Frank Greerson and Gregory Young have been discharged from the Army and are headed to their childhood homes. They both defied their parents in 1861 when they joined the Army. After battling southern rebels and preserving the Union of the United States of America, the two men set out to battle the Kansas Prairie and build a life together. Once they find their claim, they encounter common obstacles to life on the Kansas Prairie in 1866: Native Americans, tornadoes, wild animals, and weather.<br><br>When a prairie fire destroys their crops and takes their neighbor’s lives, Frank and Gregory are instructed to find their young son’s aunt. Faced with leaving a destroyed claim, the railroad coming through their land, and dwindling funds, Frank and Gregory must decide whether to leave the place they have worked hard to make their own or fulfill their friends' dying wishes.

A Place to Call Their Own

It was nice to sleep in and feel rested. As he walked, the bugs jumped out of the prairie grass. Birds soon followed them, feasting on the insects. Sally leapt at the birds as they appeared in her sight, and Frank chuckled.


When he reached the river, Frank knelt beside the water. He washed his face to help him wake up. The water was chilly and refreshing at the same time. He suppressed his temptation to strip down and jump into the water right at that moment. He filled the coffee pot and the water bucket and headed back home. Home, and not back to camp. When he got back, Gregory was going through his morning ritual of gently waking up. Frank put some wood on the remnants of the previous night’s fire and set the coffee pot on it. He threw together some quick biscuits and salt pork for breakfast.


“The first thing I want to do is take a long bath in the river,” Gregory finally said between bites. As always, Frank let him start talking first in the mornings.


Chapter 22