In spite of the coyote, he’d been drawn back to the farmhouse. He had to tell the girl what happened. He couldn’t trust anyone else, and he would try until he succeeded. But a man—the man from next door who neglected his horses—was making a racket at the front door. The echoes of his fist against the wood reverberated in the still night air, and Tan covered his ears to block out the sound. Thankfully, nobody had come looking for him. Yet. He was still free. And freedom was everything. The coyote wasn’t near, for the moment, and the night was young. He would be patient. He would wait. JUST AS BIRD had slipped under her covers, a loud banging sound got her attention. She jumped up and looked out her bedroom window at the stoop below. “Julia!” she whispered. “You’ll never guess who’s at the door!” “Who?” “Look for yourself.” Julia crouched down beside Bird to see. She gasped.
