Only 06 - Winter Fire

bigger fool,” Hunter said. “But I’m a damned happy man, either way. Being with Elyssa makes the sun shine twice as bright.”
    Sarah remembered what Case had told her, that a certain kind of loving between a man and a woman made the sun brighter.
    He was talking about Hunter and Elyssa , she realized.
    Conner looked between the two men.
    â€œWhy does a man have to be brave to have children?” he asked. “It’s women who go through the birthing.”
    â€œChildren die,” Case said.
    He didn’t say any more.
    Neither did Hunter.
    Sarah cleared her throat.
    â€œEat your supper before it gets cold,” she said, shoving a plate beneath Conner’s nose.
    He didn’t have to be told twice to eat. He stood and shoveled in food with impressive speed.
    Again, Hunter let out a silent breath. It was one of the few times he had ever heard his brother refer directly to the death of his niece and nephew.
    Without quite looking at Case, Sarah put a plate of food in his hands. He and Hunter started to eat. They weren’t as fast as Conner, but they cleaned their plates very quickly.
    When Sarah refilled the plates without sitting and eating anything herself, Case looked up.
    â€œWhere’s your supper?” he asked.
    â€œI ate earlier.”
    He didn’t believe it. With startling speed he grabbed her wrist and shoved his plate back in her hand.
    â€œEat,” he said curtly. “If you get any thinner, you won’t have to open the door to leave. You’ll just slide out through the chinks in the logs.”
    She tried to give the plate back to him.
    â€œI’ve got corn to grind,” she said.
    â€œI’ll grind it.”
    â€œYou’ve got enough to do with sentry duty and teaching Conner to shoot and making bullets and getting firewo—”
    â€œ Eat .”
    Sarah opened her mouth to argue.
    Case shoveled in a fork loaded with food.
    She made odd noises and tried to talk anyway.
    â€œIt’s not polite to talk with your mouth full,” he said calmly. “How many times do you have to be told?”
    Conner choked noisily. At breakfast he had been given a lecture on the same subject, using exactly the same words.
    Case whacked the boy on his back.
    â€œBetter go to bed,” he said to Conner. “You’re due on the rim at midnight.”
    â€œLet him sleep,” Hunter said quickly. “Morgan and I can stand our turn.”
    â€œThank you, but no,” Conner said quickly. “You’ve had a hard ride. We can start dividing up guard duty tomorrow night.”
    During the Civil War, Hunter had learned to measure boys Conner’s age and even younger. Though he had dark circles under his eyes, they were clear and alert. He was nowhere near the end of his strength.
    â€œAll right,” Hunter said. “Thank you.”
    â€œYou’re welcome, sir.” He grinned and looked slyly at his sister. “How am I doing?”
    Laughing, wanting to cry instead, Sarah looked at her brother with wide, misty eyes.
    â€œYou’re doing fine,” she said, her voice slightly husky. “You always do. I’m just slow to notice.”
    â€œYou’ve got better things to do than pat me on the back for acting my age,” he said matter-of-factly.
    A tear slid from the corner of her eye.
    â€œYou’re wrong,” she whispered. “There is nothing more important for me to do.”
    Conner made a startlingly fast move that ended with her lifted up to his eye level.
    She made a surprised sound and tried to keep the plate of food she was holding right-side up.
    â€œConner Lawson!”
    â€œThat’s me. Your one and only little brother.”
    â€œThank the Lord. What would I do with two of you?”
    â€œYou’d have twice as much fun.”
    Grinning, he hugged her close and spun around quickly.
    Case rescued the plate on the way by, then steadied her when Conner put her down.
    â€œGood night, folks,” the boy said on the way out the door. “Tell Lola to wake me for my watch.”
    Like Case, Conner was sleeping in the brush in back of the cabin. Though neither man mentioned it, each was afraid that the Culpeppers would sneak up that way again.
    â€œThat’s a good young man you’ve raised,” Hunter said.
    Sarah smiled almost sadly.
    â€œThat’s more due to him than to me,” she said.
    â€œI doubt that.”
    â€œAsk Case. He