Jesus Christ. He didn’t have enough to sort out right now? At least the house and farm were in good order. Joe scowled as he strode across the yard. Why did he care what the man thought of their place anyway? Their place. He had to admit he liked the sound of that.
He stepped into the barn and checked all the nooks and crannies on the ground level. Then he climbed the ladder to search behind a stack of bales in the loft, and heard a soft noise as he approached the corner. A barn cat? Or Jenny?
He peeked around the edge of the bales and found a pair of wide hazel eyes staring up at him. She was huddled in the corner and didn’t look anything like the nine-year-old he remembered. “Jenny?”
“Joe? Please don’t tell him I’m here.” Her voice carried a hint of desperation.
He squatted to her le
