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“Why not?”
Her head snapped up. “Because it’s ridiculous.”
Henry shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Do I think you should go into a corral without backup to rein in a horse like that? Of course not. But do I think that she made a few good points?” He shrugged, but his eyes clearly confirmed his statement. “Maybe you should think about it.”
13
Henry
After the incident with the horse in the corral, Athena kept her distance from Henry’s brothers. He couldn’t blame her. She was now what everyone wanted to talk about, even a week later.
He’d catch her sneaking into the barn to spend time with the horse she’d now named Beast, but making sure she slipped out before his training started. She became Henry’s shadow with the work he had to do on the ranch, offering to help every so often.
It was nice to have someone to talk to, especially since all his older siblings couldn’t find the time to hang out—not after they’d all gotten married.
Little by little, Athena continued to open up. She talked more, asked more questions, and spent more time trying to get to know him.
“Did you ever try to track down your parents?” Athena sat on a ladder that led to the loft overhead while Henry swept out the hay that had fallen loose from the bale he’d used for feed.
He glanced up at her briefly. “I didn’t see the need to.”
“Why not?”
“Because they didn’t want me.”
“How do you know?” Athena asked. “What if it was just too hard, and they were embarrassed and ended up leaving because it would be better for you?”
Henry stopped and rested his forearm on the top of the broom he’d been using. “My parents had over a decade to come back. I don’t think any amount of embarrassment couldn’t be solved in that amount of time.” He grabbed the broom with both hands and got back to work. “Besides, I don’t think any of us want to see them again. They knew what they were doing. There are twelve of us, for heaven’s sake. Who leaves their oldest child to take care of that many kids when he’s still a kid?”
“I guess you’re right.”
He paused and stared at her, hating the way her disappointed voice tugged at him. “No, you think I’m wrong, don’t you?”
She shook her head. “On the contrary, I think you couldn’t be more right.”
Henry waited. There had to be more to what she’d said. Why else would she sound disappointed about him wanting to keep his distance? When she didn’t respond, he moved closer to her and peered up at her. “What about you? Have you ever tried to find your family?”
Athena snorted.
“What?” he chuckled. “You don’t think they might have been looking for you?”
“Nope.” She said it simply and firmly enough that it sounded like she wanted the conversation to end.
“Why not?”
She climbed down from her perch. “Because I was three. I didn’t have anyone else. If they’d lost me, then they would have looked for me. Missing children on milk boxes used to be a big thing, remember? Now with all the technology, I’m sure they could have found me if they really wanted to. Besides, you said it best. There isn’t a lot that can’t be overcome in a lifetime. I’ve had twenty years of waiting. I’m not going to hold my breath.”
“But your situation is different than mine,” he insisted. “You can’t say that they didn’t want you. What’s your last name? We could look for them together. Think about it. This wasn’t a situation where they left you somewhere, saying they’d be back, and then they never kept their promise.”
Her bark of laughter was sharper than he’d anticipated, and his whole body ran cold. “How would you know? I know I don’t. My memories didn’t start until after I was placed with my first family. After that, I was bounced around from house to house. You know, it’s not always how they make it sound. Sometimes, even young children don’t get adopted. The minute I hit eight, I knew it would never happen.” She brushed past him, and he spun to face her.
“But—”
“It’s sweet that you think I could look them up and they’d accept me with open arms, but you’re wrong. And I don’t want anything to do with them. Not then. Not now. Not ever.”
He frowned. She was wrong, and he knew it. There was probably someone out there in the world who was looking for her and heartbroken that she’d never been found. Henry followed her from the barn, broom still in hand. “You can’t tell me that there wasn’t someone in your life that would want to hear from you. I heard it in your voice. You’re disappointed.”
Athena whirled around, her brows creased and pain in her eyes. “If I sound disappointed, it’s because of this.” She gestured around wildly. “You have something here. Even with absent parents, you and your family have found a place to be where you know you can count on each other. Everyone in your little fold will always have a place to come home to.”
