Brody fusses a lot.  It’s who he is, but his bark is worse than his bite.  Harmony realizes that when he helps his brother, Ian, rescue the duck he’s fed all summer and fall.  When the duck gets frozen in the ice on the lake, the two men rush to its aid:

Brody’s attention was drawn to something outside the back windows.  His brows furrowed in a worried frown.  He narrowed his eyes, staring at the lake.  “Is that one of your ducks?” he asked Ian.

Ian finished the last bite of his sandwich and followed Brody’s gaze.  His expression took on a worried look, too.  “Is she stuck in the ice?” he asked Brody.

Brody stood to go see her better.  “She’s struggling, but can’t get out.”

A feather could have knocked Harmony over when Brody disappeared to get his winter coat.  Ian followed him.  She looked at Paula.  “Are they going to rescue a duck?”

“Not just any duck,” Paula told her.  “Ian fed it all summer and fall.”

Brody glared as he passed Harmony.  “You can’t just leave a poor animal trapped in ice to die, whether you fed it or not.”

The two men tramped out the back door and headed to the lake.  Harmony turned to Paula.  “How do you unstick a duck?”

http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/33110