If You Believe

"Im right here, Rass. Right here. " She squeezed his hand.

He frowned, tried to focus. "Mad Dog—that you?"

For a moment, Mad Dog couldnt speak past the lump of emotion in his throat. "Im here, Rass. "

A tired smile pulled at one side of Rass!s blue-tinged lips. "Well, Ill be damned . . . "

"Rass, I want you to eat something. . . . " Mariah began.

Rass stopped her with a slow wave of his good hand. "No point in eating. "

She gasped softly. "Rass, dont—"

"I want to sit on the porch swing," he said in a thick, slurred voice. "See the night sky one last time. "

Mariah drew in an unsteady breath. "Dont say that!"

Rass turned sad, rheumy blue eyes on Mad Dog. Carry me out to the swing, will you?"

Mad Dog felt the sting of tears. Rass looked so old and tired . . . so unlike himself.

His once vibrant smile was lopsided and slack. "Sure. "

He bent down and scooped Rass into his arms, then gently lifted him. He weighed less than nothing.

"HI be right there," Mariah said.

Mad Dog nodded. Cradling the old man carefully, he carried him down the stairs.

Mariah appeared on the porch a minute later, carrying pillows and blankets. She quickly made up a bed of sorts, pulling up a padded stool for Rasss feet.

Mad Dog eased Rass onto the swing.

"Sit with me, Mariah," Rass said in a wheezing, tired voice.

Mariah sat beside her father. He leaned against her, and she curled her arms around his frail body. Together, they half sat, half lay in the porch swing. It creaked slowly back and forth, filling the quiet night with sound.

Rass glanced up at Mad Dog through sad, knowing eyes. That look hit Mad Dog hard, stealing his ability to breathe for a second. Hed seen that look before, in his mothers eyes, just moments before she died.

"Get Jake . . . "

Mad Dog swallowed hard. Sadness clogged in a thick lump in his chest. "Sure," he rasped. He waited a minute, afraid to leave, then slowly he turned and walked away.

He knew where hed find Jake; the boy hadnt left the barn since Rass had been brought home two days ago. He just sat up there in the darkness, rocking silently back and forth.

Mariah watched Mad Dog walk away. When he disappeared, she tightened her hold on her father. "I knew youd come back to me. I knew . . . "

"Youre going to have to be strong. " Her fathers breathy voice cut through her sentence.

She stiffened. "Youre not going anywhere—"

He coughed. "Im dying, Boo. . . . "

Tears welled in her eyes, moist and hot. She shook her head. "No, Rass. No. "

He sighed tiredly and looked at her. In his watery blue eyes was a sadness that made her physically ill. "Youve got to

accept this, Mariah. You cant hide from it or run away. "