It had been two months since the first victim was claimed at Heartstead Ranch by the Red Fever.
Proprietors like Tristan and Shannon had to make adjustments—stop-gap measures to feed their workers and their families. Trade had slowed to nothing; wagons stood idle, and every settlement now lived off its own stores.
Good thing Eira had the foresight to plant root crops and green vegetables in the vacant patches around Greystone. It didn't have to be a large tract of land —every bit of soil was used for food.
She had done that long before the Red Fever reached them, inspired by the small success of Chordlight Cottage.
That cottage, once Shannon's private retreat inside Heartstead Ranch, had become Tristan's first real home after his healing at the Safehouse.
