Page 37 of Sweet Surprises

That earned her a big laugh from the little boy. And she was pleased to see he had stopped wiggling, at least for now.

“Charlotte helped me fix these for you,” Daniel said. “And she made herself useful at the creamery today, according to Uncle Zane.”

“I like helping with the ice cream,” she said lightly, even though she was proud inside that Zane had felt she was helpful.

It was hard being here and feeling like maybe she was a drain on resources—a pet, not a worker. She wanted to contribute, but whenever she tried to help, someone had to take the time to explain to her how to do things. So at the end of the day, she was never sure if she had actually saved anyone any time or effort.

“Well, now is when we take a little time to relax,” Daniel told her. “What do you like to do with your spare time?”

“Oh, I wanted to take some photos,” she said. “Is it okay for me to just walk around the farm a little?”

“Of course,” he said.

“I’ll come,” Chance announced.

“Me too,” Olivia said.

Charlotte saw Daniel’s surprise and then his effort to hide it.

“That’s great,” she said. “Let’s bundle up, and then we can go for our farm walk.”

By the timethe three of them made their way out to the fields, Tripp was almost ready to bring the cows up from the lower pasture.

“You’ve got about fifteen minutes with them down here,” Tripp told her.

“That’s great,” she told him. “We can get some good shots, I think.”

“And I can model for you anytime you want,” he added, winking at her.

She teased him back by rolling her eyes dramatically and turning away, which made Olivia laugh out loud.

“So, which cows are your favorites?” Charlotte asked the kids.

As they pointed out the cows by name, she photographed each one. The animals were so gentle and friendly that she was able to get some really beautiful portraits, especially with the kids’ help.

“Okay, time to go get some feed,” Tripp announced.

“Can we make it up to the barn before them, if we run?” Charlotte asked Olivia.

“Definitely,” Olivia told her.

“Chance, do you want to run?” Charlotte asked the boy, already knowing the answer.

“Yes,” he said.

“We just have to move slowly until we’re far enough away that we don’t spook them,” Olivia warned.

The three of them strode off, and when they were a bit further from the cows they broke into a run. They were all the way up before Tripp even began to call to the animals, and Charlotte stopped for a second to catch her breath. She couldn’t remember the last time she had just run full out like that—like a carefree kid, hurtling across a field with total abandon.

Once she was ready, she got into position.

“Oh, this will make a great shot,” Charlotte said, kneeling by the fence line just outside of the barn. Tag was already busy filling the feeders, which meant that the cows would be happy as they made their way back up the hill.

“Why are you down there on the ground, Charlotte?” Chance asked.

“I want to get the cows’ faces,” she said. “And I want to show how big they are, too. That will be easier from below.”

“Oh,” Chance said.

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