Read Online Chef's Delight (Stories of Serendipity) by Anne Conley - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anne Conley
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walked out of the barn, she glanced over at the paddock holding the female goats who weren’t nursing. Her stomach dropped. It was empty. Her gaze swept over to the buck’s paddock. Also empty. Dammit. She knew why the Sheriff’s department was here, and it upset her.
“Morning, officer.” She said pleasantly, trying to hide her annoyance. She was unsure if she was more annoyed with herself, for not double-checking things, or her goats, for escaping.
“Ma’am.” He tipped his hat, reluctantly. “We’ve had a report filed against your goats, Ms. Stillwell. I’m going to have to issue you a warning ticket. You need some fence work done?”
“I didn’t realize I did until you showed up, officer. I’m terribly sorry.” She looked over again at the fence, which was supposed to hold the bucks in their enclosure, and sighed with frustration.
“Well, this is just a warning. But if we get the call again, we’ll have to come impound the goats. And it’ll cost you a hundred and fifty dollars each to get them out of impound.” He pulled out a small ticket book and began writing.
“Can you tell me who filed the complaint?”
“No ma’am, I can’t. And it doesn’t have to be the same person on each complaint, either. It is your responsibility to make sure your fences are sound.” He continued writing, then stopped and looked at her. “My brother does fence work, and he’s pretty good. I can give you his number before I leave, if you want it.”
Jessie gritted her teeth, trying to stay pleasant. “No thank you. I’ve got it under control.”
He handed her the citation, neatly tucked around his brother's business card, and got back into his car. “If you need anything, just give me a call.”
“Thank you, officer.” She said weakly. After he had driven off, she heaved a frustrated sigh, and went in search of her goats.
Almost eight hours later, she was exhausted. After rounding up the wayward goats, a trip into town for hog panels and some electrical fencing, and spending almost all of the money she had made from Connor yesterday, she was finished. And exhausted. She picked up the phone to call her neighbor.
“Henry?”
“Yeah?”
“This is Jessica. Did you call the Sheriff’s department on my goats?”
“No, Jessie. I would have called you, first. You know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Well, someone did. I got a visit this morning.”
“I’m sorry, sugar.” Henry drawled. Jessie clenched her jaw at the endearment. “It was probably the guy who’s working my land for a deer lease this fall. He’s planted a ground crop for the deer, and putting out feeders. He told me last week he had pictures of your goats all over the place on his game cameras.” Well, no wonder, Jessie thought. Goats would bust through a brick wall to get that kind of candy.
Jessie didn’t find much sport in hunters who fed the deer corn all summer long, and then shot them dead on the first weekend of November. She gritted her teeth, for the umpteenth time today. At this rate, she wouldn’t have much enamel left. “Well, could you give him my number, and tell him to please call me before he calls the sheriff’s department again? Please?”
“Will do, sugar. But he’s spent a lot of money, on feeders and corn, and planting that crop and all.” Jessie didn’t have a lot of sympathy for somebody who would spend massive amounts of money to shoot a deer they had essentially tamed. “You know, I can get some of my cowboys out there to help you with the fence. Fencing’s a man’s work. A woman’s just not strong enough. You won’t be able to keep them goats on your property for long.”
“I’ve been managing just fine, Henry. I put up electrical fencing today, so it should work. I’ve been putting it off, because it’s so expensive, but it’ll be more expensive to get my goats out of impound if he
“Morning, officer.” She said pleasantly, trying to hide her annoyance. She was unsure if she was more annoyed with herself, for not double-checking things, or her goats, for escaping.
“Ma’am.” He tipped his hat, reluctantly. “We’ve had a report filed against your goats, Ms. Stillwell. I’m going to have to issue you a warning ticket. You need some fence work done?”
“I didn’t realize I did until you showed up, officer. I’m terribly sorry.” She looked over again at the fence, which was supposed to hold the bucks in their enclosure, and sighed with frustration.
“Well, this is just a warning. But if we get the call again, we’ll have to come impound the goats. And it’ll cost you a hundred and fifty dollars each to get them out of impound.” He pulled out a small ticket book and began writing.
“Can you tell me who filed the complaint?”
“No ma’am, I can’t. And it doesn’t have to be the same person on each complaint, either. It is your responsibility to make sure your fences are sound.” He continued writing, then stopped and looked at her. “My brother does fence work, and he’s pretty good. I can give you his number before I leave, if you want it.”
Jessie gritted her teeth, trying to stay pleasant. “No thank you. I’ve got it under control.”
He handed her the citation, neatly tucked around his brother's business card, and got back into his car. “If you need anything, just give me a call.”
“Thank you, officer.” She said weakly. After he had driven off, she heaved a frustrated sigh, and went in search of her goats.
Almost eight hours later, she was exhausted. After rounding up the wayward goats, a trip into town for hog panels and some electrical fencing, and spending almost all of the money she had made from Connor yesterday, she was finished. And exhausted. She picked up the phone to call her neighbor.
“Henry?”
“Yeah?”
“This is Jessica. Did you call the Sheriff’s department on my goats?”
“No, Jessie. I would have called you, first. You know I wouldn’t do that.”
“Well, someone did. I got a visit this morning.”
“I’m sorry, sugar.” Henry drawled. Jessie clenched her jaw at the endearment. “It was probably the guy who’s working my land for a deer lease this fall. He’s planted a ground crop for the deer, and putting out feeders. He told me last week he had pictures of your goats all over the place on his game cameras.” Well, no wonder, Jessie thought. Goats would bust through a brick wall to get that kind of candy.
Jessie didn’t find much sport in hunters who fed the deer corn all summer long, and then shot them dead on the first weekend of November. She gritted her teeth, for the umpteenth time today. At this rate, she wouldn’t have much enamel left. “Well, could you give him my number, and tell him to please call me before he calls the sheriff’s department again? Please?”
“Will do, sugar. But he’s spent a lot of money, on feeders and corn, and planting that crop and all.” Jessie didn’t have a lot of sympathy for somebody who would spend massive amounts of money to shoot a deer they had essentially tamed. “You know, I can get some of my cowboys out there to help you with the fence. Fencing’s a man’s work. A woman’s just not strong enough. You won’t be able to keep them goats on your property for long.”
“I’ve been managing just fine, Henry. I put up electrical fencing today, so it should work. I’ve been putting it off, because it’s so expensive, but it’ll be more expensive to get my goats out of impound if he
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