Chapter 19
The rest of the trip went without incident.
She couldn't believe how amazing the two sisters truly were.
Between the four of them, they managed to stay away from any roving groups of people.
Keeping with the schedule they already had, the group moved primarily at night.
To her surprise, the girls were incredibly well prepared to care for the horses but not themselves.
They had taken great care before leaving the stable with the animals to ensure they had enough feed to last the entirety of the journey.
Yet they had almost nothing to keep themselves alive.
Sarah was thrilled they had crossed paths and were now working together.
The girls ate like they hadn’t seen food in weeks each time she prepared a meal for the group.
With their limited cooking abilities, Sarah tasked them with teaching Adam about the horses and catching their meals.
It had been a while since their main dish was anything but seafood, yet all of their spirits remained high as the girls’ homestead finally came into view.
Situated five miles from the coast, the seven-acre plot of land was nothing like Sarah had expected.
From what she knew about the girls, their mother had worked two jobs to provide for them.
She’d expected the home of a single mom for the most part, but the stable alone had to hover in the six-figure range alone.
The house was equally as impressive. From where they were hidden in the forest across the street, they could see that the place looked untouched by looters and squatters, but Sarah wanted to approach with caution, nonetheless.
Bella started to move onto the road right away, but Sarah held her back and shook her head.
She knew the girls were excited to finally be home.
She was anxious to finally have a safe place to sleep for the night, too, but her primary focus was keeping everyone alive.
She couldn’t ensure their safety until she knew what was within the homestead first.
“We can’t go in there just yet,” Sarah said.
“Why not?” Bella asked. “It’s not like there’s anyone in there. You can see from here that it hasn’t been overrun with people.”
“Yeah, but we need to be careful and make sure?—”
Before she could finish her sentence, Sarah noticed movement inside the house.
It was faint, but it was easy to recognize the motion through the window.
Without warning, the front door opened, and a woman stepped out onto the porch.
While she had no idea who the woman was, Bella and Rose both had looks of recognition on their faces.
“I take it that’s your housekeeper,” Sarah said.
“Yeah, her name is Harriette, and she’s been with us for a while now,” Bella said. “I told you there was nothing to worry about. It looks like she’s the only one here.”
“It’s okay,” Rose said. “Harriette wouldn’t do anything to put us in danger.”
“She might not, but there could be other men inside who are in control. We have to be safe about this. I don’t want anything to happen to you or anyone else. If they are holding her hostage, it wouldn’t be hard to send her outside to trick people into coming in.”
Rose smiled. “Thank you, but we have our own way of making sure things are okay. Bella, why don’t you give her the signal.”
“What do you mean?” Sarah asked. “What kind of signal?”
Bella smiled as they all turned their attention to the young woman.
She stuck both her pinkies into her mouth and gave a low whistle that near perfectly mimicked a bird’s call.
Instantly, the woman on the porch froze.
She had been sweeping dust off the front porch, but now she was stiff as the fencing boards running the length of the property.
Her eyes searched around frantically for a split second before she dropped the broom in her hands and quickly whistled in a similar manner.
“That means it’s all clear,” Bella quickly said.
Before Sarah could stop her a second time, Bella raced out of the forest in the direction of the driveway.
Instantly, the woman on the porch raced down the steps in Bella’s direction.
The horses beneath them started to prance with anticipation, and Sarah knew they couldn’t hold them back any longer.
Thankfully, the girls had taught her and Adam more about the animals in the last few days than either had ever known before.
In one fluid movement, Bella was off her horse and racing to the woman’s arms before the others even made it through the arches over the entrance.
As soon as Harriette realized there were other people with the two girls, she positioned herself between the strangers and the girls.
Sarah couldn’t help but feel overjoyed seeing how much the woman obviously cared for the pair.
Rose quickly explained to Harriette that the two were friends of theirs, but Harriette didn’t budge.
Her cold gaze was leveled at Adam to the point that Sarah could feel the chill from where she sat on her mount several feet away.
“I’m going to have to ask you to step back,” Harriette said. “I know that man there, and he’s not welcome here. He’s a murderer. It was all over the news, and I never forget a face.”
“I was proven innocent,” Adam said. “I wouldn’t be here if they thought I was guilty.”
“I haven’t heard anything about that. I know they were looking into it, but there wasn’t anything said before the power went out, and I’m not going to take any chances.”
Sarah hadn’t thought about the fact that Adam was a well-known face in the news.
It had been such a high-profile case because of the unborn child that had been killed.
She knew they would run into trouble along the way, but it never crossed her mind that someone would recognize him and cause a problem.
Sarah knew he was innocent. She had seen the reports and was in direct contact with the prosecutor for the entire case, but the people in the world who had only watched the news hadn’t been told yet.
The report was supposed to go public a few days after the power went out.
“Look, everything he has said is the truth,” Sarah said. “Not only is he telling the truth, but I can prove everything he is saying.”
Sarah started to get down off her horse, but before she could, Harriette motioned for her to stop.
Her heart started racing as she thought about the wrong that Adam had already gone through in his life.
It was her turn to stand up for the man as she watched Harriette slowly close the distance between them.
“You just stop it right there. I know his face, but I don’t know you, and I don’t trust either one of you at this point,” Harriette said. “Just don’t move, and you won’t have to worry about what will happen next.”
“It’s okay, Harriette,” Bella said. “Take it from me that they are both friendly and mean us no harm. They helped us get here. So, please, just listen to what she has to say.”
Climbing down off her horse, Sarah carefully took off her bookbag and unzipped the outside pocket.
She had stuffed the documents in her bag before she’d left the prison.
Grabbing the papers proving his innocence had been an afterthought she’d nearly forgotten while leaving her crow’s nest for the last time.
Now, as she handed the papers over to Harriette and explained who she was in relation to Adam, Sarah was relieved that she’d grabbed them.
As Harriette read the decree from the judge, Sarah could see the tension easing from her shoulders.
Sarah stole a quick glance at Adam, still situated on his horse.
He caught her looking and smiled at her, a silent nod in appreciation for what she’d done.
Her heart raced as she thought of their first few nights together on the road when they’d been alone.
The tender embers of something more had started to burn between them, but after finding the sisters, the only time they’d had alone was a stolen second on horseback.
The romance she could see blossoming between them had once again been put on hold.
Harriette folded the papers again and handed them to Sarah, but her eyes were on Adam.
“For ten years, you were locked up and innocent?” Harriette asked, shaking her head at the injustice.
Adam nodded. “Sarah here pushed for the truth. She’s the reason I’m free.”
Sarah blushed and shook her head. “Innocent is innocent. I would have done it for anyone.”
She hated being the center of a conversation.
Her role in his release had all been behind closed doors.
Sarah had no idea Adam knew just how far she’d gone to secure his release.
In her mind, it was all part of the job.
An innocent man had no place in her prison.
Not that it mattered now, the prison was no more.