Ranch, but Jakehad already warned his family. Theyâd increased the hours each brother spent riding the range, keeping watch over their beef cattle.
Brynnaâs call worried Mrs. Allen. Just listening to one half of the conversation, Sam could tell Mrs. Allen feared the yapping of her Boston bulldogs, Imp and Angel, might attract the pack of hounds instead of discouraging them.
When Brynna hung up, she turned to Sam and Gram with a bemused smile.
âSheâs not the sort to just sit and worry, is she?â Brynna said. âTomorrow, sheâs going into town to shop for dog repellent, and sheâs convinced thereâs something like a bug zapper, built strong enough for dogs.â
âWhere would you shop for things like that?â Sam asked, thinking of the campout.
âDonât ask me,â Brynna said.
Gram chuckled. She and Mrs. Allen had recently rekindled an old friendship.
âTrudy Allen is a world-class shopper. If they exist this side of San Francisco, sheâll find them.â
When Dad returned to the house, Brynna was first to pounce on him with questions.
âIs Jed going to reinforce the kennel so those deerhounds stay home?â she asked.
âThe kennelâs sturdy enough to hold them. Lincâs the problem.â
âThereâs a surprise,â Brynna said.
Gram cleared her throat and suppressed a smile as Brynna turned to Sam.
âThat was rude of me. I donât mean to set a bad example, Sam.â
âItâs not like I wasnât already thinking the same thing,â Sam said.
âAnyway,â Dad continued, âLinc canât stay away from those dogs, but he canât control them, either. Still, Jed thinks Lincâs a little shaken up by what happened today.â
âAs he should be,â Brynna muttered.
âIâm banking on it,â Dad said, as his attention swung to Sam. âNow, as for your campout, you can go ifââ
Sam bounced out of her chair and jumped up and down, celebrating.
âIf,â Dad repeated, more loudly.
Sam sat down, but her mind was already spinning ahead. She and Jen would ride for two days, only stopping when they felt like it, sleeping out under the stars with two horses for company. It would be amazing, wonderful, cooler than anything sheâd ever done.
But sheâd better find out what followed Dadâs if.
Sam settled back into her chair. All three adults watched her with amusement.
âIf?â she said patiently, as if she hadnât just rejoiced like a five-year-old.
âYou can go if, at the end of two days, I think youâre gonna be useful out there.â
âOkay,â Sam said carefully.
âYouâd be riding out to do work that shouldâve been done right the first time.â
So youâd better do it right this time . Sam heard Dadâs hint.
âIâm not saying you two canât have some fun out of it, but youâve got a lot to learn before you ride outâlike ear-tagging a calf, and branding one.â
Sam struggled to freeze her face. Hurting a calf, even for its own good, wasnât her idea of fun. But she couldnât let her city girl squeamishness show.
âWyatt, end the childâs suspense. How are you going to test her usefulness?â Gram asked.
âFor the next couple days, youâre gonna work for me as if you were on the verge of taking over as head honcho,â Dad said.
Sam did not know what âhead honchoâ meant, exactly, but it must be someone in charge.
âIâll work so hard,â Sam promised.
âYes, you will,â Dad agreed. âAnd in between the usual ranch chores, youâre gonna polish your roping and learn to earmark our stock.â
âYouâll be glad we donât do it the old-fashioned way,â Gram said. âBecause one thing I know for sure is Samantha Anne Forster is too softhearted for cropping ears with a
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