Page 33 of Saving Her Heart
The elderly woman looks up, tears streaming down her face. "Oh, Kendall dear. Harold's going to be so angry. I can't find his reading glasses, and now they want to take Gertie away."
"Gertie's safe," Kendall says gently. "Remember? She's on vacation."
"No, no. She's at that awful place with the cages. Harold went to get her, but they wouldn't let him have her back." Mrs. Parsons clutches a photo of her late husband. "He loves that goat. Says she makes him laugh."
Sarah catches my eye and mouths ‘all morning’.
I pull out my phone and step into the hallway. This is probably the worst idea I've had in a long time, but seeing Mrs. Parsons so distressed, and Kendall trying so hard to comfort her...
"Declan? I need a favor. A big one."
"Why do I feel like this is going to end badly?" he says.
"Remember how animal control lost Gertie the other day?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, they're about to lose her again. Temporarily. For therapeutic purposes."
There's a long pause. "Jax, no."
"Just for a few hours. Mrs. Parsons needs to say goodbye properly."
"You're asking me to steal a goat. From animal control. For closure."
"Borrow. I'm asking you to borrow a goat."
"This violates at least six regulations not to mention several laws."
"Seven, actually. I counted."
Another pause. "Fine. I'll distract the animal control officer and borrow the goat."
"You're a good friend."
"I'm an enabler is what I am. There's a difference."
Twenty minutes later, I'm leading Gertie on a leash through the building's back entrance, wondering how my life has come to this. The goat seems pleased with the field trip, prancing along like she owns the place. Which, given her history here, she probably thinks she does.
"Is that—" Kendall starts when I appear in Mrs. Parsons' doorway with Gertie.
"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to," I tell her.
Mrs. Parsons' face transforms completely. "Gertie! Oh, Harold, you found her!"
The goat immediately trots over and nuzzles the elderly woman's hand. Mrs. Parsons laughs—the first genuine happiness she's shown all morning.
"This is illegal," Kendall whispers to me.
"Probably."
"Definitely. You could lose your job."
"Probably."
"Why?"
I watch Mrs. Parsons showing Gertie all the photo albums, talking to the goat like she understands every word. "Because sometimes the rules aren't as important as doing what's right."
