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

“Did Nordhuff seem nervous inside the house?”


“A bit. He lost some color when he noticed the dust on the other bed. But he wasn’t nervous enough not to eat.”


“I just don’t want trouble. Since I’ve met you, all I’ve thought about is us living somewhere alongside neighbors, as if we were one of them.”


It did not take much to persuade the McAvoys to help with the cabin and barn raising. Sarah Nordhuff and Mrs. McAvoy prepared a grand summer picnic after the end of three days of building.


“Thank you to everyone for your help in putting a roof back over my family’s heads,” Jeremiah said while everyone was finishing up.


“That’s what neighbors are for—” Gregory started to reply.


Frank cut him off. “Besides, your house and stable are twice as good as ours. It’s the third and fourth cabins we’ve built in the past two months’.”


“And just in time for Independence Day,” Sarah said.


Chapter 29