Page 15 of Hard Rain Coming

“What does progressive mean, Daddy?”

Benton chuckled. “When you’re old enough, you can look that one up in the dictionary.”

“What’s a dictionary?”

“It’s like Google.”

“Can I do the Google even though I’m not allowed on the computer?”

“When you’re older. Now we should get going, squirt.”

“Where are you off to?” Vivian asked.

“To Uncle Dallas’s house,” Nora answered.

“Uncle Dallas.” Vivian looked at Benton. “You mean the foreman’s home on the hill? You’re saddling up for a five-minute ride?”

“No, silly. Uncle Dallas has a new house, and it’s far away.”

New house. Wait. What?

“Not too far,” Benton added. “About a half-hour ride.”

“Since when?”

Benton didn’t answer Vivian right away, and that annoyed her. “What. It’s some secret or something?”

“No, of course not.” Benton shrugged. “I just didn’t think he crossed your radar these days.”

“He doesn’t.”

Liar.

“I think it’s a perfectly normal question to ask, is all.”

Benton watched her for a few moments. “He’s been building himself a place not far from the jumping rock for a while now. We sold him the land years ago, but he finished up the house a few months back.”

“And he has some horses and a donkey and chickens, and a barn dog named Pansy and even a goat that had babies.” Nora was practically buzzing with excitement and twirled in a circle. “We get to feed them!”

How many times had Vivian looked out at the foreman’s place, with its darkened windows, and wondered where he was? Or rather, who he was with? And all the while he’d been off somewhere else entirely.

“I didn’t know,” she said slowly.

“You didn’t ask.” Benton stepped back, voice light. “It’s been a long time since you’ve been in a saddle. Why don’t you come along? I could use some help feeding his animals.”

She knew Dallas wasn’t there. And a part of her wanted to see what kind of home he’d made for himself. Did it match the image she’d held in her mind for years? Of a home for the two of them?

“You coming?”

She jerked her head to the right and took in Nora’s wide, hopeful eyes. “Sure,” she answered softly. “Let me take Lily up to my room. I’ll change and meet you at the barn.”

Ten minutes later, she was in the tack room grabbing her old saddle, which was a miracle, she supposed. But then Benton had always had a hard time throwing things away.

Unlike me.

Benton brought out a mare for her named Sookie, a gentle roan who was easy to handle. Vivian had no problem getting her saddled and ready, and in no time, the three of them headed out toward the river.

Nora chattered the entire way up as they followed the river for twenty minutes or so until they reached the jumping rock. From there, they turned inward and followed a path through the trees, thick with pine and fir. The air was fresh here, and she inhaled it deeply as they continued climbing. Nearly ten minutes later, the trees began to thin, and they came to a clearing. Set up on a hill that overlooked the valley, it was a place she’d been to before. With Dallas.