Listening to Silas shoulder the blame wasn’t something she could do. “You were watching us while Pa had you going back and forth to get situated in the van. None of us made that day easy for you. We were running around the shop, trying to get on all the ATVs. It was mayhem. You and Pa should have gone alone.”
“Then it was my fault because I was the one who begged for us to go with them,” Jacob spoke up from the end of the line.
Hurt that the blame was getting passed around, she placed the guilt directly where it belonged. “I was the one who let Leah have my turn.”
The men before her were no longer young boys, having grown into adults without Leah, who deserved to be there with them. It haunted her that when Freddy allowed her into his family, his kindness to her resulted in the death of one of his own.
“Ginny …” Moses tilted his head to one side then spoke for the men beside him. “It wasn’t a choice of Leah or you. It could have easily happened after you had your turn or when I rode with him. Only one person is responsible for Leah’s death and that was Pa. He didn’t wait for Silas to come back, even though Silas had warned him to. He was our father, but he wasn’t without his faults. Silas was more of a father figure to us, and that was even before Dad died.”
A lone tear ran down out of the corner of her eye. “He was so happy that day.”
“Yes, he was. We have to remember him and Leah that way,” Silas told her. “We weren’t given a choice. There is no reasoning for death. Death comes for whom he’s meant to take, and it wasn’t for you. Do you think we would have hurt any less if it was you instead of Leah? You know how sweet and loving Leah was; don’t you think, if the positions were reversed, that she would be saying the same thing, wishing it were her?”
Ginny felt her lips tremble. Leah’s final words to her were etched into her memory.
“You’re the best sister in the world. I love you.”
Leah died believing they were sisters. She had deserved the truth, just like the rest of her brothers did.
“There is something I need to tell you.” Another tear ran down her cheek. Admitting she wasn’t their sister was the hardest thing she ever had to do, and that included standing beside Freddy’s and Leah’s graves as they were lowered into the ground. “I’m not—”
“There is no one in this family more important than the other,” Silas cut her off. “Dad taught us from the time we were old enough to sit in a highchair that I works alone, but when you put it together with others, it’s strong enough to move mountains.”
“I remember. Dad bragged he had enough children that he could move any mountain he wanted.” Ginny repeated the boast she had heard a thousand times before his death. “He loved being a father ….” She broke off, understanding what Silas was trying to tell her. If she told her brothers that she wasn’t their sister, she was disrespecting their father’s memory by taking away one of the things he was most proud of—his children. While she might not be his blood daughter, Dad had claimed her as his, and that was good enough for Silas. It had to be good enough for her too.
Ginny felt a weight fall off her shoulders. Her dad had selflessly sewn her into the fabric of their lives, showing her the love and protectiveness he had showered over each and every one of them. She couldn’t recklessly rip apart what he had stitched together.
“He was the best.” Silas pulled her into a bear hug, and Ginny laid her head on his shoulder.
“Being a good man runs in the family.” She reached up to hug him back. “I’ve missed you, Silas.” Raising her head, she lowered one arm to motion to her other brothers. “I’ve missed all of you.”
Ginny gave a squeak when she found herself swallowed in a huddle with her brothers. Isaac was the first one to jokingly pull away.
“You gained some weight since I saw you last.”
Ginny glared at him for his brotherly teasing. “No, I haven’t.”
Jacob grinned wickedly. “Looks that way to me too.”
Her youngest brother, Fynn, shouldered his way under the older ones. “Does this mean I can cash the Christmas and birthdays checks she sent me?”
Ginny gave an admonishing gaze when Moses lightly hit Fynn on the back of his head. “Yes,” Ginny told him. “Everyone can cash theirs, also, except for Isaac and Jacob. Theirs, I’m going to put a stop payment on.”
“Sis, don’t be so sensitive. You look fantastic. Doesn’t she, Jacob?” Teasing her mercilessly, Isaac hooked an arm through hers, drawing her closer to him.