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He shrugs. “I don’t know about that, but you hurt her, I’ll hurt you.”
“Got it. Can you just promise me whatever you’re about to do to Barley isn’t going to hurt him?”
Jared’s whole demeanor changes. “The procedure is simple and quick. Since the goat is an adult, I’m going to perform a surgical castration. He’ll need to be sedated and you’ll need to keep an eye on him and prevent him from injuring himself for several days after the procedure. Do you have a way to separate him from the other goat?”
My own testicles ache in sympathy. “He has a kennel I can lock him in, but he’s not going to like being separated from Begonia.”
Jared frowns. “He’s currently with the female goat? For how long?”
“A few days.”
“It’s highly likely she’s already pregnant, but I won’t be able to tell for a few weeks. You have a plan for baby goats?”
I can’t help smiling at the thought of tiny little versions of Begonia and Barley frolicking around the play area. Immediately, sadness at the thought of leaving them all behind when I go back on tour overwhelms me. “I can handle it.”
He looks me up and down and shakes his head. “Why don’t you introduce me to Barley?”
He whistles appreciatively when I lead him around back and he sees the play area and the kennels. “Fancy.”
“Barley’s the brown and white one curled up on the swing. His kennel is the one closest to the house.”
“Got it.” Jared lets himself into the play area and closes the gate. He pauses and points at the flashing red light of the camera. “Get any predators out here?”
“Not yet. But the camera and the alarm seemed like a good idea.”
“What are you going to do if you spot a bear breaking down the fence to get at your goats?”
“I have bear spray.”
“Coyotes and bobcats are more likely to attack goats, but it’s rare.”
“Good to know.”
He nods. “You probably want to wait in the house or around front. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
“Yeah.” I can’t seem to move. “That’s probably a good idea.”
Jared crosses over to Barley on the swing and lifts the little goat like he weighs nothing, carrying him into the back half of the kennel where a wall blocks my view.
“Come on, tough guy,” a sweet voice says. “Let’s go inside.”
I turn to see Honey, in shorts and a midriff baring tank top, her long hair down and loose. “What are you doing here?”
“We have treasure hunting plans. Plus, Clover told me Jared would be out here early.” Her mouth twists. “Thanks for spilling the beans about me hanging out here, by the way.”
“She figured it out as soon as I told her about Begonia.”
She links her arm through mine and pulls me away from the fence and around the side of the house. “You should have told her she was wrong, Mac. You should have told her you adopted Begonia from someone who had to move away and couldn’t take care of her or something.”
“Huh. That would have been a good idea.”
She slaps my shoulder gently and lets us into my house.
“Wow,” she says. “Were you robbed?”
I focus in on the interior of my home and see it through her eyes. I didn’t clean up from dinner last night, because I wasn’t in the mood. One of the wonderful things about living alone and never having visitors is that I don’t have to clean if I don’t feel like it.
I also fell asleep on the couch reading, got hot in the middle of the night, and left my peeled-off clothes on the floor.
