The Legend of Lollipop

by Lisa Prysock

  A few times, the Haven children stopped in at the bakery to order sweet treats with their spare change and allowance money. Sometimes they’d hang out in the air conditioned bakery to have a break from the summer heat.

  Caroline had beckoned her to the front register one day to introduce them all when Riley happened to be visiting with her caseworker. “Anastasia, come meet the Haven kids, and there’s a little lady here with a friend who also want to say hello.”

  “Be right there,” she called, hurrying over to the employee sink to wash the chocolate frosting from the eclairs off of her hands.

  When she reached the counter, Riley grinned back at her surrounded by five other kids, and Annemarie, Riley’s caseworker. “Hey Riley, Annemarie! It’s so nice to see you.” She glanced at her cashier. “And who might these other children be?”

  Caroline smiled. “These are Logan and Jill’s kids. The oldest one is Jacklyn, or Jackie. Next, Grace Anne. I happen to know they call her Miss Marshmallow Twinkletoes, and sometimes Gracie Anne. Zachary, or Zach, is the middle one. Then Micah, and the baby, is Savannah. She’s closest in age to Riley.” Riley grinned at Savannah, and she grinned back. Then they each ordered cupcakes and chocolate milk. Anastasia promised to check on them in a little while.

  When she’d finished frosting the rest of the eclairs, she returned to the dining area and slid into a seat at a table with Annemarie where Savannah and Riley were reading a book from the shop’s bookcase together. The other kids were reading books at a table near the bookcase.

  “Wow, they’re really getting along well.” She watched them turning the pages, taking turns reading. Savannah, being older, helped Riley pronounce many of the words.

  “Maybe you could arrange a playdate for the girls and I could bring Riley to spend an afternoon at the ranch sometime.” Annemarie suggested.

  Riley and Savannah both looked up. Savannah smiled and closed the book they’d finished. “We’d like that.”

  Riley’s eyes sparkled and danced at the prospect. “Yes, we would.”

  “I will see what I can do, but no promises.” It did her heart good to see the smile on Riley’s face. Her rosy cheeks and golden tinged ringlets reminded her of Shirley Temple. She was the cutest kid. Savannah took Riley by the hand and led her over to the bookcase to find another book.

  Anastasia sipped some of her frothy latte and then leaned forward, keeping her voice low. “Annemarie, it’s so nice of you to take time on your Friday afternoon to bring Riley out to visit me. I can’t tell you how much joy Riley brings me, but I’m sure you have your hands full with a busy caseload.”

  Annemarie lowered her voice, too. “I don’t mind, but you’re right. I have a caseload I can barely handle. Every now and then, a few cases really jump out at you. Like Riley’s case. I mean, she has zero history. We have no clue who her mother is, no idea who her grandparents or family are.”

  “I remember you mentioned that to me when she first started coming to some of the 4-H after school meetings.” She tucked a few strands of red hair behind her ear.

  “In Riley’s case, someone left her for dead at only a few days old in a trash can. I mean, who does something like that? If someone else hadn’t come along and heard her crying, she could have died. We have no idea who she might belong to, even after checking with all of the hospitals in the area. I mean, someone literally threw this precious child away.” Annemarie looked away, unable to share the feelings in her eyes at the moment with anyone.

  Anastasia swiped a tear away from the corner of her eye and gulped silently. “I know things like this happen, but it’s so hard to fathom. I didn’t realize that last horrific detail was part of her case history, what little you must have to go on.”

  Annemarie nodded. “Yeah. We can’t tell her about it now, but down the road, she has the right to know if she asks what’s in her file. I can’t imagine what she’s going to feel like when that happens.”

  “I’m going to add that to my prayer list. Maybe she’ll find a really awesome forever home and won’t become too curious.” All she could do for now was hope and pray. She sighed, her heart heavy for Riley’s case. “I’ll see what I can do about the playdate. Riley’s going to need all of the friends she can find.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  AT THE END OF HER WORK day, Anastasia planned to locate Jill and then scout for her horses. She crossed the covered porch to the main house and stepped inside. Jill was easy to find since she ran into her coming out of the office near the foyer with a baby on one hip. After admiring baby Christy, they chatted for a few minutes about Riley.

  Logan’s wife was happy about the idea. “Savannah would love to have Riley over. I’ve already heard all about her when the kids returned from the bakery. I’m sure they’ll have a fun time together.”

  Anastasia phoned Annemarie while there, and in a few moments, the two girls had a playdate arranged. “Thanks, Jill. This will mean the world to Riley. For her, it’s a chance to get out of the confines of the orphanage to explore the ranch and make a new friend.”

  “That makes me happy.” Jill smiled and bounced Christy in her arms. The baby coo’d and laughed, making them chuckle. “I think Christy thinks it’s a great idea, too. I’ll add this to my calendar now. Great seeing you. I hope things are going well at the bakery.”

  “Everything is running smoothly. Thanks again. I’ll see you around.”

  When she left the main house, feeling elated about Riley’s playdate, she headed for the barns. Maybe she’d encounter Jed when she saddled up to scout for Lollipop and Bridie Jane. She hadn’t asked him for help scouting, and he hadn’t offered a second time. That Friday, she decided to ask for his help. Two sets of eyes were better than one, and she figured she’d enjoy his company. Especially knowing Trisha was probably having dinner again with Landon, as she had almost every evening since the Saturday evening dance.

  However, she didn’t see Jed anywhere when she arrived at the two horse barns in a pair of jeans, a purple plaid shirt paired with a pink tank top, her favorite tan cowboy boots with white trim, and another cowgirl hat. All she could hear as she walked past the stalls of horses were her boots clicking on the cement floor. She decided to check the other barn and was surprised to find him bent over, muttering beneath the hood of a tractor pulled up to the front of the second barn.

  As she walked toward him, he eventually stood up and backed away a few feet from the tractor to stare at it, shaking his head, hands balled into fists positioned on his hips. Then he turned around and looked up, as if he was muttering at the heavens. He turned to face the tractor again, both hands on his pockets. He walked up to the tractor and kicked it. “Start, you ninny!”

  Anastasia paused to hang back and observe, covered her mouth, and smothered a laugh that threatened to escape. She spotted her brother, McGuire, with Buck, Jack, and Bronson as they emerged from the barn, but none of them appeared to notice her. She liked seeing the Sweetwater wranglers together and their comradery, having enjoyed getting to know them by name as Jed and McGuire introduced her to them. They were slowly becoming accustomed to seeing her ride into the barns after dark when she’d been out scouting for her horses. Presently, they stood back and watched him try to apply his skill on the beast. She had the feeling every one of them were praying.

  Jed climbed up into the tractor seat, turned the key in the ignition, and pushed a button to ignite the starter. The tractor roared to life, and a huge smile spread across his face as the wranglers cheered and high-fived each other.

  “Good job, Dalton!” Her brother held up two thumbs of approval and then tipped his hat in Jed’s direction.

  “Way to go, Jed!” Buck offered, closing the hood of the large, dusty beast.

  Anastasia waited a few seconds while Jed let the tractor engine rev until every bit of sputtering had stopped and the rumbling was strong and steady. When the cowboys scattered to return to various tasks, she approached him with a sweet smile. She’d have to rai
se her voice a little for him to hear her over the engine. “Hey, cowboy!”

  He looked down and smiled back at her. She couldn’t tell if he was happy to see her or merely happy the tractor was running, but she instinctively knew it was all good. “I’ll just be a minute!” he hollered back.

  She watched him shift to kick it in reverse and drive away slowly to park the tractor in a different barn, probably the one where they kept the wagon, other large equipment, and bales of hay.

  True to his word, he emerged a few moments later and strode toward her, wiping away sweat from his brow and repositioning his cowboy hat further back on his head. Reaching her side, he winked at her. “You’re a pretty sight for sore eyes. How are you, Anastasia?”

  “I’m good. How are you?” She tucked her thumbs in her back pockets as they talked, walking slowly toward the first horse barn together, as if he already knew she wanted him to saddle one of the ranch horses again for her.

  “I’m better now, but if you’d asked me a few minutes ago, not so good. There’s a rainstorm coming in a few days so we gotta harvest the alfalfa early, but that tractor wouldn’t start. Logan’s going to order a new one next year, but in the meantime, that dinosaur is the bane of my existence.” He shook his head.

  “I saw you working on it. Are you the main one who can get it running? I mean, do the others work on it?”

  He nodded. “No one else seems to have the patience for it. It’s the same kind of tractor my dad owned, so I guess I always get the honor of trying to salvage it.”

  “I see.” She nodded as they rounded the corner into the first barn and lowered her voice to be sure no one could overhear them talking. “Say, Jed, you once offered to help me scout for Lollipop and Bridie Jane. Does that offer still stand?”

  Jed stopped and turned to face her. “For you darlin,’ I’d do anything.”

  She smiled, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. There he went again, making her feel like the only woman on earth. Seeing the barn was empty of the other wranglers, he drew her into the shadows of the barn near a staircase going up to a loft. He kissed her tenderly and then stopped, looking into her eyes to see her reaction. She smiled up at him, dazed and mesmerized. “But we’re just friends,” she whispered.

  He repeated her words, leaning closer. “Just friends.”

  She didn’t try to hide her enjoyment of the kiss or pull away. And then he kissed her again.

  Chapter 13

  “All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.”—Daniel Boone.

  LANDON LEANED FORWARD in the saddle to have a closer look at the two riders coming along the trail towards him. Grinning, he tipped his hat toward them when he realized it was Anastasia and Jed. It wasn’t hard to identify them when he saw the red hair underneath her cowgirl hat. He’d hoped to avoid running into them on the trails, but this was a ranch, after all. He still hadn’t talked to Jed about the horses, but he figured his friend knew and understood by now. Everyone else seemed to know. He didn’t have a whole lotta time to chat if he was going to pack his bags and meet Trisha on time. He pulled in the reins, bringing Storm to a stop beside them when the three of them met.

  “Hey Jed, Anastasia. Beautiful day for a ride,” he began, hoping to avoid their curiosity.

  Jed nodded. “I see you’re riding Storm. He’s Logan’s pride and joy. Great horse, probably one of our swiftest.”

  “Yeah, Buck didn’t wanna lemme ride ‘im at first.” Landon patted the stallion who flicked his tail and took a side step closer to Anastasia’s horse, as if he knew they were talking about him.

  Jed chuckled. “Buck must like you, being a horse trainer and all. We seldom let anyone but the boss ride Storm.”

  “HOWDY, LANDON.” ANASTASIA decided to address the horse racing paragon boldly and bring a few things out in the open. She’d go easy on him, since he was Jed’s friend and all. “I figured maybe you’d be having dinner with Trisha instead of being out here looking for my horses.”

  Landon looked her square in the eye, a slight shock registering on his clean-shaven face. “I kinda figured you were the girl in the legend story. You’ve got a connection to those horses, don’t you?”

  She could have drilled a hole through him as she narrowed her eyes in his direction. She didn’t have to answer. The slight upward tilt of her chin was answer enough.

  “Now, I ain’t like some lowdown folk, who’d shoot them with a tranquilizer and bring ‘em in thatta way. That’s not my style. Like it or not, them horses are wild and free until someone captures them.” He patted the three ropes dangling on the side of his saddle next to his canteen. “May the best man...” He paused and looked at her, appearing to catch himself. Then he tipped his hat at her again, and added, “Or woman, win.”

  Anastasia cracked half a smile, keeping her lips sealed tight. At least he hadn’t tried to sweeten his words with a wink and if his word meant anything, he wouldn’t harm the animals by shooting tranquilizer into them. She supposed there were the right times for the method, but capturing a wild horse in such a manner didn’t appeal to her at all.

  “You heading somewhere, cowboy?” Jed asked him, easing the tension down a notch.

  “Matter o’ fact, I am. Trisha’s office in the Yellowstone area landed some huge order for a buncha temps. She has to drive up there to Jackson Hole tonight and work Saturday. She invited me to go with and mentioned texting to invite you two along. Something about staying in another sister’s guest house. Thought we’d take in some hiking on Sunday.”

  “I must’ve missed her text.” Anastasia reached for her cell from her back pocket. “Here it is.” Holding onto the saddle horn, she quickly scanned the text and then looked up to explain as she slid the phone in her back pocket again. “We have two older sisters who live in the Yellowstone area, Melissa and Jennifer. This would be staying with Jennifer and her husband, Curtis, in Jackson Hole, the valley encompassing Jackson, the city. Trisha has a residence there in the guest house on Jennifer and Curt’s property on the northern edge of Jackson. It’s kinda like the main house here at The Sweetwater, an old barn that’s been remodeled into a great space, only not nearly as big as the one here. Just a small two-bedroom guest house. Do you wanna go, Jed? Now that you’ve got the tractor running, can they spare you from the early harvest to get away?”

  Jed remained quiet, but she could see his eyes scanning the horizon, appearing to consider the matter. She quickly added, “You and Landon could have a guest room to yourselves. Trisha and I would take the other bedroom. There are two twin beds in each bedroom.”

  She saw Jed lean forward in his saddle and glance at Landon for help. He was probably wondering if Landon wanted their company, but she couldn’t see Trisha inviting Landon along without them. Knowing her sister, she’d likely disinvite him if Jed and Anastasia didn’t accompany them.

  “I guess it’d be more fun with the four of us.” Landon scratched Storm behind his ears absently.

  Anastasia couldn’t stop herself from thinking it would be one less person scouting for her horses that weekend. Instead of speaking her mind—which would only get her into more trouble—she softened her tone and said, “Hiking in the Grand Tetons valley basin would be beautiful. The views are gorgeous there.”

  She didn’t mean to alienate Landon. In fact, he seemed like a nice guy, and perfect for her sister, as long as he kept away from her horses. She could appreciate his dedication to horse racing and training, but when it came to Lollipop and Bridie Jane, he would find he had a fight on his hands.

  “I’m in. I can work it out with the boss.” Jed patted his horse. “Sounds like a great getaway, but we probably won’t get on the road until much later than you and Trish.” He turned and winked at Anastasia. “We’ve got some scouting to do first.”

  She high-fived Jed and they laughed, finding it a little odd that it didn’t bother her when Jed winked at her. “Yeehaw! I’ll text my sister and let her know we’ll be a few hours behind ya
’ll.” She couldn’t let the handsome wrangler kiss her again, but she did find herself enjoying his company more and more.

  JED HAD TAKEN NO TIME at all to change and pack a duffel bag with a few items from the bunkhouse. Then he waited patiently in the living room of her apartment while Anastasia disappeared into her bedroom. It had only taken her about fifteen minutes to slip into a white sundress, espadrilles, gather her hair into a ponytail, and pack her suitcase with a few things. When they were in her driveway again, she tossed it into her trunk, and then slid into the driver’s seat as Jed walked around to the passenger side.

  “Hungry?” she asked when he’d settled into the seat beside her. He’d had to move the seat back to stretch out his long legs.

  Jed grinned. “I’m starved. How about cheeseburgers?”

  “Sure.” She smiled, thinking how great it was to have the weekend off. Champ and Amy were scheduled to handle the bakery so she and Caroline could have Saturday off. They were new, but doing so well, she knew they’d be fine.

  They decided to stop at Bubba’s Burgers for a quick dinner before getting on the road, enjoying the chance to sit inside the air conditioned restaurant to cool down from the relentless summer heat.

  Soon it was dark as Anastasia and Jed sped along the highway toward Jackson Hole in her sporty Mazda. Their search for Lollipop and Bridie Jane had proven futile. Merely thinking about it and the confrontation with Landon, her hands tightened into a firm grip on the steering wheel.

  A few miles later, she finally relaxed and popped in a favorite CD by a popular Christian music artist, Aaron Cole, knowing she wouldn’t have enjoyed the trip before them if she hadn’t tried to find her beloved horses. She’d been practicing her lassoing skills out there on the trails. She nearly laughed out loud remembering her roping attempts before they’d turned the horses back toward the barns. Jed had been great about encouraging her.