A Daddy for Dillon by Stella Bagwell

child to get acquainted with the horse before he finally took him into the corral and lifted him into the tiny saddle.
    Once he was actually on Cocoa’s back and Laramie had secured his feet in the stirrups, Dillon was beside himself with excitement, yet to Leyla’s surprise he obediently followed Laramie’s instructions to sit still and not yell or flap his legs.
    “Grab on to this and hang on tight. Just like you held on to my neck,” Laramie told the boy as he guided Dillon’s little hands to the saddle horn. “And here we go.”
    Laramie began to lead the pony in a very slow walk around the corral. As Leyla watched the two of them, she couldn’t stop a rush of emotion from misting her eyes. Her son was riding a horse for the very first time in his life. And all because Laramie had cared enough to give Dillon the time and attention. No matter what happened between her and the ranch manager in the future, Leyla would always be grateful to him for this.
    She called to Dillon from her perch on the fence, saying, “You look like a real cowboy.”
    Laramie stopped the horse alongside the fence where she sat. “Dillon will really look the part when he gets a pair of boots and a hat,” he told her.
    Leyla had to stifle a groan. Didn’t the man realize Dillon was listening to every word? The child would hound her for days now about boots and a hat.
    She’d not even gotten the thought out of her head when Dillon spoke up, “Me want boots and hat, Mommy. Like Laramie.”
    She shot Laramie a reproving look. “Now look what you’ve done. Those things are far beyond my budget. Why did you—”
    Laramie lifted a hand to interrupt. “Before you get all bent out of shape, let me deal with this. Most likely Riley and Clancy have plenty of stuff they’ve outgrown. I’ll ask Maura if she has anything stored away that might fit Dillon.”
    Leyla had never met Maura Cantrell, but she did know that the woman was Dr. Bridget Chino’s sister and that the two women worked together at Dr. Chino’s medical clinic in Ruidoso. Leyla would be forever grateful to Bridget and her husband, Johnny—not only for helping deliver her son, but also for being her friends and helping her get this better-paying job at the Chaparral.
    “Well, if Maura is anything like her sister she must be a very kind lady. But I wouldn’t feel good about you imposing on her.”
    He shot her an impatient look. “There you go again. Remember what I told you about everyone helping each other around here?”
    “Yes. But that’s not good unless it goes both ways. It’s not right for me to always be on the receiving end. And I don’t know of anything I could do to help a woman like Maura Cantrell.”
    “Just be a good employee and a friend. That’s enough, Leyla. You don’t need money to do that.”
    “Boots. I gonna wear boots and hat.” Dillon emphasized the last statement by plopping the palms of his hands atop his dark brown hair. “I gonna be cowboy.”
    The happiness on her son’s face made everything else seem insignificant, and she smiled at him. “Okay, if you’re going to be a cowboy, what is Mommy going to be?”
    Tilting his head to one side, Dillon contemplated her question for a moment. “You gonna be Mommy.”
    “Smart kid,” Laramie said with a laugh.
    * * *
    After several more minutes of Dillon riding the pony, Laramie suggested it was time they stop for lunch. Because cowboys had to eat and stay strong, he explained to Dillon. But the riding instruction continued as he showed the child how the horse had to be taken care of by removing his bridle and saddle and brushing down his coat.
    “Cocoa is hungry,” Dillon told Laramie as the two of the walked out of the corral.
    “I’m sure he would agree with you,” Laramie said with a chuckle. “But it’s not time for him to eat yet. It would give him a belly ache if he ate too much.”
    “Me no belly ache,” Dillon said, then rubbed a hand across his tummy. “Me