Stevie and Cody made their way to the left side of the barn and stopped at the stall where Dixie and her new little sister were curled up next to each other in a bed of straw. Sunflower Ranch seemed to be a place for adoptions. First the three sons, then Addy and Mia, even though no one knew at the time that Mia was truly Sonny and Pearl’s granddaughter. Then the twin boys Jesse and Addy had adopted, and now, they were giving Dixie a home.

And you too, Stevie’s mother’s voice whispered softly in her ear.

Stevie ignored the voice and said, “I’m so glad that the mama took her.”

“Seems like adoption is a way of life on this ranch,” Cody said with a smile.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Stevie admitted.

“Look over there behind Dixie.” Cody pointed at the sleeping crias.

Stevie moved over a couple of feet and saw a pile of fur cuddled up to Dixie’s back. “Well, now that surprises me. I would have thought the hembra—Maggie, right?—would have thrown a fit over cats next to her babies.”

“As many times as they’ve all crawled all over Dixie, they probably smell like an alpaca,” Cody suggested.

“You’re probably right.” Stevie nodded in agreement.

“Did that hurt?” Cody asked.

“What?” Stevie was a little cold, but she wasn’t hurting anywhere.

“Admitting that I might be right?” Cody raised an eyebrow.

“It doesn’t mean that you’ve always been right,” Stevie told him.

“No, but I am today. Dr. Smarty-Pants just said so,” Cody said with a big grin.

“Speaking of being right,” Stevie said, “I’m glad that I was right when I told Dale that the alpacas here would adopt Dixie. He didn’t think they would.”

“I’m glad they did too,” Cody said. “I’ve kind of gotten attached to the little girl, but I’d rather she be raised by her own kind than in the bunkhouse with us.”

“Me too,” Stevie said, but the way Cody’s eyes were boring right into hers, she wondered if he wanted to say more. “What are you thinking about?” she asked.

“That I’m already missing being stuck in that old barn,” Cody said. “I believe that’s the first time since I went to college that I didn’t have some kind of control over the next thing, whether step or decision, in my life.”

“Me too, again,” she whispered. “Think we’ll look back on those days in a few years and consider them good memories?”

“I will,” Cody admitted. “Guess we’d better get on to the house, or supper will be cold.”