_Author’s POV_
The convoy back to the city left the valley as the sun was going down.
The children were asleep in the first truck before they reached the main road, flattened by a day of running and fresh aie. Miriam sat between them and did not speak for most of the drive.
Vicky sat in the third truck with Rita and said very little, which suited Rita, who had spent the day moving in increments between the warmth of the family gathering and the watchfulness she had maintained since Rowena had looked at her across the front steps that morning.
She had not resolved anything yet.
But she had started to.
In the second truck, Pierre sat beside Rowena with his leg extended slightly, the compression wrap still in place, the injury genuinely minor despite what the afternoon had
