Daddy
Sugar, say it the way I like it.
Jasper
Yes, Daddy.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hank
“Daddy, you never told me there were so many fluffy goats,” Jasper whispered in awe, his eyes wide as saucers. “And so many colors. And sizes.”
After a six-hour drive from Comfort, including an hour parked in Houston traffic, we had barely been at the hotel ten minutes before Jasper was bouncing like a kid at Christmas, begging to go see the animals at the rodeo. I was tired and sore from the ride, but I wasn’t about to disappoint him. We dropped our bags, freshened up quick, and headed straight over. Tomorrow would be the auction and all the serious business, but tonight, we could just have fun.
“Sugar, I didn’t know you didn’t know,” I said with a laugh as we strolled down the rows of show animals, each in their polished pens waiting for their moment in the ring.
Jasper gave the cows a token glance, but they were too big for him to really fall in love with them up close. The second we stepped into the goat barn, though, it was like the sun rose in his eyes. He gasped, clapped his hands, and practically skipped ahead of me, calling back, “Daddy, look at that one. And that one. Oh my gosh, that one has spots. Did you know they came in spots?”
There were more varieties than even I could count: Spanish, Angora, Boer, and a handful of exotics that could easily end up in my herd someday. Jasper flitted from pen to pen, narrating like he was on a live broadcast.
When we reached the Babydoll pen, it was all over. “Oh my goodness, Daddy, look at them. Look. At. Them.” He pressed against the gate, hands gripping the rail like he might climb in with them if I didn’t watch him close. He’d seen the small herd at my place, but today, he was like a kid let loose in his favorite candy factory.
I had never met anyone who embraced joy the way Jasper did. Cartoons, a slice of pie, a goofy goat—everything was magic to him. Even when I knew his head was full of the same worries mine was, he still managed to let wonder shine through. Truth was, I envied him a little for it.
“Daddy, how do I get one of these sweethearts back to my house?” he asked, half-dancing, half-spinning as he gestured at the sheep. His curls bounced with him, wild and bright.
I braced for someone nearby to give him a look or make a comment, but nobody did. Folks just smiled at his antics. His happiness was contagious.
“Sorry, sugar,” I said gently. “These are headed somewhere else.”
“But I thought you were here to buy one,” he said, wrinkling his nose.
“Yeah, but we don’t take it home with us.”
“Then what’s the point of buying it?” His disbelief was too sweet, like explaining taxes to a toddler.
“So, we buy it, then donate it back. The kid who raised it gets the money, and the program sells the animal on again.”
“You get some of your money back?”
“Nope. That money stays with the program.”
Jasper blinked, clearly trying to wrap his head around the whole deal. “So if you wanted to, you could keep it?”
“I suppose you could,” I admitted.
“Oh, then I wouldn’t care about the funny looks. If I could take one of these sweet babies home with me, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” He glanced longingly at the sheep again.
We wandered farther into the Babydoll Sheep area, and sure enough, the hearts in Jasper’s eyes never left. I had to admit, they were some of my favorites too, gentle and sweet with faces like teddy bears. Jasper didn’t have enough land for a herd, but I sure as hell had a pasture that would do just fine. And if it meant Jasper was happy, well, that seemed like a small enough thing.
For the next hour, we meandered through the stalls. Jasper’s commentary never let up. He debated which goats had the softest ears, which sheep looked like Disney characters, and which alpacas had the best hairdos. I caught myself chuckling more than once.
One couple nearby caught my attention. One of the men was passionately explaining why they absolutely, positively needed another alpaca. His partner listened with indulgent eyes, and when he caught my gaze, we shared a look of mutual understanding. I tipped my chin toward Jasper, who was currently explaining how we could keep Babydoll Sheep in his bedroom if the pastures didn’t work out. The man chuckled. We were both men doomed to go home with animals, regardless of what we thought we had planned.
I hadn’t expected to be someone’s indulgent Daddy. But now that I was, I was glad it was Jasper.
By the time we had passed through every stall, Jasper came back to me, excitement still dancing in his eyes.
