Page 22 of Their Little Foursome

Between bites, the girls pointed out various people at other tables, and waved rather frantically to one who stood looking around her. The girl wasn’t wearing the same uniform as the others. Instead, she had on a pair of jeans, real cowgirl boots and a long-sleeve shirt. Catching sight of the waving hands, the Little joined them, setting her tray down with a bang.

“Hi, I’m Wren,” she announced, sliding into a chair across the table. “You’re Lori, right?”

Lori nodded, wondering how she could possibly know.

“Sadie’s Daddy was telling my Daddy that you love horses, like me. We have lots and lots to choose from. There’s Starling and Clem who’s blind but still loves to be ridden. Oh, and Margo and George pull the buggy, but if you’d rather ride in a cart, Hercules would pull it. Alfie is really an alpaca but don’t tell him because he thinks he’s a horse too. Do you like goats? Oh, and turkeys? We’ve got a whole gaggle of turkeys… hey!”

Sadie who’d poked Wren with her elbow, giggled. “Slow down, you’re going so fast I’m surprised Lori’s head isn’t spinning.”

Lori waved the concern away and watched in horror as a glob of pancake flew across the table to land next to Wren’s tray. She’d completely forgotten the fork in her hand and the bite that had remained suspended mid-air as she listened to Wren’s amazing soliloquy.

“I’m so sor…”

Her apology didn’t make it from her lips before Wren had stabbed the pancake with her fork and transferred it to her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she seemed to notice the others looking at her. “Five-second rule,” she intoned with a shrug. “Anyway, what I was trying to say before Sadie poked me was, anytime you want to ride, have your Daddy bring you out to the stables. We can either ride around in the corral or if you pass my Daddy’s riding test, we can go on a trail ride or?—”

When she had to take a breath, Haven jumped in, “In other words, if you want to have anything to do with a horse or visit the petting zoo?—”

“Oh! I totally forgot about the petting zoo! We have chickens and piggies and a bossy bird and?—”

“Crap on a cracker, Wren, give the poor girl a minute,” Hayleigh said. She turned to Lori. “On this Ranch, if you go to the stables you can boop a pig’s snout, speak to a bird who talks back, ride a real horse, and pet the sweetest cow ever and then you can go to the store and get stuffies who look just like them to cuddle.”

“Didn’t I tell you this place was magical?” Sadie asked.

Feeling a bit off-balance, Lori started to nod but began to giggle instead when Wren started dragging down the peel of her banana. Lori’s pigtails bounced as she lost control until she was giggling and snorting and gasping for air all at the same time.She might have been embarrassed if not for the fact that four other Littles started giggling too.

Lori tried to catch her breath, watching as her Daddy looked from one Little to another and shook his head.

Exhaustion eventually slowed the group hysteria. That and the fact that not only was Gordon using his napkin to sop up the puddle of pink milk on Lori’s tray, but he’d been joined by Master Derek and a man wearing a white apron which had a thick wooden spoon sticking out of its pocket.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Hayleigh managed as her Daddy used a kitchen towel to help clean up additional spillage.

“We didn’t even have a food fight,” Sadie offered as she held out her hands to be wiped down by her Daddy.

“Master Chef?”

Sadie and Hayleigh began to giggle again which had Master Derek rolling his eyes but Hayleigh’s Daddy looked up and met Lori’s gaze.

“Thank you for the compliment, little lady, but it’s just Chef Connor.”

“Oh, um, sorry… not for calling you Master Chef because you really are a one, a master at… at cheffing… oh, I?—”

“Breathe, sweetpea.”

Her Daddy laid his palm against her cheek and the contact and quiet instruction slowed the racing in Lori’s chest.

Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, nodded and tried again. “Thank you, Chef Connor.”

“For what?”

“For making the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. I ate two! Well, except for the one bite Wren ate.”

It was another five minutes before the girls stopped laughing long enough for Master Derek to say, “Okay, breakfast is officially over. Put your trays away and get yourselves to class. And, ladies, try to behave.”

A chorus of “Yes, Master Derek,” and one, “Yes, Daddy,” came from the Littles as they placed all their dishes, utensils, glasses and used napkins on their trays before pushing back their chairs and standing.

“Daddy! Let me out,” Lori said once she realized she wasn’t going anywhere until her Daddy lifted the tray.

“Excuse me?”

---