“Dats not nice, Car!” Aurora gasped, gently patting his beard. She added a sparkly butterfly clip to it.”
“Now do you see why I don’t come out here and help on daycare tour day?” Beckett asked.
“Anyway, what’s your brilliant idea here? If this goes on much longer we’re the ones who are going to be napping,” Carter grumbled.
“We’re gonna run the hill,” Beckett announced.
Jax groaned. “I haven’t done that since we were all in fall sports in middle school.”
Carter laughed, remembering. “Dad told us running up to the ridge and back down would make us better athletes.”
“Pretty sure he did it just to get us out of the house before Mom could murder us,” Beckett recalled.
“That was years ago. Are we even physically capable of this?” Jax asked.
“We’ll take turns,” Beckett decided.
“It’s worth a try,” Carter said, as Aurora spun in a circle flapping her arms.
“Hey, shortcake, want to run up a big hill outside?” Beckett asked.
“Yeah!” She darted out the side door before any of them were able to get to their feet.
Beckett was bent over trying to catch his breath and not puke when his phone signaled in his pocket.
Beckett spit in the grass and prayed his lunch of pizza and hot wings would stay down.
A text from Gianna. Everything going okay?
“I’m winning, Jazz,” Aurora squealed and she hurtled down the hill as fast as her little legs would carry her. Jax gave up running and lay down on the hillside. It was a long, slow grassy rise if you were on horseback or walking. But running? It felt like the last quarter mile of the marathon. And after a heavy, greasy lunch, it was probably the worst thing they could have done.
Aurora had successfully made the climb nine times so far. Thankfully Evan had taken pity on them and entered the rotation.
Carter was laying on his back in the grass, muttering something about “two of them.”
Jax rolled the last few feet down the slope stopping at Beckett’s shoes. “Your turn,” he groaned.
“I gotta answer this …” he waved the phone over Jax’s face. “Evan! You’re up”
“I really expected more from you guys,” the kid said, shaking his head sadly.
“I’ll pay you five bucks,” Beckett offered.
“Deal.” Evan took off with Aurora hot on his heels.
“Oh, shit!”
Beckett swiveled when he heard the panic in Jax’s voice.
Clementine, Carter’s pet goat and Jax’s full-time nemesis, loomed over his prone brother.
“Get away from me, hell spawn,” Jax said, his feet scrambling for purchase on the grass.
Clementine bleated and shook her head, brown ears flopping in the fall sunshine.
“Do you see that?” Jax yelled. “She just said ‘no.’”
Clementine bleated again and pranced closer. Jax rolled over, trying to crawl away, but the goat was faster. With a four-footed jump, she landed next to Jax and went in for the kill.
Her little goat mouth closed over the flannel of his shirt. “Get her off of me!” Jax yelled, trying to push Clementine away.
“Hang on,” Beckett said, opening the camera on his phone. “Okay, just hold it right there … and … perfect.”
He looked at Carter who was rolling on the ground laughing.
“Should we help?” Beckett asked.
“Yes you should fucking help,” Jax shouted at the top of his lungs, shoving Clementine’s face away. Her mouth took a hunk of fabric with it.
“Hey, there’s kids present. You can’t use language like that,” Carter lectured.
“I’m going to f—”
“Uh-uh. Watch your mouth,” Beckett reminded him, switching to video.
“I’m going to freaking kill you guys,” Jax growled, rolling onto all fours before regaining his feet. “And I’m going to kill you too and cook up a nice goat stew,” he said, reaching for Clementine who danced out of his grip, happily munching flannel.
“She ate my shirt,” Jax said in disbelief, staring at the sleeves that bunched at his wrists, the back cleanly ripped open.
Clementine meandered toward the kids.
“Uh, Carter? Is she going to eat us?” Evan asked, ranging himself between the approaching goat and Aurora.
“She’s fine. She only hates Jax,” Carter called, getting to his feet and going to supervise the impromptu petting zoo.
Beckett followed, just to be sure Clementine didn’t suddenly develop a taste for the flesh of children.
As predicted, the goat flicked her ears and tail, charming pats from Aurora and Evan.
“She’s so funny, Bucket,” Aurora told him, her little hand patting the goat’s neck.
“Yeah, she’s hilarious,” Beckett agreed. “What do you say, shortcake? Are you ready for a snack and a movie?”
Her face lit up and she raised her arms. “Can we watch Monkeys and Pandas?”
He picked her up and swung her around onto his back. “Sure, kiddo. Come on, Jax. If you stop whining, I’ll buy you a beer out of Carter’s fridge.”