“What’s the second phase?”
“Sit, lie down, stand, stay, follow, stop, go, good, bad, yes, and no. The pups will learn those with both voice and hand gestures. We’ll use voice and hand together at first, then later we’ll practice them separately.”
“So what’s the first stage?”
“The first stage is socialization. It’s important the pups understand other pups and humans are good and fun. Everyone is to be treated with respect. We learn about playing games with each other, interacting with people, and having fun. So you can see that Rita is playing a basic ball game right now. She tosses the ball, and the pups run to it. She tosses it again, and the pups run to it. That’s the first introduction to a game. When they run to the ball, they get atta boys and atta girls.”
“They just know how to do that?”
“Yes, but you missed the first part. She threw the ball so Shadow and Bear ran to it. The pups followed, of course. Anything Shadow and Bear do, the pups will imitate. But now, Rita has Bear and Shadow sitting to the side and she’s throwing the ball. The pups now know they’re supposed to run to the ball. And it’s fun for them. They’re naturally competitive with each other. But it’s a fun competition. They like to run. They like to play. And they’re being rewarded. That’s the first stage of training.”
“So they’re just learning to have fun now.”
“Yes, but in the training world, it’s called socialization. They’re learning to play together nicely. After the ball play, they’ll watch Shadow and Bear sit, stand, lie down, follow, stop, go, and roll over. The pups won’t do that immediately, but they’ll see their parents doing it and the idea will be planted.After watching their parents do that three or four times a day for a week, they’ll start to imitate their parents. And that’s the introduction to the most basic obedience training.”
“Cool.”
Molly and Bart were watching the pups run frantically after the ball every time Rita tossed it, Bear and Shadow sitting to the side watching.
Bart asked, “Is Bear working out?”
“He’s a dream father. He’s obviously been well trained, and he and Shadow are such a beautiful pairing. I don’t know how much you’re asking for the pups, but they’ll go fast.”
Molly smiled, “Top dollar, I hope.”
The mac and cheese preparation was a production. Molly had her biggest pot boiling noodles. Bart was grating massive amounts of cheese: sharp cheddar, gruyere, gouda, and parmesan. Molly was organizing spices, cayenne, garlic, chili, all-purpose Italian, and mixing the sauce. She had a special recipe from a cooking magazine that she’d used before.
She liked working in the kitchen with Bart. Together they studied the recipe and put it together in an oversized pan she’d borrowed from Evelyn at the diner. They were just putting the finishing touches on the dish when Willie and Buck labored up with the giant cooler of drinks on ice, Becky with them. Molly steered them toward the drop location.
Bart opened the lid and chuckled.
Molly said, “We have four days of white wine, beer, and soft drinks in there. What do you think?”
“It’s brilliant. Won’t have to worry about beverages all weekend.”
Becky said, “Let me show you how the sound system works.”
Molly and Bart watched as Becky demonstrated the high-tech computerized system that she’d set up in a corner of the kitchen with one speaker inside and three in the yard. She made them both turn the system on and off and toggle around for the right music.
“I put together a dozen western playlists. You can see them right here. You toggle down to the one you like and press play.” Becky put on Johnny Cash, cranked up the volume, and they stepped outside to listen.
Molly was beaming. Okay, then. It was going to be a real western party.
They walked down to the administration offices to check in with Mai. The plan was for Mai to call Molly when the first McKinnons arrived. Mai was to send anyone with horses directly to the stables. Molly and Bart would be at the stables to greet and help unload. Then, Bart would go with the men to check in at the cabins and Molly would take the ladies out for a ride.
Mai walked them over to the three reserved cabins, giving Bart the keys. They checked them out along with the RV site close behind. Once Bart saw the setup, they walked up to the stables. It was early afternoon, and the first arrivals could be at any time.
Molly was both excited and nervous. Bart seemed oblivious but was paying attention and doing the right things. She suspected he was nervous too, but that it was not within his cowboy nature to show it. Well, she wasn’t showing it either.
Molly had Ginger out of her stall and waiting in the holding arena, not saddled up, but ready on short notice if Kitty or Cassie showed up early and wanted to ride. She and Bart were standing at the stables talking with Silas when she got the call that Bart’s parents were the first to arrive. Mae reported that she was sending them up to the stables. As Molly turned to look, she saw a late model Ford 250 Super Duty four door pickup rolling toward the stables pulling a beautiful two horse trailer.
Bart put his arm around Molly’s shoulder as they walked to greet the pickup. She was pleased that he wanted to signal to his parents that they were an item. Dressed in full cowgirl, jeans, buckle belt, cowgirl hat, and boots, she stood straight and proud at his side, her stomach flipping. She was nervous but wouldn’t let it show. The truck stopped, doors opened, and a tall, lean western couple stepped out. Clint looked like Bart’s father and Cassie was as advertised. Dressed similarly to Molly, she was all cowgirl.
Clint stood by to let his wife go directly to Bart, watching her wrap her arms around her son, not letting go any time soon. Clint approached Molly, and they exchanged a handshake.
“Clint McKinnon.”
“Molly McGuire.”
