Yet, that habit was another reason I appreciated my brother-in-law’s visits. He occasionally brought a book to help restore my library, most of which had been destroyed when the soldiers fired my farm.
During one visit, Gideon noted that Winter Bird seemed to go out of his way to avoid him. My brother-in-law asked if wearing mufti rather than his uniform would make things easier for my friend.
At the time, I was in the forge fashioning a tray Rachel Ann had asked me to make. I laid the hammer on the anvil and shook my head. “Nay. He would see through the shirt and trousers to the soldier beneath. Besides, Bird needs to learn all shades of men wear that uniform. Some are trustworthy, and some are not, as is true of all endeavors. He will come around in time.”