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

Gregory stopped stitching and looked at Frank. “If you think I’m going to be separated from you, you’re crazy. Whatever we decide, we do it together.”


They stayed up later than they should have, but the exhaustion just helped them sleep better. They moved James to the other bedroom before going to bed themselves, but when they woke, he was sleeping peacefully between them. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours, but the boy was becoming attached to both of them.


He squealed in delight at the new clothes waiting for him in the morning, and for a moment, he forgot about his grief. It was like Christmas morning, only without his parents. Big tears welled up in his eyes and spilled over onto his cheeks, one at a time.


“You don’t suppose they’ll be mad that I’m happy to have new clothes, will they?” he asked.


Chapter 54