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leaving .
    The thought caused her chest to tighten. Ever since their arrival the previous Monday, Shannon had clung to a fragile hope that her father would come to his senses and choose to return to Virginia. But it was futile to go on thinking that way. Father wouldn’t change his mind unless God changed it for him.
    I could have stayed behind .
    Yes, she was a grown woman. If she’d insisted on remaining in
    Virginia, Father would have allowed it. He could have left her in the care of close, trusted friends. But to be separated from him by so great a distance? Especially in wartime? No, she had to be with him. He needed her.
    It’s time I accept it. We’re here to stay. But perhaps when the war is over he’ll change his mind .
    A movement out of the corner of her eye drew her gaze. About halfway between Shannon and the church she saw a boy on his hands and knees, looking underneath an uneven stack of lumber.
    “Come here,” he said. “Come on.”
    What on earth? She rose from the chair and moved to the corner of the porch.
    “Come on.” He reached with one hand into an open space in the lumber. “I won’t hurt you. Come here.”
    “Boy, what are you doing?”
    He sat back on his heels and looked around. When he saw her, he got to his feet. “There’s a puppy under there.”
    “A puppy? Are you sure?” She thought it far more likely it was a skunk or some other wild animal.
    “I’m sure. I followed him here.”
    She remembered where she’d seen the boy before. In church. He was Matthew Dubois’s nephew. “You had best go on home and leave it alone.”
    The boy didn’t answer—nor did he move away from the lumber.
    Shannon went down the three steps and walked toward him.
    “What’s your name?”
    “Todd. Todd Jackson.”
    “Does your mother know you’re wandering about?”
    His eyes narrowed as he shook his head, and Shannon saw a mixture of stubbornness and uncertainty in his gaze.
    “If it’s a skunk, we will regret being this close,” she said. Merciful heavens! How she hoped it wasn’t a skunk.
    “It ain’t a skunk.” He knelt on the ground again, sticking his rump into the air as he peered beneath the wood. “If my arm was longer, I could get him.”
    It was against her better judgment, but she decided to join him on the ground. “Where is it?”
    “See there. You can see his yellow coat.”
    She lowered her cheek until it almost touched the ground. Yes. There it was. And there was just enough light for her to see the baby animal couldn’t be a skunk. It appeared to be yellow or maybe cream colored. Definitely not black-and-white. What else could it be besides a puppy? What sort of wild animals did they have in Idaho?
    “Can you reach him?” Todd asked.
    Stick her hand into that shadowy space? There could be spiders or a snake or— The sound of a throat clearing broke into her thoughts. “Maybe I should do that for you.”
    She straightened at once.
    Matthew stood off to the side of the lumber, wearing a crooked grin. He was laughing at her. And no wonder. Her rump had been stuck up in the air just as the boy’s had been. Heat rushed to her cheeks.
    “Allow me,” he said, offering his hand.
    She didn’t want to take it, but she did.
    With a gentle pull, he lifted her to her feet. A moment later, he’d taken her place on his hands and knees. “What’re we looking for, Todd?”
    “A puppy. See him? Right there.”
    “Yes. I see him. Move over a bit.” He stuck his arm under the lumber, and a few moments later he withdrew it, a golden ball of fluff in hand. He gave it to the boy.
    Todd’s face lit up. “Thanks, Uncle Matt.”
    “You’re welcome, kid.” Matthew ruffled the boy’s hair, then stood, brushing off his trousers before straightening. “Thanks for helping him, Miss Adair.”
    The warmth in her cheeks grew hotter still. “I didn’t do anything.”
    “You tried. I appreciate that.” He glanced at the puppy, clutched close to Todd’s chest. “Do you