Just as bad was the fact that the no-see-’ems were back. She didn’t know the scientific name for the little biting insects, but Gram fussed at them all through the spring and summer, saying they pestered her when she was gardening. Once, when they were very young, Jake had told Sam that the itchy little bugs drank sweat. Yuck. She could almost believe it. Now she felt them crawling through the roots of her hair. They must be working up an appetite playing safari, Sam thought, because they stopped every couple of minutes to take a bite of her scalp. Why hadn’t she worn her Stetson? Oh yeah, because she’d only been walking down to the river…. Sam sighed. That wild ride on the Phantom was worth any price, but she still wished she’d see a driver or rider, someone to help her carry this orphan calf back to the ranch. She couldn’t even hear La Charla yet. She was hot, cranky, and ready to be home. So was Daisy. She wasn’t sure when she’d started calling the yellow calf Daisy, but she knew why.
