I narrowed my eyes at him. “Your support is confusing.”
He shrugged. “I like the guy. He’s quiet. He listens. He doesn’t flinch when the zebra escapes.”
“That’s a low bar,” I muttered.
“Exactly. And if he said three days, he’ll be back in three days.” Liam pointed at me and wandered out of the lodge.
Something warm curled in my chest. He believed it. So did Mom. So did Violet and Fiona, judging by the way they’d softened into gentle, knowing smiles.
I let the warmth linger for a moment.
Then, because fate had impeccable comedic timing, the lodge front door slammed shut hard enough to rattle the kitchen windows.
We all jumped.
I turned toward the hallway just in time to hear heavy footsteps and a panicked voice calling out—
“Um, Sienna? You might want to come outside!”
It was Liam.
His tone was wrong. Urgent. Unsteady. Not the usual “I found a weird bug you need to come admire” tone.
I moved before thinking, nearly tripping over my own shoes as I hurried through the hall and out onto the front porch.
The sky was bright. Birds chirped. Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
Liam stood at the bottom of the steps, hands braced on his hips, eyes fixed on something I couldn’t yet see.
“What happened?” I called, descending the steps toward him. “What’s going on?”
He didn’t answer right away.
He just pointed.
I followed his gaze up the small hill toward the rescue animals.
And that’s when I saw it.
My pulse spiked. “Is that—?”
Mom and Dad appeared behind me; Violet and Fiona rushed onto the porch.
Beck cursed under his breath.
Louie the goat trotted proudly toward us.
Which… was not unusual.
But thething dangling from his mouthdefinitely was.
“Is he—” Fiona squinted. “Is Louie carrying… underwear?”
I blinked. “Those are boxer briefs.”
Beck leaned forward. “Are thoseCarson’sboxer briefs?”
