Chapter 25

She realized she cared about him. Very much. And he’d given her way more space than she’d wanted or believed he would ever grant her.

It hurt.

But maybe now wasn’t the time to mention it. She needed to stay focused on her father, and she sensed something weighing on Cutter, too.

“Thinking. Sorry.” She tried to smile, despite the nagging worry about Daddy’s health plaguing her.

Would the sunrise bring shining new hope for his recovery or cast a glaring light on her harsh new reality without him?

Cutter was right; she needed to be optimistic. The trick right now, when hope seemed razor thin, was to stay distracted. “You were saying something before Dr. Gale talked to us. You’ll be someplace on Friday, other than the church’s fall market?”

Cutter’s face tightened. “I don’t know if now is the time to talk about this.”

“If it will keep me from fixating on my father, please.”

He looked away with a grimace, then sighed. “I may be in Mexico co