Despite not wanting to appear “chicken,” Eve drew Katie closer. “If I can do it, you can, bug.” Eve smoothed a hand through her daughter’s blond curls.
And if Katie does it, maybe Gertie won’t channel her inner velociraptor.
“Okay.” Katie held out her hand, received a bit of grain, and then tossed it in the air over her shoulder the way someone who was superstitious might toss salt after a spill.
Gertie didn’t care where the food had been thrown. She strutted around Eve and Katie to the grain.
Katie watched the white hen’s every move. Then she giggled. “She likes it.”
“She likes you,” Irene said, heading toward what looked like window boxes in the chicken coop. “Time to see how many eggs we’ve got.”
Eve followed, still carrying Katie.
The roof to the nests was on a hinge. Irene lifted it up and began collecting eggs. A few minutes later, her basket was full of them.
“Nothing to it when you get the hang of it.” Irene put the roof back in place, then led them out of the chicken run. “I’ll show you where we store eggs, and then we’ll head over to the barn.”
In no time, the eggs were safely stored in a mudroom cupboard.
“I…” Irene looked a bit lost. “Remind me of your names.”
Eve patiently reintroduced them. “You were showing us around the property. We’ve just met Gertie and helped you collect eggs.”
“I fed Gertie,” Katie said proudly. “You can’t have forgotten that Gran.”
“I…I don’t suppose I have.” Irene led them out the front door. She began pointing out storage buildings, various tractors, tractor attachments, a stock hauler, stock trailers, including a double-decker one, and other things Eve knew Katie needed to steer clear of. Finally, they reached the barn. It had eight stalls, a small tack room, and a small bathroom. Several horses poked their heads over metal stall doors, studying them.
Chicken scare forgotten, Katie walked through the breezeway in that long, yellow dress, waving at horses as if she was royalty in a parade. “Hello, pretty-pretties.”
“Nugget!” Irene called, striding past Eve’s little princess.
A palomino poked his head over the last stall door. He held a deflated red, white, and blue beach ball in his teeth. He dropped it and nickered.
Katie giggled, running over to pick up the beach ball. She waved it at the horse’s nose. “Do you want this, Nugget?”
Nugget grabbed hold of the beach ball and then tossed his head, yanking it from Katie’s hand and making her giggle some more.
Eve chuckled, never having seen a horse enamored with toys. He reminded her of a very large puppy, playful and happy to be alive.
“Nugget is a good horse.” Irene pried the plastic ball from Nugget, then stroked his forehead. “But he doesn’t like to be bored.”
Katie knelt at the stall door, grabbing hold of the metal rails and peering inside. “He’s got toys.”
“That he does.” Irene continued to pet her horse, staring at him with love in her clear eyes. “Toys keep him from being naughty.”
“What can he possibly do to misbehave in his stall?” Eve wondered aloud.
“You’d be surprised.” Irene chuckled, tipping her straw cowboy hat back. “He’s done everything from yanking his water trough out of the wall to opening the gate and walking about, looking for trouble. Found him on the front porch one morning.” The way Irene spoke… She was proud of that horse.
Eve smiled. She hadn’t thought ranch folk would have such strong emotional attachments to a working animal. She made a mental note to tell Hayden how his grandmother seemed so clear-headed around the animals she loved.
“Mama says I have a nose for trouble.” Katie beamed, getting to her feet and reaching for the horse’s nose. “Hi, Nugget. I’m Katie Lou Atkinson. Hay-Hay is daddy number two.”
“Hay-Hay.” Irene’s gaze turned distant. “If my grandson is your daddy, you’d be Katie Lou Bennett.”
Eve bit her lip. Katie would only be a Bennett if Hayden adopted her, which he wouldn’t. Their marriage wasn’t going to last as long as the adoption would take. And besides, that was something Steven would never agree to.
“It’s good to be a Bennett,” Irene continued, giving Eve a speculative look. “You’ll see. You’ll both see.”