Dani watched her daughter play on the rug in the parlor. She'd been so busy caring for Caleb, she'd barely had time for the girl. David curled up in a chair with a book. He sighed and slammed the book on the floor.

"Can't we go home yet?"

Dani shook her head. "Caleb's not well enough to travel."

"Can I go home with Heber?"

"Heber isn't leaving for another week."

"I hate it here. I hate not having my horse. I hate not having nothin' to do."

Dani refrained from correcting him, instead letting him vent. They were all frustrated. They were all verging on insanity. The Union army was marching south. Dani feared for their safety as they moved closer and closer.

Heber cleared his throat from the doorway. Dani looked up, expecting him to tell her it was once again her turn to care for her husband. Instead, a frail Caleb hung on his arm. Dani's jaw dropped as she lurched from the chair.

"Caleb, you should be in bed."

He shook his head. "Been in bed." He nodded to the boy. "Who's that?"

She cocked her head. "That's David. You remember David?"

Caleb shook his head. "Nah. That's almost a man. The David I left behind was but a boy."

David grinned. "Caleb! It is you!"

Caleb groaned as the boy launched himself at him for a hug.

Dani stood and offered her chair. Caleb refused, instead nodding to Charlotte.

"Who's that?" His eyes narrowed as he looked between Dani and the baby.

Dani scooped up the baby and walked to his side. "Caleb, this is Charlotte, your daughter."

Caleb swallowed and almost fell to his knees. "My daughter?"

Dani nodded.

Heber lowered Caleb into a chair as Dani sat the girl on his lap. Caleb reached out a finger to touch her fluffy curls. She cooed and grabbed his fingers, popping them into her mouth.

"She's mine?"

Dani nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't know how to reach you. Every letter I sent was returned. I didn't have your regiment, your rank, nothing. There were so many things I wanted to tell you but couldn't. The only communication we received from you was notifications from the bank that your pay had been transferred. That was the only way I knew if you were still alive."

Caleb returned his attention to the little girl who slid to the floor and crawled to her toys. "Her name is Charlotte?"

Dani smiled. "Yes. Charlotte Belle. After your mother."

Caleb slid to the floor. Dani reached out a hand to help him up. He ignored it and scooted across the floor, lying next to his daughter. Dani held a fist to her mouth as she watched. He rolled a ball and smiled as the baby giggled and cooed and kicked the ball back to him. Over and over again, Caleb rolled the ball until Charlotte found a different toy. Caleb rolled onto his back, his eyes closed.

"Would you like to go back to bed?"

He shook his head. "No."

"Caleb, when can we go ridin'?"

Caleb smiled and turned his head to David. "Soon as I can walk by myself, pal. You and me'll go ridin'."

David grinned. "You mean it?"

"Yeah. Hey, would you mind readin' to me? I can't quite hold the books yet."

David brightened and rushed to the bookshelf. "What do ya wanna hear?"

"Anything."

"Do you need a pillow, Caleb? That floor is awful hard."

"I'm fine, Dani. Quit frettin'."

Charlotte crawled over and laid her head on his chest. He wrapped a bony arm around her and held her close. She sighed and fell asleep. Dani stood to take her to her bed but Caleb stopped her. "Don't. I wanna hold her. We're fine right here."

Caleb laid an arm over his eyes as he listened to David read. Dani stepped to the hearth and stirred the stew.

"Dani," Caleb muttered.

"Yeah."

"I think I'm ready to go back to bed."

She nodded. "Okay. I'll be right there."

She all-but carried him back to bed and tucked him in. He turned away from her and faced the wall.

"Dani, I want you to leave me. I'm a broken shell of a man. I don't know how to be a father. I don't know how to be a husband. Just go."

Dani sat next to the bed, fuming inside. "Caleb. You bought me as a slave. You've saved my life countless times. You've provided for me."

"And I can't do that now. Don't you see? I'm broken."

She continued, ignoring his outburst. "And now, I'm doing the same for you. I bought your freedom from that madman, from that prison. I'm saving your life. I'm providing for you, much the same as you did for me."

Caleb shook his head.

"I didn't know how to be a wife, but I learned. I didn't know how to be a mother, but I learned. I didn't know how to be a rancher, but I learned. You didn't know how to be a soldier, but you learned. What we don't know, we'll learn. Like it or not, Caleb, you're stuck with me. You didn't sign the papers for my freedom. You didn't file for divorce when you went off to war. You're stuck. I'd suggest you make the best of it and move on."

She sat in the rocking chair, waiting for his response but he remained silent.

"I did sign the papers for your freedom. I just took them with me. They were in a letter to be mailed to you if I fell. Jeremy had it."

"Why didn't you leave them with the rest of the papers?"

Caleb shuddered. "I was selfish. I didn't want you to leave. I wanted you to be there when I got back. I wanted a chance to make you love me."

She scooted closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Don't you see? I already do. If I didn't, I would have left when you did. I wouldn't have worked the ranch and paid off your cousin's debts. I wouldn't have taken the money from the last drive and spent it all on you. On your freedom. If I didn't care for you, love you, I wouldn't be here."

He turned to face her. "Do you mean it?"

She smiled. "I do."

He sighed. "Jeremy kicked me awake one night sayin' he didn't wanna hear me talkin' in my sleep about you the whole war. Said he'd kill me himself."

Dani smiled. "Good. Then we have an agreement. We'll learn together."

"We will."