Page 56 of Say it Ain’t So

“Nah,” Van told him, rubbing his thumb across his own chin, “Joss is more a German Shepherd kind of girl. Nice and big, highly trainable. The perfect dog to keep her safe.”

My cheeks warmed and I ducked my head. Van was always looking out for me, always thinking of my safety. “I’d honestly rather have a guard donkey than a dog.”

There was silence for a moment as my response sunk in. Then, as if he was worried about offending me, Kolton tilted to one side and asked Van out of the side of his mouth, “What the fuck is a guard donkey?”

Van burst out laughing, and the sound ricocheted around the entire room. He slapped his palm against the table, causing me to jump.

I jumped, right into Rylan’s side.

The man curled his hand around my hip, tugging me closer as he pressed his shoulder to mine.

“What’s a guard donkey, gorgeous?”

Rylan had a glimmer in his eyes, but they weren't filled with skepticism like Kolton’s were. Instead, it was Vegas all over again. It was him genuinely interested in every single thing that came out of my mouth.

It warmed me, that look. It made me feel like I was in a safe place.

“It’s a donkey that protects livestock. My neighbor had one and his sheep never once got attacked by coyotes.”

“Um.” Kolton cleared his throat. “Couldn’t a dog protect livestock? I mean, don’t they?”

“They can and do,” I told him, “but donkeys won’t keep you up all night barking.”

Van wiped a hand down his face, but it didn’t wipe away his smile. “She’s telling the truth. Some farmers use donkeys to protect their herds. These things are smart and fiercely loyal. They’ll chase after a threat if they have to.”

“My neighbor’s donkey saved his niece from getting attacked by a coyote,” I said with a shrug. “Another time, he woke the guy up with his braying.”

“Thought you said they didn’t keep you up at night?” Kolton said with a grin.

“Oh, he didn’t. One of their horses got his head stuck between the wires of the fence. She would have died overnight, but the donkey woke him up and led him to the horse and he was able to get her free.”

“That’s crazy!”

“They’re smart. They’re calmer than most dogs. And they⁠—”

“They shit everywhere,” Van said with a laugh.

Which only set the rest of us off.

We finished our food and ordered more drinks, then Van hustled us over to the opening of the cage.

“Ok, I’ll go first. Just watch how I do it.” He showed us how to hold the ax, then how to throw. He used both hands, pulling the ax back over his head before flinging it at the target at the other end of the cage. It didn’t hit the bullseye, but it got pretty close to the green ring around it.

Next was Kolton’s turn. Van walked him through it, adjusting his grip, talking about speed and force and a whole lot of other nonsense. Kolton missed the target eight times under Van’s brilliant instruction, a fact that Rylan didn’t let go unnoticed.

When it was his turn, Rylan didn’t give Van the time to adjust his grip. It was probably good that he didn’t. Rylan got closer to bullseye than the others, slicing through the edge of the green ring.

Finally, it was my turn. Van went monologuing again. He reached back to grab one of the extra axes so he could show me how to adjust my hold. But when he turned back, I was no longer holding the ax in my hand.

It was stuck in the target, the entire blade embedded in the bright red center ring.

“Holy shit.” Van blinked, then wiped his hand down his face and blinked again. “You hit the bullseye.”

“Sure did.” I lifted my chin, then huffed on my nails before shining them against my chest. It wasn’t until then that it hit them. All three of them turned to look at me before Van and Kolton lifted their arms and cheered. Rylan wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me against his chest as he jumped and hollered with them, as if they had gotten the bullseye on the first try.

Their laughter was contagious, their celebration filling me with so much happiness I felt like I could cry. Could life get any better than this? Friends that helped me and protected me. Who celebrated my wins and cheered me on?

I looked at Rylan, at the dark glint in his deep blue eyes.