Sophia
Sophiatiedtheendof the rope lead around Ivy’s neck as she prepared to open the gate. Valley and Meadow stayed with her pretty well, and of course the kids followed their mothers, but Ivy…she liked to run away as often as she possibly could.
There was a reason Sophia rarely opened the gate.
But she was taking them to a new pen today at the stable master’s request. He’d said the northern pens were full of weeds, and asked if she could take them there. The goats would be thrilled—as long as she could get them there safely without losing any of them.
She held the rope tight and eased the gate open, bracing herself for Ivy to lunge forward like she always did. The kids ran out first, followed by Valley and Meadow at a stately pace, with Ivy doing her best to drag Sophia down the barn hallway.
“Would you calm down?” Sophia said to the goat, pulling back with all her might. “We’ll get there just as fast if you stop fighting me so much.”
Ivy didn’t listen. She never did.
But at least it made Sophia feel better to admonish her as they made their way out the barn toward the pen.
She was halfway through the courtyard when she noticed Liliana approaching, with Caspian following behind her. Sophia smiled at the two of them. Caspian must have earned the task of following Liliana today.
Liliana burst into a run to catch up to her.
“Sophia, Sophia,” she exclaimed, “where are you taking the goats today?”
“We’re going to the pasture to the north,” Sophia said.
“Can I help?” Liliana asked, reaching out to take the lead rope.
Sophia shook her head. “I’m not going to let go. But if you want to help hold the rope, you can.”
Liliana grabbed onto the rope and hummed a happy little song as she started skipping next to Ivy. If she’d had a lead rope on Valley or Meadow, Liliana could have held them on her own, but Ivy was mischievous.
Sophia looked over to Caspian as he caught up to them. He smiled at her, and her stomach turned into butterflies. Somehow, he seemed more handsome every time she saw him.
“Out for a walk?” he asked.
Sophia shook her head. “The stable master asked me to take them to one of the pastures to help clear it out.”
“I see this one requires a little extra attention.” He glanced at the rope around Ivy’s neck, which Liliana had already let go of.
Sophia laughed. “Yes, Ivy is a special one. The others like to stay with me. Her, not so much.”
“Would you like some help?” Caspian asked, extending a hand, and Sophia gratefully relinquished control of the rope.
Realizing that the rope had changed hands, Ivy attempted to burst into a run again, but Caspian held tight.
After a moment, Ivy realized it was useless. He had a much firmer hand than Sophia, and probably weighed more than Ivy, something Sophia wasn’t sure she could claim.
Ivy was not only the oldest goat, but she was also the largest by far, and sometimes she was a little more than Sophia could manage—not that she’d admit that to anyone. She didn’t need anyone else taking her job.
“Thank you for your help,” Sophia said as they passed through the gate and she avoided tripping over Mollie, who was trying to weave in and out underneath her dress.
“Of course,” he said. “Liliana wanted to introduce me to her goats anyway.”
“She does love the goats,” Sophia said.
A few feet in front of them, Liliana looked back with a mischievous grin. “I love them, I love them, I love them,” she sang in a high voice.
“She’s also started making up songs about them,” Sophia said knowingly as Liliana continued to sing some nonsense words.
“I see,” Caspian said with a grimace as Liliana’s voice reached never-before-heard notes.
