Free Cowgirl Up! by Carolyn Anderson Jones Page B

so I’m going to grill for them.”
     
    “Sure,” Sam said without hesitation. “Do you want me to bring a dessert?”
     
    There was dead silence on the other end of the phone and Sam could visualize the agonized look on her mother’s face. Dessert to Sam was a gallon of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream. Dessert to her mom was fresh berries covered with yogurt and granola.
     
    Sam heard her mom sigh. “Okay, bring on the Ben & Jerry’s. We’ll eat the fresh berries tomorrow night.”
     
    Sam disconnected and grinned. She knew her brother would leap with joy when she came through the door with the forbidden fruit of cherries buried in chocolate bits and vanilla ice cream.
     
    Sam spent the afternoon cleaning her house, doing some grocery shopping and going to a yoga class. Then after she washed her truck, her last chore for the day, she and Dundee walked across the yard to her parent’s house.
     
    When Sam walked in the kitchen with her Ben & Jerry’s, her dad was in the kitchen cutting fresh vegetables to sauté in a skillet. Her mom was on the patio grilling hamburgers and talking on the phone at the same time.
     
    Sam put the ice cream in the freezer and poured herself a glass of red wine before she sat down at the kitchen table.
     
    “Who’s Mom talking to?” she asked her dad.
     
    “Cousin Millie. Your grandpa wants to fly to Dallas for a visit in a few weeks and they’re getting everything planned out.”
     
    Cousin Millie was the only daughter of Grandpa’s sister, Susan. Susan lived with Millie and once every year Sam’s grandpa would fly out to see them.
     
    Sam’s mom was chatting on the phone and walking back and forth between the kitchen and patio. Her dad had chopped up the vegetables and turned the burner on under the skillet.
     
    Suddenly Sam heard a big ‘whoosh!’ coming from her dad’s direction. She turned and saw flames all over the stove.
     
    Her dad jumped back and danced around the kitchen looking for something to throw on the fire. Sam ran to cabinets to try and find a fire extinguisher. Dundee flew into the kitchen and barked for help.
     
    Sam’s mom never missed a beat. She continued talking to Millie as she calmly walked over to the cabinet above the stove, pulled out a box of baking soda and threw it on the fire. Then she walked back to the patio and left Sam and her dad looking at each other.
     
    “Grease fire,” Sam’s dad told her. “I think it’s from all the grease that spills over when your grandpa cooks.”
     
    Sam nodded her head. “Makes sense to me. I’ve seen him cook.”
     
    Sam’s mom came back in and hung up the phone. She walked over to the stove and surveyed the mess. Baking soda covered everything.
     
    “It happens all the time,” she told them. “I keep several boxes of baking soda handy. She opened the cabinet and showed them about a dozen boxes.
     
    All three of them stood at the stove looking at their ruined dinner.
     
    “How does a hamburger sound?” Sam’s mom asked.
     
    “Okay by me,” Sam answered.
     
    “Me too,” her dad said.
     
    At that moment Sam’s grandpa poked his head in the kitchen.
     
    “Is dinner ready yet?” he asked.
     

Chapter Fourteen
     
    The next week flew by. Doc and Sam were both busy giving checkups to new foals and calves and gearing up for West Nile immunizations. Colorado was hit hard by the virus so many of their clients were calling early to get boosters for their horses.
     
    Sam was looking forward to the weekend and the Cinco de Mayo celebration at the Ramirez’s. For years she and her family celebrated the Mexican holiday at their house. It was a blast. It was the biggest and baddest block party in the city of Denver. And Sam knew that was true because most of the city of Denver was there.
     
    Jaime and Ana came from Mexico to El Paso when they were in their early twenties and moved to Colorado after Jaime earned his Bachelor’s degree and was offered a job at the