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Jolie grinned. “I remember them. I bet she could help.”

Troy nodded. “Their place is on your way home, not too far outside of Phail.”

Home. The word hit Ford hard. He’d only been at the farm for a few weeks, but it sounded right. The farm was home. Could Jolie be his home as well?

After they finished lunch, they stopped at Phail Phoods and bought groceries. They both stocked up on Fiona’s homemade meals for the freezer. Like his dad said, why compete with the chefs? Sliding in a pre-made lasagna would give him more time for his other tasks, too.

It wasn’t difficult to find the property that housed the veterinarian’s business along with the Petting Pharm and Shaggy’s Place, the animal therapy center.

They parked in the lot beside a yellow cottage and followed the signs to the yard behind it. A huge barn and multiple fenced-in areas that housed animals filled the space.

Cows, sheep, and goats. A donkey with more goats, tiny ones. Dogs snoozed in corners and cats watched them from the tops of fences. Two peacocks walked through the paths and headed around the corner of the barn.

“This is amazing.”

He totally agreed with Jolie’s whispered words. “It’s like a movie set.”

A sign on the barn said Kimi was working with the animals in the other half of the property and an arrow pointed the way.

When they rounded the corner of the barn, they both stopped to stare. More animals. Birds that looked like small ostriches. Chickens, different sheep, and very large pigs.

When he looked down, he snagged Jolie’s hand and tugged her gently to his side. “You don’t want to step in that.”

Jolie grinned at him. “There’s some proof at least a few of the animals roam free. That would have made for a smelly ride back to the farm. Thanks for the save.”

She didn’t release his hand, so neither did he, feeling like a high school kid with his first major crush. When she caught his eye, he shrugged, wondering if she was as helpless as he was. The attraction was too strong to fight, and it felt good to give in, even with something as small as holding her hand.

They kept walking through the space and then through a gate. There was another huge barn, this one with its central doors opened wide.

More cats wandered the property and snoozed in the sunbeams. A few smaller fenced areas sat in front of the barn and a huge fenced field sat beyond it.

They spotted Kimi and Garrett with a few ponies in a corner of the big field. Three dogs also lay in the grass nearby. Scooby spotted them and waved them over with a grin.

When they reached the fence, Ford dropped Jolie’s hand so they could climb through it. He didn’t take it again, but he wanted to. Wanted to be a couple like the pair in front of them.

Kimi smiled at them. “Hi Jolie, Ford. It’s nice to see you both again. You’ve got perfect timing. These little guys arrived the other day and we’re getting them acclimated to strangers.”

Jolie bounced forward with a huge smile. “They’re adorable. I’ve never seen ponies in real life before. Are they babies or fully grown?”

“Fully grown. They’re healthy and happy, but I want to make sure they react well with adults and other animals before we let any of the kids near them.”

Ford looked at the trio of pit bulls. “Did they react to the dogs?”

Garrett smiled. “Nothing other than curiosity. Same with the horses. We think they’ll be great with kids, but we always go slowly with new animals. No sense in causing them any stress.”

Kimi nodded. “One day soon, we’ll take them one at a time through the paddocks on the other side of the property and see how they react.”

A bleating noise behind him had Ford turning. A trio of goats bounced toward them.

Kimi’s face lit up. “The goat therapy troop is on the way. These are Popcorn, Butter, and Raspberry. They’re three of the smartest animals I’ve ever met. They make sure all the other animals are comfortable and safe. Even the scared ones can’t stay sad with Popcorn and her troop in charge.”

Jolie laughed and Ford grinned as the goats worked their way through the fence and over to the humans and the ponies.

The three dogs raised their heads. The black and white one woofed softly and the smallest goat bounced over to place her head against him.

The other two goats rubbed their heads against the ponies and bounced around as if they’d eaten way too much sugar.

“I feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole. This is incredible. You two are incredible.” Jolie’s face was lit with happiness.