Page 88 of All We Thought We Knew

Nash laid an encouraging hand on Fred’s shoulder. “Your core muscles will get stronger each time you ride. Keep doing your exercises in the meantime.”

Fred’s chin quivered, and he shook his head. “I can’t thank y’all enough for doin’ this for me.”

Dad stepped forward and put his hand on Fred’s other shoulder. “And we can’t thank you enough for your willingness to fight for freedom. This is the least we can do, but we’re very happy to do it.”

Fred nodded, obviously emotional. “I bet a lot of guys comin’ back from the war all beat up would like to do what I did today. I’m a lucky fella to have such good friends.”

“Do you want to come up to the house for a cup of coffee or a soda before I take you home?” Nash asked.

Fred declined, thanking us again, and bid me farewell. While the men got Fred settled in the pickup, I led Dawn’s Rose to the barn and unsaddled her. I had just begun to brush her when Dad found me.

“Fred would like to come out again next weekend.”

I glanced up to see a look of satisfaction on his face. “That’s great. He did really well.”

He nodded.

I thought he would leave, but he lingered, watching me run a stiff brush over Dawn’s Rose. After a long silence, he cleared his throat.

“I’m proud of you, Mattie. You gave Fred a gift today. One that will have a long-lasting effect on his life.”

He sounded sincere.

I couldn’t remember hearing words of praise from my father that weren’t directed at Mark. I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Thank you,” I finally said.

He left me alone then. I didn’t know what just happened, but it felt monumental. Like a shift in the galaxy or something. Dad was a man of few words, so to hear him say he was proud of me—especially coming on the heels of his soul-wrenching reminder that I’d abandoned Mama when she needed me most—completely caught me off guard.

I finished grooming Dawn’s Rose, but I wasn’t ready to go inside the house. I needed time by myself to sort through the morning’s events.

I walked to Moonlight’s stall. She put her nose over the half door and nudged me.

“How about we go for a ride, girl?” I said, rubbing her strong jaw.

Ten minutes later, we headed out of the barn into glorious sunshine.

TWENTY-SIX:AVA

DELANEY HORSE FARM

JUNE 1943

I wept the day Gunther boarded a train bound for North Dakota.

To my great disappointment, I wasn’t allowed to bid him farewell. Armed soldiers flooded the area and kept all non-military personnel far away from the depot, fearful someone might attempt an escape. Desperate to see Gunther one last time, I drove to a railroad crossing and waited an hour before the train pulled away from the station and began the long journey north.

As it picked up speed, I stood alongside the Ford, straining to catch a glimpse of Gunther in any of the railcar windows, but to no avail. By the time the red caboose rattled past, its rear deck occupied by two soldiers with rifles, tears flowed down my face.

Gunther was gone.

The days and weeks dragged by after that. Bren and the othergirls noticed my melancholy and tried to entice me to join them at the USO on the weekends, but I declined. I had no interest in dancing with anyone other than Gunther.

I arrived home after a long day. Several hundred new German POWs had arrived at Camp Forrest. Each was given a full physical, and their records were kept in a locked filing cabinet in Colonel Foster’s office. He’d asked me to take charge of them, making sure the information was complete and remained confidential.

“A letter came for you,” Gertrude said when I entered the house. “Who do you know in North Dakota?”

I gasped.