Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“Guess we’re both saps,” Kerry said in a hesitant tone.
“Nah, got me choked up too, but I have yet to figure out why. Either it was from watching you two or because she looked so full of joy. Or both.”
“There’s a lot of joy in the little things.” His eyes crinkled with a smile. “Especially when it comes to animals. They can’t talk, which means you have to rely on your instincts, and there’s somethin’ deeply satisfying about that.”
I thought about how Kerry took care of Maisy’s needs in the mornings, let alone all the other animals he came in contact with, and how he seemed to get simple gratification from it. Sienna too. There was a situation just the other day where one of the goats got trapped in a plastic drainage pipe used for crop irrigation, and she’d sprung into action to relieve his discomfort. They were just good people through and through.
When George left the enclosure to attend to some stray cows in the pasture, I watched Mercy trail behind Rocket as they munched on some grassy patches that weren’t already worn away, near the fence. As Rocket edged closer, my pulse pounded, and I wondered how close they might get. Mercy slowed, seeming a bit more reserved than Rocket. His ears were back, and his tail swished side to side.
I held my breath as he stepped beside Rocket, who was directly in front of us, and I was suddenly glad that the fence was between us.
Kerry dug in his pocket and produced a withered carrot. “Leftover from this morning, but he won’t complain,” he quipped.
“Guess not,” I replied, wondering what the hell else he had in his pocket. There was a joke in there somewhere.
“You’ll get the hang of it.” He winked, and it went straight to my belly, warming it instantly.
I watched how easy it was for him to stretch his arm toward his horse, but he had been around animals his whole life. Still, I couldn’t understand why I felt so unsettled around these regal animals. Part of me felt this urgency to jump right in and stop being so cautious. My squad always called me a baller with explosives because I could normally spot them a mile away and was able to disable some before they detonated, which was freaking terrifying sometimes and really got my adrenaline pumping.
But that was before that fateful day. And ever since then, I pretty much second-guessed myself every step of the way. No way I wanted to make a misstep and…what? Get blown apart? That was a bit much, but somehow my brain wasn’t registering the incongruity, and instead, my fight-or-flight reaction would take over at a moment’s notice.
In this situation, nobody would get hurt. The horse was behind a fence, for Christ’s sake. What would he do, jump over and kick me in the head? Maybe it would help set my mind right, like in those stupid cartoons where the character’s head gets rung like a bell.
But it was more than some deep-seated fear of the unknown. It was about looking like a fool in front of someone I admired. That was what this was, this itch under my skin for Kerry—I admired him, hoped to be half the man he was. That was all. Right?
I mean, outside of my wild attraction to him. Ugh.
“Actually,” Kerry said, reaching back in his pocket, “I have a couple more, even if they’re a bit worse for wear. Want to feed Mercy?”
“I sort of do.” I stepped forward. “But I’m… I’m being ridiculous.”
As soon as Mercy spotted Kerry lifting the carrot in my direction he came closer, wanting a treat too.
“No, you’re not.” Kerry’s voice was soft, soothing. “Watch how easy it is. You don’t even have to make contact, unless you want to.”
Kerry broke the top off and threw it away from Rocket, so he’d step back to retrieve it, leaving only Mercy at the fence. Kerry held the very end of the carrot, and Mercy gently slid it from his grasp with his teeth, never making contact with his hand.
“Last one,” he said, holding up a miserable-looking carrot.
Jesus, I’d been a soldier and at war in a foreign land, but I couldn’t feed a damned horse? I squared my shoulders and fished the carrot from his grasp. I got this.
As soon as I stretched my hand forward, I quickly drew it back, chickening out at the last minute. Fuck.
I dipped my head as my cheeks heated, and was about to step away with some sort of flimsy excuse when I felt Kerry’s hand land on top of mine. My breath hitched as he guided my arm toward the horse, and it was the exact thing I needed—for someone to take over and help me overcome my stupid apprehension. And somehow, with the heat of his palm searing into my knuckles, I felt braver. My mind blanked out all the noise, and I just focused on the breathtaking animal in front of me.