Rancher's Perfect Baby Rescue. Linda Conrad

time.”

      Nathan motioned for her to go ahead through a set of double doors. On the other side, she found another great old-school-style room with little girls’ toys spread all over the floor. And in the middle of the mess sat a pretty little girl of six or seven with long blond hair.

      The girl didn’t turn when they came through the door. In fact, she didn’t acknowledge their presence at all.

      Not so was the case of the woman with her. The nice-looking woman of about forty was getting to her feet, smiling at Nathan as they came closer.

      “Glad you could stop by this afternoon before she gets too tired. Sara’s made a couple of emotional connections today, and I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.” Then the woman turned to Susannah and stuck a hand out. “Hi. You must be Susannah. I’m Kathryn Robards, and this is Sara Pierce.”

      “Good to meet you.” Susannah took Kathryn’s hand but noticed the little girl did not even turn at the mention of her name.

      Was this child mad that a stranger had come to visit?

      Nathan dropped his hat on a nearby table. Then he folded all of his six-two or six-three body up and sat on the floor directly in front of the child.

      “Hi, Sara. What are you playing with today?” He picked up a nearby doll and brought it up to his face. “This little princess? She’s one of your favorites, isn’t she? Want to play?”

      Sara looked up at Nathan, and her eyes widened. She reached for the doll, still not smiling, but more animated than she’d been since they’d come into the room.

      “Uncle Nat-ton. Jasmine, p … please.”

      Nathan chuckled and handed her the doll. For a few minutes, he spoke softly to her about the toy. His voice stayed low and slow. But his face spoke volumes about how well he loved this child.

      “Do you know much about autism, Susannah?” Kathryn spoke in a quiet tone while Nathan and Sara continued talking and playing on the floor.

      “Nothing. She doesn’t look physically injured or ill in any way.”

      “No, many autistic kids seem like perfect children on the outside, though unfortunately Sara is one who has gone through her share of physical challenges. But we’ve got most of those managed now. You might not know, but it’s a fact that some autistic children have high functioning intelligence. We think Sara may well be one of them. However, everything is all locked up inside her head. Nathan hired me a couple years ago as her companion and to work with her on ways to expand her abilities.”

      “Does she go to school?”

      “No, not yet. But we’re hopeful that someday she will. Would you like to talk to her?”

      “Very much.”

      “Then you need to know that she will appear disconnected, but she’s not. Autism robs these kids of the ability to use regular facial expressions. At first glance, the rest of us can’t tell if she’s happy or sad. That might make you think she isn’t clever, but she’s far from dull or mentally impaired.