by Lisa Prysock
“I wore my cowgirl boots, Miss Stayzia.” Allie stuck her feet out into the center of the wagon, showing everyone her tan leather boots.
“They’re so cute!” Trisha grinned.
“I love them, Allie. It’s good you remembered to wear them today.” Anastasia smiled, noticing Riley look away. Things were harder for Riley being a foster child. She didn’t have parents to help balance her needs and wants except when she was placed in the care of a good foster home, and at present, she was back at the orphanage, between homes again. It broke her heart watching a kid so young face life on her own.
The kids loved the wagon and pony rides. They laughed when Jed and Landon hoisted them into the saddles and when they were able to feed the ponies pieces of carrots and apples. Riley giggled to discover her pony loved to eat violets and munch on blades of grass from her hand after she plucked them from the ground. Frankie, wearing a cowboy hat and a little plaid shirt with his toothless grin, looked like a born cowboy. Trisha began snapping photos of the kids with her camera phone as each child tried riding one of the ponies. Anastasia was super glad she’d invited Jed and Landon along. It turned out, she’d needed the extra help to be sure the kids were riding the ponies properly and holding tightly to the reins.
At three o’clock, they loaded up in the wagon again. After retrieving the supplies from her shiny dark plum Mazda Miata convertible, an MX-5 model, Jed and Landon piled everything in the back of the wagon with them. Then Jed drove them across the covered bridge out to a clearing beyond the white country chapel where they could set up the tents and build a campfire.
“Want us to set up the tents?” Jed asked as he held her hand while she jumped down from the wagon.
“Not exactly.” Anastasia landed squarely on her feet in her cowgirl boots. Landon extended a hand to help her sister down and the kids began running around in the meadow. Then she reached up and began tucking her red locks into a messy bun instead of a ponytail. She wanted to be able to keep her hair out of the way entirely during the next part of their activities. “I have something else in mind. I want the kids to learn a little about how to do this sort of thing. So, how ‘bout you and Landon help the boys set up their tent, and Trish and me, we’ll help the girls set up the other tent.” Then she eyed Jed and Landon, and looked at her sister with a coy smile. “And, to keep it fun, a challenge to see who can set up their tent first, with both teams allowing the kids to do most of the work?”
Jed and Landon exchanged glances and then grinned, appearing to enjoy her competitive spirit. “You’re on. Landon and I accept the challenge on behalf of the boys.” Then Jed whistled and called the boys over after Anastasia tossed them a handy duffel bag with a tent inside. They started high-fiving each other and pulling the tent out of the duffel bag.
Trisha saw them getting ahead and called the girls over while Anastasia reached inside the wagon for the other tent. Her sister explained the contest briefly to the girls and soon, both teams were laughing and trying to hurry with setting up the tents, each team anxious to win.
“This looks like the best spot,” Trisha quickly chose a location without anything in the way of their plans. “It’s flat, and not too far from our campfire area.”
“We need to hurry, Miss Stay-juh. The boys are almost done,” Riley informed her a few minutes later as they struggled to drive a stake into the ground.
“This stake is being so stubborn.” Anastasia pushed and pushed on the stake, but it wouldn’t go in far enough. They had everything else done. She tried hitting it with a sturdy stick one of the girls brought her, but no matter what she tried, the stubborn stake wouldn’t go far enough into the ground. Their tent looked lopsided. Finally, Anastasia stomped the stake into the ground with the heel of her cowgirl boot. As the stake sunk into the ground, their tent stood up straight and tall. There were some cheers from the boys, but then the girls were cheering, too. However, it was too late. When they turned around, the boys were already done and lined up in front of their tent, waiting for them to finish.
A few moments later, the boys hollered they’d won, unzipping their tent, and jumping inside to celebrate. The moment they were all inside, their tent fell on them. Then the girls started cheering and laughing after their initial surprise about the trouble the other team was having. The boys had not successfully secured their tent.
This time, it was Trisha who stood with her hands on her hips as she laughed and then announced, “Clearly, the girls are the winners.”
“Indeed,” Anastasia giggled as Jed and Landon managed to crawl to the edge of the door and peek out from the fumbled tent, shaking their heads and laughing good-naturedly. The tent was a tangled mess with all of the boys stuck inside.
“Whaddya say we give them a helping hand, girls?” Anastasia proposed, unable to stop laughing.
A LITTLE WHILE LATER, both tents were standing securely. The kids enjoyed going in and out of the tents when they wanted to be in the shade. Soon, Landon and Trisha took the boys to gather sticks and twigs from the edge of the woods to help build a campfire. Meanwhile, Anastasia and Jed, with assistance from the girls, brought the campfire logs, hotdogs, juice boxes, and marshmallows from the wagon. Then they began setting up the campfire area.
When they were all done playing some games, singing songs, and eating roasted hotdogs, Riley chimed up as they sat around the campfire roasting marshmallows. “Tell us a story, Miss Anastasia.” That time, she’d been able to pronounce her name correctly, and it made Anastasia smile.
“Yeah, tell us a story please.” Luke’s face brightened as he held up a sticky marshmallow.
Anastasia glanced at her watch from her perch on a log beside Jed. He’d pulled several up close to the fire for the adults. Trisha and Landon, sitting on the other log, smiled and nodded in her direction, encouraging her. She figured they had enough time for one short story, and then it’d be time to climb into the wagon for the return ride to meet their parents by the main house and the last surprise she had for them.
“All right, just one short story. Then it’ll be time to clean up and go home, and if you’re very good, one last surprise.” The kids nodded eagerly, but there were a few groans about having to go home. She proceeded when it quieted down.
“The name of this story is The Legend of Lollipop. A long, long time ago, there was a beautiful herd of mustang horses. They ran wild and free through all of the state of Wyoming. They could go anywhere they wanted to go, anytime they wanted. They jumped over rivers, ran up the sides of mountains, and ran over meadows and easily through steep valleys. There were about ten horses in the herd, and they were all different colors. Some were white, some were the color of golden sand, some were black, and some were chestnut brown with a hint of red in them, kind of like Riley’s beautiful hair.”
Riley smiled, and all the kids turned and smiled at her. Anastasia continued. “One of the horses, a girl horse, which is a mare, was the fastest horse of all of them. She always ran far ahead of the entire herd. She was kind of like their leader, and no one could ever catch up with her no matter how hard they tried.”
Eddie interrupted the story, holding his marshmallow stick in one hand and a gooey marshmallow in the other. “Was she faster than a train?”
Anastasia nodded. “Faster than a train. Her name was Bridie Jane. One day, Bridie Jane had a baby girl horse, a filly, named Lollipop. And Lollipop, a chestnut brown color, looked exactly like her mother, with four white sock markings on her legs and a white heart between her ears on her forehead area. Only she was smaller, because she was still a baby. And, she was beautiful. Like her mother. Then one day, the baby horse grew up and she was strong and fast, like her mother. No one could catch her, either.”
Anastasia raised her hand up high. “Many big, strong men tried to catch Bridie Jane and her filly, Lollipop, but none of them ever could. One day, the Lord sent these horses he’d created to visit a young girl in the woods named Anna who was very sad and lonely, and they let her ride them.
She was the only person to have ever ridden them. She had prayed to the Lord and asked Him to help her not be sad and lonely anymore. Not only did the Lord send Anna the Holy Spirit to comfort her, he’d sent her Bridie Jane and Lollipop to be her friends, just like He made animals for Adam in the garden of Adam and Eve. Then Anna wasn’t sad anymore. The horses had cheered her up and she could talk to the Holy Spirit whenever she needed a friend when the horses weren’t around.”
She continued. “After Bridie Jane and Lollipop made friends with Anna, they had to return to their herd and Anna had to go on with her life. However, an Indian girl named Renee saw Anna riding the wild mustangs and also made friends with her. The two girls talked and played together by the river. The Indian girl said how surprised she was that the horses let Anna ride them. Renee had been trying to ride the horses for years and hadn’t been able to get too close. She also said that an Indian Chief in her village believed a legend surrounding the horses because the fastest Indians among them had not been able to ride the horses or capture them. The Chief believed that whoever captured and owned the horses would prosper in love and happiness, prosper in wealth and in health, and prosper in all things, particularly being victorious in races and battles.”
“Then what happened?” Riley asked, her big brown eyes wide as Anastasia had ever seen them.
“Anna decided to put her trust in the Lord and not the beautiful horses or the legend, but from that time forward, she knew the Lord had sent her all of these friends to show her He would ultimately be the one to prosper her in all things. She remained friends with the horses and Renee for the rest of her life. The End.”
The children and the adults clapped when Anastasia finished the story. “And now it’s time to clean up, gather our things, and climb in the wagon.” Amidst groans and clamor, they managed to clean sticky hands in the creek, take down the tents, clean up, gather belongings, and steer the children into the wagon.
“What’s the surprise?” Riley asked as Landon helped Trisha up into the wagon bed.
“I almost forgot.” Anastasia grinned as Jed helped her into the wagon. When she was situated on a bench, she reached inside her leather fringed purse and then held up seven giant colorful lollipops. The children smiled eagerly. “Jed helped me make these for each of you at the bakery, so whaddya say?”
“Thank you Mr. Jed and Miss Stay-juh!” They echoed in unison.
She saw Trisha and Landon chuckle, exchanging a glance of amusement, probably at the idea of Jed and her making giant lollipops together. Before the wagon pulled away from the campsite, Anastasia asked the kids to thank Trisha and Landon for helping them and after, gave them the treats.
Chapter 11
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37:4
AS JED STEERED THE wagon toward the main house, Trisha leaned close to Anastasia and whispered, “Let’s go to the dance.”
“You like him?” she whispered back.
Trisha smiled like a Cheshire cat and settled further into her seat on the bench in the back of the wagon, tossing a glance in Landon’s direction where he sat with Jed up front like before. “Maybe.”
The closer they came to the main house, the more they could hear the country western band performing on the side deck of the main house. Their feet were tapping before they even pulled to a stop. When the children had been retrieved, the foursome was left standing around Anastasia’s Mazda.
“Thanks for helping me, everyone. I couldn’t have done it without you.” Anastasia loosened her hair from her messy bun and swept her fingers through her long red locks.
“No problem. I had fun.” Landon smiled at Trisha.
Anastasia noticed he could hardly take his eyes off her sister’s eyes. She looked at Jed and they exchanged a smile of their own. It appeared as though their matchmaking efforts had been somewhat of a success, at least so far.
“I think it went really well.” Trisha leaned back against the Mazda.
“So, how are you ladies feeling?” Jed asked, looking from one to the other.
“We feel great, probably because we had your help today. Let’s go to the dance.” Anastasia went around to close the trunk of her car where they’d loaded the tents and cooler.
“Are you girls ready, or do you need to freshen up while we return the wagon?” Jed asked.
She reached in the trunk and handed Trisha her cowgirl hat, then retrieved her favorite white one, slid it on over her shiny red hair, and closed the trunk. “If jeans and cowboy boots are okay, we’re ready.” She clasped her leather bag in her fingertips over one shoulder. They could wash their hands, add some lip gloss and perfume, and brush their hair inside the powder room once they were settled at a table.
They saw Jed glance at Landon and the grin spreading on their faces.
“Jeans and cowboy hats are great!” Landon put his arm around Trisha.
The two of them probably hadn’t met many girls who could be ready that quickly. Jed looked at Anastasia, then Trisha. “Would you both like to ride in the wagon while we return it to the barn, or do you want to go inside and hold down a table?”
“We’ll go with you,” Trisha inserted. Anastasia decided it was a wise response. They hadn’t been to any dinners or dances at The Sweetwater before. The place looked pretty crowded and all lit up with bright string lights, a full parking lot, and people everywhere. It’d likely be a good idea to let the handsome cowboys escort them, so she went along with Trisha’s suggestion.
At Landon’s suggestion, Anastasia ended up on the front seat next to Jed, while Landon sat in the back of the wagon next to her sister. Soon, the wagon had been returned and they crossed the yard to the deck where the music continued to sound inviting and festive.
In no time at all, Jed expertly navigated the crowd and found them a candlelit table for four on a corner of the deck where they could enjoy the sunset. A waiter brought them side salads and plates of steak, steamed broccoli, and baked potatoes heaped with butter, chives, and sour cream. He also gave them refreshing glasses of sweet tea and glass boats of sautéed mushrooms and onions for their steaks.
The food was beyond delicious and they all agreed none of them had realized how hungry they were until then. The country western band played all kinds of songs they recognized, and the conversation and banter between them was relaxing and fun. They learned about Jed and Landon growing up together in Cheyenne and exchanged stories about growing up in an RV traveling the countryside of England.
Before too long, they’d finished the meal and Anastasia found herself dancing in Jed’s capable arms for song after song while Landon danced with Trisha, a few feet away. Somehow, in spite of the dance floor space on the covered deck being filled with so many couples, Jed made her feel as if she was the only woman in the world. Was it because he was such a perfect gentleman, merely the fact he made her feel like a comfortable, longtime friend? Or was she beginning to fall for him?
“LOOK, LOGAN,” JILL whispered as she clung to her husband’s strong shoulder while they danced the evening away to the country western songs. “Katie’s here dancing with McGuire, Bronson is over there dancing with Tory, and Jack is dancing with Nicole. Buck and Ella are slow dancing as if she never spent one day in in the hospital, and Jed is dancing with Anastasia. Love is in full bloom on The Sweetwater, my love.”
“Mmm, yes, I do believe it is, my love.” Logan pulled her closer. “The truth is, I hardly notice as long as I have you in my arms.”
Thanks to Logan’s mom, Sadie, for babysitting, they were enjoying their third evening out since Christy’s birth; though they often brought the children down for dinner on Saturday nights. They’d been spending most of the first few months with their children and the new baby in their private family quarters, taking turns with late night bottle feedings, and all that went along with caring for a newborn. They were doing their best not to miss a single moment of their new daughter’s life and spending time with the family,
helping each child to feel as secure as possible in every moment. They’d all been through so much, but the Lord had given them a whole new life together. All she could do was whisper up a silent prayer of thanks to Jesus and lean her head on her husband’s chest.
Chapter 12
“If only 7 percent of the 2 billion Christians in the world would care for a single orphan in distress, there would effectively be no more orphans. If everybody would be willing to simply do something to care for one of these precious treasures, I think we would be amazed by just how much we could change the world.”—Steven Curtis Chapman.
BY THE END OF THE FOLLOWING week, Anastasia was confident her new assistant, Champ Greer, was going to be a great fit for the bakery. Champ was in his fifties and widowed, but he’d previously owned his own bakery before his wife had passed on. He worked hard, understood the industry, liked the hours, and was pleasant to work around. The new cashier, Amy, a shy newlywed in her twenties who wanted to earn a little extra cash, was eager to learn and willing to help in the kitchen when needed. Things were looking up. Trisha had really pulled through for her.
With a fully staffed bakery, she was finally able to keep up with the baking, ordering, and learning how to track sales in the daily ledger. She gave everyone two days off each week and a set schedule. Since they were closed on Sundays, they had to do all the baking for Monday on Saturday afternoons and early Monday mornings. She was finally able to leave around four, five, or six o’clock in the evening when her duties were done, and allow Champ to close the bakery. The guitar guy recovered from the flu, and although it wasn’t the same as having Jed play, they enjoyed having him entertain the customers a few days a week.
Almost every day that next week, Jed stopped by to order cookies and chocolate milk, hang out for a few minutes, and once he’d stopped in after his shift to bake a tray of snickerdoodles with Anastasia “for old time’s sake,” he said. It was the one recipe he’d truly mastered during his brief interim on staff.
