Again, her past was not important to him. "Only if you want. And Edna can come stay with us. Her dogs and cats too, if she has them. Maybe she can help you with the other Becky, and the Bobby and Billy or Sarah we'll have, to play with Tim."
So he liked having a big family. She had always wanted one.
Stephen thought he heard something ahead and stopped her.
Again they took the foal into hiding deeper in the forest as sunlight streaked down from the canopy overhead.
The sound of vehicles rumbling on the nearby road grew louder to them. Then they heard the singing...
"Bless 'em all, bless 'em all, bless the long and the short and the tall. Bless the kind sergeant who tucks us in bed, then throws ice water to cool off our head! Bless 'em all, bless 'em all..." "They're GI's!" Stephen exclaimed, hugging Barbara.
They left the cover of the woods and hurried out to the road with the foal. Stephen began calling and waving to drivers of a pair of jeeps that were bouncing up the mountain road.
Barbara had a better idea. Putting two fingers in her mouth, she let out a loud, shrill New York taxi cab whistle she rarely had a chance to practice anymore. It brought the lead jeep to a sharp stop, and the one behind almost rammed into it.
"You do have hidden talents!" Stephen laughed.
Barbara led Becky to the lead jeep and kissed the driver, a stocky red-headed teenaged corporal whose face flushed to match the color of his hair. Stephen was so glad to see both of them, he almost kissed the lanky young driver of the other jeep. Just to be safe, the private put a hand up to stop him.
"So you found the little horsey," the corporal said. "We've been on patrol to find you two. Climb in, unless you want me to salute." To Stephen he added, "You're a captain, aren't you?"
"Yes, but salute her instead," Stephen said. "She deserves it more."
They put the foal in the back of the corporal's jeep while Barbara sat next to her, and Stephen rode in the private's jeep. Within ten minutes they were in a reconnaissance company's bivouac and Stephen made his report to another captain. Not half an hour later they were having breakfast with him.
Afterward, Barbara supervised care of the foal and her ride in a truck with a good bed of straw while the two captains each drove jeeps at the head of a convoy heading for Vienna.