Then I walked away.
Months later, Eli and I moved into the Carson house Daniel had chosen.
The porch leaned slightly, the kitchen needed paint, and the upstairs plumbing made strange noises. But the house was ours.
Hank helped repair the porch. Major Hensley helped secure the remaining legal records. General Collins visited with a challenge coin for Eli.
One evening, Eli and I sat outside beneath a clear sky.
“Can bad memories find us here?” he asked.
“They might visit,” I said. “But they don’t get keys.”
He looked at the front door.
“Can we change the locks anyway?”
I smiled.
“Every single one.”
Using Daniel’s trust and support from local authorities, I later helped create a desert emergency response program. Highway cameras, truck drivers, and police departments worked together to locate stranded travelers more quickly.
A reporter asked Eli what the program should be called.
He answered without hesitation.
“The Warm Road. Because nobody should be left alone in the cold.”
