The mountain air was crisp and definitely on the cool side. The Douglas fir trees and Ponderosa pines were a dark, rich green, and there was snow on the mountain peaks surrounding the Ranch. It felt a little like home to him already.
“It’s beautiful here,” he said. “You must love living here.”
“I do. It’s so pretty. You should see it in the spring, when the grass is all green, and there are wildflowers blooming everywhere. But I love it in the winter time, too,” she said. “I feel so lucky to be here. It’s been healing for me.”
“It seems the Ranch is a healing place for a lot of people.” He gazed at the mountain peaks as they walked, then said quietly, “Maybe it will be for me, too.”
“Oh?”
He slowed and turned to Claudia. “Let’s just say I have some shit to deal with. And it’s not that I’m not excited to teach, or happy to help Arrow out so he and Micah can have a proper honeymoon, but part of why I wanted to come was them telling me this was a good place to do that.”
“Yes,” she agreed with a small nod. “Rawhide Ranch is a very healing place. There’s something about the place itself—these beautiful mountains, and the fresh air. But really, it’s the way Master Derek and everyone who works here has helped to buildthis place, the energy they’ve created here. The sense of absolute safety.”
“I imagine having a safe place to land was helpful after going through a divorce. Not that I’ve ever been divorced, but it sounds like it can be rough.”
“You have no idea…” she muttered quietly before trailing off. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone there. But look, here we are. And there’s my friend Reese.”
A petite blonde woman wearing bright pink cowboy boots waved at them and Claudia waved back.
“Heyyy!” Reese called out. “Come on inside where it’s warm. You must be Brody. Sadie told me you were coming today. Welcome to the Petting Zoo.”
She held out her hand as they approached the door of the big barn, and Brody shook it, then Reese turned to give Claudia a quick hug.
“Wow, this is a great setup,” Brody said, looking around at the gaily painted stall doors, each with a name plaque mounted on it. “Are the animals all friendly?”
“Sure they are!” Reese assured him. “Couldn’t be a petting zoo, otherwise. And it looks like the very demanding Alfie would really like your attention at the moment.”
A brown and white alpaca leaned over its stall door, reaching toward him with his long neck, and Brody stroked a hand over his soft cheek. “Nice to meet you, Alfie.”
“Oh, the animals are gonna love you if you’re the kind of person who will talk to them,” Reese said.
“I’ve always loved animals. I’ve rescued a few myself and want to take in more of them. I have a nice barn at my place in Colorado with some property, and I may as well put it to good use. Derek mentioned I should talk with you and your Daddy, Arlo, to find out what it takes to get a rescue set up.”
“We’d love to help in any way we can. The more animal rescues, the better,” Reese said. “Oh!” she exclaimed as a large gray parrot landed on her shoulder.
The bird took a lock of her hair in one foot and squawked, “Daddy says dinnertime!”
“This is Bossy P, my alarm clock,” she said with a giggle. “Guess I have to go. But we can definitely set up a time to chat about the rescue—I’ll tell my Daddy about it. Meanwhile, Claudia, you know your way around. Master Travis is gonna lock up here tonight, so nothing for you to worry about.”
“Of course. Go enjoy dinner with your Daddy,” Claudia said.
“I will. As long as he doesn’t make me eat broccoli.” Reese scrunched her nose for a moment, then broke into a smile again. “Have fun with the animals, Mr. Brody. Nite, Claudia.”
“’Nite, Reese,” Claudia said.
“Nice meeting you, Reese,” Brody told her. “And you, Bossy P.”
“Kiss the girl!” the parrot squawked over his shoulder.
If only he could.
Reese walked off with the parrot flapping his wings and quietly scolding her, and Brody turned to Claudia. “Okay. I’m ready for the tour.”
“Well, these are our goats, Clara and Clancy. They’re very sweet. Poor Clancy will faint at the sight of any bird, except for Bossy P, for some reason, but Clara is pretty fearless.”
Brody reached over the low stall door to scratch first one rough-furred head, then the other. “My goats are Nubians, too.”
“How many do you have?”
