Over the next few years that Wade spent living with the Shaws, Clyde’s words of wisdom often ran through his mind: You must learn not to be a lone wolf, son. Because of Clyde, Wade learned how to be part of a family with all of its joys and sorrows. He came to address Clyde as 'Pa', and he grew to love everyone in the family—even Sadie. He was grateful for the direction his life had taken, and he knew that if Clyde had not brought him home that day he’d stolen the bread, he likely would have ended up in jail like his natural father.

Wade was reminded of this unexpectedly one day. Clyde came home from work and retired briefly to his room after greeting them. A short time later, he emerged with a somber expression. “Children, come sit down,” he said, his voice grave. “We have a matter to discuss.”

Before he’d spoken, the younger children had been laughing and playing, and Wade and Sadie were both busy reading. Upon hearing Clyde’s voice, the room fell silent. Wade had never heard Clyde speak in such a way, and his stomach clenched in sudden, inexplicable fear.

Clyde sat in his armchair and waited for the kids to get situated around him.  “All of you know right from wrong, don’t you?” he began. Upon witnessing a nod from each child, he continued. “If you take something that doesn’t belong to you, what’s that called?”

Nothing but the sound of breathing could be heard until Grace murmured, “Stealing,” in a hushed voice.

“That’s right,” Clyde said. “Stealing is a very bad thing to do. Now, one of you has stolen money from my nightstand. The person who has done so will be punished, but I will be more lenient if you confess right now.”

Wade looked around the room. The children wore matching expressions of confusion. He caught Grace’s eye and noticed her look of concern focused at him. Grace was so transparent in her feelings that Wade realized immediately that she thought he’d stolen the money and was concerned about him being punished. The knot in his stomach tightened as the knowledge sank in that he was definitely the most likely suspect out of all the children.

When no one spoke, Clyde said, “Last chance for the culprit to confess. Believe me when I say it’s better to tell me now.” He looked at each of them and, if Wade wasn’t mistaken, his hard gaze lingered on Wade for an especially long time.

“Very well,” Clyde said, his voice angry. He rose to his feet.

It was the first time Wade had ever seen Clyde truly angry, and it was a horrible sight.

“We’ll do this the hard way then. Everyone, get to your room!” Clyde barked, pointing in the direction of the bedrooms. “I’ll speak to you one at a time, from youngest to oldest. You first, Ada.”

Ada burst into tears as the rest of the children rushed to obey. “I didn’t steal it, Pa!” she wailed.

Before Wade closed the door to his room behind him, he saw Clyde take the child onto his lap in a comforting hold. No doubt Clyde knew Ada hadn’t taken the money, but he was still going to speak to her to find out relevant information. He was a marshal, after all, and interviewing witnesses was what he did.

Wade sat on his cot and looked at Miles and Luke, wondering if one of them would have taken the money. He knew Grace wouldn’t have. He couldn’t picture Sadie stealing it either. The whole business didn’t make much sense.

Clyde called in Miles and Luke separately, followed quickly by Grace. After the marshal’s interrogation, he didn’t allow them to return to their room; instead, he sent them outside.

Wade was left alone for what seemed like a very long time while Clyde spoke to Sadie. Because their conversation lasted so long, Wade wondered if, in fact, Sadie had stolen the money. He never would have suspected her of doing such a thing, but he supposed it wasn’t impossible.

His heart pounded heavily when he heard the whine of the front door, signaling that Sadie had gone outside with the other children. Wade thought he might die of anticipation when Clyde didn’t immediately call him into the living room. Instead, after another period of time had passed, the front door opened, and Sadie’s voice could be heard once again.

Wade strained his ears when he thought he heard his name but then shook his head in frustration. He couldn’t make out anything else besides that.

Moments later, he heard Clyde’s boots clipping across the floor toward him before the bedroom door opened. “Come on out here, Wade,” Clyde said.

He couldn’t get a read on what was happening based on the tone of Clyde’s voice, which sounded even and free from emotion. Wade followed him into the living room and drew a sharp breath at the scene. Sadie was sitting on the sofa, and on the table next to her was his jar of money. His eyes darted back and forth between them. Before that moment, he hadn’t been aware that either of them knew the location of the money he’d earned for his chores.

Wade sat on the far end of the sofa away from Sadie while Clyde sat in his armchair and leaned forward, placing his elbows on his legs and folding his hands together. Wade could read sadness in his features, but also deep anger, and he knew both were about to be directed at him.

“I’ll come right to the point, Wade,” Clyde said. His voice was carefully measured, as though struggling to keep his anger at bay. “Sadie led me to the jar where you’ve been stashing the money you’ve earned working for me, and in there, I found the money stolen from my nightstand, rolled up exactly how I had left it.”

Wade’s mouth and throat turned dry, and a heat crept up into his cheeks and around his ears. He was so overwhelmed with disbelief and panic he couldn’t even speak and instead stared dumbly at Clyde before looking at Sadie. Her lips were twisted in a cruel smirk, and a look of triumph emanated from her eyes.

“Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” Clyde asked, his voice raised.

“I didn’t steal it,” Wade said. His own voice sounded foreign to him—hoarse and uncertain.

Clyde frowned at him, his eyebrows joining together to form a look of immense displeasure. “The proof is sitting on the table, young man, and you dare lie to my face?”

Wade shook his head. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Pa. I-I swear.”

Clyde’s jaw clenched. “How do you suppose the money got into the jar?”

Wade looked at Sadie again. He was sure as the day was long that she’d set him up and framed him for the theft. He wished he’d been honest when Clyde had asked how he and Sadie were getting along. He wished he’d reported her every mean and petty action over the years instead of remaining quiet and stoic. It was too late for that now. If he told Clyde that Sadie was responsible for framing him, it would sound preposterous.

“Someone must have planted it there to get me in trouble,” Wade said, knowing how weak his explanation sounded. If he were Clyde, he wouldn’t believe him.

As expected, Clyde’s scowl deepened. He looked at Sadie, who acted convincingly surprised by Wade’s suggestion. “Who here would do that?” she exclaimed. “None of us has ever stolen so much as a penny. What about you? Have you ever stolen anything, Wade?”

Of course he had. Sadie knew that, and so did Clyde. He’d stolen other people’s clothes, food, and money while he was homeless, but he hadn’t stolen a thing since being under Clyde’s roof.

“Didn’t your pa rob a bank?” Sadie asked in a faux innocent voice, further stoking the flames of suspicion. “Maybe it’s in your blood. Maybe you can’t help yourself,” she added.

“That’s enough, Sadie,” Clyde said sternly.

Wade looked beseechingly at him, silently begging the only father figure he’d ever loved and respected to believe his explanation for what had happened.

Clyde gazed at him, now appearing more sad than angry. “I trusted you, Wade,” he said quietly. “I’ve only wanted to help and support you.”

“Please believe me, I didn’t do this,” Wade said. “I would never want to disappoint you.” He could feel tears forming. He tried blinking them away but was unsuccessful. They streamed down his face. He didn’t care about the whipping or whatever punishment Clyde had in store for him. He only cared that Clyde believe him.

The marshal scrubbed a hand around his face and sighed deeply before standing to his feet. He walked the one stride to Wade and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Your fear of disappointing me has prevented you from being honest, son. I’d be less disappointed if you’d confessed instead of trying to shift blame to someone else.”

Wade buried his face in his hands, feeling wretched and sick to his stomach. Tears wet his palms.

“Sadie, go outside with the other children,” Clyde ordered.

“All right,” she said slowly. The weight of the sofa shifted as she stood.

Wade hadn’t cried in front of them before. He didn’t cry at all normally, but he couldn’t help the stream of tears this time. He kept his face hidden in his hands, so he couldn’t see Sadie, but he heard her walk to the door.

She didn’t leave right away. Clearing her throat, she said, “Uh, don’t be too hard on him, Pa.” Her voice sounded hesitant, sad even, and Wade wondered if she regretted what she’d done. When she still lingered instead of leaving, he even wondered if she might come clean. Instead, she walked outside and closed the door firmly behind her.

The sofa depressed as Clyde sat next to him. Wade was experiencing heartbreak like he’d never felt before. He wished to be anywhere but there in Clyde’s cabin, the focus of so much anger and disappointment. He wasn’t guilty of this crime, but he still felt an incredible amount of shame. He didn’t belong there. He wasn’t like Clyde’s other children, who were unsullied by the sins of the past. His father was a criminal, and for two years Wade had been one too. When it came right down to it, he knew that’s what Clyde saw when he looked at him.

Finally, Clyde broke the silence. “Do you remember what I said to you the day we met, Wade?”

Wade didn’t remove his hands from his face, but he nodded in response.

“So you remember me saying I believe in being lenient with children, in giving them lots of chances to get things right?”

“Yes, sir. I remember,” Wade said, running the backs of his hands over his eyes to wipe away the tears. He looked at Clyde, who was regarding him with concern. All anger and sadness were absent from his expression.

“I still believe that, Wade. And more importantly, I believe in you. There’s nothing you can do, including stealing from me, that would make me change my mind. I see the good in you and how much you’ve helped this family. Seeing you all broken down right now… It’s hard for me to watch, honestly, and I can’t stay angry with you.”

Wade’s nose burned as he struggled to get ahold of his emotions. He felt a strong sense of injustice, but he also felt relieved hearing Clyde’s words, and some of his shame lifted. Even if Clyde didn’t believe him, at least Wade could be assured of his forgiveness.

In that moment, Wade realized that the easiest path would be to admit responsibility. It was the fastest way to get this horrible business behind him and to return to the way things were. “I’m sorry, Pa,” Wade said, his voice wavering. “I won’t steal from you again.”

A look of relief filled Clyde’s features. “Thank you, son. But what was the purpose for stealing the money? I don’t understand it.”

Wade searched his mind for an explanation. “I suppose I… Well, I don’t know.” He couldn’t think of a single reason to steal from Clyde.

“Did you want more money so you could set out on your own sooner? With that amount, you could probably make it to California and start a new life.”

Wade shook his head. “No, Pa. I like it here. I don’t want to leave.”

Clyde studied him, searching for some kind of explanation, as Wade searched his mind doing the same. Finally, he settled on something that Clyde might understand. “I saw the money and stole it without thinking. I guess I forgot I wasn’t on the run anymore. I’m sorry, Pa.”

Clyde shook his head, still looking troubled and confused. The explanation was weak, but it was all that Wade could come up with. Clyde scraped his fingers back through his hair. “Well, son, you’re forgiven, of course, but I must punish you. And you must never lie to me or steal from anyone again.”

Wade shook his head. “Never again.”

“If you were a year older and you’d stolen this much money from someone else, you’d go to jail for a long time. It’s important to learn from your mistakes now, so you don’t suffer worst consequences when you become a man. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, sir.”

“All right,” Clyde said, sighing. “I sure hate punishing you, but I wouldn’t be much of a father if I didn’t. For the next week, you come home right after school and stay in your room. Someone will bring you supper, but you won’t be permitted to socialize. And I’ll have some extra chores for you on the weekend. Is that clear?”

Wade met Clyde’s gaze mournfully. He didn’t say what he was thinking, which was that the punishment was lenient to the point of ridiculousness. Even when Clyde was trying to be strict after a serious infraction, he couldn’t help but go easy on his kids.

“Yes, sir. It’s clear.” Wade reckoned he should have guessed that Clyde wouldn’t whip him. He’d rarely witnessed Clyde raise his voice, let alone his hand. The worst punishment Clyde could inflict was his disappointment, which was plenty punishment enough. Wade felt as though he couldn’t survive another minute of it.

Clyde nodded, satisfied, and stood to his feet. As he walked toward the front door, Wade stood also. “Pa?”

“Yes, son?” Clyde turned to face him.

Wade loved the man who had taken on the role of his father. He wished he had the words to express that, but he couldn’t find them. Instead, he walked to Clyde, wrapped his arms around his waist, and buried his head in his chest. “I’m sorry,” he said for the third time, knowing that Clyde wouldn’t know the meaning behind the apology. Wade was sorry Clyde felt the pain of betrayal, and he was sorry he hadn’t figured out a way to take it away. Clyde was the last person on Earth who deserved to be betrayed.

Of course, Clyde thought his apology related to Wade’s theft. He returned the hug immediately. “Now, now, Wade,” he said, squeezing him tight. “You’re forgiven. Don’t you spend another minute fretting about it, you hear?”

“Yes, sir,” Wade said, letting his arms fall to his side. Clyde tousled his hair and walked outside to talk with the other children.

Though Wade felt off-kilter from what had happened, a big part of him was at peace. He felt certain that one day soon, Clyde would know the truth. In the meantime, Clyde wasn’t angry with him and Wade planned to do everything in his power to prove his loyalty and respect.