"Evelyn, you're not goin' to believe what happened!" An excited Rafe bounded into the kitchen.

She and Sarah had just finished with the preparations and only waited for the hunters to return from what they hoped was a good trip.

They had had to make due without a bird one year when the children were small because Thomas and Rafe had been unable to find a turkey. After that, Sarah had always kept a turkey in the freezer on the back porch, just in case. Rafe and Evelyn had both hoped it would not be necessary this year especially when this was their son's first time on a hunt.

"Honey, you're just not goin' to believe it!" He repeated and grabbed her hand. "You have to see this! You too, Mama."

They followed him out through the kitchen side door and walked to the truck. Thomas had his arm around Danny's shoulders and they both wore ear to ear grins.

Evelyn couldn't remember the last time her husband had been excited about a hunt and couldn't help but smile. "What's all the commotion about?"

"My son got us the Thanksgivin' turkey!" Rafe grinned at her. "You should have seen him, it was a one in a million shot!"

"You'd have been awful proud of him Evelyn, he took down that bird as easy as you please." Thomas added. "I don't know who was more excited, your husband or my grandson."

Danny started to flush as the praise was heaped on him and it again struck Evelyn how much he really looked like Rafe. He may have gotten her dark hair, or maybe it was Danny's, but he was in every other way Rafe's. He was a little reserved like she was around people he didn't know, but once he became familiar with them he was as outgoing as his father was. He had that same cocky grin too, and Evelyn knew he had already set some hearts aflutter at school. Danny, of course, had not told her that Rafe had.

She looked at her son. "Well, let's see this magnificent bird of yours."

She and Sarah walked to the back of the truck just as the two younger McCawley's came around from the front yard. They saw all the excited adults and wanted to know what had happened. When Rafe showed them what their older brother had done, they were just as excited.

Evelyn was so pleased to see her oldest with a smile on his face because since he'd found out that Rafe wasn't his father in the way he thought he was, his smile had nearly vanished. This morning before they had left the house was the first real smile she'd seen in the last month and she hoped this was a start to the healing process that would mend the rift that had developed.

Thomas looked at his oldest grandson. "Well Danny, you've brought home the turkey and now your daddy and I are going to show you how to get it ready for your mama and your grandma." And he hauled the turkey out of the back of the truck and handed it, feet first, to Danny.

Evelyn saw Danny look at his father with a look of hesitation. "Daddy?"

Rafe sighed, he'd never liked this part of it. "Come on son, let's get this over with." And he put a hand on his shoulder as the three McCawley's walked to the barn.

Sarah shook her head. "That boy may never eat turkey again."

Evelyn laughed softly. "He'll get used to it. I was a city girl before Rafe brought me here and it took me awhile to get used to the way you do things."

"I remember the first time we had bacon and you realized where it had come from, you couldn't eat it for a month." She recalled with a smile.

"I think it was that and the fact that I was pregnant with Sarah, only I didn't know it at the time."

Sarah smiled. "That's right, I'd forgotten about that. And I don't know that I ever told you how much it meant to me when you named her for me."

Evelyn put her hand on her mother-in-law's arm. "It was only right since you helped me when I had her."

"How are they doing with all of this?" Sarah asked.

"It's hard to say right now. They're trying so hard to be nice to Danny and I have to keep reminding them to treat him like they always have. Sarah's only twelve, but I think she really worries about him."

"That girl has always been a worrier."

"I always thought that she would be closer to Joseph because they came so close together, but she and Danny have been the two that have been close." Evelyn commented.

"He's her big brother Evelyn. If Thomas and I had been able to give Rafe a sister, he would have been the same way."

"I suppose you're right. I just don't want anything to change between any of them."

The two women walked back into the kitchen arm and arm and Sarah sighed. "Honey, things are bound to change even with all of Rafe's assurances that Danny is his son. But as long as we all keep loving him just like we always have, that will be the most important thing."

A moment Rafe came in with a worried look on his face. "I think we'll be havin' one less for dinner tonight."

"Oh, Rafe." Evelyn sighed.

"He was doin' real well until Daddy..." He didn't feel he needed to elaborate.

"How is he?" Sarah asked him.

"He's feelin' like he let Daddy down." Rafe told her.

"Where is he?" Evelyn asked him.

"He's upstairs. He was too embarrassed to face you and Mama so he came in through the back door."

"You and Evelyn should go talk to him son. He needs to know that there is no shame in what happened, it's all a part of learning to live on a farm."

"He should have been learnin' about all this when he was younger, but I kept puttin' it off."

"There's no shame in that either Rafe. Go talk to him."

Evelyn looked at him and smiled. "You go on. He might be too embarrassed to talk if I'm there and I think he needs his father more than he needs me."

Rafe nodded and walked out of the kitchen toward the stairs.

Sarah sighed. "No one can ever say that Rafe isn't that boy's father."

Evelyn sighed as well. "We never even considered what we were going to tell people."

"Why tell them anything Evelyn? It's no one's darn business who Danny's father is." She frowned.

"Sarah, we've had enough secrets. I don't want anyone in this family to feel they can't tell anyone."

She nodded. "I agree, but if the subject doesn't come up no one has to know."

She looked at Sarah. "That's true."

"We're all facing a new situation honey and we'll figure out what to do as we go along. In the meantime, let's get ready for that bird."

Evelyn nodded as she looked toward the stairs and hoped Danny would be all right.