Have Mercy - Christina Lee Page 0,42

sunshine and couldn’t possibly contain it.

Sensing this was a big moment—I was guessing Ainsley had earned Piper’s trust enough to finally ride her or at least sit on her—I nearly got as choked up as Sienna did as she swiped at her eyes and Kerry cleared his throat. I didn’t dare look in their direction because again, it was like I was intruding on a family moment. But I couldn’t make my feet move away either.

A small beam of joy spread through my chest for Ainsley, and suddenly I wanted to feel like I’d conquered something as well. Sure, I was helping with the silo remodel, but that was the type of work I was used to and I’d be proud when it was all completed. I’d wished on more than one occasion that Dad were working on it with me because he would think it was one of the most challenging and coolest projects ever, and we had done dozens together before he passed.

But this felt different, like doing something out of my comfort zone, something I was unfamiliar with that might help me…I didn’t know exactly what—grow in some way, shape, or form? Not that I hadn’t challenged myself in new ways by joining the service or by traveling all the way across the country to help Sienna. This was more about a deep, budding need inside me that I couldn’t quite place my finger on yet. Maybe it wasn’t so much about growing as it was about healing. It might take me a bit to unpack what the hell that entailed.

I must’ve totally zoned out because the next time I looked at Ainsley, her feet were firmly back on the ground again and George had brought Rocket and Mercy inside the paddock with him.

“Okay, I’m off to get some paperwork done in the office before I get emotional again,” Sienna said. “Catch up with you later.”

There was a moment of silence between Kerry and me as his elbow rested beside mine on the wooden slats.

“Guess we’re both saps,” Kerry said in a hesitant tone.

“Nah, got me choked up too, but I have yet to figure out why. Either it was from watching you two or because she looked so full of joy. Or both.”

“There’s a lot of joy in the little things.” His eyes crinkled with a smile. “Especially when it comes to animals. They can’t talk, which means you have to rely on your instincts, and there’s somethin’ deeply satisfying about that.”

I thought about how Kerry took care of Maisy’s needs in the mornings, let alone all the other animals he came in contact with, and how he seemed to get simple gratification from it. Sienna too. There was a situation just the other day where one of the goats got trapped in a plastic drainage pipe used for crop irrigation, and she’d sprung into action to relieve his discomfort. They were just good people through and through.

When George left the enclosure to attend to some stray cows in the pasture, I watched Mercy trail behind Rocket as they munched on some grassy patches that weren’t already worn away, near the fence. As Rocket edged closer, my pulse pounded, and I wondered how close they might get. Mercy slowed, seeming a bit more reserved than Rocket. His ears were back, and his tail swished side to side.

I held my breath as he stepped beside Rocket, who was directly in front of us, and I was suddenly glad that the fence was between us.

Kerry dug in his pocket and produced a withered carrot. “Leftover from this morning, but he won’t complain,” he quipped.

“Guess not,” I replied, wondering what the hell else he had in his pocket. There was a joke in there somewhere.

“You’ll get the hang of it.” He winked, and it went straight to my belly, warming it instantly.

I watched how easy it was for him to stretch his arm toward his horse, but he had been around animals his whole life. Still, I couldn’t understand why I felt so unsettled around these regal animals. Part of me felt this urgency to jump right in and stop being so cautious. My squad always called me a baller with explosives because I could normally spot them a mile away and was able to disable some before they detonated, which was freaking terrifying sometimes and really got my adrenaline pumping.

But that was before that fateful day. And ever since then, I pretty much second-guessed myself every step of