Page 76 of Finding Little Fiera

“I’m thinkin’ with the ride we’ve got ahead of us today, we’ll both be eatin’ regular pancakes after we eat our eggs and bacon along with our regular milk. My truck is big, but I don’t think they make a truck big enough to hold a Little girl hyped up on sugar for eight hours.”

That didn’t sound tasty at all. Never mind the fact that it had been tasty enough for seconds the day before. Leave the past in the past. That was her motto. “Daddy! That’s no fun. You can’t be Daddy Stick-in-the-Mud on the last day.”

He cut a Daddy look at her. Uh-oh.

“It’s not too late to turn back to the cabin and take care of that spankin’ we were just talking about.”

Yikes!

“I think Chef Connor’s plain ol’ ordinary pancakes are great! And who really likes chocolate milk? Not me. Nope.”

He nodded, although she was almost positive his lips twitched. “That’s good to know, firefly.”

When they entered the cafeteria, she looked at the table she’d sat at the past two mornings. Sure enough, Sadie, Wren, and Daisy were waiting, just like they’d planned. Sadie waved her over.

Master Mace guided her to the table. “You go ahead and visit. I’ll grab our breakfast.”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Sadie grabbed her hand, eyes wide. “You missed the talent show last night. Are you okay? I wanted to mount a rescue, but Daddy said no. Even when I said I was honor-bound to save my new best friend. What happened?”

Oh wow, Fiera hadn’t even thought about the talent show. Especially last night. “I’m fine,” she assured her friend. “Daddy and I were, um… busy.”

Wren elbowed Sadie. “Told you so. Now aren’t you glad you didn’t go storming over there?”

Daisy nodded. “I wouldn’t sneak over to your cabin with her, even though she dared me.”

Sadie grinned. “I guess there really is a first time for everything.”

They chattered until Mace returned with their food. “Eat while you talk, firefly. We have to get on the road.”

“No!” Sadie cried. “I’ll miss you too much if you leave. Master Mace, couldn’t you talk to my Daddy about working here and running rodeos every weekend?”

Fiera watched her Daddy go a little pale. “I wish I could. But Fiera and I both have commitments in Wilder that we can’t back out of. But I bet you’ll see us again.”

“There you are,” Master Travis said, stepping up behind Wren. “I thought you wanted to help me feed the new foal this morning.”

Wren jumped up. “Oh, shoot! I forgot.” She ran around the table and gave Fiera a hug. “It was really great to meet you. I’m glad your Daddy will be bringing you back to visit again.”

Fiera hugged her back. “Me, too! And congratulations on all your summer camp medals. I think the only one you didn’t win was the one we ran backward.”

Wren’s many medals clanked around her neck as she stepped back. “Yeah, thanks, Master Mace. It was a lot of fun.”

“Go turn in your tray,” Master Travis said. “We need to hurry.”

While Wren did as her Daddy said, Master Mace asked, “So, what happened to Master James and Laura?”

Fiera frowned. Laura was the one who ruined Fiera’s gift to her Daddy. If they had a jail under the Dungeon, she hoped they had thrown her in there.

Master Travis tipped his cowboy hat back. “All I know is they left the Ranch about an hour after they met with Master Derek.”

The terse look on her Daddy’s face told Fiera he hoped she’d been thrown in Rawhide jail, too. Or maybe something even worse. But all he said was, “I see. That’s good to hear.”

Master Travis nodded. “I have to say, I don’t see good things for them. Master James looked like he was at the end of his rope.”

Her Daddy nodded back. “I thought so, too. She’s one tough Little cookie. The thing that bothers me is people don’t usually bully people unless they’ve been bullied themselves.”

“That’s true. I’m sure Master Derek will keep an eye on the situation. He usually does.”

“I’m ready,” Wren said, bouncing on her toes. “I can’t wait. See you soon, Fiera.”