Wyatt shoveled another forkful of hay into the loose net hanging from the wall. At the sound of childish laughter outside in the corral, he paused and glanced through the open barn doors to where Judd was leading Astrid around on their mare, the gentlest of their horses, a bay Morgan crossbreed named Dolly.

The new pup raced after the horse, scampering and falling and getting right back up. Although Astrid had wanted to carry Chase in the saddle with her, Judd squashed that idea faster than a bug, explaining how the pup wouldn’t turn into a good cow dog if she took to coddling him. So he’d doubled the horse lesson with dog training, and now the pup’s antics were making Astrid laugh.

Astrid’s laughter—along with the fact that she was out of bed—eased the tightness from Wyatt’s chest. She was still pale and thin and delicate, but the coughing had lessened, and she was eating more.

Yesterday, after he and Judd had arrived home from cutting timber, she’d been sitting outside in the sunshine braiding the cornhusks Greta had saved and dried. When Wyatt asked what she was making, she proudly displayed the round braided mat Greta had finished and placed just outside the door.

Today, when he and Judd had ridden in with the two teams of oxen dragging another batch of trunks, Astrid had already saddled Dolly and pleaded with Judd for another riding lesson. She hadn’t needed to plead since Judd would have pushed her to California in a wheelbarrow if she’d have asked him.

Wyatt had gladly taken over the responsibility of unhitching the teams, stacking the logs, and now taking care of the evening chores so Judd could spend time with Astrid. They’d both learned to take advantage of her good days, because they were infrequent and didn’t last long.

From the way she was riding Dolly, she probably didn’t need any more lessons. In fact, from the first time Judd had hoisted her up, she’d been a natural. But with her being sick and weak, Judd was only right to be cautious.

Wyatt cast a glance to the sky. The sun hung low and the shadows were long, meaning daylight would give way to night soon. The air contained a dampness that hinted at colder weather moving in.

Was it wrong for him to wish for rain so tomorrow he could stick closer to the ranch? While he and Judd had felled a decent number of trees, they had several more days of hard work before they’d have enough to add a second level to the cabin.