Different, Sasha & Beth: #3 (Bozeman Blackout Series)

Dawn at Ballydorn Ranch arrived with mechanical precision. Automatic lights snapped on in climate-controlled barns, their harsh fluorescence reflecting off chrome and polished surfaces. The scent of industrial disinfectant cut through the morning air as sprinklers activated on mathematically perfect schedules, their fine mist creating artificial dew on manicured grass.

Rowan Ballydorn's boots clicked on sealed concrete floors during morning inspection, each step echoing in the controlled environment. Her iPad hummed with overnight data - temperature logs, humidity readings, motion sensor reports. The pregnant mares watched her through spotless stall windows, their coats gleaming from automatic grooming systems.

"Vitals on Mare 247?" she asked a white-coated veterinary technician.

"All within parameters. Fetal monitoring shows strong development. Would you like to see the latest ultrasound?"

The kitchen lights illuminated the copper as Beth greased the baking pans. Beth sifted the flour into the bowl and then lightly massaged in the cold butter with her fingertips. She liked making biscuits. It calmed her. It also reminded her how calm bread made her feel, so after she finished making the hash, she started the bread. They could all do with home baked bread here. Bread was something she could do to help everyone out, something that wouldn’t add to the upset.

She scalded the milk for bread and let it cool down on the range.

Beth's hands moved through the bread dough with practiced grace, muscle memory older than Ballydorn Ranch's gleaming chrome kitchen. The smooth marble counter, meant for precise pastry work,...