A dog yipped and the quacking got louder.
Then there was flapping and squawks. I was pushed aside as Jared, our town sheriff, broke through the crowd. Next thing I knew, a dog got loose.
Chaos erupted.
Gina appeared, cupping something in her apron. She bent and scooped another—was that a chick? “Sheriff Brooks, you save those ducks right now. There are babies over here!”
“Dammit. Okay, folks, let’s just back it up please.” Jared pointed at a man. “Gary, you get that dog or I’ll fine you for Harley not being on a leash.”
“I’m trying. If everyone would stop moving.” The older man stomped on the grass, trying to catch the end of the red leash.
Ivy and I maneuvered the stroller to the side as the mama duck circled, quacking for one of the babies that had darted under a crate.
“Christian, go left!” Jared barked out the order.
“Got it!” Christian darted around me. “’Scuse me, Kinleigh.” He flashed me a charming smile and handed me his hat. “Hold that for me?”
I laughed and took his hat.
“Which way?”
Ivy and I pointed toward the gazebo stairs.
Christian went after the other adult duck as Gina scooped up another chick.
“Are you supposed to touch them?” Rory asked out of the side of his mouth.
“Not sure. Probably better than if one of those poor babies was hurt,” Ivy whispered back.
A woman with dreadlocks rushed over to Gina with a burlap bag, and Gina gratefully dumped them in there and darted after Jared.
“What’s going on?” August crowded in behind me and held up the mouthwateringly perfect fried dough like a prize in front of me.
I held up Christian’s hat and snatched the dough out of his hands and tore off a piece. “Ducks.” My ass slid across the front of his jeans and the urge to lean back on him was almost unbearable.
Ivy tore a corner off my dough and I practically growled at her. Until I noticed her gaze sweep up to where her brother was cozied up behind me.
Could I blame it on the crush of people? I glanced around to notice the townsfolk were dispersing. Hmm. Probably not.
“I should probably bring Christian his hat,” I blurted out around another bite.
“Why do you have Christian’s hat?” August’s voice was deceptively mild.
“Ducks.”
“Ducks?”
I nodded and took another bite as I scanned the crowd to where people were congregating. “Oh, look, see?”
August followed to where I was pointing.
“I can’t see,” Ivy said behind me.
I moved over and we both sighed out an audible, “Aww.”
Jared was heading down to the pier with the two adult ducks following him. Gina got to the edge of the pier and let go of her little babies as well and the line of them followed Jared.
It seemed way too cold to go in the lake as far as I was concerned, but they all hopped right off the edge and swam toward the bank where there was a bit of brush and a slice of beach.