When he released her, she regarded him with a slightly bemused expression. “We are not getting a rabbit.”
The words were greeted with outraged wails. Leon made an attempt to alleviate the twins’ disappointment. “There will be ponies—”
“Want a pony!”
“I didn’t mean that.” He rolled his eyes at Flora. “I was going to suggest they could go for a ride.”
“They’ll forget about it when we get there,” she assured him.
“In that case, I think we should get going before they trick us into agreeing to get them a python or something.”
Flora was still laughing as they loaded the twins into the car and set off. Leon was glad. He preferred this light-hearted mood to the troubled expression he saw in her eyes every now and then when she thought he wasn’t looking. He just hoped Laurie had made some progress with her investigation.
Bryce and Steffi Delaney lived with their six-month-old daughter, Katerina. Their home was a large, rambling ranch house close to Funnel Hill, a peculiar inverted hill formation that could be seen for miles around. The animal sanctuary covered acres of land and included stables, kennels, farmland, and other buildings.
“The primary aim of the center is to find new homes for abandoned or abused domestic and farm animals. If we can’t re-home them, they stay here.” Steffi was greeting visitors as they arrived. Even though she was his friend and he’d known her for some time, Leon still found it hard to accept that this woman had once been famous for the designer outfits in which she’d graced the world’s red carpets. Now, Steffi was dressed in faded jeans, a sweater in an indeterminable color, and boots that were splattered with unmentionable sludge. “We also take in wild animals if they are injured or suffering.”
Steffi saw Leon standing at the back of the group of new arrivals and waved. Handing the introductory-talk job to one of her assistants, she came over. After hugging Leon, she gave his companions the smile that had once brought Hollywood to its knees. Its impact was only slightly reduced by the muddy smear across her left cheek.
Squatting to their level, Steffi greeted the twins. “Hi, guys. Have you come to see our animals?”
Leon had already learned that Frankie usually took his cue from his bolder twin, so he was surprised to see him step forward before Stevie.
“Want to see rabbits.” Frankie took Steffi’s hand. “And ponies.”
“And dinosaurs.” Stevie decided he needed to go bigger and better.
Steffi didn’t flinch. “We may be fresh out of dinosaurs. But we can do rabbits and ponies. And pigs, goats, sheep, and horses.” She looked up at Flora with a smile. “I can see you have your hands full.”
Leon quickly did introductions. Although the place was bustling, the atmosphere was carefree. Steffi led them toward the farm animals, and he could see Flora starting to relax. As they walked, they were joined by Bryce, who was pushing his sleeping daughter in a stroller.
“This is Flora Monroe, and her boys, Stevie and Frankie.”
Bryce gave him a quick side-long glance. Barely noticeable to anyone else, Leon knew what it meant. It was an acknowledgment of how far the two men had come since the early days of their discharge from the army. Back then, PTSD had affected them in different ways, and they had supported each other, forging a bond that no one else could understand. That glance was Bryce’s way of saying “Look at us now.”
Partners, kids, stability, contentment. That was what Bryce was seeing. Although Leon’s relationship with Flora wasn’t at the same stage as his friend’s, he knew Bryce, more than anyone, would recognize when he was happy. And no one, especially Leon himself, could have anticipated this. That he would meet a woman who had seen her own share of heartache, and that they would begin each other’s healing process. No matter what the future held for them, what they had here and now was special.
The twins were enchanted with the various animals. As they strolled around the farm area, they were joined by Bryce’s half brother, Vincente, his wife, Beth, and their daughter, Lia.
“I’m glad you left the guard dog at home today,” Bryce said. It seemed to be some sort of joke between the brothers.
Vincente rolled his eyes. “We have a collie called Melon. He has the herding instincts of a sheepdog without the skill. You can imagine what happens when he gets in amongst all these animals.”
Leon laughed. “I’m just glad to learn we’re not the only ones who have a dysfunctional pet.” He realized he was talking naturally about him and Flora as “us.” How’s that whole “not ready” thing working out for you?
He wondered if Flora had noticed. If she had, her smile gave nothing away. “Tiny certainly puts the ‘fun’ in ‘dysfunctional.’”
They greeted other people, including Daisy and some of the other staff from the daycare center. Leon noticed Tegan was with them and figured she had already made her mind up about taking the new job. He couldn’t blame her.
His knees buckled abruptly, and he looked down to discover the source. The little brown-and-white goat he’d seen at Eve Sloane’s place gave him an oblique stare before turning to head-butt Vincente.
“Hi.” Eve had the goat on a collar and leash like a dog. “I did call and check it was okay to bring Scape. I thought it might do him good to meet other goats.”
As she spoke, Scape deftly slipped his head out of his collar and skipped away from her. Eve made a dive to catch him and went sprawling on the ground. Several people, including Steffi, joined in the chase. The ensuing scene resembled something from a slapstick movie.
Scape cavorted around the farm pens, helping himself to food, climbing on equipment, and greeting the other animals with evident delight. The whole time, he stayed just out of reach of the hands that were trying to grab
