Page 113 of Giddy Up, Daddy

“Is this a ranch?” She frowned and leaned forward on the seat.

“It is, but we’re heading to the house,” he explained as he took the side road that led to the Carpenter’s sprawling farmhouse.

“What are we doing here?”

“You’ll see,” he repeated, laughing. He was worried she’d figure it out, but even when they pulled up and parked, she still looked confused. The chorus of barking dogs didn’t enlighten her either.

Jean opened the door and waved. “Hi, folks!”

“Hello,” Charlie replied automatically, but Sam could tell she didn’t really recognize the woman.

“Nice to see you, Charlie. You probably don’t even remember me; it’s been a few years. I’m Jean Carpenter.”

“Oh, Mrs. Carpenter. You were a friend of my dad,” Charlie said, as her expression cleared.

“Sure was. And it’s Jean. You’re not a little girl anymore, so I think we can be on a first name basis now. Did Sam tell you the surprise?”

Charlie shook her head. “No. He kept telling me to wait and see.”

Jean laughed and exchanged looks with Sam. “Well, shall we show her?”

He grinned. “If we don’t, she’s probably going to explode.”

“Well, this way then.” Jean led them to the kennel, and before she even opened the door, Charlie figured it out.

It was either the barking or the ‘Kennel’ sign that gave it away.

She turned to Sam, grabbing at his arm. “Did you get me a puppy?”

“No sense keeping it secret any longer, I guess. You’ve been hinting for a while, so I figured it was about time.”

Her expression transcended joy and she practically danced in place. “You kept saying no!” The tone held some accusation.

“Well, yeah, because I was waiting for the right moment to surprise you.”

“I can’t believe you thought the truck was going to trump this. Puppies win over trucks every time.”

He wasn’t going to argue with her, especially when she seemed so happy. They’d both gotten what they wanted most, but he wasn’t talking about physical presents. He was talking about the gift of making each other happy.

Realizing that he now owned the truck of his dreams had given him such a jolt of pure joy. He’d been sure it would be the best moment of the day, maybe of the whole year. But watching Charlie on the floor with a tiny Corgi puppy in her arms, he realized thatthiswas what he would remember years later.

When the thrill of owning a classic truck faded, this memory of Charlie cradling that puppy and babytalking at it would stand out as the high point of the day. Her face was glowing with happiness, and knowing he’d given her that joy was the best gift ever—though the truck was still pretty amazing too.

The End

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