Page 80 of Under the Mistletoe
He ran toward the far side of the barn. Jack glared at Devin a moment, like this was her fault, before he hurried after the boy.
Before she could even offer to go talk to him, the door opened again, bringing a burst of cold air and four more families. She welcomed each of them and before she could even turn away, more families appeared.
She caught Jack approaching Heather. “I think he’s hiding.”
“Give him a minute,” Heather assured her husband. “He’ll come out eventually.”
Devin wanted to go look for him, but people were arriving faster than she could greet them. Where was Logan?
She hurried to the microphone. “Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming this evening.”
The door opened again. Logan? Nope. MaryLynn.
The woman offered her a big smile and a thumbs-up as she stayed toward the back.
No pressure.
“As I have told many of you, the goats do love to be brushed and there are brushes in a bucket here by the stage, but please don’t chase them. Also, watch your purse straps and drawstrings. Those make tempting snacks for these guys.”
Laughter traveled through the crowd.
“If you want to feed carrots to the donkey or the horse”—a flash of red peeked through the crowd at the back—“the Millers will help you.” Was that Easton? “Don’t try and feed them on your own. And last…” ItwasEaston. Greyson took a step forward, and Easton used the opportunity to slide between him and the gate. “Easton?—”
The word was sharp, but it was too late. The latch was now open, and the gate swung wide. Hamilton wasted no time. He sprinted for the open gate, knocking Easton out of his way as he went. Once in the crowd, the sheep put his head down and rammed right into the side of MaryLynn. Mr. Miller ran across the barn, but the animal managed to headbutt Vicky and kick Roman before Mr. Miller got him under control and back in the pen.
Devin hurried off the stage. Vicky was crying, but Roman concerned her more. Both children had been knocked over, but the kick had caught Roman in the head, leaving a gaping two-inch wound. Luke held him to his chest, pressing a sweatshirt to his head. The words he whispered into Roman’s ear were gentle, but his expression was anything but. He spoke to Hannah in a low tone. “We need to take him in.”
She gathered the other kids with quiet efficiency.
Devin stepped up close, but what could she do? “I am so sorry.”
“Accidents happen.” But Luke didn’t look at her, his lips pressed into a thin line. He wrapped his coat around Roman and hurried toward the car.
“We need to go too.” Mrs. Smith walked up, holding Vicky. “I think she’s all right, but she’s shaken, and I’m not strong enough to hold her much longer.”
After that, all the families slowly left until it was just the Millers, MaryLynn, Greyson, and her. She walked over to MaryLynn. “Are you okay?”
The woman’s hair was disheveled, and straw stuck to her pea coat. “I’ll live, I’m just bruised. But I’m not sure you understand how bad this was. If that couple sues?—”
“They won’t.” At least she didn’t think Luke and Hannah would. Then again, she’d never seen Luke look that angry.
“I’m sorry, I can’t just take your word. I told you this event was a bad idea.” She drew a slow breath. Then let it out. “This is just the type of thing the board needed to shut the program down.”
Devin swallowed against her dry throat. “So you’re moving me back to Detroit?”
MaryLynn flinched. “That may have been an option before. But after this…Listen, if it were just up to me, I’d give you another chance. But I know the board, and they’ll want to show we have taken action to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”
“Taken action?” As in firing her. Her blood ran cold.
“If you submit your resignation to me by tomorrow, I can offer a reference.” The woman seemed to be holding back her own emotions. “If we wait until the board meets again the first week of January, I am positive you will be fired.”
Everything in her wanted to fight, to argue that it was an accident. But MaryLynn was right. She had known the risks and taken them anyway. Now she had to pay for it. Devin blinked away a tear. “I’ll get it to you tomorrow.”
MaryLynn hugged her, then winced. “I think I need to go get ice on this hip.”
As soon as the door shut behind MaryLynn, Devin’s hands began to shake. She’d done it again. Overdid and made a mess of things. Roman was hurt, Vicky was hurt, and she no longer had a job. And it could have been so much worse.
“Hey.” Greyson’s voice was right next to her. “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.”
