From the garden, she had limited view of the distant highway and the county road near the house. The ancient and rarely used garage and spare room her grandfather had built stood between her and the roads. She neither saw nor heard Hoyt’s truck pull into the yard, and she was surprised when both Hoyt and Sammy walked around the old garage. They made directly for the garden where Hoyt had found her working the day before. Mel nearly dropped the digging fork when she saw her nephew. He sported a grand black eye and an impressive split lip. Her confusion doubled as she noted the proud grin on her brother’s face.
“What the heck happened to you?” She looked at her watch, then lifted her ball cap to scratch ineffectively at her scalp, an act hampered by thick leather gloves. “Wait! Have I lost
