Page 87 of The Moment They Can't Forget

“My guess is it was a man who mistreated her. You can’t just speak to her like you would people. She needs you to croon.”

“I never croon and don’t actually think I’m capable.”

“Do you want to have a relationship with your donkey or not?”

He gave in and approached slowly. “Hey, Potato,” he said in a voice he’d never used before.

“That’s it. Now come and stand beside me.”

He did as Zoe directed and could smell her scent.Focus, JD.“Run your hand down her neck and sing softly.”

“What? No way am I giving you that kind of ammunition over me. It will be all over town by nightfall.”

She started singing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” in a sweet voice. “Join in,” Zoe said between verses.

“You’re not serious.”

She shot him a look that told him she was. He started singing, keeping his voice as soft as he could. His hand was stroking his donkey’s neck.

“She’s relaxing even with your terrible singing,” Zoe whispered, easing back. “You step into my place.”

He did as she said. Brushing against her body, he ignored the zap of heat and kept singing as Potato pressed her forehead into his chest. JD braced himself for the bite that was coming, but to his surprise, it didn’t.

“JD, someone mistreated her,” Zoe said. “She needs to learn to trust you. Yes, you’ve given her a home and food, but the trust part takes time.”

“The others are okay with me, but she’s always hated me,” he said.

“When you come and see her, behave like you are now, and she’ll respond. As you can see, she already is. Your normal voice is too deep, and it scares her.”

Well, hell, if only he’d figured that out sooner.

JD watched Zoe slowly back away and out of the stall, but he didn’t move. Just stayed there with the little donkey and sang. The emotion in his chest was real. He loved his animals way more than some people he knew, and it had always hurt that Potato didn’t like him, even if he never showed it.

This, her close to him, was like winning the goddamned lottery, and he had Zoe Duke to thank. Well, fuck. He needed no more reasons to like that woman.

Looking at the door, he noted she’d gone. Would she get Ally and go now? He hated how much that thought bothered him.

“She’s trouble for me, Potato, and the hell of it is, I’m not sure what to do about it,” he whispered to the donkey as he stroked behind her ears. “Any advice?” The animal just sighed, totally relaxed.

After feeding Potato every piece of dehydrated turnip in his pockets and not getting bitten once, he opened the door wider and let her out.

“You go on out to the paddock now,” he said in his normal voice that had her ears going back. “Please,” he added in a softer tone. “Good girl.”

She trotted past him and toward the stable doors.

“Well, hell,” he muttered, shaking his head. It seemed Zoe Duke was indeed an animal whisperer.

He found her leaning over the stall with Vi on one side and Ally on her other.

“So this is Cabbage,” Ally was saying.

“She’s a Limousin cow. Ms. Jonas said,” Vi added.

“She’s the new vet, right?” Zoe asked.

JD ran his eyes up her long legs, seeing as she wasn’t looking at him. The worn shorts molded to that curvy ass of hers.

“JD said she arrived in the back seat of Bart’s car,” Ally added. “Apparently she wandered into town, and no one knew where from, so he brought her here.”

---