To Thine Own Self

He rode into the camp and shoved the rifle into the boot. Carmen looked up with a silent question in her eyes. He dismounted.

"A couple of dogs," he said. "They might belong to neighbors. I lost their trail. I'll have to get Bill to come here with me.

"I'll be glad to help," Sam interjected.

Alex lifted his brows to Carmen. She didn't appear to have any reservations about Sam, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Carmen smiled. "No thanks. I'd rather feed the animals than hunt them."

He grinned. It hadn't even occurred to her. He nodded to Sam. "You're welcome to ride along, but if the dogs are wild, we'll shoot them."

Sam frowned. "How will you know if they're wild?"

He shrugged. "If they're on our property, they don't have collars and they are chasing the wildlife, then they're wild."

Sam shifted a startled gaze to Carmen.

Carmen smiled at him and then turned to Sam. "My sentiments exactly."

It was good to be back in sync again.

Sam looked uneasy. "I think I'll pass too."

It was just as well with him. He turned to Carmen.

I think I'll hire an extra hand - for things like this and for my part of this business."

She glanced at Sam and then nodded. "That's probably a good idea."

Without another word, he began shoveling dirt around the outside base of the fire pit. Sam started helping Carmen place rocks.

Carmen had accepted the full responsibility of all the animals, the children and the house. It had grown so slowly that he hadn't noticed how busy she was - nor had he given her any credit. That wasn't going to happen in the future. The safari was as much his responsibility as hers. It wasn't her business - it was theirs. Carmen wanted to do more than collect animals. She had a plan - and a good one at that. It wasn't until she mentioned that goats were as much a part of American history as Longhorns that he realized how much she missed them. The dairy wasn't simply a financial endeavor, as Mums had thought. Heidi was back and he wasn't going to give her any reason to stray in the future.