A Family Found by Laura Abbot Page B

shouldn’t be a problem. We can’t start too soon to get ourselves ready for the big one.”
    â€œLongs Peak,” Sophie said, awed by the mere idea of standing on the summit.
    â€œLongs Peak,” Belle echoed, holding out her hand to seal the deal.
    After making her farewells, Sophie set out for home under a sunny sky. As Ranger trotted along, she counted her blessings. Joe Harper had assured her his store could provide her with milk and eggs, as well as other food and goods.
    Lost in plans for the coming days, Sophie failed to see the two boys until she was right beside them. They stood on a wooden bridge throwing rocks into the icy, rushing river. One was thin and dark-haired, while the younger one was rosy-cheeked and chubbier. She deliberated whether she should stop. What if either of them slipped? She drew to a halt and dismounted. Yelling over the noise of the water, she approached them. “Are you two all right?”
    The older one shrugged with indifference and threw another rock. The younger one turned toward her eagerly. “We’re seeing which of us can throw the farthest. Who are you?”
    â€œI’m Sophie Montgomery. I just moved here from Kansas.”
    â€œWhere’s Kansas?” the talkative one asked.
    â€œThe next state east, dummy,” his brother said.
    â€œPerhaps you’ll study Kansas in your geography lesson,” Sophie suggested.
    â€œLessons? We don’t have lessons, except when Papa helps us,” the older one said with a frown. “And that’s not often enough for me.”
    â€œWho is your papa?”
    The little one gestured toward the handsome house on the hill. “Tate Lockwood,” he said. “I’m Toby.”
    Sophie extended her hand. “Glad to meet you, sir.” She faced the other boy. “And you?”
    â€œMarcus,” he said, turning away to study the distant mountains.
    â€œI know your father. He escorted me here from Denver.”
    Toby looked at her with interest. “Where do you live?”
    â€œA mile or so beyond here in an old cabin.”
    â€œCan I come visit?” Toby asked. His brother rolled his eyes.
    â€œCertainly. In fact, I’d enjoy it if you both came. I have a new dog I’d like for you to meet.”
    â€œI’ll ask Papa.” Toby wriggled with delight.
    â€œHe won’t let us,” Marcus said.
    â€œWhy ever not?”
Did Tate keep these boys under lock and key?
    â€œHe’s too busy to bring us.”
    Sophie pondered her next move. Her invitation had been rashly extended. On second thought, she had no business insinuating herself into the lives of Tate Lockwood’s sons. Yet each in his own way seemed starved for attention. Tate might be more amenable if she visited the boys’ home. “Tell you what. If it’s nice weather on Wednesday, why don’t I bring Beauty and come see you. Be sure to tell your father. If it’s inconvenient, maybe he could get word to me.”
    â€œHe won’t care,” Marcus said in a tone that broke Sophie’s heart. “He’ll probably be glad to get us out of the way so he can work.”
    So that’s the way it is.
Sophie laid a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “Busy fathers don’t have much time to play. But I do. I’ll plan to come just after lunch.”
    â€œWhenever.”
    â€œYippee!”
    After suggesting the boys continue their game on dry land and satisfying herself that they would do so, Sophie headed toward her cabin. Maybe it was missing her nieces and nephews, or the sadness in Tate Lockwood’s eyes he tried so desperately to conceal when he spoke of his motherless sons, or her own need for company, but she found herself looking forward to Wednesday. At the very least, these boys were hungry for approval and affection, something it was perhaps in her power to provide.
    Her thoughts turned to their father. What would it do to a man to