33. GALLOPING GULCH

The next day, the neighbors gathered to help Sofia and Olimpia get the ranch back in shape after the fire. The girls also got new outfits, since most of their wardrobe had gone up in flames.

The work went smoothly. Together, they managed the cleanup and replaced part of the furniture.

Don: Tomorrow one of my guys will show up. He’ll replace the rest and fix whatever can still be repaired. He’s a trustworthy Sim, you can count on him. You’ll see, it’ll be like the fire never happened.

When Sofia returned to the ranch the next day after dropping Ollie off at school, the “trustworthy Sim” was already there. He was standing at the woodworking table, completely focused on his work.

And he was definitely not Don’s age—which was what she had expected.

Rancher: Howdy! Sneakin’ around like a little mouse, huh? Almost didn’t notice you there, Miss.

Sofia: I didn’t expect you this early.

Rancher: I like to start at the crack of dawn.

Sofia: Maybe I could make you some coffee?

Rancher: Coffee’s always appreciated. Clayton.

Sofia: Sorry?

Rancher: Clayton. McCoy.

Sofia: Ah, Sofia Bennet. Nice to meet you.

Clayton: The pleasure’s all mine, Miss Bennet.

Sofia: Just Sofia.

Clayton: Alright then, Sofia.

Clayton: Now, Sofia, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve still got a bit of work to finish here.

Sofia: Of course. I’ll go get that coffee. And thank you.

Clayton: The pleasure is mine.

Clayton turned out to be a real handyman. Not only did he replace the furniture, but he also repaired a lot of equipment and helped out around the ranch.

Soon, the girls were able to move back into their refreshed home.

Clayton: And… done. I think that about covers it. Nothing left on my list, so I’ll be heading out.

Sofia: Already?

Clayton: Guess so. Unless you’ve got another job for me, Miss Bennet.

Sofia: We were supposed to call ourselves by first names.

Clayton: Right. My mistake.

Sofia: And honestly, work on a ranch is never really finished. So if you’d be interested…

Clayton: Are you offering me a job?

Sofia: The animals seem to like you. And an extra pair of hands is always useful, especially if someone knows what they’re doing. So, what do you say?

Clayton: I think we can make that work.

Olimpia was spending a lot of time with Wren now. They often went on horseback rides together. Ever since Starbrite stopped being a foal, Wren showed off his riding skills more and more. Riding her gave him real satisfaction—after all, she was his horse.

Olimpia still rode her mom’s horse, Moo. And she didn’t always know how to control her.

Wren: Hey! Slow down!

Olimpia : I can’t! I don’t know how to stop her!

Wren: You’ve gotta pull the reins!

Olimpia : The what?! Oh come on! I’ve never gaaaallooopeeeed before!

Olimpia : That was amaaazing!

Wren: You were panicking just a second ago.

Olimpia: What? Me? No way! Haha! You and Starbrite couldn’t even catch up with us!

Wren: That’s because I actually know how to control her.

Olimpia: Yeah, yeah, classic excuse from a sore loser!

Olimpia: It’s so beautiful here!

Wren: Galloping Gulch. I think we rode a little too far. My parents don’t let me come here alone. We should head back.

Olimpia: Oh, come on. You’re not alone, you’re with me! Besides, I wanna see the Dreadhorse Caverns.

Wren: Ollie, that’s not a good idea.

Olimpia: What, are you chicken?

Wren: No, but we really should turn back.

Olimpia: Boooooring! Adventure awaits!

Wren: Are you sure about this?

Olimpia: Now it’d be a waste to chicken out.

Wren: I might just stay here.

Olimpia: Chicken!

Wren: Fine, fine. I’ll tie up the horses. You go first, clear the spiderwebs for me.

Olimpia: Haha, very funny.

A moment later…

Wren: Hahaha! Too bad you didn’t see your face. I’ve never seen anyone run that fast.

Olimpia: You’d run too if you saw that snake!

Wren: You shouldn’t have opened weird crates.

Olimpia: But it could’ve been a treasure chest! I had to check!

Wren: One day you’re gonna get yourself into real trouble.

Olimpia: Very likely.

Wren: How do you even know how to start a campfire?

Olimpia: That’s my secret.

Wren: I always thought girls were boring. But you’re not. You’re actually really cool.

Olimpia: You’re pretty cool too. I was joking about the chicken thing.

Wren: This was fun. But now we seriously have to head back.

Olimpia: I know. My mom's gonna be sooooo mad... But can we stay just a little longer? It’s so nice here.

Sofia: If you think you’re getting away with this, young lady, you are very mistaken!

Wren: Heh. Good luck.

Olimpia: You’re probably in trouble too.

Wren: I know. See you next century, our grounding will probably last that long.

Sofia: What were you thinking, coming back this late?! I don’t even want to know where you were! You’re not going anywhere tomorrow!

Olimpia: But tomorrow’s Saturday!!

Sofia: You should’ve thought of that earlier. You’re grounded for the whole weekend. Inside. Now!

It was shaping up to be a boring weekend. But at least there would be good memories to look back on. A little fun is worth a small grounding…

And who knows, maybe they’d still come up with something interesting to do.

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