"Don't fret about it. I expected it, Miss Amanda."

"I want to apologize for his attitude toward you, Maria. Hopefully, his ankle will heal and he'll be gone in a week."

"I'm not letting his uppity comments bother me anymore. Especially not now! Not when I have something to look forward to," she fanned a green envelope before her smiling face.

"What's in the envelope?"

"Oh, just an invitation Noah found in the mail this morning. We are all invited!"

"Invited to what?" Amanda propped her elbows on the small square tiles of the counter, curious as to why the contents of the envelope had put Maria in such a good mood.

"Sunnyvale's social gathering of the year! The annual Holiday Festival."

"Ok, what's the Holiday Festival?"

"A huge party that has been thrown for over sixty years! Dancing, lots of food, Christmas lights & fun contests! It started out on the town square, but fifteen years ago, the local business owners pitched in to build a huge dance hall just for the festival."

"Wow, sounds fun," Amanda said. "So, do you think Noah will go?"

"I'm not sure, Miss Amanda. Who knows where his mind is at these days. I am still shocked that he is leaving the ranch. I thought for sure he would stay around this time."