Riding Tall by Kate Sherwood

family… these girls… that’s their biggest strength. Lacey’s been looking after the little ones her whole life, and they know it. They’ve been insistent on staying together. One of the most compelling reasons they had for wanting to move back up here was wanting to be near Kami.”
    Joe tried to control his expression and sound casual as he asked, “And how’s she doing?” How was she dealing with the effects of his mistakes? Had the few extra seconds he’d taken to get her out of the house completely destroyed her brain?
    “Quite well,” Jean said, but Joe knew it was a relative term. “She’s settling in to the new facility. Getting a good start on the therapies. And she’s always happy to see her sisters. I was hoping to talk to you about getting them over there more than once a week. I know it’s a bit of a drive, but I think Lacey’s comfortable enough that she could be in charge of things, if you were able to give her access to a vehicle to get there.”
    “Yeah, for sure,” Joe said. “She can take my truck, anytime. I mean, I might need it for the farm, but if she gives me warning I can work around it.”
    “Excellent,” Jean said with a smile. “And there’s one more thing. I wouldn’t normally ask, but given where you live… I know you care about animals….” She stopped and looked at him as if he was supposed to guess what she was hinting at.
    “I’m going to need more words on this one.”
    “Jasper,” she said. “Their dog, from before. Apparently he was living at the vet’s for a while, then taken to the shelter when their aunt wouldn’t take him. He hasn’t been adopted yet, and they’re worried about him.”
    “The dog?” Joe remembered the animal. He’d grabbed it while he was carrying Kami out of the fire. If he hadn’t taken that second, maybe she would have inhaled less smoke or gotten oxygen sooner. But that was Joe’s fault, not the dog’s. “Yeah, of course. He can live here.” He tried to remember the animal’s size, but the adrenaline that had been coursing through his body at that stage of the fire had made everything seem light and small. “Is he healthy?”
    Jean grinned. “Apparently they were a bit concerned about brain damage, and he was acting a bit goofy, but the girls tell me he’s always been like that.”
    “Why wouldn’t they have told me this themselves? We’ve got four dogs on the place already. A fifth isn’t going to be a big deal, as long as we can convince Red to let him live. They could have just asked.”
    “They’re pretty aware of everything you’re already doing for them,” Jean said carefully. “I think they’re a little worried about asking for any more favors.”
    Shit. Another failure on Joe’s part. “I need to make them more comfortable. They can talk to me about stuff. They can ask for things!”
    “I think they know that, intellectually. They just aren’t quite ready for it yet, not with things that feel like luxuries. If you and I keep talking, we can keep each other in the loop. You can tell me if they’re having troubles, I can tell you if they need something and are worried about asking. It’ll be a good system.”
    “And you’re sticking around? You’re going to be on the job for a while?”
    “The girls are provincial wards. You’re their legal guardian, but the province still has final say. I’ll phase myself out once they get established here, but unless you go through the formal adoption process, they’ll remain the responsibility of the government and we’ll keep checking in on them.”
    “And if I did adopt them?” It wasn’t something Joe had given a lot of thought to, but maybe it was time he started. Lacey was almost an adult, but Savannah was only nine. She deserved a real family, somewhere she knew she belonged.
    But Jean didn’t look enthusiastic. “I wouldn’t advise that you rush that. See how things work for you and the family. Financially, for sure, it makes sense to