“Sorry? Dear, there’s nothing to be sorry about. It’s okay, my love. You were taking care of what Andy needs, and I admire that. You’re here now and that is all that matters.” She spoke softly into his ear, followed by a kiss.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you. You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Oh, the omelet.” She turned to see Addy and Sam taking care of serving the breakfast.

“Have you eaten, Sam?”

“I have but you can count on my eating at least one muffin. After all, we don’t want them to go to waste.”

The four of them carried the breakfast out to the deck table and took chairs. Spook glued himself to Andy’s leg.

“Sam, will you please say grace?”

“Lord, bless this special day for these two birthday kids of mine. Thank you for the food, the sun, the breeze, and for Your love that never goes away. Amen.”

Ginny passed the muffin basket and then the butter dish. “If anyone wants jam, it’s in the fridge.”

“With blueberry muffins? Sacrilege.” Sam took his first bite and sighed. “Mom. Addy bakes the best cookies, but you excel in muffins, along with lots of other things too many to name with my mouth full.”

Addy giggled and rolled her eyes. “D-a-a-a-d.” She told them about the bird’s nest and added, “He’s been bringing the worms to her. We watched him with the binoculars. He was doing his best to keep her fed.”

“Wait until they’re feeding the open beak brigade. If he thinks he’s tired now, there is more to come.” Sam grinned at his mother. He glanced at his watch. “I better get going. Erica has a list two feet long. So we’ll be over here about three then?”

“Perfect.”

After Sam left, she watched the two kids head for the barn to saddle up. Addy would just as soon ride bareback but the rule was saddles when off the farm. The kids rode away out across the pasture toward the back gate and hiking trail. Their feet nearly touched the ground. They were getting too big for the pony and donkey. Perhaps Ginny should look into buying horses for them.

But this farm was so hard to take care of already. Why would she get two more animals? Horses took time to tend, every day.

They had promised to be back in two hours so Ginny dug out the wrapping paper and finished the packages. They never went overboard in the gift-giving department, but she’d been collecting some little things for the last couple of months. Fred had bought Andy a handmade knife in a leather sheath so she wrapped that with tears leaking down her face.

When Spook announced their return, she had just finished stacking the boxes in the living room. She watched them unsaddle at the barn and put Magic and Smoky in the stalls to cool down, then put the saddles and bridles away. Fred had taught them well on how to care for their mounts and the tack. So many things he had taught them, would that they would remember them as the years passed. She swallowed and sniffed.