The children ate like they had hollow legs. Today we're heading into town, Ryland announced while they ate. You all need proper clothes, and I want you to meet some of the decent folks in Dusty Creek. The children brightened immediately. Yara did not.
She lowered her eyes and frowned. Ryland, I saw the way people looked at us yesterday. Not everyone in that town wants us here. Ryland's expression hardened with quiet resolve. Doesn't matter.
He looked around the table. We're a family and we're not going to hide like we've done something wrong. Let them see us. Let them learn who we are. Half an hour later, all seven of them were walking down Main Street.
Ryland went ahead with Kea and Reco holding his hands. Yara followed close behind with Sani, Daro, and Merie. Dusty Creek was livelier than the evening before. It was Saturday, market day. Fruit and vegetable stands lined the road.
Bolts of fabric hung from wooden awnings. Tools, tack, and household goods were spread across tables while merchants called out prices, and neighbors stopped to gossip. Then people noticed Ryland's family. The mood changed in an instant. Voices dropped away.
Smiles disappeared. Shopkeepers stiffened behind their counters. A few women pulled their children closer as though five exhausted Apache youngsters posed some kind of threat. "Look," Lorna whispered to her husband. "There they are, those savages."
"Shameful," Bram Sutter muttered under his breath. "Ryland ought to know better than this." The words moved through the street like invisible arrows. The children heard them and each one landed. Kea tightened her grip on Ryland's hand.
Reco stared down at the dirt. Ryland felt anger rise hot inside him, but he forced himself to breathe. The children needed him steady, not reckless. They reached Hester Wyn's general store. She stood waiting in the doorway with a broad welcoming smile.
Good morning, Voss family," she called loudly enough for half the street to hear. "Come on in. I've got everything ready." Inside, Hester had arranged piles of clothing across tables and crates, denim trousers, colorful shirts, plain but pretty dresses, small hats, even leather boots. Daro stared at everything in amazement.
"Whoa," he said. "I've never seen this much clothing in one place. Hester laughed. Then you'd better start trying things on. I want each of you to find something you actually like.
The children needed no second invitation. They changed clothes with barely contained excitement. Reco fit him perfectly. Kea chose a yellow dress that made her seem to glow. Sonnie, Daro, and Merie each found something that felt like their own little treasure.
Yara tried on a simple brown dress with delicate stitching along the edges. The moment she stepped out, the room seemed to quiet. She looked graceful, calm, strong. Hester gave an approving nod. "There now," she said.