The Cowboy Who Caught Her Eye by Lauri Robinson Page B

you’re pretty,” Carter replied, climbing carefully out of the saddle.
    His movements triggered alarm inside Molly, and she examined him more carefully. He was holding his side with one hand, which had her fearing he’d been thrown. She was about to step closer when Ivy spoke again.
    “Not as pretty as Karleen, or Molly. No one’s as pretty as Molly.”
    Carter’s gaze had locked on hers and it didn’t move, not even to glance at Ivy as he answered, “Well, Ivy, I reckon there is no one as pretty as Molly.”
    If there would have been air in her lungs, Molly would have spoken, then again, maybe not. She couldn’t imagine what she would have said.
    “Molly,” Ivy said, “do you remember the dresses Mama sewed us? Me, you and Karleen?”
    The only way to get past the haze swirling in her mind was to pull her gaze off Carter, so Molly did that.
    Karleen had already knelt down in front of their little sister and was asking, “Do you remember those dresses? It was a long time ago.”
    Molly had been thinking the same thing. It had been more than three years. They’d been the last identical dresses Mother had made for the three of them.
    Ivy’s long braids bobbed as she nodded her head. “They were blue, a pretty blue, like Molly’s eyes. And we all three looked alike. Like real sisters.”
    Karleen had looked up, but Molly’s heart was already tumbling. “We are real sisters, Ivy. You, me and Karleen. We’re family.”
    “I know,” Ivy said. “But it was fun to look alike, wasn’t it?” She looked to Karleen for reassurance.
    Karleen pulled Ivy into a hug. “Yes, it was.”
    Molly had to walk past Carter to get to Ivy, and she didn’t let it stop her. She knelt down beside both sisters. “You know what? There’s some pretty green-and-white-striped cotton in the store. Enough for dresses. How about I make one for you and one for Karleen?”
    “And you?”
    Molly didn’t have the heart to say no, but at the same time, she didn’t want to get Ivy’s hopes up. “I’ll see if there’s enough material for three, but I know for certain there’s enough for two.”
    “You are going to need a new dress, Ivy,” Carter said.
    Molly glanced up, only to discover he’d crouched down, too, was right beside her, and she pressed her toes harder into the earth to keep from wobbling.
    “Why will I need a new dress, Carter?” Ivy asked.
    “I’ll tell you at supper,” he whispered with a wink. “It’s a surprise.”
    He shifted slightly, still holding his side, and once she got over how wonderful he always smelled, Molly wondered again if he was hurt. The smile on his face didn’t show pain, but he was very good at masking things.
    “Right now, I have another surprise for you,” he said.
    The hint of excitement in his voice had Molly holding her breath. Surprises, the good kind, hadn’t been overly abundant lately and she couldn’t deny the shine on Ivy’s face.
    “You do?” her little sister asked, nearly trembling with glee.
    “I do,” he said, unbuttoning his vest.
    “What is it?” Ivy danced from foot to foot. “What is it?”
    “Just a minute,” he said. “Let me find it.”
    “I love surprises, Carter, I truly do,” Ivy insisted.
    Molly shared a quick glance with Karleen, reading her sister’s mind. They were both getting caught up in Ivy’s enthusiasm. Her middle sister, though, was also saying I told you, which made Molly glance away. Her gaze went back to Carter who was unbuttoning his shirt now. She tried to look away, but her common sense wasn’t listening, and then a little head popped out the opening.
    “It’s a puppy, Carter!” Ivy squealed. “You got a puppy in your shirt.”
    “That I do, Miss Ivy.”
    When the entire animal—a wiggling bundle of yellow fur with long gangly legs—was extracted from his shirt, Molly couldn’t help but wonder how it had all fit in there. How she hadn’t noticed it.
    “Where’d you get him, Carter?” Ivy asked, laughing as the