Clara sniffed Palmer’s hand before taking a tiny nibble of the feed.
Palmer blinked. She wasn’t entirely sure she liked the feeling of the goat’s teethies brushing her palm. It was kind of a yucky feeling. Palmer thought that might be how Little girls lost fingers.
Before she could decide if feeding goats was safe or extremely dangerous, another goat leapt off a tall, brightly colored jungle gym in the pen and came racing toward them. It bumped Clara aside with its head.
“Clancy, that is not nice!” Reese scolded.
Palmer frowned at the rude goat. “You needa say sorry,” she mumbled, bending her hand down to give Clara a little more food.
Clancy bleated loudly, completely ignoring the lecture, and hopped away like nothing had happened. Palmer narrowed her eyes. Naughty goat.
Soon Palmer and Beau were following Reese through more of the petting zoo, giggling as she met the other animals. She visited a group of clucking chickens that pecked Beau’s pants, petted a fluffy sheep, and even spotted a very fancy peacock named Percy.
Percy stood tall with shimmering blue, green, and even some yellow feathers. The large bird watched everyone with a very serious expression. Palmer hadn’t formally introduced herselfto Percy. Judging by the way he was staring at her he seemed maybe not so friendly.
Beau and Palmer spent the most time with the cows. Stella was Palmer’s favorite. Her hair was so soft, and Palmer loved petting her warm nose. Stella leaned into every pet like her life depended on it. Stella’s cow friends, Elsa and Anna, were just as friendly.
Palmer giggled every time they nudged her arm with their noses, demanding more pets or some of the goat food she still carried.
“They have on their bossy pants,” Palmer said, laughing as Stella nudged her arm again.
“They just know a good petter when they find one,” Beau replied.
After a while, Reese walked over with a smile.
“Would you like to hold a piglet?”
Palmer’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes please!” She wouldabsolutelylove to hold a pig.
She and Beau followed Reese toward a pen near the back of the petting zoo.
“You can sit on the bench and I’ll bring them to you,” Reese explained. “They’re really fast!”
Palmer settled onto the bench, her tummy flipping with excitement as she waited.
A moment later, Reese returned carrying two tiny squirming piglets. She carefully placed one into Palmer’s arms and the other into Beau’s.
Palmer looked down at the little pig in surprise.
“This piggie is not soft,” she said matter-of-factly. The piglet was covered in thick, bristly hair. Palmer had been pretty sure piglets would feel like kittens.
Reese and Beau both chuckled.
“No,” Reese explained kindly, “they have coarse hair to help with thermoregulation. It helps keep them warm in colder temperatures.”
“Oh.” Well that made sense. She didn’t want the piggie to be cold.
Palmer snuggled the piglet close to her chest anyway. The little pig wiggled happily in her arms.
She turned to look at Beau. “I think he likes you,” she said when the piglet in Beau’s arms began rooting enthusiastically in his shirt.
Beau chuckled. “I think so too.”
Palmer nodded seriously. “Maybe because he knows you’re a good Daddy.”
Beau’s eyes softened, growing a little misty.
“Thank you, pretty baby,” he said gently. “Those words make my heart so happy.”
