Page 45 of Lion's Share
She broke off there, as if she wasn’t sure she had the words to describe that awful scene.
“I know,” Sidney said gently. “But these two are going to be fine.” She looked up at Ben and smiled. “Can you help get this one off me, though? I’m starting to get stiff.”
Although Ben didn’t know much about handling goats, the creature seemed docile enough as he slipped his arms around it, being careful not to disturb any of the bandages covering the sutures Sidney had put in place a few moments earlier. And then John stepped in, taking the goat from him and setting it gently down on the porch.
“Gotta give her those antibiotics anyway,” he said, and Ben sent him a grateful look.
“Thanks.”
Sidney rose to her feet, although it seemed as if Patty was ready to stay on that porch with her goat for as long as necessary.
“We’ve got this,” she said. “But I also want to say thanks, Sidney. Now I know these two will make it.”
The corners of Sidney’s mouth lifted. “I can tell they’re in good hands. Just make sure you stick to the antibiotics schedule, and they should be fine.”
Patty nodded.
“Let me give you a ride home — ” John began.
“No, we can walk,” Sidney cut in, gently but firmly. “You need to give those goats their medicine. It’s not so far.”
Well, it sort of was, just because the Henderson farm was on the opposite side of town from Sidney’s place. Ben knew he wouldn’t say anything, though. The walk shouldn’t take them more than twenty minutes at the most, and hopefully, once they got home, they could think about having some breakfast. They’d run out of the house before they’d even had a chance to get some coffee, and he could tell his body needed its morning dose of caffeine.
John looked as if he wanted to protest, but then Sidney looped her arm in Ben’s and began guiding him down the steps, effectively putting an end to any arguments about driving them home. Once they’d been walking for a few minutes, though, he ventured, “It’s good that the power came back on.”
“I suppose,” she said. “I guess the real question is how long it’s going to stay on this time.”
And no one probably had an answer to that one. The emergence of the shadow stalkers into this world had caused an enormous surge, that much seemed clear, but were there more to follow, or was this some sort of freak occurrence?
About all he could do was shrug. Sidney didn’t seem annoyed by that non-response, though, and he had the impression she was glad he was being practical about the situation and not trying to say he was sure there wouldn’t be any more energy fluctuations and that everything should be all right.
“If I didn’t look like such utter hell,” she said after they’d walked for a few more minutes, “I’d say we should stop at Eliza’s for breakfast. But I got some bacon at the store, and I already had eggs, so I can put something together at home.”
“You don’t look like hell,” he replied honestly, and she grinned.
“Always the gentleman.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond to that comment, so he maintained his silence. As far as he was concerned, she would always be beautiful, even without a speck of makeup and her hair pulled back into a sloppy ponytail.
But he guessed she wouldn’t take such a comment at face value, so he decided to let it alone.
When they approached her house, though, he found himself frowning, his gaze caught by the muddy ground.
“Do you see that?” he asked abruptly, and she glanced around, startled.
“See what?”
“The ground around your house. See those markings?”
Grass had been planted everywhere, but it had muddy, bare patches, as if Sidney didn’t have the time to keep it perfectly manicured. Because of that, the prints in the exposed areas seemed clear enough.
Big paw prints, almost as if a huge cat had been padding around the place.
She gazed at them blankly for a moment, and then she looked over at Ben.
“‘Protect,’” she said, and now it was his turn to stare at her in puzzlement.
“What?”
