Flickering Hope Read Free Page B

thing — my promise, the little girl, the danger to Patch, the worry I knew Helen would feel — made Thanksgiving dinner turn to lead in my stomach. I walked inside, and the smell of pumpkin pie and turkey took my breath away, reminding me of how happy I had been just a few hours ago.
    Ruth’s family packed up to leave, but Ruth hung back to listen as we spoke with Helen.
    “Sadie, you should probably explain,” Andrew said.
    So much for Andrew getting the worst over with. “Umm …” I glanced over at Ruth, and then sighed. No matter how much I wished for one, no easy way to tell thestoryappeared. So I just told Helen what had happened, about the girl, her threat, and her family.
    “I’ll call Meredith over at the DNR and see if she’ll hike out there with me tomorrow,” Helen said. “If they’re squatting, we may be able to remove them from the cabin.”
    “Isn’t that up to the land company?” Andrew asked. “Like when Old Man Mueller stays out there?”
    “What if they don’t have any place else to live?” I surprised myself with my question. After the girl had threatened me, why did I care? “And what if the girl tells about Patch’s den?”
    “We’ll figure it out.” Helen shook her head and opened the file folder she held, turning back to Dad. “So, if I identify sows that might accept orphaned cubs and save the government thousands of dollars a year, then they won’t turn down my research grant, right? If I’m saving them that kind of money?”
    Ruth gave me a quick hug before running out to join her family, and I watched Helen talk to Dad. I couldn’t look at Andrew. Just as he’d predicted, we had been shut out. Worse, somehow my explanation hadn’t worked. How could Helen simply say,
we’ll figure it out,
and go back to her other conversation? Didn’t she understand about the shotgun and the little girl who might, even now, be showing Patch’s den to her dad?
    Choosing the right area of research was important, I knew, because every two years, Helen had to reapply for the grant that allowed herto research with the bears. This year, because the hunters were so mad, the DNR would be even more likely to turn down Helen’s proposal. If she didn’t renew the grant, she and Andrew would move out of the cabin by June, and Dad’s job would be over then, too. Still, none of those problems felt as important as protecting Patch, right now in danger.
    I finally looked over at Andrew, who clanked pots and pans too loudly as he scrubbed them in the sink. His lips were pressed together just like before when I teased him about his room. He kept his eyes down, not meeting mine. I wanted to grab the washcloth from his hands, fling it in his face, and shout that none of this was my fault. Instead, I joined Mom in the mudroom, barely holding in my frustration.
    Mom handed me my scarf. “Thank goodness none of you kids were hurt. That family could have been dangerous.”
    They
were
dangerous. Didn’t anyone understand?
    “Hand me my boots, will you, Sades?” Mom sat on the bench and took off the house slippers Helen kept for visitors.
    I passed her boots over and watched her lace them up, barely able to hold back the words I wanted to shout at everyone. Mom tied her last knot, stood, and pulled me into a puffy-coated hug. Her arms were strong, and through her coat, I couldn’t feel her too thin shoulders. If I closed my eyes, this could almost be a hug from the past, back when Mom was truly herself. Why couldn’t today have gone the way I planned and ended with this almost perfect hug?
    “I love you, Sades,” Mom said, and then let me go and pulled on her hat.
    I shoved my feet into my boots as Dad came into the mudroom with Helen and Andrew. Higgins bounced along behind.
    “I’ll hike to the shack with you and Meredith tomorrow,” Dad said to Helen. “I planned to drive Sadie out here anyway, so she can help finish with the promised clean up.”
    Miserable. After the worst ever