that I was looking forward to my temporary career. I’d never worked on a farm before. The thought of lazy days spent among cows and chickens had a certain nostalgic appeal. My excitement grew with each passing mile, until I pulled onto the dirt drive associated with the address Jeremy had given me and got the shock of my life.
For those of you I have not yet met, my name is Zoe Donovan. I’m a twenty-four-year-old Pisces with a tendency to become overly involved in other people’s problems and a propensity toward contradictory and erratic behavior. I have a big heart and an insatiable drive to rescue those in need. At times I bite off more than I can chew, creating a reality reminiscent of a bad dream, and this, apparently, is going to be a nightmare.
Chapter 2
A light snow was starting to fall as I climbed out of my truck and made my way over to the open area where Jeremy was waiting for me. I covered my nose against the stench as I stood ankle deep in turkey dung and surveyed the landscape before me. “How many are there?” I wondered as I viewed the sea of large birds crammed into pens much too small for the task.
“Several hundred at least,” Jeremy answered. “I guess the birds were spread out over the property, but the estate executor had them rounded up and penned so they’d be easier to inventory and transport.”
“Transport?” I hated to ask.
“For processing,” Jeremy verified.
My stomach lurched at the mental image of exactly what processing would entail. Don’t get me wrong: I’m an adult, and I do understand where Thanksgiving turkeys come from, but as a devoted animal rescue worker who has spent my entire career saving the lives of the animals in my care, the idea of babysitting a flock of birds scheduled for slaughter left an acidic taste in my mouth that I feared would linger long beyond my presence at the fowl-smelling property (pun intended).
“When you mentioned the job was at a farm, I was picturing cows and horses and maybe a few pigs,” I accused.
“I know,” Jeremy admitted. “I was afraid if I told you about the birds you wouldn’t have come.”
Jeremy was right. If he had told me the entire story, I probably wouldn’t have come. While accepting this particular job goes against everything I believe in, it had been my fault that Jeremy lost his means of income, and if babysitting a few hundred turkeys for a couple of weeks would in any way make up for even a portion of the devastation I caused to his life, I guess I could put my feelings aside.
“Thanksgiving is in two weeks. The birds are scheduled for transport in ten days. If everything stays on schedule, we should be finished with the job by a week from Monday.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I had to ask.
“It’s not so much that I want to, but I really need the money,” Jeremy answered. “I didn’t want to mention it—it might have seemed like emotional blackmail, given the circumstances—but Gina just found out she’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant?”
Jeremy had only been dating the demanding model for a short time, and I was afraid it was way too early in their relationship to be dealing with something as life-altering as impending fatherhood. Besides, while I’ll admit that most days I tend to be a bit lax about my appearance, Gina is a diva who cares more about her lip gloss than she does about the people around her. I never really understood why Jeremy was dating her in the first place.
“It was an accident.” Jeremy blushed, a response I’d never before witnessed in the twenty-year-old heavy metal drummer, who sported a nose ring and a neck tattoo. “Gina doesn’t want the baby. She wanted to end the pregnancy but finally agreed to go through with it if I would raise the baby and pay for all her expenses, up to and including any cost associated with returning her body back to supermodel status.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking Jeremy’s hand. “You should have said
For those of you I have not yet met, my name is Zoe Donovan. I’m a twenty-four-year-old Pisces with a tendency to become overly involved in other people’s problems and a propensity toward contradictory and erratic behavior. I have a big heart and an insatiable drive to rescue those in need. At times I bite off more than I can chew, creating a reality reminiscent of a bad dream, and this, apparently, is going to be a nightmare.
Chapter 2
A light snow was starting to fall as I climbed out of my truck and made my way over to the open area where Jeremy was waiting for me. I covered my nose against the stench as I stood ankle deep in turkey dung and surveyed the landscape before me. “How many are there?” I wondered as I viewed the sea of large birds crammed into pens much too small for the task.
“Several hundred at least,” Jeremy answered. “I guess the birds were spread out over the property, but the estate executor had them rounded up and penned so they’d be easier to inventory and transport.”
“Transport?” I hated to ask.
“For processing,” Jeremy verified.
My stomach lurched at the mental image of exactly what processing would entail. Don’t get me wrong: I’m an adult, and I do understand where Thanksgiving turkeys come from, but as a devoted animal rescue worker who has spent my entire career saving the lives of the animals in my care, the idea of babysitting a flock of birds scheduled for slaughter left an acidic taste in my mouth that I feared would linger long beyond my presence at the fowl-smelling property (pun intended).
“When you mentioned the job was at a farm, I was picturing cows and horses and maybe a few pigs,” I accused.
“I know,” Jeremy admitted. “I was afraid if I told you about the birds you wouldn’t have come.”
Jeremy was right. If he had told me the entire story, I probably wouldn’t have come. While accepting this particular job goes against everything I believe in, it had been my fault that Jeremy lost his means of income, and if babysitting a few hundred turkeys for a couple of weeks would in any way make up for even a portion of the devastation I caused to his life, I guess I could put my feelings aside.
“Thanksgiving is in two weeks. The birds are scheduled for transport in ten days. If everything stays on schedule, we should be finished with the job by a week from Monday.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I had to ask.
“It’s not so much that I want to, but I really need the money,” Jeremy answered. “I didn’t want to mention it—it might have seemed like emotional blackmail, given the circumstances—but Gina just found out she’s pregnant.”
“Pregnant?”
Jeremy had only been dating the demanding model for a short time, and I was afraid it was way too early in their relationship to be dealing with something as life-altering as impending fatherhood. Besides, while I’ll admit that most days I tend to be a bit lax about my appearance, Gina is a diva who cares more about her lip gloss than she does about the people around her. I never really understood why Jeremy was dating her in the first place.
“It was an accident.” Jeremy blushed, a response I’d never before witnessed in the twenty-year-old heavy metal drummer, who sported a nose ring and a neck tattoo. “Gina doesn’t want the baby. She wanted to end the pregnancy but finally agreed to go through with it if I would raise the baby and pay for all her expenses, up to and including any cost associated with returning her body back to supermodel status.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, taking Jeremy’s hand. “You should have said
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