Page 22 of Your Love

It’s clear to me that Landry’s withdrawn behavior is his way of punishing himself for something entirely out of his control. Just like Paisley, he carries wounds that may never fully heal, and like her, his reluctance to talk more means something.

I’m hoping we can talk more about it today when he and Paisley come over. I made some sweet tea and sandwiches and had a little talk with some of the more ornery animals. I warned them sternly that they need to be nice to Paisley. I think everyone got the hint. Even Cocky is in a good mood today.

By the time they arrive at noon, the tour is all set. We can ride around in Papa’s beat-up old golf cart and visit everyone.

Landry gets out of the truck and then goes over to Paisley’s side to help her out. She’s wearing the most adorable pair of overalls and a handkerchief holding her hair back. She went all out to look the part for today.

I bound down the wooden porch steps, my excitement palpable as I approach them. “Paisley!” I exclaim, beaming at her. “I’m so happy you could make it to meet all of our animals.”

She responds with a timid smile and shifts her gaze downward at her sneakered feet.

“We’ve been waiting for this day, haven’t we?” Landry says, playfully nudging her shoulder.

She looks at her big brother and smiles—a true, warm smile full of adoration and affection. I know that smile. Landry makes me smile like that, too.

“So, I took the liberty of preparing a small picnic for us. Would you like to enjoy it first, or shall we explore the animals?”

Paisley’s gaze shifts between us before she walks over to the golf cart, effortlessly jumping into the backseat. I suppose that settles it, then.

“Let’s begin with the majestic creatures that roam these grounds,” I say with a grand gesture, my voice filled with enthusiasm. I turn to Paisley, her eyes widening as she nods.

“We have a collection of magnificent horses here, each one with its own unique personality. Some are older, while others are still young and full of energy. But there’s one in particular that stands out—our mini horse. He may not be like the others, but he’s the sweetest and gentlest little thing.”

A mild breeze carries the scent of hay and animal musk towards us as we make our way towards the stables. The sound of hooves clicking against the ground echoes through the air, accompanied by distant whinnies and neighs. My smile widens as I watch Paisley’s eyes light up at the sights and sounds.

We stop at the stables, and I jump out of the golf cart to unlock the gate. Landry and Paisley follow suit as we stop by to say hello to Bo and Hope. Nana’s a big “Days of Our Lives” fan.

Landry strides up to the horses, their sleek coats glistening in the sunlight. He reaches out his hand and pets them, seemingly confident, which doesn’t surprise me.

Paisley lingers behind him, her eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe. Landry said she’s never been this close to such large animals before. We respect her hesitation and simply continue our way toward where Hansel is patiently waiting for us. His ears perk up as we approach, his gaze fixed on us expectantly. As I reach into my bag, he knows what’s coming—carrots.

He nudges my hand, his warm breath tickling my skin as he awaits his favorite treat. We take a further step toward Hansel, who stands only a few feet off the ground. He’s tan and white, with a beautiful mane of white hair. He’s a bit on the chubby side, and he has a rather severe underbite, but those things aren’t his fault. He can’t move around very well, which is why when we approach him, he snorts and takes a step backward. Landry and Paisley stop in their tracks, unsure of what’s happening.

I kneel and look into Paisley’s inquisitive eyes. “Don’t worry,” I reassure her. “He may seem a little clumsy, but he’s very friendly.” I gesture to his legs. “You see, he has a condition called locked stifle. It causes his knees to get stuck, so he sometimes has to take a step back in order to reset them.” As if on cue, Hansel takes a few awkward steps before stepping forward again.

We take a step forward, and Hansel takes a step back and then one forward. We take another one, and he gets stuck and has to step back again before going forward. If you were to watch us from the outside, it would look like we are salsa dancing with a mini horse.

Finally, we get close enough to meet in the middle. Hansel is more Paisley’s size and comfort level. I reach out and pet his side, and her hand follows behind my own. She has the most genuine smile on her face, and I can’t help but watch Landry as he looks at her with pride.

“He loves carrots,” I tell her. I grab one from my bag. “Do you want to feed him?”

Paisley nods and watches as I feed him a carrot. She follows, doing the same thing I did, and releases a tiny giggle when he takes the carrot and then rewards her with an enthusiastic neigh. Landry’s eyes widen as he hears the little sounds. We stay with Hansel for a few more minutes before walking to the next fenced area where the goats are.

We have four healthy goats who provide milk, which we also turn into goat cheese. And we have Vincent Van Goat. He’s an adorable mess. He’s missing an ear and often falls over when he gets too excited.

“We need to be quiet as we approach Vincent,” I tell them. “No loud noises or anything that will startle him.”

“Why?” Landry asks, concern etched on his face. “Will he get hurt?”

“No, he won’t, but we don’t want to scare him or make him nervous. If he gets startled, he will stiffen up and topple over. He’ll be stuck on the ground for a few minutes. Some people call them ‘fainting goats,’ although he doesn’t exactly faint.”

“That’s crazy,” Landry says with a chuckle. “I wish I could do that to Taz—make a loud noise and watch him faint. That would be awesome.”

“That would be fun,” I agree. We feed the goats some pellets, and Paisley does a great job holding her hand completely flat so that they can eat it straight from her palm.

She looks at me and traces the outline of her ear. I’m beginning to understand her way of communicating. “His ear is fine, sweetie,” I tell her. “He was only born with one ear, but he can hear fine from the other one. And when he falls over, he bounces right back up without a scratch.”

After visiting the goats, we head over to the pig pen, where they’re lounging in the mud. Landry observes how content they look as they bask in the warm sun, occasionally grunting lazily at each other. “You know,” he says thoughtfully, “they do look happy here.”