Page 86 of Talk Wicked to Me

“Please tell me you didn’t give cookies to the animals and get one of them sick,” Reese said.

“Like I would ever do that?” Lettie glowered at her as Zeke joined them. “Would you tell her that I didn’t feed the animals cookies?”

“She’d never do that,” Zeke said. “But she is feeding an old goat who can’t have sugar.”

“You’re feeding cookies to Chewy?” Emerson asked.

“Not that old goat.” Zeke arched a brow at Lettie. “Are you going to tell them, or am I?”

Lettie rolled her eyes. “I gave Grandpa Mike a few cookies. He begged me to. You know they don’t give him any treats at that darn place where he’s living.”

“Lettie.” Reese exhaled, exasperated. “You’re even starting to sound like him.”

Zeke shook his head. “That’s because he coached her on what to say.”

Lettie looked away.

“I already gave Mike a bag of sugar-free snickerdoodles,” Emerson said.

“He said they fell out of the bag and he had to throw them away,” Lettie said. “I felt bad for him.”

“He lied, Lettie,” Zeke said.

“I’m not a child. I know when someone is lying,” Lettie insisted. “And he wasn’t.”

Reese tilted her head, her tone gentle. “Did you forget that he’s the same man who taught you how to cheat at poker, and your takeaway was that having a poker face was everything?”

Lettie kicked at the grass with the toe of her sneaker. “Maybe.”

“It’s okay.” Zeke patted her shoulder. “Just don’t let him fool you again. Too much sugar can make him sick.”

Lettie’s eyes narrowed. “Fool me again? Ha. I’m going to give him a piece of my mind.”

“Lettie,” Reese warned.

“I’ll be respectful,” she promised. “Oh, there’s Blaine! I need to talk to him.” She snagged a cookie from the table and ran toward Blaine.

“Lettie Wilder!” Reese called after her, and Lettie turned around. “Don’t you dare!”

Lettie grinned and took off in Blaine’s direction.

Reese huffed out a breath. “She’s going to be the death of me.”

“I’ve got her.” Zeke went after her.

“What’s that about?” Emerson asked.

“Lettie’s campaigning to adopt another dog,” Reese explained.

“Didn’t you say you have two?”

“Yes,” Reese said. “And we were only supposed to have one. If it were up to Lettie, we’d adopt every dog Gunner and Sid ever find, and as much of a bulldozer as Blaine is, he’s got a soft spot for my sister. That’s why we have two dogs. I can just see more dogs popping up one at a time until we’re overrun by four-legged family members.”

Emerson laughed. “I have to admit, I understand why she wants them all. I want them all, but I can’t handle any more than I have.”

“Where is Ollie today?”

“Playing with his friends in Gunner and Sid’s backyard. He loves their dogs.”