Mia’s eyes snapped open and she sat up straight. Her back popped in several places, and she let out a low groan. “I don’t know if that hurt or felt good, but I’m not sure I want to sit on this seat for much longer and have it happen again.” She glanced at Summer and wrinkled her nose at the girl’s worried expression. “What’s wrong?”
“You should have worn a bonnet instead of that silly hat. The brim isn’t wide enough. Your nose is bright red.”
Mia scowled and touched her nose with her fingers, pressing gently and noticed how tender the skin was. “Oh, dear.”
“I know of a plant that will help. I’ll find it after we get the cows taken care of.”
“Thank you. I guess I’ll be sewing myself a bonnet as well. Was there something else you wanted to talk about? Surely, you didn’t want to just tell me my nose was as red as a berry?”
Summer glanced down at her hands, clasped over the saddle horn and white knuckled. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, her words so soft Mia barely heard them.
“Did you say—?”
“I said I was sorry!”
“There’s no need to shout, Summer. I just wanted to make certain I heard you. Your voice was so quiet and the wind carried it away.” Mia wanted to feel guilty for making the girl squirm, but she didn’t. “Now, please tell me why you are sorry.”
Summer raised her head. If her dark gaze had been a weapon, Mia would have been bleeding. She definitely felt uncomfortable under the girl’s pointed stare. “You know why.”
Mia nodded and kept a straight face, thankful for the years of practice in the orphanage. “Yes, I do. But, you need to say the words out loud. Believe me or not, voicing them will make you feel better.”
Summer turned her icy gaze away and stared across the prairie. The slight slumping of her shoulders told Mia she’d won this round. Unfortunately, as proud as Summer’s spirit was, she knew there would be many more to come.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper and broke the slate. I don’t like math.”
“Why?”
“I just don’t.”
“There are many reasons we don’t like things. Sometimes it’s because we don’t understand them. Other times it’s because people make fun of our inability to learn like they do. Would you like to know a secret?” Mia patiently waited for Summer to decide, knowing the girl’s curiosity would eventually win out. A few minutes passed and, sure enough, her shoulders slumped a bit more as she relaxed into the easy sway of her horse’s gait.
“What secret?”
“Everyone is unique. We all learn different things at our own speed. You and I can listen to Josiah tell us the same story, but at the end we will hear different things. It’s those differences that make us who we are, and who each of us are is special.You, Summer, are special. Faults and all, because they make up who you are. And I like you very much.”
Summer stared straight ahead, her lips pinched together and her chin quivered. “You do?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I do.”
Several minutes passed, the horses’ hooves plodding along the hard-packed dirt. The sound of the tall grasses rubbing together grew louder as the wind picked up. In the distance, Mia caught sight of several deer, a small fawn peeking out between them.
“Mia?”
“Hmmm?”
“What would you do if I told you there was another boy living in the woods by himself?”
Mia’s heart turned to stone and fell into her stomach. How many more children were living alone without anyone to care for them? She closed her eyes, sorrow filling her.
“I would want you to show me where he’s staying so I can bring him home.”
Billy rode up on the other side of the wagon, his face lit up with joy. “Summer, betcha this is what Johnny was talkin’ about when he told us about riding across the prairie with his friends. He said the wind was hitting his face and the horse was running so fast, he couldn’t breathe. He told me it was the most exciting time of his life. He’s even learned how to shoot a gun!”
“Billy, what did I tell you? Johnny is a good-for-nothing. You stay away from him. He’s gonna end up in jail or dead and he might take you with him. He only cares about hurting people,” Summer said.
Billy’s face closed up in a dark scowl. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Summer! You’ve never liked him just cuz he’s not your friend and he is mine.” Billy dug his heels into his horse’s flanks, and the horse took off in a quick run then slowed back to a stop when Josiah let out a whistle.
Mia drove into the yard and stopped in front of the barn, setting the brake like Josiah had shown her. Now that she had driven most of the afternoon, she was fairly comfortable with everything but hitching up the horse. That would be her next lesson.