Chapter 30
Ben’s parents have a comfortable house on a big piece of land on the outskirts of a town called Halbrook in the wilderness.
It’s a pleasant, well-established town in a rural region.
Ben told me his parents originally built a smaller house and then kept adding onto the structure as they needed more room.
I like the motley look of it, recognizing each part they added on over the years. There’s a wide front porch with rocking chairs and a pointy-nosed black-and-white dog who jumps up excitedly when we approach from the guest cottage.
Ben laughs as he leans over to pet the dog when she runs over for a greeting. “I just saw you a little while ago, girl. No need for the exuberant greeting.”
“Don’t listen to him, Duchess,” I tell the dog, petting her in turn. “We all need someone in our lives as happy to see us as you are.”
Duchess pants joyfully and nods her head toward the house. Then she tries to herd us up the porch steps and to the front door.
The main door is open, and only the clear porch door is closed. No one in the Central Cities would dream of leaving their doors unlocked even for a few minutes.
Despite everything that’s told to citizens to make them afraid to cross borders, life is a lot safer and more secure here in the wilderness.
Part of me would like to stay. Surrender the fight and make a peaceful life here.
But that’s not the main part of me. The deepest part.
I’m not giving up the fight.
Maybe Ben senses what I’m thinking, or maybe he’s still washed with warm satisfaction from our sex earlier. Whatever the reason, he takes my hands as we walk through a big, cozy living room toward the kitchen and dining area in the back of the house.
“Dad got called out because someone’s vehicle stalled on the road,” Ben says. “But he’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”
Ben’s father used to work as a mechanic and still goes to help when someone radios for help with their vehicles. He’s over seventy. Almost no one gets that old in the Central Cities, but things are different here in the wilderness.
“He’s on his way back now.” The cheerful voice is from his mother, who is leaning over to check something in the oven. “Good morning, Annabelle. Did you sleep well?”
“I slept great,” I tell her with a smile. It smells delicious, like baking, and I sniff the air appreciatively. “Thank you. I haven’t slept this well in years.”
“Well, you need it.” Layne is quite a bit younger than her husband—maybe early sixties.
But her heart-shaped face and wide blue eyes are still startlingly pretty, and her white hair is pulled into two long braids.
“You could sleep for weeks and probably still not catch up on your rest after all you’ve gone through. ”
“I actually feel pretty good now, and hopefully my endurance will return soon.” I’ve taken a bench at the kitchen table, and Ben slides onto it beside me. “I feel bad if you’ve been up for hours working and I’ve been sleeping late in bed.”
“It’s not that late. And when you’re my age, you might have trouble sleeping late too. I’ve got apple and oatmeal muffins baking. They’ll be done soon. Would you like some juice or milk?”
“Both, if that’s not too indulgent.” I glance up at Ben to check his expression, but he clearly isn’t surprised or disapproving of my request.
“Of course you can have both! I know you don’t get enough vitamins and calcium.” Layne starts pouring juice into two glasses. It’s either apple or white grape juice. “Ben, you’re getting both too.”
“All right then.” There’s a smile in his voice and on his face. “Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome.” She hands us the juice before she pours out the milk. “We didn’t have cows in this region until a couple of years after Ben was born, so I feel like I’ve been pushing milk on him ever since.”
“She has,” Ben says. “You should sit down, Mom. You don’t have to serve us.”
“I like to fix food for you. All my babies have long deserted me, so it’s a treat to have someone here to spoil.”
“Your babies haven’t deserted you. You have a million grandbabies and even a great-grandbaby. You’re not lackin’ for babies.”
Layne laughs, a rippling, genuine sound that’s impossible not to appreciate. “I know.” She pulls the muffins out of the oven with a hot pad and sets them down before she turns back toward us. “Isn’t it kind of crazy that I’m a great-grandmother at sixty-three?”
“No, it’s not crazy.” Ben frowns at her. “Why would it be crazy?”
“I don’t know. But when I was sixteen, before Impact, I never would have dreamed my life would look like this. Life is always surprising.”
“It better be surprisin’ in a good way.” The new voice comes from the doorway of the kitchen, with a deep drawl that’s even stronger than Ben’s. “Unless you’re usin’ my absence to complain about your life with a grumpy, smelly man.”
Ben’s father, Travis, steps into the kitchen, dressed in faded jeans and a plaid, untucked shirt. His gray hair is chin-length, his face shows his age, and his eyes are the same blue gray as Ben’s.
“You’re not nearly as grumpy or smelly as you used to be. And my only complaint will be if you try to kiss me before you wash your hands and face.” Layne is beaming at her husband but holding up a hand to stop his motion toward her. “I don’t want grease all over me.”
Travis makes a show of grumbling, but I’ve never seen a man more satisfied with his life and woman and family as that man is.
Maybe Ben will get the chance to be that age too. Maybe he’ll be as pleased with his life as his father is.
I really hope so.
By the time Travis washes up at the sink, the muffins are cool enough to plate, so he has to wait while Layne serves us muffins, fruit, and bacon before he gets to kiss her.
“So what’s the plan for today?” Travis asks after his kiss, sitting in the chair across the table from Ben and me and accepting a glass of juice from Layne. When she goes to get her own muffin and milk, he pulls her into the chair beside him. “You got anythin’ goin’ on?”
“Zed asked if I’d help do some repairs in the school, but I don’t think they’ll take too long.”
“And don’t forget we’re having dinner with Jess and Gabriel,” I say.
Gabriel stole the Arsenal plans for us last year when he escaped from his administrative job in the Capitol.
I didn’t know it at the time, but he’s from the wilderness too, his hometown not far from Ben’s.
He’s several years older than Ben, so they weren’t friends growing up.
But their acquaintance is how Gabriel knew how to contact us for help when he was trying to get across the border last year.
All this he only told me recently since he wanted me to make up my own mind about whether to trust him.
Gabriel and his partner, Jess, now live in a neighboring town, so I’ve been able to get to know them.
“Yeah, I got that in my head. Don’t think the repairs will take too long.”
Ben has been asked to help out with jobs a lot since we arrived, but I suspect it’s mostly because people want to spend time with him while he’s here. He’s much beloved in this area.
He deserves it.
“If y’all have time, you can stop by Cal’s birthday party Friday evening,” Travis says. “Rachel wanted to make sure you know you’re both invited.”
“Oh sure, I wouldn’t miss it.” Ben glances down at me. “Do you mind? You remember Cal from before, don’t you?”
“Of course I remember Cal.” Even Ben at his grumpiest and gruffest can’t begin to rival Cal. “I’d love to go to his party. Although he doesn’t strike me as someone who will appreciate a big party in his honor.”
“Oh, he’ll act like he hates it, but he’s turning eighty-five. He’s getting a party whether he wants one or not.” Layne is laughing, and so am I.
Then I take a bite of the muffin, and it might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
So my good morning continues.
Ben must recognize how happy I am. He slides an arm around me and gives me a squeeze. Then leans down to murmur into my ear, “All good?”
It’s better than good. I’m not sure how or why it happened, but the future is no longer one bleak narrow road.
It’s opened up to wide vistas and gently rolling hills and an ever-changing cast of sunlight.
I have no idea what might be waiting around each curve or incline, and it’s so much better that way.
I beam up at Ben. “All good.”
Two weeks later, Ben and I are taking a hike. It took some doing to convince him I’m ready for such a long exertion, but he finally caved.
And I feel good. Really good. I’ve got my hiking boots on and my pistol on my hip and my hair wound up in a knot to keep it out of my way. The mountain breeze is brisk and fresh, and the sky is clear and sharp.
I love it. I love all of it.
Ben keeps sneaking glances at my face, and I know it’s because he’s pleased to see me so happy. He’s happy too, and it’s impossible not to see how much.
“Have you thought about how long you wanna stay here before we go back?” he asks as we stand at the top of the trail and look down at the autumn landscape, the hills rippling like a rumpled quilt.
“I don’t know. What were you thinking?”
“I’m thinkin’ what I always think. I go where you go. Always.”
I pull down his big head for a quick kiss before I say, “Well, I don’t see any reason to rush back.
We can’t join up with the others for a few more months, and there’s not all that much we can do alone.
Maybe we can leave about a month early so we can spend a few weeks with Teresa, Mason, and the kids. ”
“Sounds good to me.”
“That gives us a lot of time to enjoy being here.”
“Sure does.” He searches my face quickly. “You’re not gettin’ restless? Thought maybe you were.”
“I was getting restless to get more active, but I don’t need to jump back into the fight right away. I’m actually enjoying getting a break from that. You’re not bored, are you?”
“Never. One thing’s for sure, no way to get bored when I spend my life with you.”
We’ve made it down the mountain and are walking beside a country road that curves through the trees for a few more miles before it reaches Halbrook.
Since we’re not in a hurry, we’re taking our time, and we step off the road as a courtesy when we hear an engine approaching.
It’s an old pickup truck from the old world, still rattling along the road decades after it was built.
Ben waves. Around here, he waves at everyone we pass.
The man driving the truck lifts his hand off the steering wheel in a brief gesture, but I don’t like the looks of him. I couldn’t even explain why.
Then, as the truck passes, I see a woman in the back.
It’s hard to tell because the vehicle is moving quickly, but something sounds alarm bells in my mind at the sight of her. Her expression is strained. She’s sitting awkwardly with her arms behind her, like her wrists might be bound. And her lips move when she meets my eyes.
Help.
It happens in the space of a few seconds, but I’m convinced she’s asking for help.
Ben must see the same thing because he runs to the top of the hill to look down at the truck as it drives away. “I see where it’s turnin’ off,” he says when I catch up. “Not much down that gravel road.”
It’s been a long hike. I haven’t done this much activity since I was shot. I’m tired and was looking forward to a rest this afternoon.
But I saw that woman’s face, and it spoke to me.
I turn my eyes up at Ben.
His face softens. “Say the word, baby, and we’ll do it. I’m always at your service.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. It’s you I love, and this is you.”
I give him a wobbly smile as thanks before I stare down at the stretch of road and at the place where the truck turned off. I check my pistol in its holster, although I already know it’s fully loaded.
“Okay. Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Then Ben and I start down the road.