She shrugged. “Corn, maybe? The crop wasn’t as important as the animals. I wasn’t allowed to have any pets when I was a kid because my mom didn’t want to deal with the mess. I must have thought if I were a farmer, I could have a collection of animals and no one could say anything about it,” Memories of her farm schematics made her chuckle. She remembered visiting her local library and asking for books on livestock and animal husbandry.

John dug for something in his pocket. When he retrieved a quarter, he fed it into a machine that dispensed feed for the goats. “Here, hold out your hand.” Victoria tried to contain her excitement as she collected a handful of feed from John. “You look like you’re going to lose your mind,” he said with a chuckle.

“This is the best,” she said, watching her new goat friend nibble at her hand. When he was done, the goat licked her fingers with a rough tongue before pulling away to join the others. Victoria wiped her hands on her jacket and glanced to John who was watching her with amusement in his eyes. “Actually, this may have been a date meant for me more than you.”

“Anything that makes you smile like that is a good date to me,” he said. “They’ve got rabbits too, if you’re interested.”

“We might need to remember the teachings of the little girl from your reading group before we interact with the bunnies.”

John winced. “Damn, you just reminded me that I still need to email her mother.”

“And that’s why you make lists,” Victoria said, biting back a grin.

“Lists are for work,” he said as he took her hand again. “Not for fun times as you like to call them.”

They walked around the goat pen and into a barn where the rest of the animals were. Near the entrance, there was a large rabbit hutch managed by a teenage boy who wore a Smith’s Apple Orchard sweatshirt. He held one of the bunnies in the crook of his arm and let children pet its ears. “You have to be quiet around him,” he told the kids. “And use a soft touch.” The young man fielded all their questions while keeping a secure hold on the animal.

“So when did you make the transition from farmer to professor?” John asked, watching the rabbit showing.

Victoria made a face. “Around Becca’s age, I guess.” She didn’t really have to guess. It was right after that school bus fight with Kiki that the tide had shifted. “My mother got tired of my tomboy antics and made me behave like a lady. But I used to do a lot of fun stuff with my granddad and my father.”

“A tomboy?” John said with a raised brow. “I still can’t picture it.”