Fire and Ice (Death and Destruction #10) - Patricia Logan Page 0,2
you two. We’re all fine. I just had a huge ask and I have been calling everyone I know,” Megan said.
“What do you need, honey?” Thayne asked.
“Lambs,” Megan replied.
“Lambs?” Jarrett and Thayne asked in unison, exchanging a glance.
Megan chuckled. “Well, yes, I know Tessa told you that we’re doing the Nativity at church this year but I’m not sure she told you it’s going to feature live-action animals rather than paper mâché heads or costumes.”
Thayne looked at Jarrett. “Did you know that?” He silently mouthed the question.
Jarrett’s eyebrows lifted as he shrugged, shaking his head.
“Ah no, we weren’t aware of that, Megan,” Thayne replied. “But, tell us what you need and we’ll try to help with whatever it is.”
“Well, this is the thing. Normally, the primary school aged kids do the Nativity—the five to eight-year-olds—but this year the older kids get their turn to put on the play. And, because the kids are older, our board decided it would be safe to bring in real animals, especially after we lost our costumes.”
“You lost your costumes?” Jarrett asked.
“Well, yes, apparently the lamb costumes got destroyed when the church storeroom got infested with termites over the long hot summer,” Megan explained. “We had no idea about it until just now.”
“Oh, I get it,” Thayne said.
“Right,” Megan said. “Anyway, a lot of the manger building itself had to be scrapped along with several costumes. The manger can be rebuilt quickly. That’s not a problem but the costumes are trickier. It seems that the wool on the lambs was made out of some kind of wood fiber and you can only imagine the disaster,” she said, babbling quickly now. “Needless to say, by the time the church janitor found the damage to the costumes and the manger building itself when he was digging them out last weekend, it was too late to find new lamb costumes. Thus, the board voted to bring in live animals and we thought we had a source for that.”
“But you didn’t?” Jarrett asked, staring at Thayne.
“Well, we did and we didn’t,” Megan said, sounding frustrated. “When we went to look at the lambs yesterday, it turned out that the farmer was clean out of lambs and only had pigs.”
Jarrett burst into laughter and Thayne reached out to punch him in the arm.
“Ow!” Jarrett howled.
“Heathen!” Thayne chided. “Sorry, Megan. Anyway, so pigs, huh?”
Megan chuckled. “Yes. You see our dilemma? We would have to introduce pigs at the manger which would be kind of weird. I don’t think I have to explain why baby Jesus’s Jewish parents wouldn’t bed down with pigs in a manger, Christ child or no Christ child. I don’t even think they kept pigs in mangers.”
Thayne and Jarrett laughed. “Okay, so, you need lambs?”
“If you have a source for lambs that would be amazing. I think two will be enough,” Megan said. “And I know it’s ten days before Christmas but honestly, I’m desperate since the Nativity play is my thing and I’m responsible for how it all runs. I don’t want the children to be disappointed.”
“Well, I can’t think of a source for lambs offhand, Megan, but you know how much we love your family and we’d do anythin’ for you. We’ll do our best to find a couple lambs for y’all,” Jarrett said. “We got a hell of a lot of friends in law enforcement around here. Someone has to have a lamb or two lyin’ around.”
“It’s our pleasure, Megan,” Thayne said. “But realistically, it might not happen. We’ll do our best though.”
“I know, sweetheart. Can you let me know before the end of the weekend though? I have to get back to the church board.”
“Will do, honey,” Jarrett drawled. He pressed the disconnect button and laid the phone on the counter before turning to Thayne who’d poured himself another cup of coffee.
“A lamb or two lyin’ around, Jarrett?” Thayne asked.
Jarrett’s turned and grinned. “Maybe it won’t be as hard to find a lamb as you think.”
“Do you have a source for lambs that I don’t know about?” Thayne asked his husband.
When Jarrett smiled that dimpled smile that never ceased to make Thayne feel weak in the knees, all thoughts of livestock fled his thoughts. “I have a few ideas,” Jarrett said, placing his cup on the counter before reaching for him.
Thayne smiled as he placed his mug next to his husband’s before turning to him and falling into Jarrett’s arms. He hugged him close and sank