A Merciful Promise (Mercy Kilpatrick #6)(32)

“I know,” said Eden. “Dad says we’re not to worry about it. He’ll come around. Noah just needs time to get over her being gone.” She glanced at Mercy and raised her chin. “I got over it.”

Sorrow briefly flashed in her blue eyes.

No, you’re not over it.

“What made your dad move to the compound?” Mercy redirected the conversation.

“He wanted to live here,” Eden answered simply. “It’s a good place.”

Mercy tilted her head. The last sentence sounded like a politician’s talking point. Easy to repeat. Full of vague meaning.

“It’s very beautiful,” Mercy agreed. “I grew up on a ranch and loved it. I was always jealous of the town kids, though. Seemed like they didn’t have a quarter of the chores that I did.”

“Everyone here has chores,” Eden muttered, kicking at a rock. “Or a job. I miss my friends and school. This place is boring.”

“But you have school classes here, right?”

Eden rolled her eyes just as Mercy had seen Kaylie do a hundred times. “They’re for little kids. I’m the oldest one here. I don’t want to learn stupid songs.”

“I bet it’s hard being the oldest. My brother Owen always complained that he had to do more work than the rest of us simply because he was the oldest.”

“He’s right. I watch the kids more than Sadie does. She’s always running off to do other things.”

“What does your dad do here at the camp?”

“Whatever is needed.”

That’s not helpful.

“What did he do before you moved?”

“Worked with cattle. He hadn’t worked for a while in John Day. Not many jobs were available. Times were tough for everyone.”

More talking points.

“Pete offered him a job?” Mercy asked carefully.

Eden wrinkled her nose. “No, Dad hadn’t met Pete before he came here. At least that’s what he says.”

Mercy’s ears perked up. “You think your father knew Pete before you moved?”

She lifted one shoulder. “I think so. Who packs up their family and moves without a job lined up? But it doesn’t matter. We’re here to stay.” She exhaled noisily and crossed her arms.

“Sounds like you’re making the best of a dull situation.”

“You have no idea how bored I am.” More eye rolling. She dabbed at a box of the hopscotch with her toe. “My mom and dad had a huge fight before she left.”

Mercy wondered if Eden had no one to talk to about her mom. “I’m sorry. What happened?”

“Mom had planned a trip to visit her sister in Pendleton, and Noah and I were going with her, but then Dad said we couldn’t.” She sniffed and wiped her nose with her forearm.

So much for claiming she was past her mom’s abandonment.

“Did she go?”

She appeared to not hear Mercy’s question. “They yelled and yelled at each other. They had to know that Noah and I heard every word.”

“I’m sorry,” Mercy repeated, realizing the girl just needed someone to listen.

“The next morning, she kissed us goodbye and said she’d be back in a week. She hated to leave us behind, but Dad was being stubborn. She needed to go,” Eden told Mercy earnestly. “She only got to see her sister once a year. They were really close.”

Eden doesn’t want me to be angry with her mother for leaving.

Even though she is.

“I can understand,” Mercy told her. “I went a long time without seeing either of my sisters, and it was awful.” I missed so much over those fifteen years.

“After a few days, Dad packed up the house. He said Mom had decided to live with her sister and wasn’t coming back.” She blew out a breath. The last sentence had tumbled out in a rush.

Mercy battled back her shock.

Eden’s father had moved the children while their mother was gone and made them believe they had been abandoned. Mercy doubted that was the entire story. Jason hadn’t seemed evil when she met him. He’d been a dad concerned for his son’s health.

How concerned can he be if he moved them to this backwoods camp?

She wondered if Eden’s mother was searching for her children. Had she notified the police? Had Jason not told anyone where they were going? Surely the police would have tracked down this family by now.

“Eden, did you get to say goodbye to your friends before you left?”

“No.” She took a quick look around them and leaned closer to Mercy. “I don’t think my dad told anyone where we went. I know he owed some bills. I don’t think he wants to be found.”

“I don’t think anyone who lives here wants to be found,” Mercy stated. “Eden . . . does your mother know where you moved?”

“Of course.”

“You’ve talked to her?”

“Well, no. Dad says she doesn’t want to talk to us, because it hurts too much. It wasn’t easy for her to leave.”

“Why do you think she left?”

“Because they fought all the time. There was never enough money. Dad did the best he could.” She wiped her eyes again.

How lonely is this girl that she’s telling a complete stranger her story?