Page 13 of Lost and Lassoed

Nicole folded her arms. “I didn’t know you and Gus were close.” Her tone was prodding.

Yeah, Nicole wasdefinitelyhoping for a little Gus Ryder action. I had to stifle a gag. “We’re not,” I said as I draped my arm over Riley’s shoulders, “but Riles and I are tight. Isn’t that right, Sunshine?” I used the nickname we’d all been calling Riley since she was born.

Riley nodded. “Teddy and I are like this.” She held up a hand with crossed middle and pointer fingers.

“I’d feel more comfortable if I double-checked with your dad, Riley.” Nicole pulled her phone out, dialed, and then put it on speaker. I rolled my eyes, and Nicole definitely saw.

The phone rang and rang before it went to Gus’s voicemail. “He’s probably still riding back from wherever he was on the ranch—kind of hard to hear your phone when you’re on the back of a loping horse, you know?” I said.

Nicole let out ahmph.“Do you want to try Cam?” I asked. “Or were you calling Gus for something else?” I said it in my most pleasant tone and watched her eyes narrow.

Nicole tapped her phone screen a few times. Cam picked up after a few rings. “Hey, Nicole—is everything okay?”

“I’m afraid not,” Nicole said.Really?“I’ve got Teddy Andersen here to pick up Riley, and I wanted to make sure that was okay with you before I sent her home.”

Cam was silent for a second before she said, “I’m sorry—is that all?”

“Yes,” Nicole said. The confidence with which she delivered her opening line faded a little.

“Teddy is on Riley’s approved list of pickups.” At that, I shot Nicole a saccharine smile. “And she has been since Riley started playing. I appreciate you checking with me, but it is absolutely fine to send her home with Teddy.”

“Thanks, Cam!” I called, and Riley followed it up with a “Hi, Mama!”

“Love you both,” Cam said. “I’ve gotta get back to work. Anything else, Nicole?”

“No,” Nicole said, and hung up before Cam could say more. She was really rubbing me the wrong way—difficult to do unless you were Gus Ryder. Maybe these two were meant to be. “Okay, you’re good to take her.” Nicole waved me off.

“Thanks, Nikki,” I said sweetly. I didn’t know if she used that nickname, but I didn’t care. “I hope you have a really lovely Friday night.” I steered Riley back toward my truck.

Riley waved back at her teammate. “ ’Bye, Sara!”

I opened the passenger door for Riley—it was tricky—and made sure she got in and fastened her seatbelt before I shut it. I rounded the truck and got in on the driver’s side.

“How was your day, kid?” I said as we pulled away.

Riley sighed—it was quite the sigh for a six-year-old. “Long,” she said.Tell me about it, sister.

“Anything new and noteworthy?” I asked, prodding a little bit more.

She shrugged. “Not really. I had riding lessons and soccer today.”

“A packed schedule,” I said. Riley was a talkative kid, but she was quieter than usual. “Tell me one good thing that happened at both.”

“Um…” She thought for a second. “I got to feed Sweetwater today.” Sweetwater was Riley’s horse. Amos had rescued her last year. She wasn’t ready to ride, but Riley was helping Emmy and Amos take care of her—earning her keep.

“That’s really cool,” I said. “And what about soccer?”

“I scored two goals,” Riley said with a shrug.

“Way to bury the lede, kid! You were holding out on me. We’ll call your mom back later and tell her! She’s going to be so proud of you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Riley’s shoulders sag. Ah, there it was—the reason she was so quiet. When we were stopped at Meadowlark’s single traffic light, I reached my hand across the bench seat and grabbed Riley’s small one. “You miss her, huh?”

Riley didn’t answer. She just nodded. I gave her hand a squeeze.

“Is my daddy going to be home?” she asked quietly.

“Maybe not right when we get there, but really soon after,” I said. “Are you hungry?” Riley nodded. “I’ll make us some dinner while we wait, okay?”

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