They shied away from all the towns and communities. They kept to the wide-open spaces of country. She felt herself relaxing for the first time in a long time. The only thing troubling her was how her family would feel about her walking back into their lives. And the fact she would eventually have to say goodbye to these two men who had helped her so much. They had helped in so many ways, slowly bringing her back into a world she had once known. When Hoot picked her some berries one afternoon, Sarah was so happy she kissed his cheek. Tension seemed to electrify the moment until Hoot chuckled and walked off, but she didn’t feel quite as friendly with Jeb. She knew in her heart why, and she couldn’t voice that either. If Jeb noticed, he said nothing. Around the campfire one night, Sarah asked, “How’d you get a name like Hoot?” Hoot smiled real big. “Well…that fella over there, he’s the one that give me that name.” Jeb nodded. “You see when we was living at the big house, sometimes we’d get our chores done and sneak off and go fishin’.
