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emotions.” He stood and took her elbow. “Leg it, lady. The day’s a-wasting.”

CHAPTER
    3
    M organ sauntered up to the boy sitting on the cabin porch, scratching the post with a nail. The kid didn’t stop scratching or turn, though Morgan guessed he knew he had company. Rick would not be pleased with the word taking shape in the post. Morgan stooped, and at last the boy turned from his graffiti long enough to use the phrase he’d been carving.
    Morgan rested his forearms on his knees. “Why should I?”
    “Cuz I told you to.” The kid fit the word in that sentence, too.
    Morgan shrugged. “It’s a free country.”
    Agitated now, the boy gouged a deep line into the post.
    Morgan could grab the nail, stop its damaging progress, but instead he asked, “You have a name?”
    “Why should you care?” There it was. So far he’d gotten it into every sentence.
    “Ever tried a complete sentence without that word?”
    “Ever tried to go—”
    Morgan raised a hand. “I got the gist.”
    The kid gripped the nail and dug an ugly curve into the post, then surprised him with “Todd.”
    “Well, Todd, don’t you have anything better to do than vandalize that post?” Morgan wasn’t too concerned. Rick could sand it off and stain it up good as new.
    “Like ride a horse in a line?” He got it in twice that time. Some kids were afflicted with the word like . Couldn’t stretch three words together without it. Todd’s choice was a little more grating.
    But Morgan listened around it. Rick must be taking the family on a ride. Morgan brushed away a brilliant blue-green fly darting in front of his face. “Your folks went riding?”
    “Yeah. They thought this dude ranch would be like Disneyland.”
    “You’d rather be in Disneyland?”
    “Take a flying—” Todd started back on the wood, digging in the nail.
    “And if they weren’t riding in a line?”
    Todd turned. “You mean if I could take a horse by myself?” A complete sentence with no profanity.
    Morgan shrugged. “Not by yourself. But you could lead the way.”
    Todd lowered the nail. “Who are you?”
    “Morgan.”
    “I mean who are you on this ranch?”
    Morgan quirked his mouth sideways. That was a better question than Todd knew. He waved to the holding corral beside the barn. “A couple of horses right there.” It had been years since he’d sat a saddle, but he’d grown up on the same ranch as Rick.
    Todd eyed the animals warily, turned back to him with narrowed eyes. “You don’t look like a—cowboy.” Not a complete cure then, but the word was coming less frequently.
    “I’m not. Haven’t ridden in years.”
    Todd formed a sly smile. “Is that your convertible?”
    Morgan sent his glance to his Thunderbird parked outside the house. He was lucky Todd hadn’t chosen it for his carving. “Rather ride that?”
    “Rather drive it.”
    Morgan moistened his lips, altitude and climate making him dry. “We can take it for a spin.”
    “I can drive?”
    Morgan didn’t ask how old he was. Even if Todd were small for his age, he was no sixteen. Morgan dug for his keys. “Why don’t you ride.” Todd dropped the nail, and it rolled through the crack in the planks. He stood up. “Let’s do it.”
    They climbed into the car and Morgan started it up. Great engine. He reached his arm between the bucket seats, looked over his shoulder, and backed out in one swift arc. Then he left the ranch, the gravel road trailing behind in a cloud of dust. He spun around at the intersection in Juniper Falls, and they flew back up to the ranch.
    Todd’s eyes were electrified. He used his favorite word with awe.
    “You know, Todd. It wouldn’t hurt to develop your vocabulary.”
    “What should I say? Cool?” But he was grinning.
    “In my circle we’d say excellent .”
    “Excellent. Can I drive it?”
    Morgan shook his head, “No.”
    “Why not?” The smile faded and the scowl returned.
    “You’d need your dad’s permission.” Morgan felt