CHAPTER TWENTY-THREEMargaret Thackrey
When the latch of the back gate clicked, Meg was in the kitchen making tea and stretching her back from her morning’s labors. She stepped to the window and peered out.
“Larry?” And then she saw him and gave a smothered exclamation before dashing to open the door.
Haden staggered into the kitchen, his back bent beneath the weight of an unconscious man. Sidling to the couch under the side windows, he managed to slide the limp shape onto its cushions, with Meg helping as much as possible to arrange the straggling arms and straighten the legs.
When she got a good look at the face, she sighed and straightened. “Jack Raftery! Where did you find him, and what happened to him?”
Larry was standing stiffly, staring down at the man he had brought in. Raftery
