Three
When Ryan awoke, the only sign of her distress was the grit in her eyes. Sleep—and a rather pleasant dream about Luke—seemed to have brushed away the anguish that had blindsided her, leaving her marvelously relaxed. Corrie was still snoozing away, completely buried under her blankets. Outside, the sky was bright with day, but the sun had not climbed high enough to chase away the night from the land in the shadow of the Northstar Mountains.
She slipped quietly out of her bed, straightened the blankets, and climbed down the ladder. When she peeked into the boys’ room, she saw that Alex, Kyle, and Luke were also still sleeping. Luke lay on his side on the bottom bunk by the window, facing the door with one hand tucked beneath his head. She tilted her head. He looked so… untroubled.
T
