Chapter 9 #2
“I hear you,” Jeff said and ushered her out.
Grace left the station with her heart pounding and her knees knocking.
She’d done it. Gosh, she felt quite sick to her stomach.
Her mother would have been both proud and horrified if she knew.
Her hands were tingling, and oddly, she felt quite alive.
More alive than she usually did. Alive and relieved that she didn’t have to stretch the truth anymore that evening.
By the time she reached the house, she felt much better.
She hadn’t been sick despite stopping twice to dry heave.
There was definitely something wrong with her.
Maybe it was because her folks had always been such sticklers for following not only the law but also every rule ever imposed on them.
They never set a toe out of line, and it had rubbed off on her to the point where she was incapable of doing anything underhanded.
Until now. Even that little deception, which was hardly one at all, had Grace as nervous as a man holding a lit match with a stick of dynamite close by.
“How did it go?” Hunter asked when she walked in. He was wiping down the table with a wet cloth, and all the dishes were clean and drying nearby.
“It went well,” she said. “I’m sure that Miguel and Alberto heard there are problems with the food.”
“Great,” Hunter said.
She was about to move past him when their arms brushed and they both froze, looking down at each other. Hesitantly, Hunter’s arms very slowly encircled her, as though waiting for her to protest, which he probably was.
But she didn’t. Grace let herself melt into his arms, soaking up his warmth and the feeling of safety that he radiated. She loved that about him. He seemed so solid and dependable. Always there and always looking out for her and other people.
She closed her eyes and just rested in his embrace, hoping he drew as much strength from her as she did from him.
On Saturday, Grace had hoped that Hunter would have the day off. But it turned out he had to go into the station, so she gave him the porridge she’d made for the prisoners’ breakfast.
“I’ll have to stay and look after them for the day shift, but it ends at three when Robert will take over,” Hunter said.
Grace nodded and kissed his cheek, their comfort level having grown around one another since the hug to the point where she now felt comfortable with such small, intimate gestures. “Now, please, be kind to them. You know you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
“So they say,” he said and smiled, holding her hands a moment longer and looking at her with those soft, kind eyes. She blushed all the way to her toes before they went their separate ways, beginning their day.
Grace decided to walk through the town, but she had hardly gone anywhere when someone called her name. Anita was coming down a side street with a short blonde woman in tow.
“Grace, this is Emily, our schoolteacher,” Anita said when she reached Grace.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Grace said, shaking Emily’s hand.
“And you,” Emily said.
“Where are you off to?” Anita asked.
“I was just going for a walk,” Grace said. “Hunter has to work.”
“Oh, that’s sad,” Emily said. “These men never know when to take a break. But I think we can keep you occupied.”
“Yes, we’re going to need help,” Anita said. Then, stepping closer and lowering her voice, she added, “You heard about the farmers, right?”
Grace nodded. “It’s terrible, isn’t it? They must be so afraid.”
“I think they’re being a bunch of rabbits,” Emily said. “They want to hide in their burrows and pretend the big bad wolf isn’t at their door when he clearly is. And if they joined forces and stood up to him, they might be able to do some real good.”
“Yes, fine,” Anita said, placing a hand on Emily’s arm. “We understand that you feel quite strongly about this.”
“Well, I do,” Emily said and stamped her foot. “We all should.”
“Ever since we fought off the bandits in the streets a few months ago, Emily thinks we should go after them and … What was it you said?”
“Bring the pain to them,” Emily said, her eyes flashing angrily.
“I’m tired of constantly waiting for them to do something else to us.
I want them gone. Michael is talking about starting a family like Andrew and Julie, and I have to keep saying no.
We can’t even consider a child when there’s this constant threat hanging over our heads. ”
Grace nodded. “It must be terrible.” She and Hunter were nowhere close to talking about children, but if they were, she’d have no interest in a baby until she knew it would be born in a truly safe place, without constant bandit threats.
They started walking up the street.
“It is terrible, but you know that, having been ambushed twice,” Anita said.
“Well, I don’t recall much about it,” Grace said, feeling her cheeks heating up.
“I thought you might want to help us catalog the town’s emergency stores.” Anita changed the subject, apparently noting Grace’s embarrassment. “If you have nothing else to do, I mean.”
“I would be delighted,” Grace said.
“Really? You would?” Emily asked. “That’s amazing. I can’t wait to get it done. It’s a little too much like schoolwork.”
“Which you’re not currently doing since it’s summer vacation,” Anita pointed out.
“A few of my students are doing summer school,” she retorted.
The town storeroom was a large building, a bit of mixture between a barn and a shed that stood on one side of a makeshift town square.
The door was padlocked shut. Anita produced the key and opened the doors.
Grace and the others stepped inside, looking around in surprise.
“Am I wrong to have expected there to be more in here?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know,” Anita said. “I kind of thought the same thing.”
Grace looked around, taking in the sacks, barrels, and crates stacked neatly against the walls. She knew on sight it wouldn’t last long, not with so many people. This was going to be a real challenge.