Page 103 of The Nanny and the Beefcake
“The donkey,” Sebastian cried. “You’ve got a pack burro in your trailer, don’t you?”
“Notadonkey, young man. We’ve gottwopack burros,” the woman answered.
“Two!” Sebastian exclaimed like he’d won the donkey lottery.
“Yes, their names are Beefcake and Sugarplum, but we call the female Plum. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you,” the man explained, returning his hat to his head.
“Beefcake and Plum are donkeys?” Raz repeated.
Good idea to double check.
The old man shared a look with his white-haired companion. The pair looked close in age and shared similar features, and again, she had the feeling she’d seen them somewhere.
“These city folk are never that quick on the uptake, are they, Maud?” the man mused.
The woman waved off the surly cowboy’s comment. “Yes, Beefcake and Plum are donkeys. I’m Maud. I left a note for you. My brother Bob and I run the Rickety Rock Donkey Rescue Ranch. I told you we’d be by. Thanks to the livestream, we knew you’d arrived.”
“This is being livestreamed?” Libby exclaimed, then glanced over her shoulder at the myriad of reporters holding up their phones.
Raz leaned over, his breath warm against the shell of her ear. “It’s because of the upcoming fight. Anytime there’s press or even someone with a mobile, it’s safe to say it’s being livestreamed,” he explained with an apologetic bend to his whispered words.
She nodded. “Good to know.”
“And that’s the problem,” Bob announced, his features hardening.
“What’s the problem?” Briggs pressed.
“There are too many people here. We don’t want to spook Beefcake and Plum. You only have one chance to make a first impression on a donkey.”
“Is that true?” Raz asked.
“Donkeys are smart animals, Dad,” Sebastian chimed. “They can remember things that happened to them for lots and lots of years. If they get scared now and think you’re dangerous or unfriendly, they may not want to race with you.”
“So, the donkeys have to like us to run with us?” she asked the boy.
Sebastian nodded. “Yep, if they trust you, they’ll do what you want. They’re happiest when they are part of a group and when you run with them, you sayhup, hupif you want them to go faster.”
“I see someone has been reading up on pack burros,” Maud said with a tip of her hat to the child.
Sebastian beamed. “I’ve got three books on donkeys, and I can’t wait to meet them. I know about their eyes and what they eat.” The boy surveyed the crowd. “I’ll take care of the people with cameras so the donkeys can come out,” Sebastian said with his hands on his hips and a crease to his brow.
“What’s he doing?” Raz asked.
Libby shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Sebastian ran over to one of the larger boulders and climbed on top. “May I have your attention?”
Libby startled. Ten days ago, Sebastian was skittish about a playdate at the park. Now, he was corralling reporters.
“It’s time for the press conference to end and for you to go home so I can meet my new donkeys,” the boy called. “When donkeys are introduced to a new environment, they need it to be calm so they can acclimate. The wordacclimatemeans to get used to their new home. I read that in a book about donkeys. So, as my granny Fin would say, off you go, you dodgy plonkers.”
“The lad can take charge,” Raz commented as the hint of a grin pulled at the corners of his mouth.
Was that pride in Raz’s voice?
Her heart was ready to burst with affection, like what she felt for her brothers. But this feeling was different. It harkened to a deep devotion she’d never experienced.
“We’ve got quite a kid,” she replied, and oh, no! What had she said?
