Page 35 of Daddy's Little Farmer

Tony narrowed his eyes. “I’m not sure I like that look in your eyes. I can see you’re up to mischief.”

Rafael chuckled. “I’ll be calling you sometime next week.”

“We’ll get the house cleared of food and clean it before we shut it down,” Betty said.

“Thank you. I was worried about it and knew it had to be done, but it’s so much to ask,” Mara said.

“Nonsense. The two of us are retired, so we have the time. Don’t you worry about it,” Betty said.

They shook hands and hugged Mara once more before walking to his truck. He looked down when he heard Mara sniff and saw tears rolling down her face.

He hugged her tightly against his chest. “Oh, honey, you’ll see them again sooner than you think.”

“I hope so. He’s been a father to me since mine died, and Betty has been a better mother to me than my own,” Mara said.

“I think we should consider them family. I have none left.”

She hugged him. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, because I have you now.”

She tipped her head back to look up at him. “Yes, you do.”

He bent to press his lips against hers when they heard several vehicles coming down the road. They walked out to see them slowly pull in.

“Oh, my,” she said.

“I’m glad they’re here. I want you to meet Porter.” He watched four trailers and a camper pull in and park wherever there was space.

The men got out and started talking or stretching. One walked toward them with a hand out.

“You must be Mr. Saunders.”

“Yes.”

“I’m Ellis Jacobs. Mr. Porter hired us to transport some animals.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” He lifted Mara’s hand. “She’ll be the one to tell you about them.”

“Good. We’ll have a lot of questions. We want to get them to the farm as comfortably as possible.”

Mara nodded. “That’s good to know because every one of them was taken from horrible places in bad shape.”

The man frowned. “Damn, why do people have them if they don’t want to take care of them?”

Mara shook her head. “I’d like to know that, too. I just wish I could save every one of them.”

“If it makes you feel better, hundreds of people like you and I are saving hundreds to thousands of animals a year, so we’re not alone.”

Mara smiled. “That does make me feel better. Thank you.”

If she hadn’t been clinging to his hand, he felt he would have gotten jealous, and he’d never done that, maybe because he hadn’t cared for any other women before.

The fact the man was old enough to be her grandfather helped, too.

Chapter Eighteen

Mara stared at all the people and vehicles. She would have been overwhelmed if she hadn’t had Rafael there.

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