Chapter 5

The next several days were brutal. Peyton work her up before the sun was over the horizon to start chores. The days were spent fixing fences, working cattle and chasing stray calves. In the evenings they drove in to see their father, who actually seemed to be in better spirits.

They’d found a few blockages and, as a result, he would have to stay in the hospital a little while longer. It even seemed like things between the two of them were slowly on the mend. The conversation they’d started on the porch on the 4th of July was never finished but that was okay.

Things between her and Peyton were still rocky. They only talked when it was necessary. Day after day this routine was in effect. She found herself wanting to see Cole and Zane. They had stayed away and a part of her was a bit hurt by it, but at the same time, she understood. They were just trying to keep the peace.

Dallas’s muscles ached every night before she went to bed and each morning her body protested, r