Page 38 of Dreams and Reptiles

He held out a piece of the cactus to me, and I took it, ready to test my big boy skills tonight.

“Just watch your fingers—yeah, that’s it—and when they get a few inches away, let them have it.”

“So these two are from the Galapagos, right? I tried to look up the differences in case, you know, one came to visit me.”

I elbowed Kendall, and he chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, one time an escapee comes to your door, and I’ll pay for it forever.”

I licked my lips and smiled. I could have given him a trademark saucy comeback, but I was fascinated watching the tortoises. One of the bigger ones came to investigate, and I took another piece from Kendall to hold in my other hand.

“John Wayne likes you,” he said. “He doesn’t usually approach new people. He’s a little standoffish.”

“Well, I’m not a new person, isn’t that right? I won him over with my bananas.”

Kendall cracked up. “How could I forget?”

When the pieces of cactus were gone, he pulled out a couple more and tossed them away from the path that led to the next pass-through. “Through here are the little guys, my radiated tortoises, aka the Rat Pack. Watch out for Frank Sinatra there,” he said, pointing to the largest one that was charging toward us.

“He looks like he’s ready for battle. Look, his little eyes are slanted downward like a grouch. Maybe he should be Oscar.”

“I hadn’t thought of it like that, but you’re right. Just step around him, yeah, he’s gotta keep the others in line, you know. He’s the boss.”

“Right, right. It’s so cute how you anthropomorphize them.”

“You spend as much time as I do with them, you can’t help it. They have indisputably distinct personalities. For example, you’re about to meet royalty.” He opened the door to the side of his big wooden barn and raised an eyebrow as he gestured for me to step inside.

“Oh! Your pond! Kendall, it’s fantastic!”

I’d been dying to get a look at his big project, but even spying from my balcony I couldn’t see what they’d been working on.

The pond had to be eight feet long and four feet across and took up most of the center of the large wooden barn. There was a waterfall, gorgeous palms that bent over the water, lily pads, and stepping stones around the outside. The waterfall sounds echoed through the space, making it sound like a rainforest, and it kept what probably was a pretty dry environment moist for the animals inside. We’d come in through a small door, but there were large doors at the front and back that could be opened wide to bring in equipment.

“Pretty cool, huh? I’ve got a filtration system, and it’s heated. All of it is hooked up to solar. When I’m ready to get some more water creatures, they’ll be right at home in here.”

“You don’t have anything in there?”

“Not yet, just some goldfish. They help support the nutrient cycle and get rid of pests. I can’t decide if I just want to leave it open and put some turtles and frogs in there, or if I want to enclose it and get some water monitors.”

“Monitors? Aren’t those huge? Like Mrs. Kipling on Jessie?”

“Yes, like the character on the Disney show that lived in a penthouse.” He grinned. “They’re pretty amazing, aren’t they?”

I tried not to wince, but I was obviously unsuccessful when his smile fell. “They are. I’m just going to need to know what to feed it-slash-them when they come to visit.”

“All right, all right, I deserve that,” he said. He wrapped his arms around me from behind and turned me to look at the other end of the barn. “I’m still undecided what to do with that space. I was thinking about putting an entertainment area over there, like to host parties, with a deck and chairs, even a bar… or maybe a space to bring kids out for programs about the creatures, but then I thought about getting a hot tub⁠—”

“You can use mine anytime you want—Oh! We should use mine! I haven’t even gone in it yet. That was one of the things I was most excited about, too. Although, hmm, maybe you should get one in here. Mine’s outdoors, and I do tend to get loud…”

“Francis,” he growled in my ear, squeezing me tight. He pressed into my back, and oh, the shivers I shivered. I couldn’t wait to feel his body against mine with a lot less clothes on.

“I’m sorry, I know, I should behave. We’re on a tour. We’re touring here. Back on track. Okay, who do I get to meet next?”

He took my hand and gave me a look that let me know, yes, I was going to be in so much trouble.

He walked me over to the opposite side of the barn, where he’d turned some of the stalls into habitats.

“Did they used to have horses in here?”