So when he heard whispers about a struggling widow and her seven children living under the thumb of cruel in-laws, something in him shifted.
“Where are they?” he asked.
—
The town of Dry Creek wasn’t far, but it felt like another world.
Caleb rode in just before sunset, his boots hitting the ground with purpose. People glanced at him—some curious, some wary—but he ignored them. His focus was fixed on the weathered house at the far edge of town.
The place looked… wrong.
The shutters hung crooked. The yard was bare. And in the window, a small face flickered for a second before disappearing.
Caleb approached the front door and knocked.
A moment later, it creaked open.
Standing there was a girl, maybe sixteen. Her hair was tied back tightly, her posture stiff.
“Yes?” she asked, her voice guarded.
“I’m looking for Mrs. Harper,” Caleb said.
The girl hesitated. Then, quietly: “She’s inside.”
A voice barked from within. “Who’s at the door, Emily?”
Before the girl could answer, a man shoved past her—a thickset fellow with a scowl carved deep into his face.
“What do you want?” the man snapped.
Caleb straightened. “I’m here about Mrs. Harper and her children.”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “That so? And why would you care?”
“I heard they might be in need of… a better situation.”
