Josephine Bhaer was sure of her decision.  She loved them and they were already part of the family.  Jo had even talked to Rob about it and he seemed okay with it as well.  "Dan, Nat, come in here, please," she called from the desk in the parlor.
    "Yes, Mrs. Jo," Dan asked as he walked in, Nat following close behind.
    "I want to ask you two a question," she replied, standing up.
    "What is it, Mrs. Jo?" Nat questioned.
    "I want to adopt you and Dan," Jo said as a smile spread across Dan's face.
    "I-I," Nat stammered.  "I need to think about it," he replied, walking away from them.  Dan was puzzled.  He was happy about Mrs. Jo's offer.  She was already the mother Dan always wanted and had never known.  Plumfield was his home and he had been sure Nat would feel the same way too.
    But he hadn't.
    Instead, he had hurt Mrs. Jo's feelings and Dan knew he wouldn't have without a good reason.

    That question was not something Nat was ready for. It wasn't that Nat didn't want Mrs. Jo to adopt him, it was just that—what about his parents?  He wasn't like Dan; Nat remembered his parents. Could he now forget them and get another parent?

    "I heard about what Jo asked ya," Nick said to Dan as he sat in the stables, Nick coming in with hay.
    "Yeah." Dan replied.
    "Not happy about it?"
    "No, I am—"
    "—It's Nat's decision.  Let him make it," Nick replied, patting Dan's shoulder.  Dan could tell that Nick wanted to say something else, but at that moment both heard Mrs. Jo scream.  Nick and Dan rushed to where the sound came from.
    Nat was on top of Raven, the new wild horse that Jo had just bought.  The horse was jumping up and down, violently hoping to throw Nat off.
    "Nat, get down from there!" Jo Bhaer shouted as Dan jumped over the fence.
    "Dan!"  He was trying to calm the horse down, just as Nick had showed him a while back.  However, his efforts proved fruitless as Nat was soon tossed off Raven.
    "Oh, God," Jo mumbled as she hurried over to Nat.
    Meanwhile, Nick managed to quiet the horse.
    "Baby, are you all right?" Jo stated.
    Nat got up, dusting himself off.  "I'm fine."
    "What where you doing up there?" she said, putting her hands on her sides.
    "I wanted to tame Raven," Nat replied. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Jo."
    Jo hugged Nat and began to lead him into the house. "Let's check you over."

    Nat thought of how Mrs. Jo had acted when he fell off Raven.  He thought of how she was after he had awoken from his coma.
    But how Mrs. Jo felt about him wasn't the question.  The question was: How would he feel being adopted by her?  It didn't take long before he had his answer.  He knew his mother and father would want him to be happy and cared for, and he was and would be.

    "Well, this is definitely an occasion," Asia said over dinner a week later.  "In honor of Daniel Plumfield-Bhaer and Nathaniel Blake-Bhaer."
    Both had decided to take Mrs. Jo's—or Mother Jo as they now called her—last name and Dan had decided to take the name of Plumfield as well.  Mrs. Jo smiled at the two of them.