett’s half of the property, they spotted him working with a horse in the huge backfield. There were at least a half-dozen other horses across the field and more ponies grazing in another corner. It was like the pictures she’d seen of the American pioneer days.

Garrett waved but didn’t take his attention from the horse. As they approached, she realized he was talking to the animal and stroking its head. Kimi had them slow by the fence.

Three other dogs sat inside the fence, watching Garrett and the horse. “Those are Olaf, Astro, and Star. Once upon a time, the boys were forced to participate in dog fights. Thankfully, Star never experienced that. They’re much happier here and are really sweet dogs.”

Finch whined, and Kimi reached down to pat his head. “You want to see your friends? Go.”

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