บททั้งหมดของ The Lansing House: บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

Maggie“I’m home!” Maggie yelled, as she walked into the house with Melody on her hip. The hair at Dakota’s neck rose, and he started growling. Two strange boys were sitting on the couch, almost causing Maggie to scream.When Dakota charged toward them, both boys scrambled to their feet. He barked, and took a stance between the boys and Maggie. He bared his teeth as he growled threateningly at them.“Dakota. At ease, boy.”Dakota stopped growling and sat on his haunches as Asher walked toward him. He rubbed Dakota’s ears, almost chuckling at the fear-stricken look on Joel’s and Oscar’s faces.Asher stood between the boys, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. “Friend.” Dakota got to his feet and padded toward them. Both boys flinched. “Hold out your hand so he can sniff you. This is how he accepts you as a friend.”“He won’t bite us?” Joel asked.“No. He’ll see you as safe now. The only time he’ll bite you is if you hurt Melody or Maggie, or try to attack me,” Asher said.Oscar h

AsherHis hands clenched the railing, his head lowered as he stood on the porch. The cold air felt good in his lungs. His whole body was shaking. He shouldn’t have said anything. He’d vowed never to talk about it. He clenched his eyes shut, swallowing back the sob that was threatening to escape.When the front door opened, Asher opened his eyes. He turned his head, and straightened up. Finn stood in the doorway, looking down.“I’m sorry, Asher. I shouldn’t have pushed you over the edge,” he said.Asher’s jaw clenched tighter. He could smell the sand, the heat, and the rotting corpses of beheaded soldiers. He could smell the rancid stench of men soiling themselves.“Asher,” Finn said, and he flinched as his brother’s hand gripped his shoulder.He shook his head, trying to push the memories away. “I shouldn’t have come back.”“You shouldn’t have stayed there. You were right, and I was jealous. You’re the one everyone looks up to—the one everyone calls when something happens. I’m sorry

AsherAsher gave her a morbid look, and closed his eyes. “Our Bradleys were hit by a rocket. Nobody died in that attack, but when we got out, a dozen men had rifles pointed at our heads. There were 18 of us, in total. They led us back to their camp on foot, tied together by a rope. For the first week, we were kept in dirty cells in the dark. There was never enough to eat, or enough water to drink, but we survived. We rationed ourselves.”His chest heaved, and he took a few deep breaths, fighting the panic off. It almost felt like he was back in that cell, chained to the wall, unable to help Sharon fight them off.“They took Rowena first. She was 23, at the time. They took her out of the cells where they kept us, but we could hear her scream. They laughed and jeered as she screamed. I’m not sure what they did to her, but I’ll never forget her screams. She never came back. Some days we could hear her begging, but I never saw her again.”Maggie clenched his hand tightly. She could feel i

AsherAfter they’d cleaned the horses’ stalls, fed them, and made sure they had clean water, Asher quickly brushed Comet, and instructed the two hands to finish up with the other horses.Joel had caught on really quickly, Asher only needing to show him something once. He seemed comfortable with the horses, and spoke to them as he worked.Oscar was afraid of them, which they could sense. It made them nervous, so Asher moved him to the tack room. He might be better suited to cleaning the equipment, filling the feeding pails, and keeping track of how much they were fed, and when.Asher gave them 15 minutes to shower and dress. Both boys were waiting in the living room when he descended the stairs, and he grinned. There was hope for them, after all; he could feel it in his bones.An hour and a half later, Asher parked his truck in the mall’s parking lot. The boys seemed happier than they had just a day ago. He remembered a time when his father had taught him a valuable lesson.“Always lea

AsherMelody took her first steps a week before her 1st birthday. Eden had planned a grand affair. Maggie had mentioned a jumping castle since the weather was turning warmer. The snow had melted, and the first blooms were in sight. It was Asher’s favorite time of the year.It meant more work on the ranch, and Joel had started waking up earlier, so he could help Blair with the cattle, then he joined Asher to help with his horses. Oscar had taken over inventory, and was now in charge of anything related to paperwork and equipment. It worked out well for everyone. Joel was turning into a real rancher, right under his nose.After breakfast, they all headed over to the main house. Melody had a little green dress on with cowboy hats on the hem. They were going to put steaks on the grill, eat cake, and enjoy the day celebrating Melody.“There she is!” Eden yelled when they came into view.Maggie laughed, and Asher put Melody down. Dakota licked the side of her face, but stayed by her side. A