Page 70 of A Rancher's Love

Ginny:Like that’s a threat. The door is always open.

Ginny reached into her pocket and pulled out the folded paper covered with cryptic drawings.

She thought at first it was something like a rebus puzzle. But while she was usually smart enough to solve those, this one still made no sense.

Twelve different images, including the one with some sort of equine animal—it was unbelievable to think it was a horse because surely her father could draw better than that.

She tried writing down what each symbol made her think of at first glance. Then she tried her own hand at drawing them in stick figures to see if any of that turned into letters or words.

A half-dozen attempts later, her tea was cold and she was no farther ahead than she’d been at the start when a small voice interrupted her.

“What are you doing, Auntie Ginny?”

Ginny glanced up in surprise to discover Emma standing at the base of the porch. “Hey, kiddo. You snuck up on me.”

Emma shrugged, the pom-pom on her pink toque bouncing as she wiggled on the spot. “You were reading your book.”

“I suppose I was,” Ginny admitted. She glanced around. “Where’s Sasha?”

Her niece looked at the ground but didn’t answer.

“Emma?” Ginny repeated, more sternly this time. “Is Sasha somewhere she’s not supposed to be?”

Emma nodded, still staring at the ground.

Drat. But also hurrah that the kid was willing to squeal on her sister.

Ginny put her things down and held out a hand to her niece. “Come on. Show me where she is, so we can maybe stop her before it’s too late.”

The little girl spoke softly, the teeny bit of the flashback to the hesitancy she’d had so many years ago. “I don’twantto get Sasha into trouble.”

“I know, sweetie, but sometimes we get people we love into a little bit of trouble to keep them out of even more.” Ginny squeezed little fingers as Emma tugged her toward the barn. “It’s in the sister rule book. Honest.”

“Did you ever getyoursister into trouble?”

The first time Dare had decided to hold a wake for her family flashed to mind. Ginny had made a choice and called Luke to squeal before her sister could get too drunk to walk. The same night, coincidentally, that Ginny had gathered her courage and seduced Tucker, which meant the memory was all the sweeter.

She jerked back to attention and nodded seriously at her niece.

“All the time. Even now, when we’re all grown up,” Ginny said. She grinned at the shocked expression on her niece’s face. “Because I love her very, very much, you know.”

Which pulled a giggle from Emma before she added seriously, “Sasha wanted to see the baby horses. Papa said he would take us after lunch, but she said she wanted a quick peek now.”

They should’ve realized the draw of two foals would be too much for Sasha to resist.

Thankfully, while Sasha had chosen to disobey the standing order to stay out of the horse barn unless she was accompanied by an adult, she’d done it in the smartest way possible. Ginny spotted her ponytail poking up over the edge of the loft as she stared into the horse pens from a safe distance. Well away from the traffic of the ranch hands, and nowhere near enough to spook Strawberry Delight.

Ginny took Emma up the old side ladder to the loft. They paused, looming over Sasha until she rolled and gasped in surprise.

Then she blinked guiltily and offered Emma a dirty look. “Tattletale.”

Oh, no. Nipping that one in the bud. Ginny lifted a finger and spoke quietly. “Tell me what you did wrong.”

Her oldest niece curled up to a sitting position. “I came into the horse barn without permission.”

“That was your second mistake,” Ginny informed her. “The first and more serious crime was expecting your sister to lie for you.”

Sasha’s eyes widened. Emma pressed her lips together.