It was a dark and stormy night. Thunder and lightening woke Tillie. Turning over in bed, she noticed the hall light was on. Hearing Dad’s footsteps downstairs, she grabbed her robe and hurried down.

“What’s wrong, Dad?” She asked. 

Shrugging into his raincoat and slipping on his Stetson, he smiled. “I need to check the heifers at the barn.”

“Can I go?” Tillie asked. The barn was her favorite place on the ranch.

Ruffling her hair, Dad said, “Quick, get your raingear on.”

She ran to the mudroom for her coat and boots. Grabbing Dad’s hand, she followed him down the porch steps and out into the rain. Together they hurried to the dark barn. Dad pushed the door open and Tillie hurried inside and turned on the barn lights.

The barn felt safe and warm. Hearing the quiet sounds of the animals in the barn, she looked around for a stool. She grabbed an empty bucket and turned it upside down next to her Dad. Climbing up on the stool, and peering into the stall, her blue eyes widened as she watched the cow gently clean the brand new baby off as it took its first breaths of life.

, from Bellville, TX, writes that, "Living in Texas on a ranch is my best motivation to write. My family is kept busy with many animals that my son shows at all the major state livestock shows. Since I do the hauling and deadtime before the shows, my favorite place to people watch for inspiration is at the stalls. Two of my children's books have been published and I am working on the third as well as an adult novel that has been knocking around in my head for several years. Inspiration is everywhere, we just have to slow down and see it."

© 2008 Dawn Compton. Original for CCF (Compton grants CCF first electronic rights for one month; CCF may archive the material indefinitely and include it in an eBook anthology).