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

“Well, once we reunited with our regiment and the battle was over, I kind of went crazy. Frank started hanging around another gentleman.” Gregory gulped down a big drink of his coffee.


“I couldn’t stand seeing him with anyone else,” Gregory said, smiling over his cup. “Once I worked through my issues and knew that I loved him, I begged him to take me back.”


“Well, I’m glad he did,” Sarah said. “We might not have met you if he hadn’t.”


“Well, it took some convincing, but here we are.”


“But what changed for you, Mr. Young?”


“I have an uncle who lives in Chicago,” Gregory said, “He lives with another man. I visited them a couple of summers when I was younger, before I was old enough to help out on the farm. I hadn’t thought about him in a long time, but my ma wrote about getting a letter from him. I wrote to him about the situation, and he wrote me back. He helped me through it.”


“And why Kansas?” Sarah asked. “Why did you choose here?”


Chapter 36