The funeral brought the town to a halt. It was standing room only in the church. Amy and her dad were given seats near the front, not because they were the new owners of the ranch but because Roger had asked her dad to be a pallbearer. It was surreal for Amy to see another casket resting on his shoulders, so soon after her mother’s burial.

After the service, the casket was carried outside and loaded into a hearse, which made a slow procession around the town square. People lined the sidewalks, clapping and throwing flowers at the sleek black car as it crawled by in the midday sun. A large contingent followed on foot to the cemetery.

Gathered around the grave site, Amy and Kevin stood and listened to the final prayers, then watched as the casket was lowered into the ground. When the formalities were over, the crowd of mourners formed a line and approached Roger one by one to pay their respects. Most grabbed some dirt to throw on top of the casket; others picked up a spade. Some had brought flowers and cards. One person even threw in a horseshoe. But Amy had brought along something else . . .

Earlier that morning, while up in the attic, in the room that had once been Ryan’s, while she was staring at lines of dust on the floor and pinholes in the roof and feeling sad for a boy she hadn’t even known, two small rocks had caught her eye. They were sitting on the windowsill. One was smooth and rounded, the other misshapen, jagged, and rough. Whether they’d been forgotten by the movers or purposely left behind, Amy didn’t know, but she felt a duty to return them, especially if there was a chance they had once belonged to Ryan.

When it was her turn to speak with Roger, she reached into her pocket, ready to pull them out.

“I’m so sorry for your loss, Mr. Porter,” she said, leaning in to give him a hug.

“Thank you, Amy. Thank you for coming today.” With a cane in his hand, he could hug her back with only one arm. “How are the horses?”

“They’re doing well.”

“And Little Dipper?”

“Absolutely fine. She and I are getting on very well.”

“Thank goodness. It’s been a great weight off my mind. My son would be so pleased knowing that someone like you is there to look after her.”

“I’ve been reading everything that’s been written about him. He sounded like a very special person.”

“He was, Amy, he really was. And he would have liked you very much. The two of you would have gotten on well, I suspect.”

Amy smiled, then showed Roger what she had been holding in her hands. “I don’t suppose you recognize these? I found them upstairs.”