“Come on, Peaches,” Charlie whines. “Work with me here. I can’t have Heath stroll in and roast me for losing a standoff with a farm animal.”
She lost it when Briar mentioned Heath would be tagging along. I had to remind her that he’s bringing one of his trailers, so we need his help.
The plan is to get Daisy and Peaches to Mr. Grady’s old property behind mine, where the guys will have the trailer waiting. The place has been abandoned for over a decade, and with open pastures on every side except the back, there’s no chance anyone will spot us at this hour.
Walker and Heath have graciously offered to keep the animals in one of the storage sheds at Silver Saddle Ranch. It’s one only they have access to, so the animals will be safe until I can figure out a long-term solution. There’s no way I’ll be able to bring them back here as long as Mrs. Bixby is snooping around.
“Try giving Peaches a cucumber slice,” I suggest.
I focus back on Daisy, running my hand along her neck to guide her while holding a cucumber in front of her with my other hand. She limps along, stopping every few steps to nibble on her snack before hobbling forward again.
“There you go,” I coo when we finally reach the exit.
Charlie sighs as she plucks a cucumber slice from the bag I gave her earlier. Peaches has a habit of trying to eat fruits andvegetables whole, so I have to cut them up to prevent her from choking.
Peaches takes a cautious sniff of the cucumber, letting out a disgruntled snort and tossing her head, rejecting the offending vegetable with all the drama of a diva.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Charlie huffs, narrowing her eyes at me. “You couldn’t have brought better treats to bribe her with? No sane animal would move an inch for a sad little cucumber.” She waves the bag of slices in the air for emphasis.
“She didn’t mean that,” I tell Daisy, patting her on the head. “Enjoying a healthy snack is nothing to be ashamed of.” As if in agreement, she sneaks another bite of her favorite treat.
At least one of the animals is cooperating.
Charlie drops the lead rope and sidles up to Peaches’s backside, giving her a light tap. When she doesn’t budge, Charlie presses both hands on her hindquarters and nudges again, but Peaches stays put.
“Oh, for crying out loud,” Charlie exclaims. “Can’t you see we’re trying to save your ass?”
I let out a mock gasp. “Stop insulting Peaches. She’s sensitive to being called names.”
Charlie stands straight, throwing her hands in the air. “You do realize she’s a literal ass, right?”
Briar chuckles from the doorway beside Daisy, shrugging when I shoot her a pointed look. “What? She’s not wrong.” She reaches her hand out for the half-eaten cucumber in my hand. “Why don’t I take Daisy and start walking over to Mr. Grady’s property while you two work on getting Peaches out?”
“That’s a good idea,” I agree, handing it over.
She pulls a flashlight from her pocket and clicks it on, slowly making her way to the back of my lot with Daisy trailing behind, her emotional support cucumber dangling in sight.
Unfortunately, when I return to the shed, Charlie hasn’t made any headway with Peaches. At this rate, we’ll still be here when my dad rolls in tomorrow morning, and he’ll have no choice but to take them away. All the effort that I put into saving them will have been for nothing. But before I can spiral further, Charlie moves in front of Peaches and kneels on the ground.
I furrow my brow. “Uh, Charlie… what are you doing?”
“Peaches and I are going to have a little chat, woman to woman, so she understands the severity of her situation,” Charlie replies, cupping the sides of Peaches’s face. “Here’s the deal, buttercup. If you don’t let us get you out of here, the sheriff will have to take you away, and who knows where you’ll end up. You love your warm blankets, head scratches, and all the treats you could ever want, right?” She pauses like she expects Peaches to respond. “Okay, so the treats are subpar, but we have to cut Birdie some slack. She’s a vegetarian, so she’s not exactly a culinary connoisseur,” she adds in a conspiratorial whisper.
“Hey, I heard that,” I interject.
Charlie glances over her shoulder, grinning. “I’m just being honest. She deserves to know what she’s signing up for if she stays long-term.”
“She’s been here a year. If that’s not long-term, I don’t know what is.”
“Peaches still reserves the right to change her—”
She’s cut off by Heath’s deep voice rumbling as he enters the shed and moves past me to stand behind her. “If you were that keen to get on your knees for me, all you had to do was ask, Charlie.” His gaze is dark and unyielding.
“Of course you couldn’t cooperate beforehegot here,” she mutters, motioning accusingly at Peaches as she stands to brush off her tights.
I step out of Heath’s way, not wanting to be caught in the middle of whatever is going on between him and Charlie.
“Even if I was on my knees, you’d be the one begging, cowboy,” Charlie quips.
