Saving Baby

Jo Anne Normile was not supposed to keep the foal, an exuberant Thoroughbred with only a few white hairs on his reddish-brown forehead. But she fell in love with the young horse, who had literally been born into her arms. The breeder finally said she could keep the colt, whom she nicknamed "Baby" - but only if she raced him. It was difficult to take Baby away from the safety of his pasture. But Normile had made a promise.

My name is Soldier, but I was never meant to be a hero. From the moment I was born, I was looked at as a beacon of hope, a guiding light—a savior. That type of pressure can drive a man to desperation, to do things he shouldn't, and in my case, that's exactly what happened. All I ever wanted to be was a good person, someone my grandparents could be proud of, but for a long time, I couldn't find the strength to be proud of myself. I paid the price. I did my time. Yet... somehow, I got lucky.

Meet Noah - an A-honor-roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren't any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim-team practice. He's sentenced to 18 months in a juvenile sexual-rehabilitation center. His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won't allow Noah back into their home.

He hired me to care for his failing heart, but when meddling family forces his hand, he introduces me as his girlfriend. His live-in girlfriend! What can go wrong, right? Agreeing to Preston’s scheme will ensure I never practice again, but he’s willing to pay handsomely for my services. Do I even have a choice? My family needs me to make ends meet, and I’ll never let my sisters down again. Giving up my dreams to help a fake boyfriend seems like my only answer.

When the world last checked in with its favorite Cheetos addict, the planet had been overrun by flesh-hungry beasts, and nature had started reclaiming her territory from humankind. S.T., the intrepid crow, alongside his bloodhound-bestie Dennis, had set about saving pets that had become trapped in their homes after humanity went the way of the dodo. That is, dear reader, until S.T. stumbled upon something so rare - and so precious - that he vowed to do everything in his power to safeguard what could, quite literally, be humanity's last hope for survival.

On a cold January day in 2017, nearly two months before due date, Nile hippopotamus Bibi gave her keepers at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden a big surprise: a tiny newborn hippo, no bigger than a football. The first premature hippo born and raised in captivity, baby Fiona was an underdog from the start: She couldn't nurse, she couldn't stay hydrated, and she wasn't thriving. But the staff at the zoo knew they could save her.

On a scale of one to 10, how well can you control your temper on the phone? For me, I have moved from a two to a solid seven on most days. But I wasn’t always that way. It took a lot of practice and specific techniques to reach that point.