Free Once a Father by Kathleen Eagle Page B

fire on the inside.”
    â€œAnd wind all around.” She slipped her arm around his lean waist. “I used to think the prairie was monotonous. The same mile after mile. Sky, grass, rocks, dirt and wind all around. Until you run into the Black Hills, and then…” She flashed one thumb up.“But now that I’ve been to places that seem to have even less variety, and I see all this through new eyes. Or older eyes and new perspective. There’s more than meets the eye.”
    â€œI don’t much like desert,” he said.
    â€œGrass is good. The deeper the roots, the better the sod.”
    â€œWe’ll take him out tomorrow,” he decided. “Put him on grass.”
    â€œLet him go?”
    â€œHe’s with us now.” He lifted his voice and tried out the name. “Khaki.” But he shook his head. “Uhuh. That’s not it.”
    â€œI know! Adobe!” The mustang’s ears rotated forward. “He likes that better.”
    â€œI do, too.” Logan squeezed Mary’s shoulders. “Much better.”

Chapter Five
    M ary listened halfheartedly as she watched her mother stow the last of their grocery purchases in the refrigerator. Guilt dogged the better part of her heart, which was already halfway out the door and on its way back to its new desires. She’d had the good sense to decline Logan’s invitation for a sleep-over, but, damn, she was dying to get back out there. While Audrey chattered happily about the survival of her tomatoes thanks to Mary’s timely weeding and watering, Mary counted the minutes. Now that her mother was in good spirits, had Mary done her duty for the day? May I be excused now, Mother? Mary was nothing if not dutiful, but suddenly dutycouldn’t hold a candle to desire, and her desire was to head for the hills.
    Especially when her father invaded the kitchen, dragged a chair away from the table and made himself comfortable. “Is dinner ready?”
    â€œIt will be in just a few minutes.” Audrey glanced at Mary and then at the clock as she hurriedly stowed staples—eggs, butter, juice—into the refrigerator. It was only eleven-thirty. Half an hour early. Father had always expected his main meal promptly at high noon. “We just got back from Hot Springs. I needed some things from the store, and Mary said—and she’s right—might as well go the extra mile as long as she’s driving and shop for what we’ll need for—”
    â€œIt’s dinner time. I came in to eat.” He hauled himself out of the chair and shouldered his wife out of his way. “I don’t have time for some big report.”
    â€œIt’ll only take me a minute to make you—”
    â€œGet out of the way,” he insisted. “I’ll get it myself. You couldn’t wait until Wednesday? I told you I wanted to go up to Rapid City on Wednesday.” He looked like a turkey the way he craned his neck to get a bug-eyed peek at Mary over Audrey’s head. “You’ve got your friend’s pickup parked in the way out there.”
    â€œI was bringing in groceries.”
    â€œYou’ve got Drexler property blocking access to my property.”
    â€œWhat in hell are you talking about?” Maryshoved a handful of folded paper bags into a storage rack inside the broom closet. The days of her dancing to this man’s tune were long over.
    â€œPuts a bad taste in my mouth. Ruins my appetite.” He ducked back down as Audrey backed away, cradling a carton of eggs. “Only taste I want in my mouth right now is…” He pushed a carton of cottage cheese to one side and swatted at a package of bagels. “You went to the store? What did you buy? I don’t see any ring boloney. No summer sausage. What am I supposed to eat?”
    â€œI got some smoked turkey, some ham, two kinds of bread. And I was going to make some—”
    â€œJust stay out