The Cowboy and the Angel | ✓

Chapter Fifteen

Dixie yawned, rubbing her eyes. She pushed on the furry animal that licked at her face with a small giggle. "Quit, Shadow! What do you want?"

The black wolfdog jumped off the bed, his toenails clicking on the wood floor as he danced in place. He whined and looked at Dixie expectantly.

Dixie shoved her covers off, giving a shiver when her feet hit the cool floor. She smiled at Shadow. "Need to go outside?"

At the word "outside," Shadow whined loudly, and Dixie knew exactly what he needed. She grabbed the brown dress hanging over the back of the chair and quickly replaced her night gown with it. She wasted no time getting to the back door.

Shadow surged out the door as soon as it opened, shooting across the dewy grass like a black bullet. His long legs carried him around swiftly, the bright white patch on his chest glowing in the early dawn.

Dixie watched him run around, a smile of delight on her face. She was thankful for that big, black, furry canine. Between him and the Good Lord, she had slept peacefully. Her eyes wandered from Shadow to the bunk house where the ranch hands were up and about. No doubt Cookie was fixing up some breakfast for them.

The distant clucking of the chickens and the complaints of the milk cow reminded Dixie of all the things she had to do before she could cook breakfast. With a cheerful attitude, she set her course to the chicken coop to get busy with the morning chores, all the while praying that God would bless Jason for getting her such an amazing dog.

Once the chickens were fed and the eggs gathered, Dixie worked her way to the small pasture and stable that housed Daisy, the moody black-and-white cow, with Shadow running in circles around her.

Daisy was waiting on the morning's milking and feeding, her tail swatting at the pesky flies. She bellowed a loud protest as Dixie entered the single-stalled stable through the side door.

"It's good too see you, too, Daisy," Dixie greeted in a chipper tone. She rubbed Daisy's broad back as she took the few steps to the corner where a large barrel stood. Pulling off the lid, she scooped oats into the bucket inside before pouring it into a small trough. Daisy mooed her thanks, nearly shoving Dixie over in her rush to get at the oats.

Dixie smiled and grabbed the pail and little wooden stool sitting beside the water trough. She placed the stool at Daisy's flank and sat down, making sure she put the metal pail right underneath the cow's pink udders. In moments, streams of frothy white milk hit the bottom of the pail rhythmically as she milked Daisy.

Before long, Dixie was in the kitchen whipping up some breakfast and making coffee while Shadow played outside. After much thought, she decided to fix a cobbler to bring to Emily and Matthew. She wanted to stop by Dr. Moore's and check on them, and she didn't want to go empty-handed.

While she was mixing ingredients, Tavin stumbled into the kitchen looking like he hadn't slept in weeks. He rubbed his messy, dark reddish hair and sniffed the air. "I thought I smelled coffee."

Dixie laughed, wiping her floury hands on her apron. "Good mornin', sleepyhead."

"Mornin'," he muttered, shuffling to the table. He plopped into a chair with a grunt. "Coffee ready?"

"Yep," Dixie answered, sitting a steaming cup in front of him. She ruffled his hair with her knuckles, a tiny frown lowering her brows. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

Tavin took a gulp of coffee, grimacing as it burned its way down his throat. He looked into the cup, staring into the inky liquid like it held the key to life in its depths. He rubbed his light blue eyes and stifled a yawn. "Nope. Didn't sleep a wink."