“I want to adopt a BLM Mustang, please mom?” Evie blurted at the dinner table on a Thursday night. She had a shelf lined with books about them. “You know I’ve always loved them, and I’m old enough now. Plus there is the contest and the check at the end. I could use that check for college!”
“No,” Kivi said, firmly “Absolutely no.”
“But Mom,” Evie started in immediately. “It would build character, responsibility, and my horsewoman skills. Did I mention the check?”
Kivi heaved a big sigh and looked at her daughter. The Brown eyes belonged to her dad, and the wide brow but the rest of her face was Kivi. “Looks like me, acts like me. Stubborn Like me” She thought as she watched Evie chew her lip a moment.
Their eyes met and Evie thought she saw a chink in the armor so she went for it.
“Mom! C’mon. I promise not to shirk my other duties. I’ll still ride Hippy every day. I’ll even start showing in Jr classes. Please, Please, let me adopt a BLM Mustang”
“First, You cannot adopt one. You’re not old enough.” Kivi said, still firm. “Second, I just bought you a horse.” She was a little sad that Evie and Hippy hadn’t made as fast friends as she had hoped. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, so said Robert Burns. She was going to skin Michael for putting the idea in Evie’s head.
“I love Hippie, I do, but she’s all trained up and half push-button,” Evie said it though cajoling. “A BLM would be fresh and I’d be first. The contest is really unspecific about what the horse can or should do, just best trained! Mom, You’ve said I’m good at training the young horses. Now is a time to prove it. I’ll make sure it’s trained to do ranch work too! Not just tricky stuff.”
Kivi sighed again. Part of her wanted to let the girl try, another part of her wanted to shove the mustang up Michael’s butt.
“Unkie said he’d help!” Evie shot quickly “He is gonna stay right?”
“Oh bloody hell,” Kivi thought as the plans of Michael came plainly in her eyes. “He did, did he?” Kivi said out loud, her voice taking on an edge. It was an edge Evie knew and she knew when to back up, too.
“Well, think about it then? “ She asked, very softly “Please Mom” She knew by the tone that she needed to drop it for now.

After dinner, Evie had gone to her room and threw herself on her bed. Which in itself was not odd behavior, but when she reached for her stuffed turtle she realized she was more invested in this idea than she had expected. She put her headset on and turned on the local country station. “Buy Dirt” came on the radio as she flipped open her Laptop to cruise TikTok and pass the time.

When Kivi went to check on Evie at bedtime, she found her with her head on her stuffed turtle, headset on, and asleep with the laptop open in front of her.
Kivi sighed softly when she saw the turtle. She only hugged that when her emotions ran high. As much as Kivi hoped that this was a fad, the turtle meant that the child was serious.