Chapter 34
She wasn’t surprised when she found the mayor sitting on his front porch.
As soon as he caught sight of Luka and Veronica, though, he was on his feet.
He had a shotgun in his hands. Veronica wasn’t surprised in the least as the man’s cheeks instantly flushed red at the sight of her approaching on horseback.
By now, she knew word would have spread she was back in town.
He had likely been thinking about what to say to her in his mind dozens of times.
It was no skin off her back, though, and Veronica stood by the decision she had made years ago to encourage Ariel to leave home.
Much like her own future, Ariel’s had been mapped out for her.
Little effort had been given to take into account what Ariel wanted out of her life.
Now, the young woman was living her life to the fullest as a respected photographic journalist. She traveled the world and saw things no one else could capture.
Veronica would never regret that fateful night when the pair had sat and conversed about their futures and goals in life.
She knew if it hadn’t been for her encouragement, Ariel might well still be in the small town.
Now, there was no telling where she was in the world.
A small surge of guilt moved through her.
“How are you today, Colton?” Luka asked. “This is some fine weather we are having.”
“Cut it with the small talk, Luka. What is it that you want? I told you before, she isn’t welcome on my property,” Colton said.
“Come now, Colton. Don’t you think it’s about time we let bygones be bygones? After all, Veronica came back to help out your people and mine. She’s got information that Nick can confirm.”
“Well, then you can just send your son on down here. If he’s got something to say, I’d be happy to listen to a respected member of my flock,” Colton said.
Veronica scoffed and rolled her eyes. If he didn’t want any help, that was his decision.
The man’s stubbornness, though, was going to end up getting a lot of innocent people killed.
She couldn’t sit by and let that happen.
If he didn’t listen to her or her father, she would go directly to the masses.
“Come on, Dad. He doesn’t want to hear it, so let’s not bother. If he wants to sit by and let his flock get picked off by wolves a few miles down the road, then you should let him,” Veronica said.
Colton stepped down off the porch, his gun still in hand as he glared at her. “Is that a threat, young lady?”
“Nope, just the reality of what is going to happen as long as you are sitting here, refusing to have a conversation with me like an adult.”
“You mouthy little brat. You’re the reason my little girl isn’t here?—”
“Can it, Colton,” Veronica snapped. “Your little girl is a grown woman and living her best life. Do you even know where she is? Because I do. We’ve stayed in touch for years. She is happy, healthy, and loving every moment.”
The man hesitated, his weapon lowering as he continued to glare at her.
Veronica and her father watched in tense silence as another man approached Colton and whispered something in his ear.
His face paled. The man’s eyes darted to Veronica as she started to turn her horse back for the main section of the road.
If he didn’t want to hear what she had to say, she was done wasting her breath.
The others were willing to listen to her, knowing she had already seen what was happening beyond their village walls.
“It would seem to me that you might be of some help,” Colton grumbled. “I suppose I should hear what you have to say.”
Veronica rolled her eyes. “How very generous of you.”
“Veronica,” her father hissed. “Colton, I think you are making a good decision. We would be happy to talk to you. Mind if we tether the horses to the fence?”
“Do what you need and meet me inside. I’ll have Martha make up some sweet tea. That is assuming, of course, that’s not too low-brow for your California living now, Veronica,” Colton said.
Luka sighed and shook his head, glaring at Veronica and silently pleading with her not to reply to the man’s snarky comment.
It was eating her alive, not giving Colton a piece of her mind, but she knew how hard her father was working for diplomacy.
She wasn’t going to let Colton’s attitude or her own jeopardize the lives of the people in town and the farmers who lived in the area.
As she turned and dismounted from her horse, leading him over to the white-picket fencing that ran the length of the property, Veronica prayed for some patience.
She wasn’t going to make it through the next conversation if she didn’t bite her tongue.
It was definitely a stark reminder of just how much she disliked being back in the community.
While there were still those people she adored, like her brothers and a few others, she hated the feeling of being ostracized by the older generation who called the mountain home.
Had it not been for them, she might have genuinely been happy about returning.
As it was, she was already thinking about leaving again.
Why would she want to stay in a community that continued to treat her differently?
Once she was certain the area was safe and her family would survive the months to come, Veronica was toying with the idea of hitting the road once more.
She could help her family get a couple of vehicles up and running and, in trade, take two of the horses with her.
Bella could decide for herself if she wanted to stay or if she wanted to go.
Something told Veronica that Bella would want to ride out with her when she left.
It was something they would have to talk about later on, but at that moment, she needed to focus on dealing with the mayor and keeping them all safe.
“Are you ready for this?” her father asked.
Veronica nodded. “As ready as I’ll ever be. I just hope the old fart listens to me.”
“We have to make him listen; we can’t defend this place alone. Those people are counting on us to protect them, even if they don’t know it yet.”
She nodded once again and followed her father as he climbed the steps of the front porch.
No matter what, they had to convince Colton the villagers weren’t safe and he needed to take measures to protect against the cities down below.
He could dislike her as much as he wanted, but hopefully, it wouldn’t cloud his judgment when it came to the safety of the people.
Veronica was certain that soon they would all have to fight for their survival.
A chill ran down her spine at the thought of Markwood and his men overtaking the villagers and, eventually, the homestead. It was only a matter of time.