I found Benjamin sitting on the porch.

He was wearing a flannel shirt and jeans, his boots covered in light dust.

In the yard, Lily and Grace were running through a sprinkler.

Their laughter was loud and clear in the open air.

Sophie was sitting on the grass near Dr. Hart, who had traveled up for a weekly session.

Emma was near the porch, holding a small wooden box of flower seeds.

“We need to plant the marigolds today,” Emma said, looking up at her father.

“We will do it right after lunch, sweetheart,” Benjamin said.

He reached down and touched her hair.

She did not flinch.

She leaned her head against his knee for a second before running off to join her sisters.

I sat down on the wooden step next to him.

“It is quiet here,” I said.

“It is,” Benjamin said.

He looked out over the field where the horses were grazing.

“We have a long way to go,” he said.

“Some days are still very hard.”

“But they are safe,” I said.

“Yes,” he said.

“They are safe.”

He watched his daughters play in the water, his eyes never leaving them.

The sun was high and warm, melting the last of the mountain snow.