“Libby, we get to meet the donkeys!” The boy beamed, then ran over to peek inside the trailer. “I can see them. One is gray and white, and the other is bigger, with a dark brown body and a white nose. And they already like me. I can feel it.”
“You’ve got a perceptive boy,” Bob said, ambling over to them, cautiously traversing the uneven ground.
“Do you need a hand?” Raz asked, reaching toward the man.
“I’m good.” Bob pulled up his left pant leg and revealed a silver rod. “I make do. I lost my leg from the knee down in a pack burro race back in eighty-eight.”
“You lost your leg in a donkey race?” she asked.
“Rockslide,” the man said, smoothing his pant leg. “I was able to get my burro out of harm’s way, but a big one got me good. They don’t call this place Rickety Rock for nothing. And then there’s the vortex.”
“Vortex?” she echoed.
Maud nodded. “Many have said that Rickety Rock sits on an energy center of sorts. We’ll get birds flying in circles, cars that seem to roll uphill, and big rocks rolling down the mountain crushing people’s limbs.”
“Does that happen often?” Raz pressed, surveying the mountain.
Bob shrugged. “From time to time.”
Sweet Buddha’s belly. What was up with this town?
“Oh, Bob, don’t go scaring these nice people. We haven’t had a rockslide like the one that took your leg in years. And we’re pleased as punch to have a sports celebrity competing in the Ass-in-Nine Race. The town could use some good press to shine a light on our little mountain community. Now, let’s do this right. We haven’t been properly introduced. You’re Libby Lamb and you’re Erasmus Cress, right?”
“Yes, we are,” Raz answered.
“I’m Maud Askew, and that there is my older brother Bob Askew—or Wobbly Bob, as he’s known in these parts.”
“And by older, she means that I’m the oldest by seven minutes,” Bob added with a sly twitch to his beard.
“You’re twins?” Raz asked, looking between the pair.
“Triplets, actually,” Maud answered.
Libby nodded. She could sense the connection between Maud and Wobbly Bob. But something was missing. “Does your other sibling live in Rickety Rock, too?”
Maud shook her head. “Our sister travels quite a bit and goes back and forth between the mountains and the city when she’s in Colorado. Out of the three of us, she’s more of the free spirit, but she gets to Rickety Rock when she can.”
Libby grinned at the siblings. She couldn’t help but ponder the off-kilter terminology in this place. Rickety, wobbly, askew, and a vortex? At least her loopy chi would be in good company. But it was more than that. Despite the climate of unsteadiness, she got a good vibe from the donkey rescuers. Their golden auras gave her the impression they cared for their animals and their community. And while she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was familiar about their energy, it soothed her, nonetheless.
“This is my son, Sebastian, and my agent, Briggs Keaton,” Raz added, then peered over his shoulder as Augie and Luanne came toward them. “And that’s Augie Bimston, my trainer, and his girlfriend, Luanne Stone.”
Libby zeroed in on the agent, who’d turned a dishwater gray. “Are you okay, Briggs?”
“I’ve got a small issue with the landscape,” the agent said, wearily surveying the side of the mountain. “We can’t have Erasmus crushed by a boulder. He’s got a fight coming up, and he’ll require all his limbs.”
“Don’t you worry, Mr. Fancy Pants. Nobody’s been hit by a rock in years,” Wobbly Bob answered, then paused. “Well, there was that time back in ninety-four.”
“And then in twenty-fifteen,” Maud commented.
“That’s not exactly comforting,” Briggs mused.
“You worry about PR, and I’ll focus on winning,” Raz said with an edge to his voice, emphasizing the winning part. Was that little dig meant for her—a reminder that their time here in Rickety Rock couldn’t serve as a distraction?
“Ah, well, brilliant,” Briggs replied, still looking troubled when his phone pinged. He scanned the message. “Unfortunately, I do need to be on my way. I have a flight to catch to Kansas City. We’re opening an office there and having a few staffing issues. It was lovely to meet you all.” He turned to Raz. “I’ll be in touch. You dodge those boulders, mate. You need to go into this championship fight the best you’ve ever been. Everything is on the line for this one.”
Raz’s posture stiffened. She understood the importance of this fight. But there was something else weighing on her beefcake—a heaviness. This fight went beyond winning and losing.
“Are you ready to meet the donkeys?” Maud asked as Briggs headed down the gravel road with the last of the reporters toward the myriad of cars and vans parked down the mountainside.
Sebastian gasped. “First, Libby and I need to put on our trainers.” The boy ran toward the house, scooped up their shoes, and returned. “You should always wear shoes around donkeys. I never saw any pictures of barefoot people in my donkey books,” he explained as they laced up.
“What else have you learned?” Wobbly Bob asked.
“I watched a video tutorial on how to brush a donkey, and I learned they like to have their whiskers scratched. It makes them smile.”
Maud patted the child on his shoulder. “Beefcake and Plum are lucky to have you around, Sebastian. And I’ll have you know, these donkeys love whisker rubs.”
“Maud, are Beefcake and Plum brother and sister, like you and Wobbly Bob?” the boy asked.
“They’re not brother and sister, but they are inseparable. They were rescued together. We usually keep the Jacks and the Jennies apart. But not these two. They balance each other out. And Beefcake is a bit protective of his Plum.”
“I quite like that. They’re best friends,” Sebastian commented.
“This is pretty great, don’t you think?” she said to Raz as Sebastian followed Maud and Wobbly Bob to the back of the trailer.
“Maybe,” he stammered.
She could feel a fresh wave of anxiety engulf the man. “Maybe?” she questioned, sharpening her tone.
He rubbed his eyes. “I have a lot on my mind, Libby. Sure, rescue donkeys are brilliant,” he grumbled, which set off a charge of irritation prickling through her body.
Couldn’t he see his son’s excitement? Would it kill him to show an iota of interest in the boy’s passions? She stared at the man, anger simmering in her belly. If she had a vibrator, she would have thrown it at his thick skull. Yes, he had a fight, but that was one fight. It would come, and it would go. But his son was his forever. Could he not see that the boy adored him—idolized him? She knew what was in store for him if he continued to disappoint his child.
“Libby, Erasmus,” Maud called. “You need to be here when we open the doors.”
“We’ll give you some space and watch from the porch,” Luanne offered.
Augie nodded. “It’ll give me some time to go over your schedule before we start training out here.” He concentrated on Raz. “We’ve got to get your head in the game, mate.”