Rebuilding Appaloosa Plains

Matthew needed Dorothy now more than ever. He had been holding up relatively well since his father had passed, but she knew he was struggling. All winter, Matthew spent a lot more time in bed. She hadn't seen him do any writing—he'd barely gone near his computer at all. The whole family got together for Christmas at Emery's house, but the sadness in the air was obvious. A few tears were shed. However, overall it had gone better than Dorothy expected. She was on her best behaviour; she hadn't taunted Aria at all, and she found she quite liked Colette. Still, Matthew seemed emotionally drained for days after the event. Dorothy did her best to keep up with the house cleaning and caring for the pets. She didn't want to complain about how much work it was maintaining things while Matthew took time to grieve. She knew he needed her support, she just wished it involved less litter box cleaning. Matthew was doing a little better by the time the frost melted an...