'Wakey wakey Maddie girl. Rise and shining.'

'Ugh... Dad.' Maddie groaned, pulling the covers over her head at her fathers voice. 'Go away. It's not morning yet.'

'Uh... Kinda afraid it is pumpkin. Come on, I made you breakfast and Mawline added a couple of her sticky buns-'

Her eyes opened at the promise of her favorite dessert and she went to kick the covers off then let out a yelp. 'Oh ouch!'

Cordell chuckled. 'Saddle sore?'

'Mmm. You could say that.' She replied as she stretched gingerly, winching. 'Aren't you supposed to be at work?'

'I-I have the day off. Remember?'

'Oh... Right...' It dawned on her after a moment. 'I should have made breakfast for you, not the other way around.' She glanced over at the clock as she sat up then gasped. 'It's after ten! Why didn't you get me up sooner?'

'You looked like you needed to sleep.' He replied, placing the tray he'd brought in on her lap then took a seat on the bed beside her. Bubbles, smelling the eggs and bacon, woke up and began to sniff the air before making her way towards the tray. 'Oh no. No. No you don't-' He took hold of the cat before she got close to Maddie's breakfast. 'I made that for my girl, not you little one.'

'Thank you for this Dad.' Maddie smiled as she looked up from her meal. 'You didn't have to do this.'

'Y-your right, I didn't but I wanted to. Just don't tell Stella or August okay? They'll be wanting room service next.'

She giggled at that. 'I won't say a word.'

'Well, I'll leave you to eat then. I've already taken care of Bel and Dakota for you this morning so you needn't worry about them.' He stood up, taking the cat with him. 'And I'll feed this one so she doesn't steal your food.'

Cordell left the room, closing the door behind himself again and Maddie looked back down at her breakfast. 'There's no way I'm gonna be able to eat all this...' She whispered to herself as she looked the tray over. In addition to two of Abeline's fresh sticky buns there was a mountain of scrambled eggs on homemade toast and a stack of crispy bacon. Her stomach was churning just at the smell and the thought of trying to eat all that really made her lose her appetite.

She sighed heavily. Cordell had tried to do something nice for her and she didn't want to offend him but yet there was no way she could eat that much food. Picking up a sticky bun she took a bite and slowly chewed it, hoping that she wouldn't see it again. For some reason lately when she ate she felt like she was going to throw up and that combined with her having little appetite had really taken a toll on how much she'd eaten recently.

The buns were washed down with some of the fresh orange juice and that seemed to be okay in her stomach though she didn't feel like she'd chance the eggs or the greasy bacon. Deciding that she'd deal with the rest of her breakfast later she placed the tray aside on her bedside table and got up to get dressed.

As she changed out of her pajamas, her reflection in the mirror caught her attention and she frowned. Had she been eating so little she'd started to lose weight again? When was the last time I stepped onto the scales? She wondered for a moment. She honestly hadn't taken any notice of how she'd looked recently but now, looking at the image in the mirror, she could tell she had to have lost quite a few pounds over the last couple of months.

That played on her mind as she finished dressing and decided that after she'd showered later in the day she'd take a quick step onto the scales. Now that she thought about it her jeans had felt a little loose on her as of late and only last week she'd asked Bonham to punch another hole into her belt. Putting on the rest of her clothes she took another look in the mirror. Her shirt did seem to be just slightly baggy on her and yes, her jeans too. Her belt was done up all the way in as well and when she tightened it she realized it wouldn't be long before she needed to have another hole added again.

Maybe there is something wrong with me. A shiver ran up her spine as that came to her mind. The headaches and migraines she'd been having, the nausea and not wanting to eat and now her losing weight... I'm sure it's just stress though. She tried to reassure herself. Besides, I don't need to see a doctor.

Do I?

It lingered on her mind as she brushed her hair back and plaited it into a single braid though she decided it probably wasn't anything to worry about. She'd check and see how much she weighed later before coming to any decision. Besides, doctors cost money. Lots of money.

With herself ready for the day her thoughts returned to the problem at hand. Getting rid of that extra food without anyone seeing. If she stuck it into the house trash can, someone would probably see it. If her cat was in the room Bubbles would have just had an extra breakfast. There was flushing it down the toilet of course but that wasn't an ideal option. After thinking it over for a moment she decided the best thing to do was probably slip out to the barn and feed it to the working dogs. With any luck, no one would see her.

Maddie managed to slip out her window without any problem, jogging across the lawn to the barn with her plate in hand. Rufus, her grandpa's border collie, was more than happy to see her. 'Hey Rufus.' She said with a smile as she knelt down beside the dog, Rufus standing at the end of his chain sniffing the air. 'Look what I've got for you.'

'No wonder that dog likes you.'

She jumped, looking in the direction Liam's voice came. 'Uncle Liam! You nearly gave me a heart attack.'

He laughed, leaning against the wall of the barn. 'What are you doing?'

'It's just some scraps-'

'That looks an awful lot like what Cordi was cooking in the kitchen. I know his cooking is bad but he's usually pretty good with eggs and bacon.'

Maddie sighed as Rufus scoffed down the last of what she'd given him. She'd been found out. 'Please don't tell Dad.' She said as she stood, holding onto the empty plate. 'I didn't want to hurt him. I know he went to a lot of trouble to make me breakfast but I just couldn't eat it.'

Liam frowned. 'Why?'

'I just don't feel like eating this morning, haven't really felt much like eating at all lately.' She shrugged. 'But please, promise me you won't tell Dad? I don't want to offend him.'

'I won't tell him. This time.' He agreed with a sigh. 'But Maddie, if this continues, you let me know okay? You might need to go see a doc.'

'Alright, alright.' Maddie agreed just to get him off her back. 'It won't happen again. Promise.'

She left the barn a moment later, sneaking back through her window into her bedroom. Returning the empty plate to the tray she finished off the rest of the orange juice then headed out into the kitchen.

'Enjoy your breakfast?' Cordell questioned, closing his laptop as he walked past.

'Mmhmm. It was lovely. Thank you.'

'I see you finished off your plate. My cooking must be alright then.'

Maddie gave him a smile but didn't reply. If she didn't say anything she couldn't be accused of lying now, could she? Returning the tray to its spot on the bench she rinsed her plate then placed it into the dishwasher and returned to Cordell at the dining room table. 'You closing your laptop wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a certain someone's sixteen coming up now, would it?'

'N-no no. Nope. Just-just work stuff.' He shrugged. 'That's all.'

'Dad, you always do that.'

'Do what?'

'Stutter and go over your words when you're nervous. So, you gonna give me a hint about what my present is?'

'Oh... You think you're getting a present do you?' Cordell teased with a smile. 'I haven't even gotten a hug from you yet.' With a cheeky eye roll Maddie gave him a hug. 'It w-would also seem everyone has forgotten what today is.'

'Oh you mean I've missed April Fools? Gees, now that I think of it... Whatever big event could possibly be today?' Maddie pretended to ponder over it very carefully. 'It's not Valentines. Not Saint Patrick's. Definitely not Christmas... I know.' She turned back to him. 'Abeline's birthday?'

It was Cordell's turn to roll his eyes.

Maddie giggled. 'Could it be a particular someone's birthday today?'

'Ah! She finally gets it!'

'And I do have a little present for you in my room.' She continued with a smile. 'Do you want it now or later when Stella and Augie give you theirs?'

'Well-I-I've already opened theirs before they left for school so...'

'I'll go get it now then in that case.' Maddie replied. 'I'll be back in a moment.' She headed out of the dining room, returning a moment later with a wrapped parcel in her hand. 'I know it's not much but it's all I could think of.' She said as she handed it to him. 'I hope you like it.'

Cordell pulled the paper off, a smile coming to his lips as he looked at what his present was. Maddie had drawn a sketch of the family photo that had been taken a couple months before Emily had died. 'Maddie... It-it's beautiful. Thank you.'

She smiled as he gave her a hug, pulling her onto his lap. 'I'm glad you like it. I wanted to give you something special since it's your first birthday being my Dad.'

'I've already got the best present from you right here.' He gave her a kiss on the head. 'You calling me Dad.'

Maddie smiled again as she rested her head against his shoulder, the world and her worries fading away in his safe arms. 'Happy Birthday Daddy.'

With having to go prepare for Cordell's surprise party later that evening, Bonham, Abeline and Liam all having made some excuse or another to go into Austin for the day, left the ranch a little while later. It was up to Maddie to keep Cordell occupied so he didn't catch that something was up and so after the two of them had prepared a packed lunch, they headed out on a trail ride to
go on a picnic.

'You know...' Maddie winched as she shifted her weight in the saddle for the fiftieth time in the last half hour. 'Maybe going on a trail ride after yesterday wasn't such a good idea at all...'

Cordell laughed. 'Well, we can go back if your backside is bothering you that much.'

'No, no. We're gonna go on our picnic regardless of how my derriere feels.' She replied, guiding Bel closer towards the middle of the track. 'I'll probably won't be able to walk tomorrow but who cares. It's not much further anyway.'

'Just... Where are we going exactly?'

'You'll find out soon enough.' Was her elusive reply. 'With the amount of land there is here there's plenty of spots I'm sure you've never come across. Where we're going is a spot that I found while rounding up strays for Grampa.' She glanced back at him. 'How are you and Dakota getting along?'

'Well she-she hasn't thrown me. Yet.' He replied, giving the mustang a pat with his free hand. 'You think you two are ready for the Finals?'

'Probably as ready as we'll ever be. I know she'll do fine in the trail riding course and the other classes. It's just the freestyle routine that I'm worried about. I guess though, with over fifty trainers competing, the chances of me being in the final ten that get to go into the freestyle class is pretty slim.'

'One in five isn't bad-'

'And that's four out of five that aren't good.' Maddie replied with a chuckle.

Cordell shook his head. 'Maddie, Maddie, Maddie... Why are you always such a pessimist?'

'I'm not always a pessimist.'

'Yes, yes you are.'

'No I'm not.'

'Yes you are-'

'No I'm not.' A thought came to mind, bringing with it a grin. 'Alright then. I'm going to be one hundred percent optimistic that I'll get to our picnic spot before you!'

'Hey!' Cordell shouted as Maddie spurred her horse into a gallop, he and Dakota taking off after her not a moment later. 'That's cheating!'

'Snooze ya loose Dad!' She yelled back over her shoulder. 'Come on Bel, let's show him!'

The two of them raced up the track, Cordell doing his best to catch up with Maddie but Bel was much too fast against little Dakota. At her only being fourteen hands against Bel's sixteen and with legs as long as miles, they didn't stand any chance at all.

Maddie began to slow Bel as they came atop the rise overlooking the ranch, finally bringing the mustang back to a walk. Bel tossed her head as she kept her walking around in circles, the mare eager to run again. 'You mustn't feel yesterday at all, hey girl?' She questioned as she gave her a pat, looking back towards the path as Cordell and Dakota ambled up to them. 'See? I can be optimistic sometimes.' She teased with a grin. 'I was a hundred percent sure that Bel and I would beat you and look what happened.'

'You-you had a head start.'

'Yeah yeah. Even if I had given you a half minute head start Bel and I would still have beaten you.'

Cordell rolled his eyes.

'How about a rematch after lunch?' She suggested. 'This time we both start at the same time.'

'If it-it's all the same, I think I'll give it a pass.' He remarked as they both cooled their horses down after the run. 'Don't especially feel like being beaten twice in one day. On my birthday too no less.'

'Oh... Poor Dad...' Maddie teased him with a cheeky grin. 'You'll get over it.'

'You-you know something?'

'What?'

'You're as bad as Cassie.'

She laughed out loud at that. 'What's that supposed to be? A compliment or an insult?'

'You can take it anyway you want I guess.' Cordell replied as he brought Dakota to a stop beside Bel, the two of them dismounting and ground tying their horses to let them graze. Maddie picked up the saddlebags with their picnic in it while he grabbed the blanket off the back of his saddle and they spread it out beneath the old oak before sitting down.

'It's so peaceful up here.' Maddie said as she sat with her legs crossed in front of her, cheese sandwich in hand while looking out over the valley below. 'You haven't come up here before?'

'I probably have...' Cordell had already dug into his chicken salad sandwich and had to swallow before he finished his reply. 'My favorite spot used to be down at the creek though. Used to go fishing all the time there.'

'You know I've never been fishing?'

'Never? We might have to change that one of these days then. Nothing beats fresh trout cooked over an open fire.'

'But if we go fishing, you're gonna have to kill whatever I catch. I don't think I could do that.'

Cordell chuckled softly. It was well known that Maddie had a big heart when it came to animals. She had a hard time bringing herself to even kill a mouse, much to all of their amusement. 'I think I can manage that.'

They sat in relative silence to finish off their meal then once they had eaten, Maddie curled up beside Cordell.

'What are you thinking about baby girl?' He questioned after a time, running his fingers through her hair.

'About Geri.'

'Geri?' He questioned with surprise. 'What-what about Geri?'

'She reminds me of my mom.' Maddie replied, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the feeling of her hair being played with. 'I saw the way you and her were the other night.'

'W-what do you-you mean?'

She opened one eye, looking up at him. 'There you go doing it again Dad. You like Geri, like, really like like her, dontcha?'

'I think... You are too young to be making those observations young lady.'

'Too young? Dad, I'm almost sixteen.' She chuckled. 'Your gonna be the crazy dad sitting on the porch with a rifle when I start going out with a boy, aren't you?'

'Oh... Maybe.'

'Yeah. I can see it now.' She yawned softly as she sat up, resting her head back on his shoulder. 'I'll always be your little girl though.'

Cordell planted a kiss on her head, squeezing her shoulder gently. 'What's brought on this sentimentality all of a sudden?'

'I don't know. Maybe I'm just being sentimental today.' Maddie sighed softly. 'My fathers birthday last year... Your Dad helped me make up a pocket knife pouch for his present. I worked so hard on it, I was really proud of how it turned out. I wanted to make him something nice, you know. Even managed to make him a cake...' She sighed again. 'He tossed it aside like an old rag. I found it in the bin later. I just left it there. He didn't even like it and I tried, I tried so hard...'

'I'm sorry Maddie.' He said gently when she'd stopped talking. 'That was cruel.'

'That's just what he was like.' She looked back up at him. 'You were the first man to ever show me what love was. He never loved me and I'm not going to even consider him as my father anymore. You are my father now. My only Dad.'

He kissed her head again, holding her close to him. 'And you will always be my girl.'

Maddie smiled, closing her eyes again. The quiet moment was interrupted a moment later by a message coming through her phone. Getting it out to check who it was she realized it was the arranged message sent by Stella. 'Hey, Stella thought we could have dinner at the Side Step tonight.'

'Yeah, yeah sure. We can do that.'

'Guess we'd better head back soon then.' She returned the phone to her pocket after checking what the time was. 'You and I both are gonna need to freshen up before we go. I don't particularly fancy going to dinner smelling like Bel.'

The nagging concern in the back of her mind that she'd been able to ignore for most of the day returned as Maddie saw the numbers come up on the scales. 98 pounds. She cringed. If memory served her right, the last time she'd weighed a couple months ago she'd been closer to 120. Hoping that it was just an error she stepped off them again and waited for it to reset to zero before stepping on once more. The number didn't change.

With a worried sigh she stepped off them once more then returned the scales to the cupboard and tried to think about something else as she got dressed and ready to go out to the party. It wasn't any use though and there wasn't any denying it anymore. Losing that much weight over the span of a couple months was not normal. It was just a wonder that no one had seemed to notice though for which she was grateful. Something was wrong however, she could feel it.

'Maddie, you almost ready to go?' Cordell shouted from out in the living room.

Maddie jumped, startled out of her thoughts. A moment later she found her voice. 'Give me another five.' She called back, adding another pin into her half-up, half down up-do. 'Just finishing up with my hair.'

After spraying through some hairspray she took a moment to observe her reflection then decided that it would do. She'd styled her hair like she had that time Bonham had taken her out to dinner and the concert, the half up-half down curled style that Abeline said suited her. With the addition of some makeup she looked and felt a bit better. Was it just her imagination or did she look a little pale these days...

She fumbled with the clasp on her necklace for a moment as she tried to put it on then gave up and headed out of the bathroom. Cordell was waiting for her out in the living room, turning around as she stepped in. 'You... look beautiful honey.'

Maddie smiled. 'You've seen me in this dress before.' She chuckled. She's chosen to wear her mothers dress and jacket again for the evening. 'Can you give me a hand with my necklace please? My fingers are too numb to fiddle with that little clasp.'

'And you think my chunky fingers will have any better luck?' He remarked as she placed the necklace he'd given her for Christmas into his hand and turned around. Brushing her hair to the side he did it up for her then fixed her hair as it had been. 'All done.'

'Thanks Dad.' She smiled again. Her worries and concerns could wait. This was her father's evening. 'Guess we're ready to go then.'

'Looks pretty quiet here tonight.' Cordell remarked as they pulled into the half empty parking lot, parking the truck next to the red mustang. 'You let Mom know we went out for dinner?'

'Yep. She was fine with that. Said she'd be getting home late anyway.' Maddie replied,quickly texting Stella that they had arrived then grabbed her handbag out from behind the seat. 'Said for us to enjoy ourselves.'

'In that case then-' He climbed out and locked the truck after she had closed the door behind herself. 'You have to have at least one dance with me this evening.'

'Deal.'

The door was closed as they walked up, Maddie lingering back a step so that Cordell could open it. As he did so, a loud chorus of 'Surprise' rang out from the crowd gathered inside.

Cordell smiled, shaking his head with amusement. 'You little... How did you-'

'We all pitched in.' Stella said as she and August stepped away from their grandparents, the three kids giving their father a hug. 'Happy Birthday Dad.'

'Thank you. All-all of you.'

Maddie slipped away into the background as Cordell was greeted by the friends that Stella had invited along, most of them people she'd never met. Colton was standing over in a quiet corner and when she spotted him, she headed over to see him. 'Glad you could make it.' She greeted with a smile. 'I hope you don't get in trouble with your parents for coming along.'

'It's fine.' He shrugged. 'I told them I was out with some friends for the evening. Which I am.'

She chuckled. 'You know, apart from you, the Walkers, Geri, Trey, Captain James and Cassie-' She took a look around the room. 'I have absolutely no idea at all who the rest of these folks are.'

'Something we have in common then.' They started over to one of the empty tables at the back, Colton pulling Maddie's chair out for her. 'So... How's it feel being a big hero?'

Maddie raised an eyebrow. 'I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.'

'What? Do you live under a rock or something? How could you not have heard the news?'

She really had no idea what he was talking about. 'I haven't looked at the news today.'

Colton took his phone from his pocket and with a couple of flicks on his screen, had the news article up. Maddie took one look at it and sighed heavily.

'I chose not to take up country singing for this exact reason.' She said with an annoyed laugh. 'I guess after the publicity that Rose's disappearance had I shouldn't be surprised.' He handed her the phone for her to read through the article and she shook her head. 'They didn't even get Bel's breed right! She's a Spanish Mustang for crying out loud, not an Andalusian.'

'Well they kind of look similar.'

'I guess.' They'd even attached photos of the girl's reunion with her parents and of course, Maddie and Bel were right there in the frame. 'At least they got my good side though.' She remarked with an amused smile, seeing the photo of her hugging Bel then passed the phone back to him. 'I bet as soon as I open up my Facebook, Bel's page will have blown up.'

'There's a lot to be said for free publicity.'

'Yeah... I guess so.'

Colton frowned. 'Maddie... Are-are you alright? Is something wrong?'

'No I...' She sighed again. 'I've been having a lot of headaches lately and a couple other things going on. I've just been putting it down to stress and having a lot on my plate but when I weighed myself today I've lost quite a bit of weight the last couple months.'

'Have you been to the doctors?'

Maddie shook her head.

'Maybe you should go if you're worried.'

'Yeah, you're probably right.'

He chuckled. 'Aren't I always right?'

'It's just... If I go to the doctors then they're gonna ask questions and such, you know? I'm at a good place right now and I really don't want the thousand questions. As soon as any kind of healthcare professional sees me they're gonna be asking a bunch of stuff. I just...' She lent back in her chair. 'If it doesn't let up in a couple weeks then I'll talk to Dad about taking me in to get checked out.'

'That sounds like a good idea.' Colton placed his hand on hers. 'You know I care about you.'

A sad smile touched her lips as she placed her other hand on top of his. 'I know and I appreciate your concern.' She took a look around the room for a moment, spying Stella off with Todd and August over with Faye. Cordell was talking with Geri and a couple other folks while Bonham, Abeline and Liam caught up with some old friends. 'How's things going for you?' She questioned, turning back to him. 'With your Mom and Dad?'

'Not good...' Colton helped himself to some chips from the bowl in the center of the table. 'One minute they're arguing then the next they're all lovey dovey or something. I just don't get adults.'

'Nope. Neither do I.' She agreed, following his lead and ate a couple chips herself. 'My folks are still going on about your folks and I'm sure your folks are still going on about mine.'

'That would be an understatement. My Dad doesn't seem to mind me hanging out with you though so that's something I guess.'

'I hope you haven't mentioned much to him.'

'No, no. He just said something the last time you dropped in to check on Rocky and the mini.' He motioned over to where Cordell was standing across the room. 'What about you?'

'I haven't said anything either but Stella kinda figured out we're friends.'

Colton took a couple more chips then looked back at Maddie. 'Do you... Do you think we could be more than friends?'

A shy smile came to her lips as she nodded. 'I think we can.'

'There you are!' Stella exclaimed as she came over to where Maddie and Colton were hiding. 'I've been looking for you.'

'I've been right here the whole time.' Maddie replied with a chuckle, debating whether or not to take the last chip from the bowl. 'What's up?'

'Well I thought if you and I are gonna sing-'

'Woah, hold up.' Colton interrupted with a smile. 'You didn't tell me you two would be singing.'

'Why? Would you have bailed on the evening if you knew?' Stella teased.

'It's just a little something Stels and I have been working on for Dad.' Maddie explained. 'A surprise you know.'

'It's sure gonna surprise him. I thought you said it'd take hypnosis for you to get on that stage Stella.'

'Or a sister who's like a dog with a bone.'

'Hey-' Maddie laughed. 'That's a mean analogy.'

'You'll live.'

'Yeah, thanks sis.'

'Soooo...' Stella asked with a touch of nervousness in her voice. 'Ready?'

'I guess so.' Maddie replied as she stood. 'August ready?'

She nodded. 'He's already over at the keyboard.'

'Oh would you look at that. He's on time for once.' Stella chuckled and she turned to Colton. 'I won't be long.'

'Good luck.'

The two sisters made their way through the crowd to the stage and after a moment of discussion, Stella nominated Maddie to make the announcement since she had the first lines of the song. 'Alright, if I can have everyone's attention here and a little quiet...' Maddie started over the loudspeaker. After a few moments the crowd hushed and she smiled. 'Thank you. Now we all know why we're here this evening and that's to share a birthday with one of the best guys I've known in my whole life. Yes, I am biased here cause I'm blessed to call him Dad-' A ripple of laughter sounded through the crowd and Maddie chuckled inwardly seeing how much her Dad squirmed being put on the spot. It almost made standing up here worth it. Almost. 'But I think you all can agree with me in saying that my Dad is one of the kindest and sweetest people on the planet. Though, if you cross him, expect to get an ass whooping. Just ask Stella and Augie about that.'

Another chorus of laughter rang out from the crowd, Bonham patting his son on the shoulder. Once they had fallen quiet again though she continued. 'And while I haven't been able to call Cordell Dad for as long as Stella and August, I speak the truth when I say I'm lucky to have the best Dad in the world. We all are. We're all blessed to have him in our lives no matter what our relationship. Friend, family, co-worker. Our lives are enriched because of what you give us. To all of us.' Their eyes met and she smiled at him before speaking again. 'And before I bore you all much longer, this is something that Stella, August and I have been practicing for the last few weeks. This is for you Dad. We hope you like it.'

Giving August the cue to begin playing, Stella shakily took the extra microphone off the stand. 'You've got this.' Maddie whispered softly to her.

'Sure hope so.' She replied with a nervous chuckle. 'Now I get why you said no to becoming a singer.'

You heard me say my first words
Watched me crawl before I walked
People say I have your eyes
But I've always wanted to have your heart

Oooh one in a million
And I got to be yours

Our souls are forever tied together
Through tears and all the laughter
You love me like no other
You say I'm the center of your whole wide world
I'll always be my daddy's girl

When Stella had finished her part, Maddie gave her an encouraging smile as she waited for the bridge into her section to be played.

You danced me across the kitchen floor,
And we'll dance the day you give me away
You're the first call when I need advice
You always know the right words to say

Oooh one in a million
And I get to be yours

Our souls are forever tied together
Through tears and all the laughter
You love me like no other
You say I'm the center of your whole wide world
I'll always be my daddy's girl

As another bridge was played leading into the next section, Maddie and Stella caught each other's eyes, ready to come in together for the third line.

The love that you gave me came from another
Passed down to me from a heavenly father
Who chose me as his daughter

Our souls are forever- Stella started alone.
Tied together- Maddie added by herself.

And together they sang the chorus.

Through tears and all the laughter
You love me like no other
You say I'm the center of your whole wide world
I'll always be yours

Our souls are forever tied together
Through tears and all the laughter
You love me like no other
You say I'm the center of your whole wide world
I'll always be my daddy's girl

I'll always be my daddy's girl.

(Daddy's Girl - 1GN)

As the sound of the keyboard died away, a loud round of applause came from the crowd and Stella and Maddie hugged each other before giving August a high five as he got up from the keyboard. The three of them bowed together and as Maddie looked down at the crowd, their father was clapping loudest of all.

'We love you Dad!' The three of them shouted together, Stella keeping her microphone as Maddie placed hers back.

As Maddie and August left the stage, Stella motioned for the crowd to fall silent again. 'So, I know Dad is going to be just thrilled with this...' Maddie chuckled softly as Stella started her address to everyone, returning to her seat with Colton. 'But I'd like to invite anyone who has a story about dad to come up and share it. Something funny, something sad. Anything you want. Dad, I can see you squirming there.' The crowd laughed, Cordell's cheeks going red with embarrassment as everyone looked at him. 'I'm sure that there's plenty of stories out there so who's gonna be brave and come on up first?'

'Poor Dad is gonna die of embarrassment.' Maddie remarked to Colton as Liam was the first to step forward, Stella handing the mic to him.

Colton chuckled softly, Liam starting to get into a story of when he and Cordell were younger. 'You did great up there. You could have totally aced it if you decided to take up Minnie's offer.'

'I know.' Her attention diverted back to Colton, her Uncle's story fading into the background. 'But I'm happy with my decision. That path isn't what I want to follow, not right now at least. I don't know, in a few years I might feel different about it. Minnie has said the offers on the table whenever I want to take it up. I only have to call. For the moment though, this is what feels right.'

'You know...' He started after a moment. 'I envy you, in a way.'

'Envy me?' She questioned with surprise. 'Why? You know how messed up my past is-'

'No, not that of course but this.' He motioned around the room. 'Being here, getting to know your family. You aren't the monsters that my family made you out to be. Heck, you guys do have problems-' Maddie chuckled at that. 'But you are all there for each other. My family... It's not like that.'

Maddie placed her hand on his. 'There is no need to envy what I have. My family can be your family too. I know it's hard with you being a Davidson and all... I just don't think we'll mention anything about us for a little while at least.'

'Your Dad might whoop my ass if we do.'

She chuckled at his reference to her little speech. 'Na, he'll just be sitting on the porch in his rocking chair, shotgun on his lap, whisky in hand.'

'Yeah,' He nodded. 'Yeah I can see that.'

It was late when the party finally came to an end, a few of the guests staying to lend a hand with the clean up but finally it was just the Walkers alone once more in the bar. After finally finishing sweeping up all the confetti off the floor Maddie sank wearily into an empty chair. The evening, while good, had been thoroughly exhausting.

At Stella's prompting there had been plenty of stories around to share, even Cassie getting up to say a few quick words. Much to their father's visible relief though she didn't tell the story of how they had met but rather spoke of something else. Of how even though she'd known him for less then two weeks that she knew he had her back. He was someone she could rely on as her partner.

Maddie had seen Cordell get emotional at quite a few of the speeches, even Cassie's to her surprise. Seemingly the headstrong ranger woman had already managed to earn his trust and despite how much of a hard time he'd given her, she'd given him a chance. The only thing missing that would have made the evening however was Micki and though they had invited his former partner along, she had declined the invitation.

'Alright, well...' Cordell took a look around the Side Step as he picked up the last garbage bag floating around. 'That looks like that's almost everything...'

'Well Abby and I are gonna head on out for the night now.' Bonham spoke up as he and Abeline stood at the door, his arm wrapped around his wife. 'See you at home.'

'Ah yeah. See you at home.'

'I'm going to head with them.' Liam exclaimed. 'Happy Birthday big brother.'

He smiled, giving his little brother a hug. 'Thanks Stinker.'

They left and Stella and August soon emerged from the kitchen with another wrapped box between them.

'Oh another present.' Cordell exclaimed upon seeing it. 'Is that for me?'

'Well it's not for the man in the moon.' August chuckled, Maddie coming over to join them as they placed the box down on one of the cleared tables. 'And the tag has Cordell written on it so it sure isn't for Maddie.'

'Who-who's it from?' He questioned, wondering who it had to be from for them to leave it as the last present of the day.

'It's from Mom.' Stella said after a moment, Cordell looking up at her. 'She ordered it for your birthday a couple weeks before... It didn't arrive until after you had gone and there never seemed to be a right time for us to give it to you.'

Cordell nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat.

'We-we were going to give it to you for Christmas-' August explained. 'But we decided we'd wait until your birthday.'

Maddie stepped over closer as Cordell began to unwrap the present, stopping beside Stella and August.

The paper came off to reveal a red model mustang, exactly like Emily's car, inside a plexiglass case. Cordell felt tears come to his eyes again as he ran his hand over the case. The last present that Emily had gotten for him...

'We wanted to make your birthday special.' Stella spoke up softly. 'Since it's the first you've actually been here for since Mom died.'

'You-you have.' He replied, looking at his eldest daughter then at his two other children. 'H-how did I get so lucky to have such thoughtful kids...'

August was the first to embrace his father, both Stella and Maddie joining in on the hug and Cordell August was the first to embrace his father, both Stella and Maddie joining in on the hug and Cordell placed his arms around the three of them in a great bear hug. They lingered there for a moment, the four of them holding onto each other then slowly drew apart, Cordell hugging and kissing each of them individually.

'You... you have made this... a very good birthday.' His voice cracked with emotion when he finally found his voice. 'Stella, you organizing all this...'

'Yeah, it wasn't easy but I did have some help.' She replied with a smile, patting both August and Maddie on their shoulders. 'Had to figure out a way to put this on without you figuring out what we were doing.'

'Well you sure managed to surprise me...' He turned to August. 'You buddy... I know it wasn't easy on you when I was gone... You holding the family together like you did. I'm proud of you, I just want you to know that.'

August smiled at him. 'I do.'

'And Maddie.' Cordell turned to his adopted daughter. 'You helped just as much to make today special even though I did lose to you in that horse race.'

'Yeah.' She chuckled, a grin on her face. 'To be fair though, I really didn't give you much of a chance at all.'

'Rematch sometime?'

'Definitely.' Maddie agreed.

'I know you three think you're lucky... to have me as your father.' He continued. 'But I am just as lucky to have the three of you as my children. Together... we are stronger than we are apart. We're a family. Family sticks by each other when the going gets rough and I know... we-we've been through some pretty rough spots lately. But we're here. Together. We always will be.'

'We love you dad.' Stella spoke up, swallowing back the lump in her throat.

'And I love each of you too.'