" Rick smiled as he grabbed the fat round toad from her back. “Got it.”
Amelia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw what it was. “Oh. Just a frog.”
“Correction. Toad,” said Mr. Witherbee. “There’s a difference. I guess Herman was just taking a swim and you were in his way.”
Rick raised his brow. “You named him?”
“You bet.”
When Amelia looked at the toad, she smiled. “He’s cute. Can I keep him?”
She was just joking around, but it made Rick laugh.
“Sorry, missy,” said Mr. Witherbee. “No can do! He eats all the gnats and mosquitoes on this here pond, not to mention all the flies that can really get on a person’s nerves. He’s been my friend here for at least ten years.”
Amelia raised her brow. “They can live that long?”
“Hey, they can live up to fifteen years if taken good care of.” He smiled. “And I take very good care of Herman.”…
Rick placed the toad on a rock. He then warned the little fellow, “Now you better watch out because some girl just might give you a kiss and you’ll turn into a prince.”
Amelia laughed. “You’ve got that all wrong. It’s a frog that turns into a prince. Not a toad. "

― Linda Weaver Clarke , Her Lost Love (Amelia Moore Detective Series #5)