“I’m five, but on January first, I’ll be six,” he answered smartly.
“No, you won’t,” retorted a girl who looked suspiciously similar to Billy. His sister, I guessed. “Your birthday’s not till April.”
“But Miss Morgan said everyone gets older on January first, no matter when their birthday is,” he insisted. “Because she said, Duke is sixteen, and he’ll be seventeen on January first, even though she didn’t know his real birthday.”
This time, I couldn’t help a small chuckle. “Billy, you’re absolutely right, but that’s when we’re talking about horses, not people. We do things kind of funny with them, don’t we?”
He looked frustrated. “I still think it counts.”
“Maybe, Billy, maybe. Okay, gang, let’s get started. What did you do yesterday?”
“I wasn’t here yesterday,” Aedyn reminded me.
“Okay… Morgan said she has some coloring books to start on that teach you about the different types of tack and stuff. Shall we get started on those?”
“I don’t like coloring,” one of the girls said primly. “I just want to ride.”
I bit the inside of my cheek and counted to three. “We won’t be riding today. We can learn to groom the horses, though.”
“Do I have to shovel stinky stuff?” Billy asked in his most serious voice. “Because I get sick.” He grabbed his stomach and made a gagging sound to demonstrate.
I rolled my neck and grimaced. How in the world was I supposed to point all these kids in the same direction? Just when I didn’t know what to say or do next, my salvation arrived. I heard a car door closing outside, and Morgan’s voice drifted in toward us. “Oh, I’m so glad you could make it! Would you mind helping Dusty with the kids? You’re a life-saver!”
I didn’t know who had just shown up, but with them helping me, we’d do a whole lot better than I was doing on my own. I was watching the door when a familiar Australian Shepherd dog trotted inside, assessing the surroundings. He made one pass around the room, sniffing boots, fingers, and coats and eliciting squeals from all the kids. Finally, he came to me, wagged his tail, and sat. Then he barked like he was expecting me to give him a treat.
“Dakota, come!”
The dog sprang up when he heard the voice that made my heart stop.Jess. She had come, after all. My eyes were glued to the doorway until her figure darkened the entry.
The late afternoon sun made a halo in the sweep of her flaxen hair, and for an instant, I almost could have fancied an angel had come down from heaven. She hung her coat on the wall and strolled into the barn aisle, smiling at each of the kids as she passed them. Then she stopped and smiled at me.
“Hello, Dusty.”
I was tingling all the way to my toes, and it took me a couple of attempts to get the words out.
“H-hello, Jess.”
“So remember, never wrap the lead rope around your wrist. Hold it like this, instead.” Jess was crouching beside a girl named Karli, coaching her on how to lead Duke up and down the barn aisle safely. The other girls clustered around, eagerly waiting for their turns.
I had pulled the two boys aside to teach them how to throw a rope at a dummy. They weren’t doing much more than swinging it around their heads and occasionally at each other. That was probably my fault; I was watching Jess a lot more than I was watching them. But they seemed to be having fun, even Aedyn. I bounced back to reality when one of them shot a loop at my heels and almost tripped me.
I turned around, shaking my head and spreading my hands as they dissolved into whoops and belly laughs.
“Whoa, guys, don’t bite off more than you can chew,” I said. “Let’s catch the calf head a few more times before you try to step up to heeling. Try this.” I took Billy’s rope, coiled it up for him, and then showed him how to shake out a loop again. “Got that? Now, try swinging it.”
He was an eager student—too eager, from the looks of it, because he made an enthusiastic toss that landed the loop right over Aedyn’s head. I sighed. “Good energy, Billy, but let’s work on your aim.”
“That’s right where I was aiming.”
I heard a laugh at my shoulder, and I turned to find Jess. She was leaning on the nearest stall and smiling. “Boys, that’s a wrap for today. Your parents are starting to show up.”
Billy let out another whoop and ran off. Aedyn carefully coiled his rope the way I had shown him, and he brought it to me. “Can I practice tonight?”
“I don’t see a problem with that. You can take the rope home and bring it back tomorrow. Had fun today, huh?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m gonna rope Billy tomorrow. Fair’s fair.”
Jess sputtered in laughter and had to hide behind her hand, but I almost managed to keep it together. I crouched down to get eye level with him, and he met me with stone-cold seriousness. “We’ll see about that. Just don’t practice on any cats or dogs, okay?”