Page 42 of The Cowgirl's Secret Love
Not having Finn around placed Karen in a strange sort of limbo, and strangely, it was the time at home that seemed the most off.
What had started as such a treat—a place to call her own and to do whatever she wanted without anyone else’s dictates—wasn’t a treat anymore.
It was lonely.
The kitten Finn had rescued helped fill some of that space. Karen named the little creature Dandelion, and the fluffball slowly took control of his territory. This seemed to involve lots of pouncing, especially on Karen and any parts of her anatomy that happened to be moving.
Her toes. Her feet. Her finger on the table. Her head, first thing in the morning when the hellion decided her nose needed biting.
“He hasn’t had any problems after being trapped in that wall,” Julia pointed out while visiting a couple days after the accident.
“Ollie thinks Dandy is the cutest thing she’s ever seen.” Lisa glanced over her shoulder to where the two animals were circling each other. Or more precisely, Ollie was moving slowly, her tail wagging enthusiastically while the kitten stalked, preparing to pounce. “I have never seen Ollie like this. She chases away all of the ranch cats.”
“By the way, Kelli told me there’s a new batch of kittens in the loft,” Tamara mentioned. “I can take Dandelion back with me whenever you want. I’m sure the mother cat will take him in. I know you’re not keen on animals in the house.”
“He’s okay here for now,” Karen said quickly.
That was the other reason Karen wasn’t completely lonely. Her sisters kept invading, in ones or twos. Or all three. Today Tamara was along as well, having brought supper for the four of them to Karen’s.
“You hear any more information about school in the fall?” Tamara asked.
She and Karen were still at the table as Lisa and Julia worked at the sink, cleaning up from their meal.
Karen thought about the envelope sitting unopened on her desk. “I did, but I’m not worried about it right now. Until Finn’s back, we’re all buckling down extra hard. I’ve been trying to step it up a little to make sure I’m doing my share.”
“I doubt that’s a problem,” Tamara said dryly. “You doing anything for fun? I mean, not that I expect you to go out dancing or anything, because I get that you’re still kind of shocked from the accident and all.”
Currently she was more shocked about what she’d proposed in terms of Finn’s living arrangements—a small detail she hadn’t yet shared with her sisters.
Karen redirected the question. “I went riding a few times. Spotted that wild stallion in the area. He’s definitely set up base in the foothills to the west of here. We’ll have to make sure he’s contained before we bring in a lot of more horses, or he’ll constantly try to steal them away.”
Tamara looked concerned. “That is a problem. I’ll mention it to Caleb and see if Silver Stone can work with the ranch here to deal with them. Also, did you know that Kelli’s been working with that gelding she cut out of the pack? The owners didn’t want him back—said he was too wild to begin with and they don’t want him teaching the rest of their herd any bad habits.”
Karen would never cast off an animal like that. The gelding wasn’t doing anything except what came naturally.
She shook her head. “Good for Kelli. Once things settle down around here, I’d love to come and give her hand.”
“She’d love to see you.” Tamara grinned. “It’s been kind of fun having Kelli hero-worship you every time she comes around.”
Karen was shocked. “She does not.”
“It’s like listening to my daughter go on and on about, ‘Kelli says this’ and ‘Kelli says that.’ Only now it’s Kelli talking and she’s all, ‘Karen says the best way to deal with that is…’ All the Silver Stone ranch hands think it’s hysterical.”
Obviously, Lisa wasn’t the only one of her sisters with an overabundant imagination. Karen reached for Tyler and put him into burping position. “In other news, what’s happening the next couple of weeks? I kind of lost track of time.”
“Canada Day on Saturday. There’re the events down at the park during the day, including the potluck supper and the bachelor auction.” Tamara finished adjusting herself after nursing and glanced up with concern in her eyes. “When is Finn home from the hospital?”
“Hoping for two days from now. That’s Wednesday, right?”
Tamara made a face. “I wonder if whoever is coordinating the bachelor auction heard that Finn’s out of commission.”
Karen’s spine stiffened. “Bachelor auction?”
Her sister frowned. “Remember, I told you about Ivy buying Walker a couple years ago? Zach and Finn got signed up this year because they made a bet with Lisa, and they lost.”
“Finn needs to cancel.”
“Oh, hell no.” Tamara paused. “Let me rephrase that. The one thing I learned when you were busted up was to not assume. Yes, it makes sense for him to cancel, but think how pissed you would’ve been if we had cancelled plans without consulting you first.”
