Penny’s lips split into a wide smile as she hops around. “Hi, Daddy. Grandma and I made lunch to bring. Aunt Rose is inside with Grandma and Grandpa.
“Thanks. Where’s Uncle Mark?” I ask as I pick her up and over my head. She laughs wildly, before placing her hands on my head and knocking off my Stetson hat.
“Sorry.” Her giggles resound as I place her on my hip and bend to grab my hat. Dusting it off, I place it on her small head, the hat swimming around her. Penny’s laughter grows wild as she grips the hat and holds it firmly in place.
I chuckle at my little cowgirl. “Ready for lunch?”
“Yes! I’m staaaarving.”
“Starving, huh? Where’d you learn that word?” I lift my eyebrows.
“Susie says it all the time. She told me it means really, really hungry.” Penny’s eyebrows pull into a frown. “Did she lie to me?”
“No,” I smile, kissing her cheek. “Susie’s right. I was just surprised to hear you say it. You’re growing up way too fast for Daddy.”
“Nah.” Her arms wrap around my neck, the hat falling off her, and she sticks her face into the crook between my neck and shoulder.
I once again bend to grab the hat and shake off the dirt. As I walk toward the house, I hear, “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a little visitor. Is that my favorite cowgirl?” Uncle Mark comes up to us, and Penny lifts from my chest with a smile.
“Yes! Hi, Uncle Mark!” Penny waves at him as the three of us enter the house.
“How are the cattle?” he asks me while I toe off my boots on the porch and leave my hat out there too.
“They’re all in the pen.”
“Perfect. Let’s go have lunch. Rose told me your momma brought her famous gravy and chicken-fried steak.”
“I helped make it,” Penny brags as I set her on her feet.
“Well, then, I’m sure it’s gonna be even better,” Uncle Mark winks and claps my back.
I wash up and join my family at the kitchen table. Sienna and Emily are arguing about who is Penny’s favorite cousin, my mom and dad are whispering something, and Aunt Rose is piling plates with food.
Before we begin, Uncle Mark says grace, and I look around the table. I’m definitely grateful for this group of people who have supported my daughter and me unconditionally, especially when I didn’t reciprocate.
Conversation moves through the table as we eat, everyone smiling. After we finish, Penny begs me to let her ride Dusty Buckaroo before she leaves with my mom. Helping her up the horse, she holds on tight to the saddle horn as I begin guiding the horse through the ranch.
“I saw Famous Singer today.”
My head peers up. “Oh, yeah?” I ask, wondering if it was before or after I saw her at the coffee shop.
“Yes! I was with Grandma, and she said hi to us.” The smile on Penny’s face is full of pure adoration and innocence. On a giggle, she continues, “She thinks Singy is real.”
I chuckle and look forward as I walk the horse. “Does she now?”
“Yeah. She’s always saying hi to it,” Penny goes on to explain. “It’s funny.” A belly laugh moves through her as her hands clutch the saddle horn tighter.
“Careful now. Remember, every time you’re riding a horse, you have to be fully focused.” I’ve been teaching her to ride since she was old enough to hold herself up on a horse. She’s still too young to ride alone, at least to me, so whenever we can, we come out, and I walk her so she can become more comfortable and secure on the animal. It helps that Dusty Buckaroo loves her and is gentle with her.
“I know, Daddy,” she says, exasperated.
“What else did you and Grandma do this morning?”
I carefully listen as she describes her morning to me, every detail from their walk around Main Street to running into Sutton and then buying what they needed at the grocery store to make lunch.
“We didn’t get cupcakes, though,” she pouts.
“You know we don’t eat a lot of sweets during the week,” I remind her. This girl of mine could eat sugar straight from a spoon if I let her.
The memory of a pregnant Hadley craving cake slaps me back to the past. A sad wistfulness blankets me as I remember surprising her with desserts from The Mad Batter and watching her bake in our kitchen as her voice carried around the house with each song she sang from the radio.
“Daddy…” Penny looks at me with raised eyebrows.
“What?” I blink the memories away and smile at her. Taking a deep breath, I settle my racing heart and focus on the only person that matters in my life.
“I said, can we go shopping for the sock hop after you finish working?”
“Oh, yeah. We’ll go to Kids Boutique. How does that sound?”
“Awesome!” Her face lights up as if I just offered her a million Christmas presents, and I could do no wrong.
We finish our short ride, and Penny runs inside to see what Sienna and Emily are up to. As I’m closing the pen gate where Dusty Buckaroo is in, my mom calls my name.
I turn and smile. “Hey, Mom. Thanks for lunch. It was great.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. Did Penny have fun?” My mom stands in front of me, eyeing the horse behind me.
“You know how much she loves riding,” I smile, leaning against the pen.
“I met Sutton today.” A curious gleam sparkles in her eyes.
“Penny told me,” I nod.
“She seems very sweet. Penny likes her a lot.” Her eyes roam my face, reading my emotions. I remain stoic, not giving in to her subtle questioning. Penny has been talking about Sutton since last week when she gifted her the stuffed animal. I’m sure my mom’s curiosity has been bursting, especially after hearing that she had cupcakes with us.
“She does,” I nod once. I cross my arms over my chest and wait for her to say more.
“You
