Amelia took Poppy’s face between her hands. “You stay with Kat until I get back. Be a good girl.”
Poppy peered around. “Kitty?”
Amelia chuckled. She turned Poppy’s face toward Kat and rested her hand on Kat’s head. “This is Kat.”
“Hi, Poppy,” Kat said.
“Hi, Kitty.” Poppy stroked Kat’s hair where it draped over her shoulder.
Kat and Amelia grinned.
“You two take care of each other. I’ll be back when I find your pa.” She stood in the middle of a vast landscape. North, west, trees, rocks. Where would he go? How far would he roam?
I found him five miles from home, sitting on a fallen tree, looking lost and forlorn.
She’d try the trees first. As she walked, she took in the scenery. Zach’s letters had been full of praise for the rolling hills, the richness of the grass in the draws, the abundance of trees and water, and the mountains, so blue and majestic—like guardians of the land. She smiled at the memory of those words.
Who had written them? And why?
She traipsed down a hill. The grass was brown. Little puffs of seeds and yellow fluff blew up at each step. So dry. In his last letter, the writer had mentioned his concern for the drought. He’d said he wished his pa had chosen a place to the west, closer to the mountains, where they got more rain instead of the foothills of the eastern slopes.
The ground rose, and she climbed to the top of the rise. A thick grove of trees lay to her right.
“Mr. Taggerty,” she called and listened. No answer. She didn’t know his given name. She called again. “Mr. Taggerty.” Kat had said he sometimes stared straight ahead and didn’t seem to hear, so Amelia circled the trees of mixed deciduous and evergreens and then went deeper. “Pa, Pa,” she called. The title would more likely elicit a response.
She searched the entire grove to no avail. He must have gone elsewhere. Then she saw him, almost invisible in the dappled sunlight beneath a towering tree.
He seemed unaware of her presence. Not wanting to frighten him, she approached with measured steps. “Mr. Taggerty.” No response. “Pa.”
His head came up.
Excellent. She knelt in front of him. “Hi, how are you?”
He smiled and touched her shoulder. “Do I know you?”
“Maybe not. My name is Amelia, and I’ve come to take you home.”
His lips trembled. “I can’t remember how to get back.”
“That’s okay. I know the way.” She held out her hand. “Will you come with me?”
He took it, and she led him from the trees. “We go down this little hill and up the other side, and then you’ll see home.”
Pa was a big, strong man. It seems he’s shrunk since his mind started to go. I miss the father I knew growing up. I enjoy the moments he’s his old self, even if it’s only for a brief spell.
It was one of the heartbreaks Amelia had hoped to offer comfort for and share the load.
“How long have I known you?” Poor Pa, struggling to decide if he’d forgotten this information.
Loading him with details wouldn’t help the situation. “Not nearly long enough.” They climbed to the top of the hill and paused to catch their breath. She pointed. “Do you see home?”
“Oh yes. Yes, I do.” He set off at a trot.
“Slow down. Wait for me.”
He stopped. “I’m sorry. I got excited.”
She tucked her hand around his elbow. “Let’s walk together.” As they approached the house, she glanced over the yard. Where were Kat and Poppy? She gave the corrals a quick study and eased out her breath when she didn’t see them there. The big wild horse stood against the fence with no girls nearby.
