Page 70 of Resilience on Canvas

“Only if you use it right,” Rose teased, to which Joe responded by flicking her arm.

Henry chuckled and said, “Uhm, so, is the contest over, then?”

“It is!” Rose exclaimed, beaming. “And we won!”

Both Henry’s and Robert’s mouths fell agape in tandem.

“What?!” Henry spluttered. “Really?”

“Mm-hmm,” Rose hummed. “And you’ll never believe how it happened. Joe and I werebarelyeven able to stand and then—”

“BONG!” Joe shouted. “Someone rang the church bell!”

Rose said, “It startled everyone. That other couple—theybothfell right over!”

Audrey cut in with a chuckle. “It was real funny.”

Henry’s face caught fire. Holy heck, him and Robert had helped his friends win the contest! It was like a miracle! Probably no one had come to check on them in the bell tower because everyone had been busy celebrating the end of the marathon.

Henry was still reeling from the information, his cheeks continuing to blaze, when Robert burst out laughing.

“Isn’t thatsomething?” Rose said.

Joe said, “God must have been listenin’ to those prayers of yours.”

Robert laughed even louder.

“What?” Joe said. “Were you two not prayin’ in the chapel, then?”

Henry reached up to rub the back of his neck, huffing a laugh. “No, uhm, we were somewhere else. I’ll tell you about it later.”

Robert elbowed him. Henry cringed. He would have to break it to Robert sometime soon that he’d already told his friends there was something between them. Not that he’d told them everything that had transpired over the last week or so, but Henry was sure neither Joe nor Rose had forgotten the marmalade incident.

“Yeah, you better,” Rose said. “Now let’s take our winnings back to Guymon. If we leave right away, we’ll make it back before bedtime.”

Everyone left for the car together. Halfway to the vehicle, Robert came up to Henry and bumped him with his shoulder, clearly trying to be flirtatious. Henry bumped him right back.

On the way back to Guymon, Joe and Rose took turns behind the wheel so that each of them could sleep a little. Even with the loud roar of the engine, it was impossible for Henry not to want to sleep. Rose and Joe were probably feeling the same way. While Rose and Joe took turns, Henry, Robert, and Audrey slept intermittently as well.

When they finally reached Guymon, the first stop was Robert’s house. Henry volunteered to go inside with him, mostly because he wanted the two of them to spend more time together but also because he wanted to thank Clara for watching the children and tending to the farm so that Robert could come on the trip. Finally, him and Robert had found the time and privacy to kiss!

Robert and Henry waved to Rose and Joe once they reached the porch. The car pulled away, and then the sound of the churning engine was replaced with an eerie silence. Henry furrowed his brow. Why weren’t there no sounds coming from the house? Surely everyone should still be awake. Robert must have thought it was peculiar too. His face was screwed up with what looked to be confusion as he reached for the doorknob.

Inside the house, everything was silent and still. There was a thin layer of brown powder covering the living room space. Oneof the windows had been left open a crack, though some of the topsoil had probably been blown in through the two-inch space between the bottom of the door and the floorboards.

“Clara?” Robert called out as he made his way toward the kitchen.

Henry followed. Simultaneously, Henry and Robert spotted a note resting on the kitchen table. Robert picked it up to read it. Henry made a little circle on the floor with the toe of his shoe.

“It says they’re stayin’ with yer parents,” Robert said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

“Oh.” Henry made a second circle with his foot. “I’m sorry.”

Robert blew out a breath. “Nah, it’s fine. I know they like it there. You Sherwoods have that real marmalade and everything.”

He crumpled the note in his hand and flung it onto the farthest countertop. Henry’s chest pinched, the bitter sadness in Robert’s voice squeezing his heart.

“Hey,” he said, taking Robert’s hand. “I like that carrot marmalade, remember?”

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