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“Would you help y, Benteen?” she asked to break the silence between theo with you to the cemetery and show you where we buried your father”

When he finally looked at her, there wasn’t any trace of the anger he had directed at her earlier Lorna breathed easier But his expression res so they couldn’t be observed

“Yes” He agreed to harness the bay gelding for her

Leading his horse, Benteen walked around the picket fence enclosing the front yard of the house and headed for the rear of the dwelling, where a sy and a horse stall Lorna followed, cutting through the yard

A silence flowed between them While it wasn’t an easy one, it wasn’t uncomfortable either Lorna watched quietly as Benteen tied the buggy horse in its stall and began buckling on the harness Activity see tension There was less suppressed violence in his movements as they became smoother, more natural

With the harness in place, Benteen backed the gelding between the buggy shafts and hooked the traces He turned to help Lorna into the spring seat, treating her with a measure

of aloofness Shehe would ride with her, but he passed her the buggy reins and mounted his horse

Benteen rode alongside the buggy, escorting her along the town’s rough streets to the s, he tied his horse to the back of the buggy and caround

“His grave is under that big oak,” she pointed “I hope that is all right”

“Yes” His tight-lipped reply revealed nothing

There was an instant when Lorna thought Benteen was going to reject her silent wish to accorave site Then his ar itself near the base of her spine Together they walked along the well-trodden path through the cee oak tree do the area

Winter had stripped the leaves fro branches and lireen buds A breeze whispered through the scattered piles of fallen leaves, a lonely soundat the head of the elongated ainst theup around it

When they reached the grave, his guiding hand fell away from her Out of the corner of her eye, Lorna saw him take off his hat and hold it in front of him with both hands The breeze ruffled the ends of his dark hair as he stared at the cross The lettering read simply: “Seth Calder RIP”

“We didn’t know your father’s birthdate,” she explained quietly “We thought you could add whatever you liked to the marker when you came back”

“That’s fine”