“I guess.” I used the collar of my shirt to wipe my sweaty upper lip.

“I said for you to grab a wheelbarrow and start collecting anything metal.” Pa pointed to a coil of wire springing from a pile of ashes.

“Yes, sir.” I donned a pair of work gloves and got to it.

The others tore down what the fire hadn’t demolished while I rummaged through the ashes with a garden rake. Tools, bolts, hinges, and such were scattered throughout the debris, making my task a constant exercise of bending and squatting.

Two loads in, the wheelbarrow began to tilt. Or maybe it was the earth . . .

A heavy weight pressed against me as I opened my eyes and squinted up at the overhead sun.

“What in tarnation?” Pa stood over me. Jinx and Boss were across from him. All three staring down at me.

“How’d I end up on the ground?” Something poked me in the back, so I reached underneath me and came back with a stick. Tossing it to the side, I took a deep breath and struggled to sit up.

“You passed out. What’s going on with ya?” Pa’s large hands grasped under my arms and set my reclined body upright. “Just sit there. Boss, get Ox a cup of water.”

“Yes, sir.” My brother’s heavy footsteps pounded the ground over to the tailgate, where I’d set up the water cooler earlier. Moments later, he returned and thrust the paper cup into my hand a little too forcefully and splashed some of it on my arm. “Sorry, Ox.”

“It’s okay. Thanks.” I chugged the water and received another while the others murmured about what to do with me.

Pa clapped his gloved hands together once. “I’m taking Ox up to the house. Y’all get back to work.”

I expected my father to walk me to the truck, but no, the big lumberjack carried me as if I were a child and I let him with no protest. I settled in the seat, rested my head against the window, and let my eyes drift shut until the driver’s door slamming sent them popping open.

Pa cranked the engine and reached for the radio, turning it down until “Don’t Stop Believin’” faded to the background. He reversed out to the drive and then headed in the direction of the house. “Ox . . . you wanna tell me why you ain’t been eating? Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” He glanced my way, a thick eyebrow arching up before he focused on the road.

“I haven’t had an appetite.”