Jason

Rachel and I were back to working on the farm together; there were just a few differences. For one, she stayed over with her son. The ranch hands had been happy to see her back, as well as the other workers in the house. It hadn't been a lie when I said she was missed.

I had missed her, too. I was just too much of a coward to tell her outright.

With her there with me, everything was back in order and according to plan. It was strange, sometimes when I heard the toddler cry, or I saw him with her, and I’d think that he was my son.

This must be what Grandpa meant about me taking responsibility, I thought. I’d had other things on my mind at the time. I felt another fresh wave of guilt, as I realized just how stupid I’d been.

After finishing up some work in the fields, I made some lunch for just Rachel and I. The other hands and employees could find their food. I couldn’t hear the boy crying and guessed Rachel had already set him down in one of the bedrooms. She’d been insistent on the on