Adley perks up at the idea. “I love that. We could attract some bees, hummingbirds, and little lizards.”
“The dogs may want to make them a snack,” Ezra warns humorously.
Adley gasps in horror. “Not my babies!” She scratches the sides of Nikki’s neck, and the little black dog leans into every scritch, loving it.
Jasper sits up in his lounge chair, phone in hand. “Oh, shit.” He looks up at us with wide eyes. “One of my old sponsors from the league wants to donate to the sanctuary and help expand it.” He looks at his phone. “The CEO is approaching ninety, and he has several horses and dogs.” He looks back up, his expression as shocked as I feel. “He wants to send a small news crew down to do a tour, maybe feature some pets and talk about our plans, and the app and stuff.”
Adley’s mouth gapes, her eyes blink rapidly. “That’s…” She swallows. “Wow.”
Jasper looks unsure. “We don’t have to say yes, Ads. We can wait until we’ve settled in and you’re sure about what you want to do for the rest of the property.”
Her head shakes before he’s finished speaking. “We can’t miss out on this opportunity.” She looks at Ezra. “Would you be willing to help with the equine expansion and take on more horses if we get more help?”
He gives her that rugged, crooked grin that I kind of envy. “Sure thing, cowgirl. Just keep the news crews away from me when they come out. I’d rather not have my mug on the TV.”
What he says is a bit sobering.
My pack brother doesn’t feel free, and that hurts.
“We’ll keep you hidden, if that’s what you want.”
Ezra looks at Jasper and gives an affirmative nod, which Jasper mirrors in response.
“Okay, so we’re doing this, then.” Jasper stands and starts heading toward the house. “I’ll get on a call with him and make arrangements.”
Remy jumps up onto Ezra’s lap and curls her body comfortably. Crooze and Bat run around the agility course equipment, just having fun, not following any of the so-called rules. Odin has Jasper’s chair all to himself—and his little blue fuzzy toy—and Dini has perched herself at the very top of one of the cat trees, on top of the little hidey-hole instead of inside.
A little tap on my knee draws my attention to Danko, who’s looking up at me with big, puppy-dog eyes. He’s sporting a fancy bandanna around his neck today, and I can’t help but grin as I reach down and pick him up. He curls up in my lap pretty quickly, lets out a big sigh, and closes his eyes.
It’s easy to see that all the animals are becoming more comfortable with our living arrangements.
“I’m going to start taking some animal behavior courses. Learn about training and how to spot something before it happens. Especially if we’re going to be bringing in more animals.”
I smile at Adley. “That’s a great idea.”
“I’d like to go with you.” Ezra gently pets Remy in his lap as he speaks. “I want to learn, too. And if there are any courses about the other animals we might bring in, let’s take them.”
“You already know so much about horses.”
“Well, sure, but there’s Gator. I’m sure there’s more I can learn about mini donkeys. And who knows?” A little glimmer sparkles in his eye. “Maybe one day we’ll have more kinds of animals. Like alpacas or goats or something.”
Oh boy. The look of sheer devilish joy in Adley’s eyes tells me that we’re going to have a menagerie soon enough.
Chapter Thirty
“So, Ms. Pepper, this sanctuary has no association with your family?”
“Not my immediate family, no. This sanctuary was created by my uncle before I was born. I spent every summer here growing up, learned a lot from him. And the animals.” She smiles sweetly like an absolute pro in front of the camera.
The Beta interviewer is eating it up.
“Because I knew so much about the place and how to run it, my uncle decided to leave the business to me. He trusted that I’d take care of his legacy, which is exactly what I plan to do with Springer's Sanctuary.”
“That’s very noble, Ms. Pepper. Now, I need to ask, why is it you’re seeking donations for this place when your family is so affluent?”
Never mind. I’m going to snap this guy’s neck.
“The Pepper family has nothing to do with this pet sanctuary. This is my and my pack’s project alone.”
