Page 71 of A Rancher's Love
Ginny glanced between them, still speaking softly enough that no one else would know they were there. “You two are best friends as well as sisters, which means you need to look out for each other. That’s what Emma did. If you can’t trust each other to do the right thing and always take care of each other, even when it’s hard, you’ll miss out on something magical and special.”
Sasha’s lower lip trembled. She scurried back from where she sat and rushed to hug Emma tight. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Emma sniffled.
Ginny did her best to not grin, because the whole conversation was a flashback to moments between her and Dare, and damn if she didn’t want that same wonderfulfriends foreverfor these two kiddos.
Sasha gave Ginny a hug as well and apologized. Then Emma had to give her a hug, and Ginny had to kiss them both and wipe away their tears.
After all that was done, they once again shuffled to the edge of the loft and looked down at the two perfect little foals snuggled in with their mama.
“Can we go pet them?” Sasha asked.
Ginny shook her head. “Let’s leave that for your dad to get to do when he thinks it’s right.”
Sasha looked disappointed, but she nodded obediently.
“We could, however, go find some kittens,” Ginny offered.
Emma’s smile flashed from ear to ear, and suddenly Ginny was being tugged over the bales and into corners in search of the slightly larger-than-last-time kittens.
They were in the middle of furry cuddle time when Emma caught the paper as it fell from her pocket.
”You dropped something, Auntie Ginny.”
Ginny took it from her and opened it up. “Maybe you can help me solve the riddle,” she said in a mysterious tone of voice.
Sasha leaned in, nose wrinkling as she stared at the paper. “Is this a puzzle game?”
“I have no idea what it means,” Ginny admitted. “But can you guess what any of these are?”
“That’s a goat.” Emma stabbed a finger at one picture and nodded decisively. “I drew a picture of Meany that looked just like that.”
Ginny grinned. “Well, Meany is very handsome then.”
And it appeared artistic talent did not run in the Stone family.
There were a few other guesses, but nothing absolutely shocking. Sasha thought one of the things looked like a fancy candelabra. One they guessed was a ball with legs.
It was Emma, other than the goat suggestion, who made the most amazing discovery. She pointed a finger at one picture. “There’s numbers in there,” she said.
Ginny peered closer. “Where?”
Emma put a finger against the paper and traced the numbers as she recited. “Five. Twelve. Thirty. See, there’s little lines between them, so I think that means it’s not just one big number.”
Ginny pressed a kiss to Emma’s temple. “Smart little girl. That is a wonderful discovery.”
Absolute approval rushed from Sasha. “Emma is very smart. She’s the best at math, and someday she’s going to work for Silver Stone and do all of the accounting.”
A fact which would make Caleb ecstatic, Ginny decided. “If that’s what you want to do, that’s wonderful.”
Not to be outdone, Emma had to share as well. “Sasha wants to train the horses.”
Her sister made a face. “But I’m still too little,” Sasha complained.
“Too little to train the rodeo horses, definitely,” Ginny said firmly. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t practice training right now.”
Sasha and Emma looked at each other with wide mouths and surprised eyes before turning back to Ginny.
