Page 43 of All We Carry Home

“Is he?” His voice went harsh.

I needed to be careful. This was a family matter, and Peter was already entrenched in his rebellious and distrustful place.

I figured I’d try a different angle. “He saved my life, you know.”

Peter looked over at me. “My dad?”

I nodded, the memories rushing back from those first few months in Europe, when we were learning the realities of the path before us. This wasn’t training anymore.

“A few weeks after we arrived in France, we were clearing a small, abandoned town and I walked right into a nest of German soldiers.”

Peter’s focus was locked on me.

“A dozen Germans who were making breakfast—and I didn’t have the rest of my group behind me like I should have.” I could still feel the shock and remember the vacant, surprised stares of the soldiers.

“What happened?” Peter pressed.

“I fumbled with my rifle like an idiot, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember the German words for ‘hands up’ or ‘surrender.’” I chuckled. “Your dad had watched me go into that house and followed with a handful of our men. They broke in, held the soldiers at gunpoint, and we took them all prisoner. No one died that day, but I sure would have if he hadn’t been right behind me.”

The faintest of smiles broke at the corner of Peter’s mouth.

“He always had my back. I know he loves you, your mom, and sister more than anything in the world. So cut him some slack, maybe?”

Peter’s jaw twitched as if he was considering my words.

“Did your dad tell you how we rescued the horses?” I asked.

He shook his head.

For the rest of the drive, we talked about those final days of the war, the evacuation of six hundred horses from Hostau, the birth of Phantom.

By the time we reached Baker again, in the evening after the six hours of driving, Peter’s questions were endless. Something had shifted within the kid. I hoped it would be enough to start rebuilding the relationship that had been broken by years of distance and war fighting.

Eddie deserved happiness. If he couldn’t hold on to his happily ever after, what hope was there for the rest of us?

Ten

Eva

MAY 9

“Look, Miss Eva! Look what I found!”

I turned from the chicken coop door to see Annie walking up with a small bundle of white fur in her arms. My muscles tensed. Not another mouth to feed.

Annie held up a tiny, mewing kitten with dirty and matted fur. The girl’s smile widened as she looked upon the helpless creature. “Can I keep her?”

I was grateful for the help on the ranch, but problems had still been multiplying across the one thousand acres faster than we could address them. At this rate, we’d never catch up.

I reached over, took the trembling kitten, and looked it over for injury. The little claws dug into my hand, and I scratched behind its ears gently. “She’ll need a bottle of the goat’s milk from the fridge and a warm bed in the house.”

Annie nodded, bouncing on her toes. She took the kitten back and raced off just as Eddie strode up and shook his head.

“I’ll never get her to leave this farm,” he said. “You know that, right?”

“She might, as long as the goats and cats can come with her.” Any animal not contained to a stall or coop had started following Annie around like the Pied Piper. Her flock grew daily.

“Violet hates cats,” Eddie said, a shadow passing over his eyes. “I doubt it.”