his grandmother, who got down on her knees.
“I don’t think it’s moved,” Jamie said.
Grace was kneeling beside the fawn, examining it gently, and Cash backed away to join them, watching his grandmother as he did.
“She’s really a wildlife rehabilitator?” Jamie asked. She’d hardly believed it when Grace had told her so at breakfast. “That’s a stroke of luck.”
Cash spoke softly. “She always says it’s her life’s work to take care of castaways.”
“A good job, that one.”
“Uh-huh, if what you’re trying to bring back ought to be rescued. My mother says people who lived around the orchard and beyond always brought injured animals to Granny Grace. I know when I was a boy she let me help raise a trio of baby coons who’d lost their mother to a redbone hound. Eventually, the authorities caught up with her, if you can believe it. Told her unless she had a permit, it was against the law to do what she’d been doing for years.”
“I guess they’re just trying to protect wildlife from people who don’t know how to help.”
“She could have taught them a thing or two, but being Granny Grace, she did what she had to and got the training.”
Grace stood and joined them. “We could leave the poor thing here another day or two, see if the mother comes back. But it’s my opinion that this mother hasn’t returned for some time. No need to go into why I think so—” she glanced at the girls “—but I’d say we’d be in our rights to take this little one up to my house and see what we can do with her. If we leave her, I don’t think she’ll fare well.”
Cash turned to Jamie. “What do you think?”
“I was so afraid you were going to tell me I had to take care of her. I don’t have a clue what to do.”
Grace glanced at the girls again. “It’s a delicate business. Best leave it to me. If things go well, the girls can come up and visit.”
Hannah had been unusually quiet. “Is she going to die, Granny Grace?”
“Not if I can help it, Hannah. But truth be told, she might.”
Hannah looked stricken. “I don’t want her to die.”
“Nor do I, which is why I’ll do my level best to help. You can count on me. But you know, child, some things are simply out of our hands. So we can feel sad, but we can’t feel responsible.”
Jamie knew that was a lesson every child had to learn, but she was sorry.
“The fawn’s very lucky good people found her,” Jamie said, trying to make Hannah feel better. “First Alison spotted her, then Granny Grace came along. And Granny Grace knows how to help, when almost nobody else would. That’s two times so far that fawn’s been lucky.”
“Lucky,” Alison said. “Her name is Lucky.”
Jamie knew naming an animal was the end of objectivity. But this time, objectivity had fled at first glance.
“Lucky is a good name,” Grace said. “Good names are important. Cash?” Grace nodded to the fawn. “Let’s get her home right away.”
Cash bent over and picked up the little deer. She hardly struggled. Jamie knew this wasn’t a good sign.
“Let Cash and Lucky go first,” she said, holding the girls back.
“I’ll have to visit your orchard another day,” Grace said, walking with Jamie and the girls once Cash had strode ahead. The girls were abnormally subdued, as if only now had they realized the gravity of removing the fawn.
“I hope you’ll come back as soon as you can,” Jamie said.
“As soon as things stabilize, I’d like you and the girls to come and visit. Will you do that?”
“You won’t be able to keep us away.”
“I think we’ll be friends. I’ve been away for some time, and a number of my old friends are gone. So I’ll be happy to have you coming in and out as often as you please.”
Jamie was surprised that somebody like Grace could ever be lonely, but she heard a hunger in her new friend’s voice and recognized it. It matched her own. “You may not be so happy if we hit you on a day when the
“I don’t think it’s moved,” Jamie said.
Grace was kneeling beside the fawn, examining it gently, and Cash backed away to join them, watching his grandmother as he did.
“She’s really a wildlife rehabilitator?” Jamie asked. She’d hardly believed it when Grace had told her so at breakfast. “That’s a stroke of luck.”
Cash spoke softly. “She always says it’s her life’s work to take care of castaways.”
“A good job, that one.”
“Uh-huh, if what you’re trying to bring back ought to be rescued. My mother says people who lived around the orchard and beyond always brought injured animals to Granny Grace. I know when I was a boy she let me help raise a trio of baby coons who’d lost their mother to a redbone hound. Eventually, the authorities caught up with her, if you can believe it. Told her unless she had a permit, it was against the law to do what she’d been doing for years.”
“I guess they’re just trying to protect wildlife from people who don’t know how to help.”
“She could have taught them a thing or two, but being Granny Grace, she did what she had to and got the training.”
Grace stood and joined them. “We could leave the poor thing here another day or two, see if the mother comes back. But it’s my opinion that this mother hasn’t returned for some time. No need to go into why I think so—” she glanced at the girls “—but I’d say we’d be in our rights to take this little one up to my house and see what we can do with her. If we leave her, I don’t think she’ll fare well.”
Cash turned to Jamie. “What do you think?”
“I was so afraid you were going to tell me I had to take care of her. I don’t have a clue what to do.”
Grace glanced at the girls again. “It’s a delicate business. Best leave it to me. If things go well, the girls can come up and visit.”
Hannah had been unusually quiet. “Is she going to die, Granny Grace?”
“Not if I can help it, Hannah. But truth be told, she might.”
Hannah looked stricken. “I don’t want her to die.”
“Nor do I, which is why I’ll do my level best to help. You can count on me. But you know, child, some things are simply out of our hands. So we can feel sad, but we can’t feel responsible.”
Jamie knew that was a lesson every child had to learn, but she was sorry.
“The fawn’s very lucky good people found her,” Jamie said, trying to make Hannah feel better. “First Alison spotted her, then Granny Grace came along. And Granny Grace knows how to help, when almost nobody else would. That’s two times so far that fawn’s been lucky.”
“Lucky,” Alison said. “Her name is Lucky.”
Jamie knew naming an animal was the end of objectivity. But this time, objectivity had fled at first glance.
“Lucky is a good name,” Grace said. “Good names are important. Cash?” Grace nodded to the fawn. “Let’s get her home right away.”
Cash bent over and picked up the little deer. She hardly struggled. Jamie knew this wasn’t a good sign.
“Let Cash and Lucky go first,” she said, holding the girls back.
“I’ll have to visit your orchard another day,” Grace said, walking with Jamie and the girls once Cash had strode ahead. The girls were abnormally subdued, as if only now had they realized the gravity of removing the fawn.
“I hope you’ll come back as soon as you can,” Jamie said.
“As soon as things stabilize, I’d like you and the girls to come and visit. Will you do that?”
“You won’t be able to keep us away.”
“I think we’ll be friends. I’ve been away for some time, and a number of my old friends are gone. So I’ll be happy to have you coming in and out as often as you please.”
Jamie was surprised that somebody like Grace could ever be lonely, but she heard a hunger in her new friend’s voice and recognized it. It matched her own. “You may not be so happy if we hit you on a day when the
Similar Books
