“It’s none of your business,” she forced herself to say in a tone that was polite but firm.
She worried that he would be offended but to her surprise, he seemed more entertained than before. His smile grew wider than ever.
Selena made no effort to hide how incredulous she felt. Something between a chuckle and a guffaw emerged from her and she shook her head, continuing her hike up the hil .
“I’l make sense of things,” he promised her quietly as they drew close to the wagon. “I wil , whether you tel me or not. This is going to be a lot more interesting than other places.”
“Jack,” Loraine admonished when she saw them.
“Are you bothering the girl?”
Selena kept her face careful y blank and made her way to her bedrol . It was the first time Loraine had acknowledged her in any verbal way. Her concern didn’t sound al that sincere, but Selena was glad she’d said something nonetheless.
“Just getting to know each other a bit,” Jack smiled.
It was clear from his tone that he didn’t care if his sister knew
or
objected.
Just before climbing under her blanket, Selena glimpsed Amy’s unveiled irritation with her siblings.
“What, no fire tonight?” Jack asked Selena innocently.
She grabbed her little sack of provisions and waved a stick of dried meat above her like a flag.
“I’m tired,” she answered flatly and took a bite out of her food.
Jack shrugged and the three of them fol owed Selena’s example. Getting to sleep sooner was better than later. Tomorrow at noon, they would meet Shane and most everyone else at Dead Tree Hil .
If Selena had been eager to see Dan before, she felt nearly frantic about it now. When Jack saw them together, he would have no choice but to keep his distance. No one crossed Dan. Wel , a few men had, but they were dead now.
The four of them awoke before dawn, perhaps because of their anticipation for the coming day. Not much was said that morning while they readied themselves for the continuation of their journey. Even Amy and Loraine were quieter than usual.
Jack watched Selena as careful y as the night before and seemed less concerned than ever with hiding his interest.
Her stomach roiled now that she knew his sisters were aware of what was going on between them. It was bad enough being at the receiving end of his attention. Now she had to worry about his sisters’ curiosity about her.
Breakfast was just like dinner the night before. They each scrounged up food from their provisions before quickly leaving their campsite behind.
The hours crawled by much too slowly for Selena’s taste. Although riding took a lot of energy, she found herself drumming her fingers on her thigh as the sun got higher in the sky. They were making good time and she knew exactly where she was, but moving at the pace of the wagon was frustrating. If she traveled faster, Jack would have to compensate and though he seemed smart enough to be aware of her nervousness already, she didn’t want to make it more obvious than absolutely necessary.
They drew close to their destination right around noon, just as Shane had estimated and Selena’s heart beat faster when she heard some of her friends’ voices in the distance. It took a lot of restraint not to bolt off in their direction. She politely guided the wagon out of the forest and into the little clearing where the others awaited.
They had al grown silent as they heard the twigs snapping under the wheels and saw the white canvas wagon emerge like a ghost ship sailing through the trees.
Selena waved. A quick scan revealed Cal, Bear, Shane, Gina, Ben, Blaire and her son Tim. Al of them were mounted and Cal waited out in front. Selena was crestfal en. Dan was not with them. No longer interested in nursing the wagon, she final y broke off and rode ahead to Cal.
“Where is Dan?” she whispered, pul ing up alongside him.
“Not back yet,” he answered quietly, his eyes fixed on the strange vehicle.
“But how wil he know —”
“Susan can fil him in if he comes back when we’re gone. She and Sara stayed with the kids.”
“How was the trip?” Shane cal ed amiably to Jack as the wagon pul ed up. “Selena pick out a smooth path?”
“She sure did,” Jack answered with a ready smile.
“Everyone, this is Jack and his sisters, Loraine and Amy,” Shane announced.
Selena looked between Cal and Jack, but Cal seemed more interested in Loraine than anything else. Selena sighed.
“This is Gina, my partner,” Shane told the visitors.
“She helps with provisions and supplies. Cal here works in what you’d cal ‘security,’ Ben is our engineer and farming genius, Bear takes care of our livestock and Blaire is our cook. You al know about Selena’s job and mine. A few of our people aren’t here.”
Jack and his sisters offered their greetings graciously. When they climbed out of the wagon, everyone dismounted. Tim led the horses over to the dead tree where he could tether them easily, and Jack was already making conversation.
Soon, Selena was having a hard time keeping track of what was going on. Everyone was talking at once. Gina was excited about the wagon’s contents, Ben was hunched underneath it, examining its structure, and Blaire was offering juice to the newcomers while explaining that it was made from plums and apples that they’d grown at home.
Bear kept his distance and watched the proceedings calmly. Selena sidled over to him. She’d come to think of the big man as something of an uncle. He was general y quiet and very slow to anger, but his great size was intimidating and Selena had learned that he was a force to be reckoned with if his loved ones were put at risk.
Bear was the one responsible for training the horses to fight off attackers. He had a way with animals. One of the things Selena liked about him was that she didn’t feel any pressure to talk when they were together – a quality shared only by Dan. She was enjoying it now.
“Did he behave himself?” Bear asked her when a few minutes had passed. He nodded in Jack’s direction.
Selena sighed. “Wel enough.”
She couldn’t lie to Bear. Her answer was true in that Jack’s conduct was peaceful and her safety was never in question. That was al that Bear real y wanted to know. He nodded again.
Jack and Amy were now passing things around from their col ection. Selena observed that none of what they handed out was smal enough to be pocketed.
Gina and Ben seemed the most excited about the many treasures being shown around. Blaire was a grown woman at the time of the Crash, so she’d seen it al before and was much more interested in the health and diets of the visitors.
Cal took his usual alpha male stance with his legs set wide and his arms folded over his chest. He stood behind the others and just near enough to Loraine that he couldn’t be missed. Selena smirked. She could tel he was couldn’t be missed. Selena smirked. She could tel he was downplaying his interest in their items of trade, but only a little. He didn’t want to insult her. For Loraine’s part, she seemed removed, but it was difficult to tel if this was just for show or not.
Despite the busy flurry of activity, Selena noticed Amy was watching Cal more than was strictly necessary.
He had no idea. Selena couldn’t help but smile. Amy was actual y similar to Cal in her directness. It was doubtful that he would have the patience to get to know Loraine. Selena had been riding with her for days and
still
didn’t know anything about her. Amy would have to be as direct as a slap in the face if Cal was going to notice her, especial y with her sister gliding around like a golden storybook princess.
Selena pushed these thoughts from her mind. There was stil a smal chance that they would decide it best to send the three of them on their way.
She turned to gaze out at the treetops behind her.
From their vantage point on the hil , she could see the forest stretch on for miles under the bright sun, but off in the far distance, she could make out the flat, dry grassland where the remains of the nearest town lay. Where was Dan in al that wide space?
High above, three turkey vultures circled lazily on the afternoon thermals.
“I don’t know,” Gina told them. “Jack’s a little shifty and I’m not sure about that older sister.”
“That’s because she’s drop-dead gorgeous,” Cal prodded.
“No it’s not,” Gina insisted.
“I’m not so sure about them either, but Amy seems nice,” Ben put in. “I real y want to get a good look at that wagon. Some of that other stuff, too. See if I can make any of it from scratch.”
“Those girls deserve a proper bed to sleep in, at least for a while,” Blaire said.
“I’m wil ing to share mine,” Cal joked with a sheepish grin.
“If they come for a visit, you give ‘em some breathing room,” Blaire warned him, wagging a finger. He shrugged, stil grinning.
“And you’re supposed to think about our safety,”
Selena reminded him with an elbow to his side. “So what’s your opinion there?”
“It’s fine. Beautiful. That figure,” Cal muttered, looking happy.
“Oh my God!” Gina exclaimed, a little too loudly.
“Alright now,” Bear cut in. “We’re just going to vote yes or no. Raise your hand for yes.”
Blaire, Cal, Shane and Ben raised their hands.
“No?” Bear asked.
Gina, Bear and Tim raised their hands.
“Selena?” Bear asked. She hadn’t voted.
“I don’t know,” she answered honestly.
“If you vote ‘no’ we’re split down the middle. No vote from you?” Blaire said.
Selena took a moment to think, then shook her head. There were good reasons to bring them in and equal y good reasons to send them away. She couldn’t decide which was the better choice.
“Wel then, that’s a yes. They’l stay for a visit and we’l have a chance to barter over that span of time,” Blaire announced. “Now who’s gonna deal with Dan if he doesn’t like our decision?”
Everyone looked at Selena. She blinked. It was nice that they al thought she had that much influence over him.
She briefly imagined how secure she’d feel if it were true. In reality, she had no idea how much sway she would have, if any. They were only just getting to know each other, despite the intimate but surprisingly quick matter of her nursing him back to health.
“You know, that might be too big a job for just me,”
she pointed out. They remained quiet. “I’l do my best,” she said with resignation.
“Then it’s al settled,” Cal said.
Selena smiled. He looked as alive as she’d ever seen him. It was endearing. Soon enough, though, she was frowning with worry. She liked Cal. He was a good friend. It would be hard to watch if Loraine stomped on him.
Selena trailed along with the others back to the wagon where Jack, Loraine and Amy waited patiently. Jack looked like he already knew their answer.
“You’re welcome to come and stay with us for a time,” Blaire told them. “We’l be very happy to have you.”
“And what about the people that couldn’t make it?”
Jack pressed.
“Nothing
you
need to worry about. We’l make sure it’s al worked out,” Blaire assured him.
“Wel , we’re glad to hear it,” Jack said brightly. He shot a glance at Selena that was ripe with satisfaction, but in a flash, it was gone again.
Five
On the way back, Selena rode as far to the front of the line as possible. The further she was from Jack’s watchful eyes, the better she felt.
Ben made his way to her side. The lanky young man was around eighteen years old now, but his intel igence earned him the respect of someone a lot older. His long face often displayed an expression of boredom. It looked comical under the wild mop of curly auburn hair that went out in al directions above it. Sometimes it seemed like he thought everyone around him existed as a source of amusement. Selena forgave him for this, probably because his no-bul shit attitude kept things simple enough for her to understand. He was completely honest, and that made him something of a treasure. Since Selena had met him, he was usual y doing one of two things: tinkering around with contraptions he was inventing to make their lives easier, and farming when he got fed up and didn’t want to think anymore.
“So …” he hinted in his usual drol tone.
“Yeah,” she confirmed.
They were quiet for a bit.
“You wanted to ride ahead instead of Shane, I’m guessing?”
“You guessed right.”
“How’d it go?”
“Wel , this al turned out to be just a little
too
much adventure for me,” she sighed. “I feel like leaving them in the Crater and blazing the hel back out of there again. The whole point of this trip was to have some space.”
“I’m sure you’d be forgiven. Unless Dan’s back.”
“Speaking of Dan, I’m starting to worry. How long has he been gone now?”
“I don’t know, longer than usual. He’s fine.”
Selena wished she could be as calm and certain as he was. Honestly, she was beginning to feel apprehensive about seeing him. It felt like such a long time since they’d been together, and who knew what his reaction to the newcomers would be?
She was so intent on worrying that she forgot about Ben. She was surprised to see a wolfish smile on his face.
“What?” she asked in a hushed voice.
“I can’t
wait
until Dan meets Jack,” he snickered.
“Oh. You have the strangest attitude towards him.”
“Who, Dan? Come on, he’s completely entertaining.”
Selena wagged her head. “I’m glad you think so.
I
think he’s nerve-wracking most of the time.”
“
I
think you overcomplicate him.”
Selena thought about that. Maybe Ben was right.
Maybe she was responsible for her own discomfort when she tried to read his thoughts and moods. For al she knew, he could be thinking of absolutely nothing half the time.
Then again, there was no way to know if that was true. She shook her head as if it would help her stop this confusing train of thought.
“Do you think he’l be mad?” she asked.
“He might not be happy about it. Who cares? He’l deal. That’l be the fun part.”
“Why is it going to be fun?”
“We’l have to wait and see,” Ben answered evasively. “Just sit back and watch the show. It’l be more interesting than any movie theater was, I promise you that.”