“Friend or foe?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe a little of both.”
“Those are always the most complicated ones.”
My mouth curved. “You’re not wrong there. It’s good to see you, Shiloh.”
She shifted on her feet. “Is it okay that I came?”
That slight hesitation made my ribs tighten around my lungs. “You’re welcome anytime.”
&nb
sp; The set of Shiloh’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, and she surveyed the land around us. Her gaze caught on the shed in the distance. The building that held all of our ghosts—or most of them, anyway. I needed to tear the thing down. Burn it and bury the ashes. Put something worthy in its place.
Shiloh’s face shut down, her gaze dropping to her feet as her hands clenched and flexed at her sides. She seemed to be counting silently. I didn’t say a word, wanting to give her all of the time and space she needed. After a minute or so, she straightened, turning back to face me. “Thank you. For what you did. I’ve thought a lot about you over the years. I never had a chance to say that, so I’m saying it now.”
“You don’t need to—”
“I do.” Her eyes blazed with a fierce heat. “The doctors said I probably wouldn’t have made it another couple of days. Thank you.”
The invisible vise around my torso tightened another notch. How could my family not see? That this sickness in my father had almost cost another family everything? “Are you okay?”
Shiloh lifted one shoulder then dropped it back down. “I’m as good as anyone can be, I think. People might think I’m a little weird. But that’s okay with me.”
“All my favorite people are a little weird.”
The corner of her mouth kicked up as the wind made the long braid down her back swing. “Good taste.” She was quiet for a few moments, seemingly not feeling the need to fill the space. “Mom said you’re turning this place into a sanctuary.”
“That’s the plan. As you can see, it’s going to take a while.”
“Might go faster if you had help.”
I met Shiloh’s stare. “True enough.”
She steeled herself, those hands clenching again. “I’d like to help.”
“You would?” I couldn’t imagine it was easy for her to be here. Yet she stood steady as a rock.
“Yes.”
“I can’t really afford to bring anyone on.” It would take a wish and a prayer to get this place off the ground without going bankrupt.
“I’ve got money. Don’t need any more from you. And I like animals…a hell of a lot more than people. It would be nice to build a home for ones who could use it.”
I studied the woman in front of me. The face that had haunted so many of my dreams. The person I’d wondered about, time after time. “What do you know about fences?”
She grinned. “Dug more than my share of post holes.”
“We still have an hour or so of light. Let’s tear this down so we can build it back up.”
12
Hayes
Dad guided his truck up the mountain road. “She’s gonna have a hell of a time when we get a good snow.”
“I had the same thought when I first came up here.”