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“Oh, wow. There’s a lot more to it than I thought.” She scrolled farther down the page. “Different feeds, nutritional needs at different ages...” Her finger stopped. “They even get into pregnancy and reproduction.”
“That could come in handy at Second Chance.”
“Definitely. Especially with some of the animals they take in.” Rissa started typing again. “High Plains University is about an hour from here and has animal science.”
“Really?”
“I knew they had agriculture programs. I never looked at them because...” She trailed off, then kept scrolling and reading.
Amanda hid her amusement and went back to the mushrooms. Five minutes ago, the girl hadn’t considered animal science as a major. Now it seemed like she was.
“What?”
She looked up to find Rissa watching her. “Nothing.”
“You’re smiling.”
“I’m making pizza.”
“You’re chopping the same mushroom you’ve been chopping for a minute.”
Amanda looked down. The poor thing had been reduced to rubble, and she pushed it aside. “Maybe you should concentrate on your research while I concentrate on this.”
The front door opening interrupted whatever response Rissa was about to make.
“I’m home.”
The familiar voice sent an immediate spark through Amanda.
A few seconds later, Grady appeared in the kitchen doorway, still in his uniform. His gaze shot straight to her, and the smile that spread across his face made it obvious he was happy to see her. “I was hoping that Corvette in my driveway meant you were staying for dinner.”
“That depends. Are you going to complain about my cooking?”
“I’m not stupid.”
Rissa snorted. “Her cooking has nothing to do with why she’s here, but I did invite her to stay. My truck broke down.”
His attention shifted to his daughter. “What happened?”
“It wouldn’t start. We tried jumping it. It started once and died again.”
“Wouldn’t stay running?”
“Nope.”
“Could be the alternator.” He set his keys on the counter. “I’ll have it towed to the shop in the morning and drive you in.”
“Thanks, Dad.” Rissa practically bounced as she turned back toward the counter. “And I might know what I want to go to college for.”
Grady froze. “What?”
“Not yet.” She picked up her phone again. “You have to wait until dinner.”
His eyebrows rose, and Amanda bit the inside of her cheek as his attention shifted to her. “What did you do?”
“Why do you assume I did something?”
“Because two minutes ago I walked through the door, and now my daughter—who has spent months talking about taking a gap year—is apparently excited about college.”
