He's Got Her Goat (28 page)

“Something like that.” He pocketed the gym keys and slid the car into gear. “Tomorrow it is.” Sterling peeled out onto the highway, not caring how fast he went. It was time to get home and do what he came here to do.

Chapter Thirty-Four

P
AIGE SPENT THE AFTERNOON
in her element. Between the things she bought from Jerry’s and what was in the kitchen cupboards, she was set. The Kellers even had an entire closet filled with quilts for insulating the baked bars. Sterling’s mom had used wooden crates from the barn as molds and had sliced the large flats into bars with a wire tool. Paige figured she could quadruple her production in the same amount of time with the new shape and procedure.

While she baked, Austin poked in and out, telling her about the innovations he had made in tracking the goats and how he had used bailing twine to give them makeshift collars. He squinted his eyes as he said, “Don’t be mad, but I micro-dotted the twine.” He bit his lip and waited.

“That’s fine.” If she hadn’t prohibited him from doing that in the first place, it could have saved her a boatload of grief. “Is Sterling helping you?”

“He said he was busy. That’s why I’m not working on the milking station. I’ve got the design down but need a mechanical engineer to do the labor.”

“Sterling’s busy doing what?”

“I think he’s sulking.” Austin headed to the back door. “He took off this morning with the truck.”

Paige supposed he found out how his dad had got her the supplies and wasn’t happy about it. Did he expect her to sit around all day thanking him or maybe another trip to Make-out Meadow? She gritted her teeth as she poured her third batch in the mold. “We’ll need to milk the goats in the next hour. Could you start sterilizing those jars, so we can use them?”

Austin balked. “I’m almost done with this next subroutine. Can you give me another ten minutes, boss?”

“I’ll cover it.” Sterling stood at the back door, wearing his city clothes.

She looked out the window and saw the Lexus in the driveway. So he went back to Portland. He hadn’t spoken to her all day, and he never did apologize. She thought back to their time together in make-out meadow. He never did promise her anything. Is there a single phrase in the English language more noncommittal than, "I want us to be together?” That’s what he'd said. No time commitment, not even a definite meaning. She couldn’t read more into this relationship than was really there.

While he filled the sink with soapy water, she stuck the thermometer in the cooking pot one more time before combining the lye mixture with the oil, which turned golden. As she folded the two liquids together, Sterling walked up behind her.

“None of the soaps I worked with were that color. Did you do something wrong?”

“No, it’s a new recipe I’m trying.” Paige continued to stir, waiting for the chemical reaction called trace that would cause the soap to thicken like pudding. “It’s made with a little mint from the herb garden out back and daffodil powder.”

He chuckled and returned to the sink.

She wanted to ask him what that was about, but the soap was ready to be poured in the waiting wooden crate and wrapped in a quilt until the next day.

As she tipped the pan, Sterling’s dad let the screen door bang behind him. He had a shotgun in his hand. “Quick, Sterling, Austin, we’ve got to go help Jack Wilkes down the road. Two calves have been killed on his property. We think it’s a big cat. Move ‘em on out!”

Austin quickly saved what he was doing, shut his computer lid and leapt to his feet. Sterling draped an arm across her shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He touched his lips to hers and darted out the door.

Alone in the kitchen, Paige couldn’t believe that one small kiss could take her from frustrated to flustered so quickly. She ran a hand across her mouth. Okay, she could admit she was attracted to him, but could she really trust him? For all she knew, he’d spent the afternoon with Elaine.

AFTER CLEANING UP
, eating supper alone and milking the goats single handedly, Paige began to worry about the men. She decided to make one more batch of soap to take her mind off of it. She had never had the ability to do more than two sets of 24 in Vancouver because that was all the tins she had. With the apple crates stacked to the ceiling, the only thing holding her back now was the amount of milk she had. It was freeing to see the last drip get used. With her buck, King, now returned, she could breed him with some Nubians and be able to expand much faster than she had previously hoped. Sterling’s suggestion to streamline came to mind, and she looked forward to using the wire cutter to slice the bars instead of using the mold. The only other problem she hadn’t tackled was how to wrap the finished product, but she was so tired by the time she finished the next batch, she decided that was a mountain she’d climb another day.

Her gaze flit to the clock. It was after midnight, and the men weren’t home yet. She hoped they were alright. She reached for the last quilt. It was green with small yellow flowers like the one on her bed back home. She smiled as she folded it across her second crate of daffodil soap. Though uncertain if the ancient Japanese claims were true about its healing properties, the soap seemed to glow with sunshine and had a mellow, pleasant scent that comforted her.

A high-pitched squeal echoed in the distance. At first Paige thought it must be a trucker applying worn brakes on the highway, but as the sound grew, so did her concern. From the house she could hear the goats becoming restless. A shadow raced across the yard and then another. It looked like coyotes.

Paige knew what to do. Usually, it didn’t take much to scare them away. A flashlight or clapping pans together was enough. She'd been through most of the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen and hadn’t come across any flashlights, but she had plenty of pans—all dirty, but they’d work. Grabbing two large aluminum bread bowls, she ran from the house screaming at the top of her lungs and thwacking the bottoms together with a clang that would put the cymbals of an orchestra to shame. By the time she got to the barn, she saw three fleeing, doglike shadows. King was prancing around the outside of the clustered nannies, pawing at the ground and rearing.

“It’s okay, boy,” she said breathlessly.

From behind her a gunshot rang out, and a man’s voice yelled, “Get outta here, ya filthy varmints!”

Paige was bathed in relief.

Mr. Keller rounded the corner with a rifle at his hip and Sterling at his side, also with a shotgun. His dad headed for the outside of the barn, checking the perimeter, while Sterling hurried to her side. “Are the goats alright?”

“I think so,” Paige said. “What took you so long?”

“We were following their tracks, and they circled back.” Another shot rang out from behind. “I better back up Dad.” Sterling rushed outside, and Paige decided to count the goats, just to make sure. Though her herd was less than thirty, with how much they were moving, it was impossible for her to number them. She felt badly for laughing at Austin earlier. If she could have separated them into smaller groups, she might have done it, but there was only one gated area in the barn itself, and with the coyotes still out, she couldn’t put them in the field. She stood and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to figure it out. She couldn’t see Petunia, but the goats were clustered so tightly, she could be in the middle of the herd.

“One’s across the highway,” another voice called from near the house. Austin’s computer screen looked like a bouncing light as he ran toward her, his laptop in the crux of his arm.

“I didn’t see Petunia in the barn.” Paige remembered how Austin had put microdots on the goats’ collars and ran to his side. Instead of little boxes in a table, goat icons flashed against a GPS satellite readout of the area. Paige knew the goat's location right away.

She hadn’t noticed Sterling come up behind her and jumped when she heard his voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll get her.”

A yapping howl sounded from the direction of the highway. All fear fled as Paige thought of her favorite nanny who was due to kid at any time. “I’m going with you.”

Austin tapped his screen with his fingernail. “She hasn’t moved for a while. You better hurry.”

Paige sprinted forward, racing across the dark highway to the gate. Sterling started working the lock, but Paige climbed over the fence and kept running. She could hear the coyotes yapping in front of her right where she supposed Petunia to be. What if she had come out here to have her baby, and the coyotes found her? “Petunia, I’m coming,” Paige screamed. “Hold on.”

The path was steep, and she tripped in the gloom, falling hard. Sterling bent to help her, but she pushed him forward. “Go. Save her.”

He lunged on, and she was soon at his heels as they entered the darkened meadow. The pack of predators was huddled by the log where she and Sterling had sat together two days ago. She tried to sift shadow from animal and noticed a tall one with matted black fur. “Those aren’t coyotes.”

“It’s a pack of feral dogs.” Sterling aimed and fired just above them. They yelped but wouldn’t leave their prey. Paige couldn’t wait a second longer. She bolted out in front of him, screaming, “Get away from her. Get away.” As she drew closer, she could see that one had its jaws around Petunia’s nose. She raced over and kicked its side. The yellow mongrel snapped at her, and her reflexes made her lurch back. The dog bared foaming teeth, ready to pounce. In that moment another shot rang out, and the predator fell over dead while the others scattered.

Petunia was still on her feet. She didn’t make a sound and was trembling. Paige knelt by her and ran a hand along her side. She could feel her tighten and release. “She’s in labor.” She checked each leg. Her right front was covered in hot sticky blood. Her nose was torn, and each breath brought a whistling sound. “Come on, mama. We’ll help you.”

Sterling was beside her. “Tell me what you need me to do.”

“Wait with me. There’s nothing much else we can do right now.” She smoothed her hand down the goat’s neck, whispering to her and hoping she wouldn’t feel alone.

Sterling watched on, his gun across his lap.

It didn’t take long for the newborn’s first two legs to emerge. Normally, Paige didn’t assist with deliveries, but with how injured the mother was, she gently pulled on the wet legs until the head and shoulders pushed through. Once that happened, the kid slid free of the birth canal and into Paige’s waiting hands. “It’s a girl. It’s a little girl!”

She cleaned off the kid’s face with her hand and put her up to Petunia’s udder right away. “Come on, little one. Come on.”

Sterling touched her arm. “Why are you forcing the baby to eat? Let the nanny rest for a while.”

Paige looked at Petunia’s glassy eyes. They were growing dim in a way she understood. “If the baby doesn’t get colostrum from the mother, she probably won’t survive. It’s only produced right after a kid is born. I don’t think Petunia has much time.” Saying the words somehow made it real, and Paige blinked the tears away. She couldn’t fall apart now.

A growl to their left caught them both off guard. Though the pack of hungry dogs had been driven away from the goat, the smell of the afterbirth was too much for them. The dogs edged closer, despite Sterling yelling and batting at them with his rifle.

“Shoot them,” said Paige.

“It’s only a double barrel. I have one more shot.” He clipped a dog in the head with the butt of his gun. The creature yelped.

She noticed two other dogs baring their teeth and hedging in. Paige wondered if they’d have to go, and let the newborn take his chances without the needed nourishment. At last the kid latched on. Petunia was swaying, and Paige held her haunches to support her while the baby goat finished her first milestone.

Sterling called over his shoulder. “They’re not leaving. I’ve counted six of them.”

As Paige released Petunia, the nanny slid to the ground. The goat’s head lifted as she tried to get up. “I’m so sorry, my friend.” Paige stroked the goat’s face while holding the small, wet kid to her chest.

“We’ve got to go.” He hooked his arm around her, trying to force her to her feet.

Paige wouldn’t leave. “You can lift her. You’re strong enough. We can call the vet.”

“No, I know it sounds harsh, but letting the dogs have her is our only chance. Otherwise, they’ll attack us.” Sterling threw a rock and hit the alpha male on the nose. The others retreated a step but weren’t backing down.