Chapter 26
She never wanted to let her parents go again, as Sarah held them close.
She couldn’t believe her parents were home and safe.
Of course, they were out hunting as if nothing had happened.
In the minds of her elderly parents, having no power was no huge inconvenience.
She was too happy about seeing them to be upset over their careless behavior.
The only thing that mattered to her was that they were safe and sound.
As she pulled away, she could see they were both crying as well.
Sarah couldn't imagine the fear her parents had gone through, wondering if their daughter would make it back home. Knowing they were both safe and well was all Sarah needed. There was time for a long, drawn-out welcome, and she could already see the children and Adam running in their direction to greet her parents. As they approached, Sarah turned her parents around to see the others. She could tell her mother was shocked to find two small children, covered in dirt and tattered clothing, along with the man still in his prison jumpsuit, jogging their way. Instantly, she grabbed Sarah’s arm, but the younger woman quickly gave her a soothing smile.
That was all it took for Connie to calm down.
Though she did lean closer and ask her daughter quietly who the people approaching them were.
Before Sarah could answer her mother, her father gasped and muttered something about knowing the man and him being a danger.
She didn't hesitate to lift a finger toward Adam, silently telling him to pause with the children for a moment. She had to let them know Adam wasn’t a danger.
Nor was he a threat to any of them there. It was quite the opposite, actually.
“Look, I know what the news reports said about him, but he was in my care at the prison for the entire time I was there,” Sarah whispered.
“That doesn’t mean you know the man,” Henry said. “He was in prison for killing his girlfriend and unborn child, right?”
“Yes, but he was exonerated. Just before the power went out, I got an email from the prosecutor on his case. They had found all kinds of evidence that proved he couldn’t have been the one who did it. I got it printed just before the storm took everything out.”
“That’s amazing timing,” Henry replied. “Do you trust him?”
“I do, Dad. He’s a good man who just deserves a chance at living a life that was taken from him.”
“Well, if you trust him, then he’s more than welcome to stay.”
“I was wondering what would happen to the prison when all of this started,” Connie said.
“We can talk about all of that later,” Sarah said. “There’s plenty to catch up on. Adam is going to be staying with us for now. I don’t know what his plans are, and I don’t think he does, either.”
“Well, he can figure it out while he’s here with us,” Connie replied. “Where’d the children come from?”
“We ran into them on the way here. As far as I could tell, they were homeless, and it didn’t seem as though their mother was worth much. They needed to come with us, and if I could help it, I wasn’t going to leave them behind in that mess.”
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Connie said. “Well, we have plenty of room at the homestead for them. They’re welcome here.”
Sarah was beyond enraged over the twin’s life to that point, but she knew they had a good future ahead of them.
Even with the world in complete turmoil.
Waving for the others to come to meet her parents, they all met in the yard beneath the warm sun.
When the introductions were done, her mother dove right into the role of caregiver and insisted on getting the kids clean.
After promising them a trip to the ocean for an afternoon swim, they scurried away with Connie to find towels and food.
All the worries she’d had on the road faded away.
There were still things that needed to be done, though, to make sure they continued to stay safe.
She wasn't going to burden her mother or the children with any of that yet, but they were far from being prepared for the winter ahead.
Granted, they would be able to save and use most of the crops they had grown, but they would need to find a way to get hay and feed for the winter.
“I know that look,” Henry said. “What's on your mind, kiddo?”
“I was just thinking about everything we needed to do to get ready for the winter. We've got five more mouths to feed than we originally planned in case of an emergency.”
“Five?” Henry asked.
“Yeah, three people and two horses,” Sarah said.
Henry’s eyebrows raised. Sarah could tell her father was both surprised and impressed by the revelation.
Later on, she planned on telling him all about their interesting trip and the people they had met, but for the moment, she just wanted to make good use of what daylight they had left.
Sarah jerked her head in the direction of the barn, and the trio started walking.
She wanted Adam to know and be familiar with the property. It was his home now as well.
“Looks like the place is running like nothing happened,” Adam said.
“Yeah,” Sarah replied. “They’ve kept it running like clockwork, which is what I expected when we left Florida.”
Henry chuckled. “We’ve been doing it for most of our lives, but it’s going to be much easier to take care of now that you guys are here.”
“What do you mean?” Adam asked.
“Well, now we have plenty of extra hands to help out around here.”
“I’ll be more than happy to put in my fair share of work. It will be nice to feel like I’m contributing to something, that’s for sure.”
“Now, there will be plenty of ways you can do that.”
“Have you run into any real trouble since this started?” Sarah asked. “From what we’ve seen out there, the world is going to hell in a handbasket.”
“We’ve had a couple of instances that caused us to have to protect ourselves, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle. The world sure isn’t what we thought it was.”
“Did they try to take over the homestead or just try to steal from you?”
Henry sighed. “The first time anything happened, I think he was just stealing from the property. We offered him food and shelter, but he wanted more.”
“So, what happened?” Sarah asked.
“We were talking and trying to reason with the man, but he charged at us. I fired a warning shot, but he kept coming. I had to shoot him to keep him from getting to us.”
“I’m sorry that happened to you, sir,” Adam said. “You said there was a second instance. What happened that time?”
“It wasn’t as bad as the first, but it was a little more dangerous. There was a group of men starting to gather. I fired off a few pop shots to scare them off, and they went running. Other than that, there’s been nothing else around here.”
Sarah's gut churned. She was happy her father had been prepared for an attack but couldn't fathom how terrified the couple must have been to see men approaching.
She was thrilled they were back there now and could help protect the homestead.
Making their way into the barn, she took a deep breath and smiled.
The smell of fresh hay and livestock always reminded her of home.
The horses had been settled in a stall at the corner, the only free one they had at the moment.
Being back at the homestead felt like nothing Sarah ever could have imagined.
It didn't stop the lingering worry she had for the friends she'd made along the way.
Hopefully, Meredith was holding her own, and Alan had made it back to Becky and the kids.
She wasn't as worried about Harriet and the girls.
They were a tough lot. There would be time later for her to broach the subject of a trip south with the group later on.
Before it was something she could consider, they had to make sure the homestead was secure and prepared for the winter ahead.
After they checked all of the fencing, they would be able to let the horses out in the small, two-acre pasture attached to the barn.
It would work for now. With the livestock on the property constantly changing, she glanced into one stall after another to get a general head count of what her parents had on hand.
Her father chuckled when he saw her doing this and shook his head.
Sarah smiled back at him and rolled her eyes.