For years, Ryland had wondered whether he had lived up to that lesson. Tonight, for the first time, he felt as though he finally had. "Come on," Ryland said, turning toward his new family. "Let's get inside. You all look ready to fall over."
He pushed open the front door. The house was plain, but warm and solid. There was a small parlor with a fireplace, a modest kitchen, and two bedrooms tucked farther back. It was no grand ranch house, but it was clean, safe, and sturdy. It was a home.
The children stepped inside slowly, their eyes wide as they took in every corner. None of them had ever lived in a wooden house before. Back with their Apache people, they had slept in shelters made for life on the move. This place felt completely different. "Look!"
Daro shouted, racing towards the fireplace. "There's a fire inside the house," Meri cried, running her hands carefully over one of the wooden chairs as though it were something precious. "And look at that table," Sani added, bouncing with excitement. Ryland watched them with a tenderness he had never known how to name. "To him, the chairs, the walls, the table, the stove, those were ordinary things.
To the children, they were wonders. Yara moved more slowly. She brushed her fingertips along the wall, then the curtain, then the edge of the table. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks. "It's beautiful," she whispered.
"I never thought my children would ever live somewhere like this." Ryland looked at her steadily. "From tonight on, this is our house. He paused. All of ours.
That evening, Ryland lit the stove and began warming a simple pot of vegetable soup. It was not a fancy supper, but it was hot, filling, and there was enough for everyone. For the first time in his life, Ryland Voss sat down at his own table with six other people around him. The children ate as if they had never tasted anything so good. Between spoonfuls, they talked over one another, laughed, and traded little glances that said they still could not quite believe they were safe.
Reco kept making foolish jokes that eventually had everyone laughing whether they wanted to or not. Kea hummed a soft Apache song under her breath. Darrow and Meri made ridiculous voices, each trying to imitate the other until they collapsed into giggles. Sonnie mostly smiled, quiet and content, as though she were afraid that speaking too loudly might wake her from a dream. Across the table, Yara looked at Ryland with gratitude so deep it nearly hurt to meet her eyes.
"I don't know how I could ever repay you," she said softly. "You saved our lives. You gave us hope. You gave my children a roof over their heads." Ryland slowly shook his head.
No, Yara. He glanced around the table. You saved me, too. The room grew quieter. I had a house.
Sure. I had work. I had a horse and enough food to keep myself alive, but I didn't have much reason to wake up in the morning besides doing it all over again. His eyes moved toward the five children. Now I've got five reasons.
A small smile touched his face. Five beautiful reasons that make every day worth getting up for. The children stopped eating. They stared at him with the kind of love only children can give. Open, honest, without calculation.