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They spent the next hour playing with the animals and finding out that the ponies were happy with both human and goat attention.

He thought the small brown pony might melt into a puddle as Jolie ran her hands over him.

Ford was jealous as hell.

Jolie learned even more about Ford as she watched him interact with both the humans and the animals. He kept his voice and manner gentle and open. The animals loved him.

When Kimi and Garrett took them on a tour of the place, the goats stayed with the ponies, but the dogs followed along. Olaf, Astro, and Star.

Jolie had to blink back tears at the backstory of the dogs. She was relieved that they now lived in such an amazing place.

The therapy center was to help horses and dogs who had lived through tough situations, but Garrett and Kimi had plans to use the animals and petting farm to help people with various disabilities as well.

They found out the ostrich-like birds were rheas and that the pigs liked to watch the chickens. The pygmy goats had adopted the cranky donkey as their best friend.

Jolie laughed. “I feel like I’ve fallen into a Dr. Doolittle movie. You two are incredible people and I’m so impressed with all the good you’re doing.”

The couple tried to shrug it off, but Ford chimed in. “I think Shaggy would be thrilled with what you’ve done and that her name is on the sign.”

Jolie now knew Garrett had been a K-9 officer. His dog, Shaggy, had died while saving a school of children and Garrett’s entire team.

Garrett’s eyes misted. “Thanks. I think Shaggy would love it. She was the best dog.”

The black and white dog woofed, making them all smile. Garrett squatted down and rubbed his head. “It’s okay, Olaf. Remember, there are lots of best dogs and you’re one of them.” Satisfied, the dog wagged his tail.

Jolie decided to bring up her mission. “I know we’ve taken up a chunk of your day, but I have another question.”

Kimi laughed. “We love showing off our animals and our place. This has been fun. How can I help you?”

“I want to get a small flock of ducks. I’m hoping they can help with the snail population at the farm. I don’t know how many I’ll need, but I’d like to start with a small group and maybe get more later if I need them.”

Kimi nodded. “You can always get a drake and breed your own if you need more. I think the best breed for you would be Khaki Campbell ducks. They love snails. Do you have a fenced in area to keep them in or do you want them to free range throughout the farm?”

Jolie blinked. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. Any recommendations?”

Kimi grinned. “Always. You said you were cleaning up a pond at the back of the property. Is it large enough to support the ducks? Is there a good clearing around it? If so, they’d be happiest there. Most domestic ducks don’t fly more than a few feet, so I don’t think you need a fence, but I’m not a duck expert. If they’re safe and happy, they’ll probably stay on their own. They might even attract more ducks to the area.”

Jolie nodded. “The clearing around the pond should be perfect. I’ll need to buy a coop though. Fox, a Great Pyrenees who lives on the property, probably keeps a lot of predators away, but it’s a big farm and he can’t be everywhere.”

Ford touched her arm. “I can build those for you. The coop and the fence if we need one. Shouldn’t be hard. There are probably plans online.”

She smiled up at him. He really was an amazing man.

Kimi nodded. “Perfect. That way, you can build it to your specifications. I’d suggest making it big enough from the beginning in case you want to increase the flock, or if more wild ducks join them. Keep the floor off the ground to keep any rats or other predators away. A ramp for them to get in and out. Lots of hay for insulation on the floor.”

Ford pulled out his phone. She watched him add spreadsheets for the duck coop and the fence. He noted down Kimi’s suggestions with a smile. “This is going to be fun.”

Yep, the man was perfect. Or perfect for her.

The way he’d held her hand after steering her away from the manure made her heart flutter. She wasn’t imagining the chemistry zipping between them.

The question was whether they should give into it or not. The consequences if things didn’t work out between them were huge.

Jolie’s luck with men had never been good. Her first serious boyfriend hadn’t thought cheating was a big deal and she should just chill out. Another who’d seduced her friend and wanted to expand their relationship into a threesome. A third who’d figured out her password and taken money from her bank account. No thanks.

She wanted an exclusive relationship with someone she could trust. Ford wouldn’t cheat on her or steal from her. She knew that instinctively. He was too honest, too honorable. Knox wouldn’t be best friends with a creep.

Would Jolie be enough for Ford? Would he tire of her and want someone else?