Page 109 of All We Carry Home

“Of course,” I said. “I’d love that. Let me show you to the room.”

We retrieved her suitcases from the car, and Annie helped us carry them into the house. Annie showed her through the house, but Violet turned to me in the hallway, her eyes filled with tears. “How on earth did you get him to turn around?” she whispered. “It’s like my Eddie is back now, after all this time.”

I took her shoulders gently. “It wasn’t me. Warren and the rest of the guys were there for him, reminding him what mattered. If anything, I provided an utterly massive pile of work that perhaps distracted him from all the nightmares of the war.”

Violet sniffed, wiped at a tear on her cheek. “You were a nurse, right? So you know what they faced.”

I nodded, unable to speak further.

“I’m so afraid of losing him again like that. He was just a shell of himself when he came back from Europe.”

I flinched, still feeling a bit like a shell of myself. “I can’t guarantee it won’t ever happen again. When those demons take hold, he needs you there to hold him to solid ground.”

She nodded. “I never should have left.”

“Your mother was sick,” I said to comfort her.

“I could have come back sooner, but I was a coward.” Violet put her hands over her face.

I drew her into a hug, offering what little comfort I could. “You’re back now,” I whispered. “That’s all that matters.”

Annie walked up. “Mama, are you okay?”

Violet cleared her throat, wiped her face quickly, and put on a shaky smile for her daughter. “I’m just so happy to see you again, Button.”

Annie wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist.

I caught Violet’s eye. “Just be forewarned,” I said with a light tone. “All of the animals she’s adopted are going home with you if you ever decide to leave Birkstrom.”

Violet’s eyes widened, and I turned away, leaving them to unpack. She and her daughter had time and memories to catch up on.

I went back out to the barns to finish the evening feeds and prepare the warm mash for the toothless goat Annie had found last week.

My mind kept drifting back to Warren. It did that far too often lately. Senator Hayes. Could he help the veterans on a scale I’d never be able to imagine? What if his work meant more funding for the little Baker County hospital to care for them?

At the same time, deep sadness cut to my core. If I hadn’t had a reason to put distance between us before, I did now.

If I hadn’t loved him before, I did now.

Tears seared my eyelids and my vision blurred.

I loved his passion for his men, the selfless drive in him to change the world. I also loved the way he could look at me and make the world beyond fade away. How he’d swooped in and saved me and Birkstrom Ranch from ruin.

Nausea roiled in my stomach. Naming my feelings didn’t change the situation. It made it even more urgent that I put distance between us. I loved him too much to let my family tarnish his bigger mission.

Something strange and foreboding sizzled in the air. Maybe a thunderstorm was brewing over the mountains.

I pushed the sense aside, along with the longing in my soul that had no place at the surface. I buried myself in the work and repetitive tasks that soothed me.

As I finished preparing the grain and mash, a hesitant footstep behind me caught my nerves, and I froze. The musk in the air was unfamiliar, the presence threatening.

Before I could turn, a hand clapped over my mouth and a strong arm grabbed me from behind. Panic rose in me as I fought and screamed against the hand that smothered me. My captor held firm and pulled me out of the barn and through the shadows.

Warren

As I watched Violet and Eddie together, it felt like nothing could be better that day at Birkstrom. High off the regional win, a safe return trip, and now the reunion we’d all prayed for.

Violet and Eddie spoke in the aisles, their voices quiet and their hands clasped tightly.