Mack was glad to finish the first day back after Christmas break on Wednesday. He’d taught long enough to know that it took a couple of days for the kids to settle down after being away from the classroom for two weeks. With a long sigh of relief, he locked up the vo-ag building, got into his truck, and headed home. He turned the radio to his favorite country music station and listened to Blake Shelton sing “Who Are You When I’m Not Looking.”

The lyrics made him wonder who Lily was when he wasn’t around. Was she the stable mother he’d kind of gotten to know the past few days? He was still thinking about that when he parked in front of the house. The first snowflakes of the season drifted down from the gray skies as he made his way across the yard and onto the porch. The aroma of hot yeast bread and warmth surrounded him when he walked in. Now this was the life—coming home to the smell of good food and a warm house, even if the place was more than a hundred years old, with no closets and plenty of problems with the plumbing.

He hung his jacket on the hall tree in the foyer and kicked off his good boots. “Braden, I’m going out to feed the goats if you want to go with me,” he yelled up the stairs.

The front door swung open behind him, and the kids rushed in. They dropped their backpacks on one of the ladder-back chairs in the foyer and hung their jackets beside his on the hall tree.

“I figured y’all would already be home,” Mack said.

“We get on the bus first thing in the morning and off last in the afternoon,” Holly sighed.

“I don’t mind ridin’ the bus all that time because I got all my homework done on the ride home,” Braden said. “Did I hear you talkin’ about feeding the goats?”

“I’m going to change into my work clothes and go out to take care of them. Want to go with me?” Mack asked.

“Sure thing, but only if I can wear Grandpa’s coat. I don’t even care if I look dorky in it. It’ll keep me warm.” Braden nodded. “I guess I’d better change, too, though. That old billy goat always wants me to pet him, and he stinks.”

“Might be a good idea,” Mack agreed. “Elvis is a big baby and loves attention. You want to go with us, Holly? You might like the new babies that were born a few days before y’all got here.”

“They are so cute,” Braden said as he ran up the stairs.

“No, thank you.” Holly snarled at the idea. “Where’s Mama?”

“I’m right here.” Lily came out from the kitchen. “How was your first day?”

Holly shrugged. “Fine.”