Page 72 of Wrangled Love

Charlie: Birdie?! Show us proof of life, or we’ll call for a wellness check.

Wren: Weren’t you the last to see her?

Charlie: She wasn’t feeling well, so we left the fair early last night.

Briar: Has anyone gotten the town gossip this morning or checked the local paper?

There’s no telling what kind of trouble Birdie stirred up overnight. Wouldn’t be the first time she pulled a solo rescue mission, and we heard about her antics from the walking club or the local paper.

Charlie: Holy shit. Check the home page ofBluebell Gazette’swebsite.

I pull up their site on my phone. The home page loads, and the first headline jumps out at me: “Calf and Donkey Disappear Overnight from Local County Fair.” I scroll through the article and learn they vanished between midnight and six a.m. Apparently, the fairground property has cameras, but the police haven’t reviewed the footage yet.

I drop the link to the article in the group chat.

Briar: Birdie, this better be a coincidence.

Charlie: How is “lying low” such a difficult concept to grasp?

Wren: If you don’t answer, we’re launching a search party.

Birdie: I’m here!

Charlie: Where is here? In hiding?

Birdie: Someone did a nice thing by rescuing those animals, huh?

Charlie: Was thatsomeoneyou?

Birdie: No comment.

As much as I want to get to the bottom of whatever trouble Birdie’s gotten herself into, it’ll have to wait. I put my phone in my pocket so I can give Caleb my full attention.

Magnolia pricks her ears at the sight of Cooper and trots over to the fence to greet him. He slides his hand through the wooden slats to scratch her forehead, and her nostrils flare as she nudges him.

“Hey there, sweet girl. I want you to meet my new friend, Caleb.” Cooper glances over his shoulder where Caleb’s watching from a distance. He motions for him to come closer. “This is Magnolia. She’s as sweet as they come and would love if you pet her.”

Caleb hesitates, shifting from foot to foot, his eyes dart from Cooper to the mare and back again. He finally takes a cautious step forward but keeps his hands at his sides.

It’s clear that he’s nervous, but before I can intervene, Cooper crouches beside him and gently takes his hand. “Try right here,” he says, guiding it to Magnolia’s lowered head, right between her ears.

She huffs softly, leaning into Caleb’s hand. When her velvety nose presses against his shirt, he lets out a bubble of laughter.

“She’s checking your pockets.” Cooper chuckles. “I usuallykeep a carrot or two in mine, so now she thinks everyone’s hiding snacks. Briar, can you grab the bucket of apples and carrots in my truck?”

“Sure thing.”

I jog over to his vehicle and open the tailgate to grab the metal bucket from the truck bed. It’s filled to the brim, so I carry it with one hand under the base and the other gripping the handle to keep the contents from spilling.

“Thanks,” Cooper says, taking the bucket from me.

He sets it on the ground, plucking out a handful of carrots and two apples. When he approaches the fence, Magnolia catches the familiar scent and stretches her neck over the rail.

Caleb watches, intrigued, as Cooper offers a carrot to Magnolia—her soft lips grazing his skin. She chomps it down in a few bites, juice dribbling from the groove of her chin.

Cooper holds out a carrot to Caleb. “You want to try, kid?”

This time, there’s no hesitation. He takes the carrot and extends his hand the way Cooper did. Magnolia doesn’t miss a beat, snapping it up with the same enthusiasm as she did the first. Caleb grins, pointing at one of the apples, ready to feed her again.

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