At the hospital, Juanita saw for the first time the scar around his neck. He had always worn a bandanna, summer and winter. With his neck uncovered, she could plainly see the mark of an old and vicious rope burn. Once as he slept, she traced the raised welt of the scar with her fingertips. She had heard the rumor that, in his youth, Eli had miraculously survived despite being hung as a horse thief. Ezra had been along on that caper, the way she heard it, and Teeter Spawn, the old cowhand who taught the Paint twins most of what they knew about the cattle business. Until she saw the scar around Eli’s neck, Juanita had assumed that it was one of those tall tales American cowboys liked to tell. One day, she would persuade him to tell her the truth about what had happened along the Powder River back in that awful spring of 1887. It might explain why he was so stubborn and unyielding. She knew from something brittle inside herself that trauma endured at a tender age can mark a person forever.

By Valentine’s Day, Eli felt stronger. Now his worst enemy was boredom. Doc Miller said he had to be kept snubbed tight to the hitching post, where he could be doctored as the need arose. The hospital was the best place to recover. The doctor would not relent, so Eli fidgeted, frustrated that he could not get back to the ranch.

They were going to need an automobile to replace the Cadillac, so Ezra bought a roomy 1928 Pontiac sedan. On the second Saturday that Eli was in the hospital, Ezra and Ben and the six youngest Paint children all piled into the car for the trip to the hospital. The children hadn’t visited Eli since the accident. Their presence cheered him considerably. Juanita had never seen him as tender with anyone as he was with Leo. Eli asked them all about their schoolwork, issued instructions for work he wanted done, reminded them that he wouldn’t tolerate any slugabeds sleeping past six o’clock in the morning. Then they all trooped out for hamburgers and Eli sat for an hour with Ezra. Juanita got up to leave them to talk business, but Eli asked her to stay.

“I’ve got no secrets from you, Juanita,” he said. “Might help if you understand what we’re up against.”