Page 111 of Dusty Spur Ranch Cowboys

Tori follows Sadie through the little gate into Cinnamon’s ranch, picking her way across the dirt while Sadie drops beside the upside down feed bucket and strokes the pink halter with obvious pride.

“She likes apples,” Sadie says, looking up at her mother. “Carrots too, but Dad cuts them up because she gets grumpy if they’re too big.”

Tori smiles politely, but her attention has already drifted toward the buzzing phone in her handbag. She glances at the screen, taps out a quick reply with her thumb, then slips it away again before Sadie notices.

“Show me the rest.”

Sadie lights up straight away. “I’ve got chickens too.”

“They’re real,” I add.

“They’re noisy,” Sadie corrects me before taking off across the yard.

Tori follows at a much more careful pace while I trail behind them. Sadie chatters the entire walk, introducing every chicken by name and explaining which one steals food, which one likes cuddles, and which one once chased Willy halfway across the yard.

“I maintain that rooster had bad intentions,” Willy shouts from the pasture.

“You screamed.”

Even Red laughs at that one.

By the time we head inside, Sadie’s barely stopped talking long enough to breathe. She darts into the living room before racing back with a drawing clutched in both hands. “Look what I did.”

She spreads the paper across the kitchen table.

A group of stick figures stand beneath a giant rodeo sign while Cinnamon grazes nearby wearing a cowboy hat almost as big as she is.

Tori smiles. “You’re getting really good.”

Sadie points at each figure in turn. “That’s Daddy.”

“I recognize him.”

“That’s me.”

“I definitely recognize you.”

She slides her finger across the page again. “That’s Willy, Red, and that’s Arizona.”

Tori’s smile pauses. “She spends quite a bit of time here?”

Sadie beams. “She taught me guitar.”

Tori smiles along as Sadie discusses her musical escapades, but halfway through the story her phone buzzes again. “Sorry.”

She glances down at the screen, frowning slightly as she reads another message before typing back.

Sadie keeps talking anyway, waiting patiently for her mom to look up again.

It takes longer this time.

When Tori finally slips the phone back into her bag, Sadie’s finished her story and gone quiet.

“So…” Tori says with an apologetic smile. “Where were we?”

Sadie shrugs. “I don’t know.”

My chest tightens.