Chapter 78: Chapter 78

I left them alone to wear out the excitement of the homecoming to go rig up a rope corral for their two horses. As soon as Andre got settled in, we would begin work on the outhouse for the animals. He needed something more substantial than this poor corral before the winter drove the wolves in search of horseflesh. There was sufficient lumber remaining to erect a barn a bit more modest than ours…that is, James’s.

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My cabin seemed a bleak place with the departure of the young couple. I claim to be a solitary man, but as the years wear on, I am no longer certain that is the case. While I took some satisfaction in my newfound privacy, I caught myself listening for the absent pair on my bed in the darkness. In fact, I continued to sleep on blankets by the stove for the next few nights. Why? I have no rational explanation, but does everything in this life require one?