Cattail Ridge by T.L. Haddix Read Free Book Online Page B

stayed on more normal topics for the most part. Amelia did confess to Archer that she was a shifter, as was Owen, and that her brothers also had special abilities.
    “John is scary good with numbers and Ben has this thing with plants. Emma’s the only normal one of us.” She seemed to be waiting with bated breath for him to say something and groaned with disappointment when he just grinned at her. He knew from the way Amelia watched him when Emma was close by that she suspected something about his feelings for her sister, but he wasn’t about to open that can of worms.
    As the years went by, the Campbells folded Archer into the family, making him one of their own. When he passed his GED test they threw him a surprise party. Amelia even presented him with a cap and gown and made him wear it while holding his framed certificate as they took pictures to commemorate the event and to send to Logan. They had cake, ice cream, and barbecue, and a house full of people whose sincere pride in his accomplishments was evident.
    Sarah found him on the porch getting some fresh air a little while after the meal had been eaten.
    “You seem overwhelmed. You okay?” She sat down next to him on the swing and smiled up at him. “It’s been a big day.”
    He smiled back. “Very big. And yeah. It was just a little stuffy in there.”
    “You don’t much like crowds, I’ve noticed. You remind me of Owen in that regard.”
    “I never mind spending time with your family.”
    Sarah laughed softly. “No, but they can be rather boisterous. I’ll leave you in peace.”
    “You don’t have to go,” he protested, and she sat back down. “Besides, I haven’t had a chance to thank you properly yet, not just for today but for everything. I feel like this was as much your success as it was mine, and I don’t think I ever would have accomplished what I’ve done without you all. So thank you.” He had to clear his throat around the lump that was choking him up.
    Sarah put her arm around his shoulders and gave him a hug, her own eyes a little misty. “We just provided you with the tools you needed, and the support. You figured out the rest. And we’re very proud of you, as I’m sure Logan will be, as well. Have you told him yet, that you passed?”
    Archer shook his head. “I didn’t even tell him I was taking it. I’m scheduled to fly out there week after next. I thought I’d surprise him then.”
    Logan had recently been stationed in North Carolina and Archer was looking forward to seeing him while his brother had some R and R time. They hadn’t been able to spend more than a day or two together since Archer had moved to Hazard two years earlier.
    “One of these days you’ll have to bring him here. We’ve heard of him so often I feel like he’s already one of the family.”
    “I’m hoping when he gets out of the Army he’ll come here and settle. But Logan isn’t really the settling down type, so it’s anyone’s guess if he will or not.”
    “And what about you? What are you planning now that you’re able to take on the world? At least as far as the official channels are concerned?”
    Archer knew she was referring to the fact that a person without a high school diploma or equivalence diploma was locked in to a certain subset of choices.
    “I’m not sure. Pip keeps trying to convince me to join her at the community college.” Amelia had graduated high school the year before and when Owen insisted she attend college, she’d picked the small, local, two-year school. Owen hadn’t been particularly happy about that but he’d given in, conceding that it was her choice.
    “You could keep her in line,” Sarah teased. They exchanged a look and burst out laughing.
    “Yeah, because she’s such a trouble maker.”
    She was a straight-A student, was on the Dean’s list, and while not an angel, was about as far from trouble as it was possible for someone her age to be.
    John’s sons found them on the porch then and the quiet