lost her two babies. She isn’t Angel’s mother and she won’t allow her to nurse freely yet. It should happen eventually, but until then they have to be supervised.” Annie tapped the wood contraption. “I use this as a milking station but it works well for this purpose. You volunteers will have Kiki and Angel on your duty list.”
“Ouch!” Something yanked at Shea’s hair and she jerked her head forward, her hand flying to the back of her scalp as she tried to tug free.
Annie quickly stepped in. “No,” she ordered abruptly.
The pressure didn’t ease and Shea felt a moment’s panic. Suddenly she was released and she spun around to stare into the unconcerned brown eyes of Camel. The goat stared back, contentedly chewing...presumably a clump of Shea’s newly washed hair. She rubbed the assaulted area of her scalp, expecting to find a bald spot, but everything seemed intact.
“Sorry about that.” Annie gently shoved the goat’s face aside. “Come on, Cami, beat it.”
“Is that my hair she’s chewing?”
“Alfalfa. I don’t think she actually had time to do anything other than give you a good yank.” Annie pressed her lips together, obviously trying not to laugh. “On the bright side, it’s not likely to happen again.”
“Oh, so that was an initiation.”
“No, sadly, it’s her favorite pastime, but I’m betting you never turn your back on her again.”
“Um—” Shea smiled ruefully “—I wouldn’t put money on that.”
Annie eyed her a moment and then switched her gaze to Angel. The small goat reared back on her hind legs and used her front hooves to give Kiki’s bulging udder a couple of whacks. Shea braced herself for the fallout, but Kiki, completely indifferent, kept eating her grain.
“Angel’s not hurting her,” Annie explained. “She’s just getting the milk to flow better. It’s instinctive.”
Fascinated, Shea continued to watch. “I wish I knew more. I hope I’m not useless around here.”
“No worries. We’ll show you everything you need to know. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you volunteering. If not for people like you no one would have time to spend with their families.”
“Where are you going for the holidays?”
Annie blinked, her blue eyes briefly clouded before she turned to pick up the bucket. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here.”
Not wanting to intrude, Shea turned her attention back to the pair of goats. She’d actually surprised herself by asking an impertinent question. Must be the McAllisters’ influence. “How many animals do you have on the premises?”
“Right now we have twenty-three bison, six sows, a pair of potbellied pigs, eight donkeys, at least three dozen goats and more than two hundred horses. The chickens we keep for eggs.”
“I had no idea there were so many residents.”
“It varies. Right now, we’re really overcrowded, more than even the time of year can account for. But it’s cyclical.” Annie grinned. “Sorry you volunteered?”
“No, I just don’t know how you keep up. The feed bill alone has to be outrageous.”
“It is.” She wasn’t smiling now. Her expression grim, she carried the bucket to a spigot and started filling it with water. “We’ve always held on by a thread, relying on the charity of a few foundations and the ranchers in the area. This economy has made everything worse. It about killed me but I had to refuse three bison earlier this week.”
Shea started to question their fate but decided she didn’t want to know. “How many people does it take to keep Safe Haven running?”
“Hard to say...the place manages to run no matter what, but we’re never fully staffed. I figure five full-timers would be optimal. As it stands, we make do with six permanent part-time volunteers and myself. I live here, so that works out.” Annie exchanged the full bucket for an empty one, then carried the water to large plastic bins plugged into an electrical box. “God, we use
“Ouch!” Something yanked at Shea’s hair and she jerked her head forward, her hand flying to the back of her scalp as she tried to tug free.
Annie quickly stepped in. “No,” she ordered abruptly.
The pressure didn’t ease and Shea felt a moment’s panic. Suddenly she was released and she spun around to stare into the unconcerned brown eyes of Camel. The goat stared back, contentedly chewing...presumably a clump of Shea’s newly washed hair. She rubbed the assaulted area of her scalp, expecting to find a bald spot, but everything seemed intact.
“Sorry about that.” Annie gently shoved the goat’s face aside. “Come on, Cami, beat it.”
“Is that my hair she’s chewing?”
“Alfalfa. I don’t think she actually had time to do anything other than give you a good yank.” Annie pressed her lips together, obviously trying not to laugh. “On the bright side, it’s not likely to happen again.”
“Oh, so that was an initiation.”
“No, sadly, it’s her favorite pastime, but I’m betting you never turn your back on her again.”
“Um—” Shea smiled ruefully “—I wouldn’t put money on that.”
Annie eyed her a moment and then switched her gaze to Angel. The small goat reared back on her hind legs and used her front hooves to give Kiki’s bulging udder a couple of whacks. Shea braced herself for the fallout, but Kiki, completely indifferent, kept eating her grain.
“Angel’s not hurting her,” Annie explained. “She’s just getting the milk to flow better. It’s instinctive.”
Fascinated, Shea continued to watch. “I wish I knew more. I hope I’m not useless around here.”
“No worries. We’ll show you everything you need to know. I can’t tell you how much we appreciate you volunteering. If not for people like you no one would have time to spend with their families.”
“Where are you going for the holidays?”
Annie blinked, her blue eyes briefly clouded before she turned to pick up the bucket. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here.”
Not wanting to intrude, Shea turned her attention back to the pair of goats. She’d actually surprised herself by asking an impertinent question. Must be the McAllisters’ influence. “How many animals do you have on the premises?”
“Right now we have twenty-three bison, six sows, a pair of potbellied pigs, eight donkeys, at least three dozen goats and more than two hundred horses. The chickens we keep for eggs.”
“I had no idea there were so many residents.”
“It varies. Right now, we’re really overcrowded, more than even the time of year can account for. But it’s cyclical.” Annie grinned. “Sorry you volunteered?”
“No, I just don’t know how you keep up. The feed bill alone has to be outrageous.”
“It is.” She wasn’t smiling now. Her expression grim, she carried the bucket to a spigot and started filling it with water. “We’ve always held on by a thread, relying on the charity of a few foundations and the ranchers in the area. This economy has made everything worse. It about killed me but I had to refuse three bison earlier this week.”
Shea started to question their fate but decided she didn’t want to know. “How many people does it take to keep Safe Haven running?”
“Hard to say...the place manages to run no matter what, but we’re never fully staffed. I figure five full-timers would be optimal. As it stands, we make do with six permanent part-time volunteers and myself. I live here, so that works out.” Annie exchanged the full bucket for an empty one, then carried the water to large plastic bins plugged into an electrical box. “God, we use
Similar Books
