Page 14 of A Cozy Holiday
He throws open the side door leading into the barn.
“Wow. It’s massive,” I gawk.
“Nearly five thousand square feet,” he says, a hint of pride in his voice.
It’s rectangular, with long rows of wooden stalls running down each side and wide sliding doors at both ends. In the back, stacks of hay bales rise two cars tall beside a small gear room and an office with the faint glow of a lamp spilling through its window.
It’s toastier than I expected inside. A heater hums in the rafters, filling the air with a soft mechanical lull.
A spacious pen takes up the center. A group of reindeer munches on alfalfa. All twenty of them turn to stare at me with their beady, curious eyes.
They’re leaner and smaller than the horses that tromp around Central Park, but still solidly built for cold, with broadchests and thick, shaggy coats that shift in shades of gray, brown, and cream as they move. A few have antlers so wide they could probably knock over a subway turnstile without trying.
The air is thick with the scent of hay and manure, and oddly, I find it almost comforting. It smells like life.
An unpleasant crawling sensation prickles the back of my neck.Are all of these animals going to be killed today?
“Usually, the herd roams in the pasture out back for the winter, but these guys have come down with some kind of stomach bug. I’ve kept her away from the herd, worried that she’d contract it. Was gonna ask for your help, but…”
He’sguilt-trippingme because I want to leave on account of him catfishing me?
True, if I leave, these reindeer might be left without proper care, but it’s not my responsibility.
A low belting comes from a nearby stall, pulling my attention away from my internal morality debate.
“She’s in here,” he says.
“What’s her name?” I ask, coming up behind his broad shoulders.
“Arrietty.”
I approach Arrietty, hand outstretched, as Jamie watches from the entrance. She stands at the back of the pen over a pile of hay, nostrils flaring curiously as she sniffs me.
She’s tall—easily waist-high on me, with powerful shoulders and legs. I’d bet she’s close to three hundred pounds. Two slender antlers curl away from her skull, sweeping more toward her back than out wide. Their tips are dull but still lethal. Far more intimidating than the house cats that usually purr under my touch.
“Hi, Mama,” I say softly, petting her snout. “I’m Joy. We’re gonna get you through this, okay?”
She blinks at me. Her long, elegant eyelashes give her an adorably thoughtful, almost doll-like expression.
“She’s a sweetheart,” Jamie adds.
I begin the routine check. Cautiously moving to her side, I press gently against her warm, round belly.Her fur is a soft, earthy brown, darker around her muzzle and legs, coarse on top but surprisingly silky underneath.
I lift her short tail carefully. “She’s not dilated. Let me go grab my stethoscope, and I’ll come back.”
“Oh, Cathy left you her bag in case you needed it.” Jamie hands me a leather bag that’s tearing at the seams. I pull out a stethoscope that is yellowed with earwax. I grimace and clean the rubber pieces as best I can.
I bend at the knees and press the cold metal to Arrietty’s chest, listening to her heartbeat. She shifts, chewing cud with a soft huff. “All good there,” I murmur, then crouch a little lower. “She won’t kick me, right?”
“Never has before. She grew up at a petting zoo, so she’s very well behaved.”
I hesitate, then move the stethoscope to her belly. “Any chance Cathy left behind an ultrasound machine?”
“Nope,” Jamie replies, rubbing his mustache. “Funds have always been nonexistent since we are a sanctuary and all.”
“A sanctuary?” I ask, whirling around to face him.
“Yes?” He stares at me. “You didn’t think I was eating these guys, did you?”
