She heard him moving about in his room, and she recognized his bootfall as he moved down the hallway. She heard him open the screen door and let himself out and then close it softly behind him.Every nerve in her body screamed for her to run to him so she could feel his arms around her just one last time. But she lay stiffly against her pillow, willing herself not to move.She heard Patricia's soft voice and the mumble of Jonah's deeper tones; she didn't want to hear any endearments they might exchange, so she clamped her hands over her ears.There was no one she could go to for advice. If Iona were alive, she would empty her heart to her. There were Glory and Crystal, but if she confided in either of them, they might urge her to talk to her brothers, and she would never do that. She dressed and left the house, the gray, windy day doing nothing to lift her spirits. The first drops of rain fell just before she entered the barn. She stopped short when she saw her father saddling his horse, with his dog, Catfish, jumping about his feet."I expected you up earlier," Jack said as he took her saddle from her and placed it on her pinto.
