This couldn’t be the same town he’d left behind six years ago. At that time it had one main street with a couple of saloons, a general store, a church or two, a school, and not much else. That was one of the reasons he’d skedaddled—that, and Ma. Would Pa and Leah be happy to see him? For that matter, would they know him? He’d changed a lot from a wet-behind-the-ears fifteen-year-old and become a man. “Hey, mister.” The stage driver thumped his knuckles against a bag lashed to the roof. “You want this now, or you gonna pick it up at the station later?” All Tom had thought about was getting to town. For some reason, his plans hadn’t extended much past his arrival. All he knew was he planned to make Pa pay for what he did to their family. He wasn’t sure what he’d do yet, but once he arrived on the ranch he’d figure it out. He straightened his shoulders. “Leave it here.” “It’ll cost you two bits extra if you leave it overnight.”
