Have Mercy - Christina Lee Page 0,9

them, and were likely thick as thieves. I would’ve expected a few dogs, not pigs. I had made friends with stray dogs in service, and we’d sometimes leave out canisters of water for the cats. Maybe there was an entire menagerie of animals in the fray with the cows and goats and chickens, and I suddenly looked forward to meeting them all. I had always enjoyed animals, but Dad was allergic, so we could never keep any in the city.

“Kerry is goin’ to show you inside,” Sienna said. “I need to milk some goats.”

My head snapped up in surprise. That wasn’t something you heard often in the city, though there were plenty of wild goats in the desert that had these interesting twisted horns.

“Goat season was in the spring,” Kerry explained, “so we’ve got the babies left over in the barn.”

“Do the goats have names too?” I asked Ainsley, and that was when I heard the faint bleating coming from one of the barns.

“Of course,” Ainsley said, and I grinned. Oh, this was gonna be fun.

“I’m sure by the end of summer you will have learned them all and even have your favorites,” Sienna added with a wave, heading down the stairs.

“You can follow me,” Kerry said. I reached for my suitcase and trailed behind him up the porch steps. “Need somethin’ to wet your whistle?”

I nearly cracked a joke about a gay man asking another that question, but that probably wouldn’t have gone over very well. Besides, I was going to guess they didn’t know about my sexuality. It wasn’t something that had come up in conversation with Mom much after my deployment, so, by extension, I figured if Aunt Maggie didn’t know, then neither would Sienna and Kerry.

“Maybe after I freshen up?” I replied, following him inside the large kitchen, past a long wooden farm table with plenty of seats, as well as modern appliances. It felt comfortable and spacious, and I wondered about the other rooms, which I’d find out about soon enough.

“Of course. I’ll show you to your room, and you’re welcome to anything in the fridge and cupboards. Marta will have dinner ready for us at six sharp, which is standard time around here.”

“And don’t be late,” Marta said with a wink.

“Yes, ma’am.” I nearly saluted. If anything, the army had taught me about discipline, and their strict schedule of meals and activities was something I’d grown used to—whereas living with Mom these last few months was mostly fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants. A regimented way of life on this farm might just give me the focus I needed.

I scoffed inwardly as I followed Kerry down a long hallway. In the service, we’d all talked shit about getting discharged and finally doing whatever the fuck we wanted on our own schedules. There was a lot of dreaming and reminiscing, especially on long patrols. Who knew I’d feel completely aimless instead.

We passed one bedroom, then stopped at the second door. “Here you are. We’ll be sharing a bathroom; hope that’s cool. Sienna and Ainsley have the same setup on the other end of the house.”

I shrugged as I stepped inside the modest room that had a queen-size bed and a dresser near the closet. “Sounds good to me.”

“The bathroom is accessible from both bedrooms”—Kerry flipped on the light, and I glanced at the sink and shower and the other door opposite us, which made this what some referred to as a Jack-and-Jill style—“so be sure to click the lock on my side if you’re using it.”

“Got it.” I placed my suitcase on the end of the bed. “How about Marta and George? Do they live here too?”

He shook his head. “Their families live in Cottonwood Creek, and they drive in every morning.”

Ah, so it really was just the three of them. Would be four now.

Yikes, why did that feel a bit too intimate, particularly after all they’d gone through together?

“Holler if you need anything. I’ve got my own milkin’ to do,” Kerry said, pulling the door shut. “See you at dinner, if not sooner.”

I sank down on the mattress and stared out the window, which was covered by dainty, sheer drapes. I could just make out the barn and the pasture beyond. I imagined there would be stables to house their horses and some type of outdoor enclosure to exercise them too. Holy shit, I couldn’t believe I was actually here. Was I really going to do this and stay the whole summer?

But already I was feeling better, so it