necessary. Feel free to do whatever you like here. This coffee is the real stuff, if that’s okay.”
“Absolutely. I only drink the kid stuff at night.” He took the mug and nodded his thanks. “Why don’t you go on to the ranch? I imagine you have a lot to do today with the parade and all. I know a fork from a spoon. I can set the table.”
“I can’t let you do that,” I said, though I was sorely tempted. “My gramma Dove would kill me.”
He touched a finger to his lips. “It’ll be our secret.”
With that, I took him up on his offer and was out the door in less than a half hour, lugging Boo under one arm. The fancy Western clothes I’d wear in the parade were already cleaned and ready at the ranch. I settled him into his car seat and headed for the ranch.
“He is a cute little guy,” Dove said, taking Boo from my arms, her peach-colored face softening. “Just leave him in here with me.” I knew once she saw him she’d be a goner. She had never been able to resist babies of any kind.
“Boo’s travel bed is already hooked up in my truck, so why don’t you just drive that into town? You can go home with Daddy. I have his leash, a travel carrier and poopy bags in the bag.” I handed her the green and white L.L.Bean bag with his name on it. “His puppy treats and food are in there. He eats three times a day, and I have it portioned off in baggies. He likes—”
She waved a hand at me and set him down on the kitchen floor. “Get out to the barn and help your daddy. I was taking care of babies a million years before you was born.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, smiling with relief. “After the parade Constance set up interviews for me with her three suspects. Could you—?”
“I’ll take him back to your house and visit with Kathryn. Give me a chance to meet her new husband. I need to be at the airport by five p.m. though. That’s when Isaac arrives. He left his car at the airport. He can take me home.”
“No problem. Gabe or I will drive you to the airport. Kathryn will love seeing you. There’s tons of stuff in the freezer for lunch.”
She waved me away again without stating the obvious, that she’d also been feeding people years before I was born. I went into her bedroom, put on a tomato-red cowboy shirt and black Wranglers, brushed off my black felt cowboy hat and stuck it on. On the way out to the barn, I grabbed a freshly baked cinnamon roll and a mug of coffee. The frost-covered grass crunched like corn flakes under my feet. I opened the barn door and heard my father talking to the horses while he tacked them up.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said, walking up beside him.
“Hey, pipsqueak,” he answered, straightening his favorite silver-trimmed saddle on his big old bay mare, Apple. He always rode Apple in parades because a bomb could explode in front of her and Apple would just blink her eyes. “Heard Kathryn got herself hitched. Your horse is all ready to go.” He nodded over at Mustard, another longtime ranch horse with nerves of steel.
“Almost shocked Gabe out of his britches,” I said, stroking Mustard’s neck. Mustard loved parades. I swear his chest puffed up a little when we passed by cheering crowds, even though there was nothing spectacular about his plain brown looks. Maybe during parades in his mind he became the Black Stallion. “Ray seems like a nice man. He’s an engineer.”
“So I heard. Got to be pretty steady to control a train.”
“Gabe didn’t intimidate him. That says a lot.”
Daddy raised his white eyebrows. “He married Gabe’s mama. Kathryn’s not too short on the intimidation ruler herself.”
I nodded and led Mustard over to the four-horse trailer hooked up to Daddy’s one-ton Ford pickup. “Gee, you’re all ready. Did you get up at three?”
“Figured you’d take your time getting here,” he said, his voice still holding a trace of his native Arkansan drawl. “Someone had to get it done.”
“Hey, I got up at five. That’s
“Absolutely. I only drink the kid stuff at night.” He took the mug and nodded his thanks. “Why don’t you go on to the ranch? I imagine you have a lot to do today with the parade and all. I know a fork from a spoon. I can set the table.”
“I can’t let you do that,” I said, though I was sorely tempted. “My gramma Dove would kill me.”
He touched a finger to his lips. “It’ll be our secret.”
With that, I took him up on his offer and was out the door in less than a half hour, lugging Boo under one arm. The fancy Western clothes I’d wear in the parade were already cleaned and ready at the ranch. I settled him into his car seat and headed for the ranch.
“He is a cute little guy,” Dove said, taking Boo from my arms, her peach-colored face softening. “Just leave him in here with me.” I knew once she saw him she’d be a goner. She had never been able to resist babies of any kind.
“Boo’s travel bed is already hooked up in my truck, so why don’t you just drive that into town? You can go home with Daddy. I have his leash, a travel carrier and poopy bags in the bag.” I handed her the green and white L.L.Bean bag with his name on it. “His puppy treats and food are in there. He eats three times a day, and I have it portioned off in baggies. He likes—”
She waved a hand at me and set him down on the kitchen floor. “Get out to the barn and help your daddy. I was taking care of babies a million years before you was born.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I said, smiling with relief. “After the parade Constance set up interviews for me with her three suspects. Could you—?”
“I’ll take him back to your house and visit with Kathryn. Give me a chance to meet her new husband. I need to be at the airport by five p.m. though. That’s when Isaac arrives. He left his car at the airport. He can take me home.”
“No problem. Gabe or I will drive you to the airport. Kathryn will love seeing you. There’s tons of stuff in the freezer for lunch.”
She waved me away again without stating the obvious, that she’d also been feeding people years before I was born. I went into her bedroom, put on a tomato-red cowboy shirt and black Wranglers, brushed off my black felt cowboy hat and stuck it on. On the way out to the barn, I grabbed a freshly baked cinnamon roll and a mug of coffee. The frost-covered grass crunched like corn flakes under my feet. I opened the barn door and heard my father talking to the horses while he tacked them up.
“Hey, Daddy,” I said, walking up beside him.
“Hey, pipsqueak,” he answered, straightening his favorite silver-trimmed saddle on his big old bay mare, Apple. He always rode Apple in parades because a bomb could explode in front of her and Apple would just blink her eyes. “Heard Kathryn got herself hitched. Your horse is all ready to go.” He nodded over at Mustard, another longtime ranch horse with nerves of steel.
“Almost shocked Gabe out of his britches,” I said, stroking Mustard’s neck. Mustard loved parades. I swear his chest puffed up a little when we passed by cheering crowds, even though there was nothing spectacular about his plain brown looks. Maybe during parades in his mind he became the Black Stallion. “Ray seems like a nice man. He’s an engineer.”
“So I heard. Got to be pretty steady to control a train.”
“Gabe didn’t intimidate him. That says a lot.”
Daddy raised his white eyebrows. “He married Gabe’s mama. Kathryn’s not too short on the intimidation ruler herself.”
I nodded and led Mustard over to the four-horse trailer hooked up to Daddy’s one-ton Ford pickup. “Gee, you’re all ready. Did you get up at three?”
“Figured you’d take your time getting here,” he said, his voice still holding a trace of his native Arkansan drawl. “Someone had to get it done.”
“Hey, I got up at five. That’s
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