His thin chest rose and fell. His eyes lowered. “Mostly, the Army goes into bad places overseas. Lots of people in the military get killed.”

“Oh. I see.”

He didn’t quite look at her. “You’re all I’ve got, sis,” he said softly. “I don’t want to be put in a foster home. My friend Gary lives in one. He says it’s awful...”

“I’d make sure there was no combat involved before I signed up,” she began.

“What if they lie to you, just to get you to join?”

“You have a suspicious mind,” she accused.

He grinned. “My sister works for the Texas Rangers,” he teased. “Of course I have a suspicious mind. One day, I’m going to be a Texas Ranger and chase crooks.”

“Really?”

He nodded. “Your boss looks real mean,” he added.

Her heart jumped unaccountably. “When did you see him?” she asked.

“Last week. He was on television. They interviewed him about a robbery. He caught one of the bad guys. They said the case had been sitting for several years, but Mr. Banks worked it out from a slip of paper that had been found in a trash can after the robbery. He tracked down the thief.”

“I remember,” she said. She shook her head. “He’s very good at puzzles. I think you have to be, if you want to work in law enforcement.”

“I’m good at puzzles, too.”

“In fact, yes, you are.”

“Do you think your boss would ever talk to me, about being a Ranger?” he asked.

She felt uneasy. She didn’t want Tad around Banks. She didn’t know why. It was just that she hesitated to let him into her private life. She guarded it from everybody. She had, for years.

“Do you have homework?” she asked, trying to sound natural when her head was buzzing.

“I do,” he replied. He grimaced. “A lot.”

“You should get to it. Afterward, you can play video games until bedtime,” she added.

“Okay!” He finished his milk and went tearing off to his room.

She sighed with relief. She didn’t want to introduce him to Banks. She didn’t know exactly why.

She washed up and cleaned the kitchen before she went to her own room to listen to music while she knitted. It was something she’d learned from her late mother. It relaxed her when she had nothing else to do. She liked to make shawls and hats, in all sorts of wild colors.