Page 60 of Return to Telegraph Creek

Peter’s eyelids closed as he chewed, as if he hadn’t had a solid piece of nourishment in weeks.

Chapter Nineteen

The Old Barn

Watching the children eat a carrot with such reverence and gratitude pulled at my heartstrings.

“You got any more?”I whispered to Trick.“They’re plumb starved.”

“I only brought the one.”

Oscar must have heard us or figured out what we were talking about.He opened the flap on Onyx’s saddle bag.

“I got some bread and cheese,” he said.

I nodded.“They’ll want that, too, I reckon.”

So we had a little picnic with the children out there on the sun-warmed grass, while Miss June spoke to Cal in the little house.When they’d eaten all their shrunken stomachs could handle, Oscar and Trick took turns leading the horses around the field with Peter and Lizzie enthusiastically astride, while I took Samuel with me to look at the barn.

He came with me all right, until we got close and he realized where we were going.Then he screamed and pulled against my hold.It startled me, but I didn’t let go, because the last thing I needed was for Cal’s youngest to be running loose when she’d trusted him into our care.

“What’s wrong, Sam?You don’t wanna go to the barn?”

He screamed again, his cheeks red and his eyes wild, and I had to hold his arm real tight.I worried I was hurting him.I glanced to the others and saw Peter slide down from Onyx’s back with Oscar’s help and start running o’er to us, a stricken look on his face.

“Don’t take him in there!”Peter yelled.

I blinked in confusion at the older child as he reached us and scooped Samuel into his arms, gazing at me like I should have known better.

“He don’t like it.None of us do.”

I peered at the seemingly innocent structure, made of rough wood and nails.

“Why?”

Peter regarded me for a long moment.He looked toward the house, then frowned at the ground, his face going red.I couldn’t tell if ’twas shame or anger.

“Momma don’t want us to tell.”

Peter’s voice was so low I barely made out the words.Oscar and Trick had approached with Lizzie, who ran toward Peter and threw herself into her brother’s arms.The older child held her as she started to hiccup with silent tears.

Oscar and Trick and I gazed at each other with looks of puzzlement.

“What’s all this about?”Oscar asked, watching the children and raising his eyebrows at me.

I shrugged.“I don’t know.But they sure don’t wanna go in there.”I crouched down to get to Peter’s eye level.“Peter,” I said in an even, neutral tone, “is it all right if Oscar and I go into the barn?”

Peter stared at me with a serious expression, then nodded once.

I glanced at Trick.“Stay with them.”

“Sure,” she said, frowning.

Whatever was in the barn, or whatever had happened in there, had traumatized these children.Had their daddy beat them in there?Didn’t seem like that would have made them react the way they had, but I supposed ’twas possible.Maybe ’twas best he’d gone, if that was the case.

“Come on,” I said to Oscar, who seemed hesitant.“Let’s have a look.”

He glared at the barn, then looked at me, and I thought he might be sick.