Mia sat down on a bale of hay beside Stevie. “The road crew just phoned the house and said we can get through to town now. We’ll be weeks getting all the trees taken care of here on the ranch, and I bet they’re awful in town too, but at least we can get out if folks need a doctor or a vet. Are you excited to be able to go home, Stevie?”

“Yes, I am,” Stevie answered.

Who are you kidding? You or them? the aggravating voice in her head asked.

“But I’ll sure miss having folks around me all the time,” she admitted.

“You don’t have to leave,” Mia said. “Your van isn’t fixed yet, so you could just stick around here for another week.”

“I can use Mama’s car until I can get someone out here to put new tires on my van,” Stevie said.

“If you get bored, you can always come back and spend a few days with us,” Mia offered. “I talked to Dad, and he says whatever days are good for you are fine with him. So once you get home, just let me know when I can be your assistant. I’ll kind of be on call, like you are.”

“Sounds good to me, as long as Jesse can spare you,” Stevie said.

“I’m just so excited about working with you, and guess what?” Mia sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. “Beau said he would love to go to church with me and come to Sunday dinner. Will you come too? It would help so much.”

“I’d love to,” Stevie said, and then remembered that she had a date with Cody.

He’ll have to understand, Stevie thought. Mia will want the whole family at the dinner so they can meet Beau, and Cody will want to pass judgment on the kid anyway.

“Great!” Mia said.

Mia went out into the corral with the alpacas. She petted each one, giving the babies even more attention by crooning to them like they were human. “Poppa, what are you naming the new cria?” she asked.

“That’s up to your nana,” Sonny said.

“Since her sister’s name is Dixie for that group and all these cats running around here are named for country music ladies, maybe we call her Patsy or Reba,” Pearl answered.

“Reba sounds more Southern, don’t you think, Stevie?” Mia asked.

“Kind of does,” Stevie answered. So much for tough love. She would bet dollars to cow patties that Mia had already said something to Pearl about naming the new cria Reba.

“Then Reba it is,” Pearl said.

“I should get on back to the bunkhouse,” Stevie said as she stood up, “and get all the things y’all loaned me washed and ironed.”