“But where are we going?”
“Away from the ranch.” He started loading the shotgun he hunted wolves with. “We can’t go to town, though. It’ll draw too much attention. We’ll need to find someplace where Abby can get better, then work things out.”
Her hands shook and she felt weak, but Hettie scrambled to do as she was told, waiting for the moment Pa would turn around and tell her this was all a prank. It felt like some horrible nightmare she couldn’t wake from. She found she was holding her breath, but there was a strangely familiar comfort in simply doing as she was told. With no other information to go on, she could only trust Pa’s word.
She grabbed her Winchester and loaded a canvas shoulder bag with ammunition and a change of clothes, as well as the few coins she had socked away. She to
