Epilogue
Five years later
Barrett
The landscape looks different now.
The summer sunset reflects off the mountains in the distance. The compound is gone. There’s no barbed wire on the other side of the creek. It’s just us and this valley.
By us, I mean Goldie, me, our children, and too many friends to name.
Tonight, the little kids and teenagers splash in the creek, ride horses, climb fences, and roast marshmallows.
We told the children it was a big family reunion that included friends, too.
I wince as our daughters stand too close to the campfire.
Goldie slips her hand in mine and squeezes. “Don’t worry, Barrett. Jaxyn is good with them. Look.”
Louisa’s teen brother, Jaxyn, carefully shows Leda and Pandora how to roast marshmallows with a campfire skewer.
I look down at my wife and lift her hand to my lips, kissing her ring finger. The simple gold bands that Curly gave us have not yet been replaced.
The old man said to keep them until we picked out something better. But then, our lives became about raising kids and helping the women and children escape the compound.
Year after year, the number of safe houses grew. Getting people out was just the beginning. There was permanent housing to find and jobs to secure. All the while, we were constantly pushing back against the church’s attempts to normalize themselves in the eyes of society. Against the local government corruption. All of it became a full-time job.
It’s now over, and I’m not sure what we’re going to do next.
Tonight, the adults have big decisions to make.
On the picnic table, Wylie unrolls a huge property map.
He points to the section that used to belong to the church. All that land now is owned by Sterling Ranch.
“What are you gonna do with it?” Ellis asks. Louisa, his wife, nods. She wants to know, too, as whatever happens to Sterling Ranch will affect their neighboring farm. Over the last five years, the two of them have turned Ellis’s grandmother’s farm into a thriving eco-tourism spot, with a farm store that sells honey, cheese, and artisan goods made by some of the cult’s escapees.
Wylie rubs his hands together. By his side, Olivia bounces on the balls of her feet. Their eight-month-old son, Nolan, naps in the arms of his uncle Jake nearby. Wylie’s other brother, Ennis, tries to take the sleeping baby away while Jake fights him off. I laugh when I notice this, and Goldie rolls her eyes.
“I wanna wait for Curly and Audrey. Oh, here they are,” Wylie says.
The longtime ranch cook and the tireless public defender join us at the table, looking at Wylie expectantly. Georgie adjusts the toddler on her hip.
“Audrey, do you want to tell them?” Wylie asks.
She nods. “Wylie wants to donate the land back to the Crow Tribe.”
A hush goes over the crowd.
“Including the ranch,” Olivia blurts. It seems she’s been bursting to let out this secret.
“Cool,” I hear to my right. My brother, Theo, beams at me. I smile at him. Whatever happens next, I’m just happy he’s with us again.
“That’s a huge portion of the valley. What about all your employees?” Ellis asks.
“He’s offered a very generous severance package.”All eyes turn to Dani, the ranch hand, who adds, “I mean, I never intended to work with these knuckleheads for the rest of my life. I do have other goals.”
She nudges Ennis, who playfully brushes her off, and everyone laughs.
Audrey explains, “I’ve been talking about it with the Crow leadership. They say they’re interested. The Department of the Interior has a program that makes it a fairly easy process, if that’s what Wylie wants to do.”
Ellis looks at Louisa, then bows his head at Wylie. “I think that sounds like the perfect plan.”
“I support it too,” Louisa says.
“What are you gonna do without the ranch?” I ask.
I want to know, not because I care about what he does with his land. I just want to know where my friend is going.
Wylie and Olivia exchange looks. Wylie nods. “We’re moving to Missoula. I’m retiring.”
“And I’m writing a book!” Olivia says. Then, she looks around the table, meeting Louisa’s and Goldie’s eyes. “More specifically, we’re writing a book. You, and you, and me. If you want to.”
Goldie’s jaw drops.
Louisa squeals, “Yes!”
I squeeze Goldie’s hand. “Well?”
She nods. “Absolutely, I want to write a book with the two of you.”
Olivia clutches her chest in relief. “Thank god, because my agent said the publisher wants all three of us, and I already said yes.”
Everyone laughs at this because everyone knows about Olivia’s tendency to get the ball rolling without thinking too far ahead.
The laughter turns to excited chatter, and soon, someone pops a bottle of champagne.
We toast to new beginnings.
Nothing has turned out the way I thought it would when I first isolated myself in the mountains.
I thought I didn’t need anyone.
But it turned out, people needed me.
It took some time to take down the Celestial Order of Covenant Kinship once and for all. It took a lot of people.
And it took one small effort, day by day, to make sure the innocent were unharmed in the process.
Many days and nights were spent with our friends gathered around the big table at Sterling Ranch, poring over maps, lists, and charts. Tonight, we’ve mapped out something completely different.
Goldie, Louisa, and Olivia get to tell their stories.
I’ve learned to roll with the punches. Goldie, Leda, and Pandora are my constants, keeping me grounded.
I look around at all the people here tonight.
So many of them played a much bigger part than I did.
But those are not my stories to tell.
I’m just happy to know them all.
THE END
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