His failure in raising his sister properly was just one of his shortcomings. The biggest failure facing him was with Brody. Flynn couldn’t let him enlist. Brody was as sensitive as a man came and wouldn’t be able to handle all the death and bloodshed. He couldn’t stand seeing a lame horse, much less a man losing his legs, which was what he was gonna see and worse if he went to war.

“Got something for you, Flynn.” Ivy hid the item behind her back as she bounded across the haymow, her bare feet sinking deep into the alfalfa. Her eyes glimmered with her usual mischief.

“What is it?” He knew better than to hold out his hand. The last time, she dumped a spiny lizard in his palm. Time before that had been a spider’s nest with a whole passel of baby spiders crawling all over the place. Once, she’d even given him a rotten duck egg.

She stopped directly in front of him, providing him full view of her unwashed face and the dirt coating her skirt. Thunderation. He had to figure out a way to get her to take baths.

“Hold out your hand,” she insisted.

“Not in a hundred years.”

“Come on, you big ’fraidy cat.” Her smile widened and seemed to bring with it all the sunshine of the early November day.

He reached out and tweaked her nose. He didn’t have time right now for her practical jokes, but he did want her to know he cared about her.

“I promise you’ll like what I have this time.”

“Heard that before.”

“This time I mean it.”

He mussed her hair and then turned back to Brody who, thankfully, was still standing in the same place.

Before he could resume their conversation, Ivy thrust something into his face. “It’s a letter from Wyatt.”

Flynn froze.

As Ivy waved the envelope, he caught sight of his brother’s bold handwriting. Wyatt must have received his letter about Ma’s death and decided to send his condolences.

But as usual, it was too little effort, too late.

Frustration burned inside Flynn, frustration that had been simmering since the day Wyatt had walked away from Rusty and the farm and left Flynn to be the responsible one and deal with all the problems. While Wyatt gallivanted all over God’s green earth, Flynn had been left to protect his ma and help raise the kids. And he was left trying to figure out what to do now that they were practically homeless.

He stared at the letter, then spun and strode toward the door as fast as his limping gait would allow. “I don’t care one whit what Wyatt has to say.”

“He’s got a ranch in Colorado and wants us to move there and live with him.” The words slid out of Ivy’s mouth faster than butter sliding off hot sweet corn.