He had to be mistaken in that thought and meant to prove it.That—and only that—provided the reason for him riding home at noon.
Dismounting, he led his horse into the barn to unsaddle him. He stiffened at a strange sound and tilted his head to locate the source. A figure huddled in the far corner. Gil. Drunk again. He strode down the alley. Only it wasn’t Gil. Kat sat with her head pressed to drawn-up knees. The sounds were sobs, though she’d undoubtedly deny it. He hadn’t seen her cry since Ma died.
He stopped. “Kat.”
“Go away.”
He sat beside her.
“Go away,” she mumbled.
“Can’t.”
“You got a broken leg or something?” She did her best to sound confrontational and hard, but fell short.
“Nothing broke. But I can’t leave my little sister alone when I see that she is upset about something. Care to tell me what it is?”
She sniffed, lifted her head, and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I don’t.”
“I can wait.”
“Sometimes you’re a pain in the neck.”
He chuckled. “I’ve been called worse. So what happened? Did Amelia do something to upset you?” Why did he hope Kat would say yes? And at the same time, he hoped she didn’t.
“She made boiled raisin cake.”
The words were so full of disgust that Zach wanted to laugh.
“How’d she know that was my favorite? Yours too? She said maybe it would give me memories of Ma’s love.” Kat snorted. “Like I need more.” She lowered her face to her knees.
Zach rubbed her back. “Kat, we will never forget Ma. How could we?”
“Pa does.”
“Sometimes, yes. But I don’t think we want to be like that.”
She shrugged. Her shoulders quivered.
Zach had tried to comfort her before. Each time, she’d shaken him off or just run. But maybe he could risk it again. He pulled her into his arms, and she relaxed as he rubbed her back.
“Why’d Ma have to die and Pa forget who he is?”
“I could as easily answer that as I could answer why it doesn’t rain. We have to trust God.”
“Don’t see why we should.”
Zach fought a similar battle. “I thought the same, but the alternative is to think we are lost in a great big sea without rudder, without pilot, and without hope.”
Kat shuddered. “Maybe we are.”
“I don’t believe that, and neither do you.”
She didn’t argue, which meant she grudgingly agreed.
Zach held her a minute longer. His stomach growled. “Boiled raisin cake, you say? Did it smell enjoyable?”
“The aroma pulled me to the house.”
