Concentrating, she grabbed on even though Hutch hadn’t let go.
Once Brett secured the paper bags filled with caramel apples, we set on our way.
Abigail gave meyou are soooooooo gonna spilleyes.
To avoid that, I scurried ahead and fell in step by Hutch and Emma.
“How’s the rescue tent going?”I asked.
“With this crowd, we’re gonna run out of organic treats,” he replied.
“Any adoptions?”
“We brought four cats and six dogs.So far, the board has thirteen applications to go through tonight, which means at least three are gonna be disappointed.But we hope they’ll hit the shelter and try again.”
I smiled at him.
His head shifted the barest hint in a manner I got the impression his eyes behind his shades were resting on my mouth.
“Six doggies?”Emma butted in, thankfully before I did something stupid, like jumped him so I could try out that mustache.
She’d given up on the skipping and was now doing weird little kid lunges to propel herself forward, still with her hand clenched to Hannibal’s leash.
“Mr.Hutch is the president of the board at an animal rescue and wildlife sanctuary,” I told Emma.
Abigail and Brett were herding Liam on the other side of Emma and Hannibal.I was on the opposite side of Hutch.So I caught Abigail leaning forward and nonverbally communicating the threat to strap me into the iron maiden until she got the skinny on how I knew Hutch’s dog was named after a Carthaginian general and he was president of the board of a rescue and sanctuary.
“Sang-you-wary?”Emma asked.
“It’s where they keep dogs and cats safe until their forever families can come and pick them up,” I explained.“It’s also where they take care of hurt wildlife, like owls and eagles and moose and wolverines.”
Emma froze mid-lunge, looked up to Hutch and shouted, “I wanna see a moose!”
“That can be arranged,” Hutch told her.
Getting her way got her moving again.
“You save animals?”Liam asked quietly.
“Do my best, bud.Though, for the hurt ones, we got people with special training who take care of bones and wings and hooves and all that stuff,” Hutch answered.
“Whoa,” Liam whispered as hero worship went into overdrive.
“Don’t look at me.Nothing to see here.I just released a swimmer who made it all the way,” Brett muttered good-naturedly.
Abigail poked him in the ribs with her elbow.
Hutch looked to Abigail and Brett.“We do tours.It’s safe.All the animals are in pens.It’s up at Stony Bluff.”
“Think I heard of that,” Brett said.
“Can we go, Dad?”Liam asked.
Brett smiled at his son.“Sure, kid.”
His mom’s grin split Liam’s face ear to ear.
“Bazgetball!”Emma hollered, let the leash go, and zigged and zagged through people to get to the basketball hoop, run by, you guessed it, the MPHS basketball team.
