Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63004 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 315(@200wpm)___ 252(@250wpm)___ 210(@300wpm)
We all laughed as my mom handed David a basket of bread.
“If you’ll put that on the table as well,” Mom said, before turning to my father. “Gus, will you get the salad and all the fixings? I’ll take the meatloaf out and let it rest while I get the mashed potatoes into a bowl.”
Dad kissed my mother on the cheek. “Will do, sweetheart.”
Once all the food was on the dining room table, my father motioned for everyone to hold hands as he led a quick prayer of thanks.
“Where are Mike and Jason?” I asked as we all started to dig into the food.
Dad answered. “Football practice.”
“On their holiday break?” David asked. “That’s new.”
My father handed Vivianne the bowl of mashed potatoes. “Didn’t they tell you? They’re undefeated in the conference. They’re going to state.”
“I can’t even tell you the last time either of them called or sent a letter to me or David,” I replied to my father. “That’s great news, though.”
“Will they have to practice all through the break?” Vivianne asked.
“No,” my mother replied. “Today is the last day, then they’re off. I do believe they have to keep working out, though.”
“They get enough working out by working this ranch,” Dad added.
“I bet they’ll be glad to see us back home, then,” I said with a grin. Turning to Vivianne, I said, “Living on a ranch means getting up early and getting right to work.”
“Lots to do,” Dad said with a wink.
“Can I help while I’m here? I would love to see what goes into running a ranch.”
Everyone looked at her before my mother finally answered. “Of course you can. But trust me, you’d rather be here in the kitchen with me, making breakfast.”
“Dad, I meant to ask, Vivianne hasn’t ever ridden a horse before. Do you think Spirit would be a good choice for her first riding lesson?”
My father thought for a moment. “I’d say Spirit or Wonder Bread.”
“I’m sorry, Wonder Bread? Is that the name of the horse?” Vivianne asked.
“Yes, it is, and you can thank this one for the name,” my father replied, pointing to me. “He was the one in the barn when he was born. If you’re in the barn when a foal is birthed, you get the honor of naming them. Ladd named him Wonder Bread.”
Vivianne raised a brow, glancing at me. “Why?”
“He was pure white when he was born, and it was the first thing I thought of.”
“That poor horse,” she said as she laughed.
David laughed as well. “He really was white when he was born. Never seen anything like it before. Not a spot of color on him anywhere.”
“That’s rare?” Vivianne asked.
My dad nodded. “It is. Luckily, he doesn’t have LWO. Vet tested him, and he just has dominate white genes, which is very uncommon.”
“LWO,” I said to Vivianne, “is Lethal White Overo syndrome. It’s a genetic condition that affects the development of their intestinal tract, and it’s always fatal.”
Her eyes went wide. “Were you worried he had that?”
“I wasn’t aware of it until Dad told me about it.”
Feeling relieved, I said, “I’m glad Wonder Bread doesn’t have it.”
I smiled. “So were we. He’s nearly twelve now, right, Dad?”
Dad nodded. “He’ll turn thirteen next month. He’s one of the best horses we’ve ever had. He’s sweet as can be, but put him to work getting the cattle somewhere, and he becomes a whole other horse. Focused on his job.”
“He’s a great horse.”
“Could I possibly ride him for my first lesson? I think it’s kind of special that you were there when he was born and named him.”
I smiled. “I think he’d be perfect for the job.”
Vivianne smiled back at me as the rest of the table broke out into a conversation about which would be the best path to use for Vivianne’s first ride.
There was something so special about sitting around this table, at the holidays, with the woman I loved.
Vivianne
My first day on Ladd’s family ranch was probably one of the best days of my life. After I insisted on helping with the cleanup, Ladd showed me the rest of the house. It was a six-bedroom, five-bathroom house with a smaller bathroom downstairs. Ladd’s parents’ room was also downstairs, leaving five bedrooms upstairs. The house had one large living room, a smaller family room that Gus used as an office, and a sunroom at the back of the house with a stunning view of the mountains. There was also a small pond in the distance that wasn’t part of the river that ran through the ranch. According to Ladd, they’d all learned how to ice skate on that pond.
“This house is so charming, Ladd. I think my favorite thing is the wraparound porch. The porch swings and chairs all look so inviting.”
“Not so much in the dead of winter, but in spring and summertime, you can find my mother out here. Either reading, working on a quilt, or knitting something. She even brings her work out and sits at that table.”