Selena glanced at him skeptical y. “Were you even alive when there were movies?”
“Yes,” he said defensively. “I was a year old.”
It was dusk when they arrived. Getting the wagon down the steep little trail into Brian’s Crater was no easy feat. It took a couple of them watching the wheels to make sure they weren’t crushed against the rocks to one side or hanging off the trail on the other.
When the wagon was safely in the bowl of the crater, Cal and Blaire directed them to park it under the big oak that stood over the fire pit in the center of their retreat.
The children, Becky and Jay, ran to greet them, but when they saw the wagon, they stopped dead in their tracks with their mouths agape. It was quite a while before they snapped out of it and began darting around to get a look at it from every angle they could without getting in the way.
Tim dutiful y offered his assistance with unhitching the horses from the rig.
“You take Meg here too,” Blaire said, tossing him the reins of her mare. “How would you three like to go for a little walk and get to know what’s what around here?”
“I think it’s amazing already,” Amy exclaimed. She gazed around the crater wal s in awe. “This place is beautiful!”
“Sure is. I wouldn’t mind a little tour,” Jack said, taking in his surroundings.
Loraine smiled and nodded politely.
Selena and the others set off to unsaddle the horses. Star deserved a break after so much riding, and so did Shane’s horse. When the mare was free, she happily trotted out into the grass to join the others. Selena sighed and watched them wade through the sea of green and gold.
There wouldn’t be any riding off just yet, as much as she didn’t want to hang around tonight.
Dinner was brought out to the fire pit where they’d gotten a nice blaze going, although there was stil light in the sky. This was their favorite spot for sharing stories since everyone could sit in a circle on the various chairs or benches and see each other wel . It was exactly what Selena didn’t want, but Jack couldn’t be too brazen while everyone was watching him.
The food Blaire had prepared was extra special, in honor of their guests. She’d served up potatoes cooked in fat and sprinkled in the rosemary they’d been growing since spring. They had lightly boiled green beans on the side and Blaire had slow-cooked the turkeys from the hunt in the ground.
“When Shane told me we might have guests, I got them started right away, just in case. Susan helped,” Blaire explained when Jack had complimented the food.
“Oh, I just watched the time while you were gone, that’s al ,” Bear’s wife said. She was a sweet and friendly blonde in her early forties who had taken it upon herself to school their daughter Becky and Sara’s son Jay, as wel as Tim, when he was younger. She’d already gotten the two little ones in bed, despite a barrage of complaints that they wanted to play by the wagon.
Amy looked positively euphoric. She seemed to be enjoying the food immensely and it was hard to tel whether she was more interested in the cabins surrounding them or Cal sitting across from her. Of course he stil hadn’t noticed.
Selena’s heart leapt when she heard the sound of hoof beats in the distance. Everyone grew quiet a few moments later. She knew it must be Dan and he was moving briskly. He’d seen the unusual tracks, Selena knew.
She could hear him drawing near, but it sounded like he’d slowed when he saw the wagon.
He drew up from behind it, his dark stal ion at a walk now, fol owed by a long train of new, ful y tacked horses, some of which were carrying packs. His run had been absurdly successful. Selena’s heart beat fast as she drank in the sight of him. It took his sharp eyes only a moment to gather in the scene.
God he was beautiful, even covered in dust as he was, Selena thought with fierce pride. Between his tal , muscular frame and hawk-like eyes she couldn’t imagine a more impressive man. His confidence and masculine beauty were absolute and Selena knew that his power radiated from him in a way that even these strangers would recognize.
Their visitors didn’t know his history, or the extent of his capabilities, but they didn’t need to know. The difference between Dan and other men was plain as day.
His expression was unreadable as he reined to a halt and leaned forward on the saddle horn.
“Wel this is a surprise,” he said, final y breaking the silence.
Everyone had been waiting to see what his reaction would be, and if this was more about curiosity than respect, their visitors would not know it.
Good
, Selena thought with satisfaction. She wanted Jack to take Dan seriously and move on to pester some other girl — not that there were any single ones around here. Her eyes flicked to their guests. Amy looked curious, Jack looked interested, and Loraine looked positively mesmerized.
Selena swal owed hard. She’d been so busy worrying about Jack, she hadn’t even considered Loraine.
Selena observed that she had straightened up where she sat and suddenly there was a regal arch to her neck. She watched him with a dewy, far-away look in her eyes.
Selena frowned, studying the subtle changes in Loraine’s demeanor. When she could pul her eyes back to Dan, he was looking right back at her.
Al of this had transpired over the course of a second or two. Blaire was quick to answer him.
“Dan, this is Jack and his sisters, Loraine and Amy.”
“We ran into each other while Selena and I were out hunting to the northeast,” Shane explained.
“Good to meet you,” Jack said, with a nod.
Dan nodded back.
Bear was clearly itching to jump up and inspect the new horses, but Susan had a hand firmly clasped on his arm to keep him seated out of respect for their guests.
“Tim,” Blaire pressed, swatting her son to help Dan.
“No, that’s alright,” Dan told him. “I’l unload. You al stay put.” His glance lingered on Selena before he rode off in the direction of the tack room. As usual, she couldn’t read the look.
She pushed her food around with her fork. Her appetite was gone completely, but she forced herself to keep chewing. Wasting food was not an option under any circumstances.
“So tel us about life on the road,” Cal said quickly.
Selena realized then that he’d been watching Loraine careful y enough to see her reaction, and was working to reclaim the woman’s attention.
The banter resumed as questions were exchanged, but Selena was only half-listening. Once again, she was trapped by her own ridiculous desire to know what Dan was thinking. Resolving to knock it off and take Ben’s advice, she forced herself to pay attention to what was being said as Blaire bustled off to fix Dan a plate.
“I’ve always wanted to live in one place,” Amy was tel ing them emphatical y. “It seems like there’s so much more that you can do.”
“It’s not for everyone,” Cal said. “But whatever makes you happy.”
“I’d like it.”
“Have you ever lived in one place?”
“No.”
“So it
might
drive you crazy,” he pointed out.
“Nope,” she answered simply.
“How can you know for sure?”
“I just do,” she said, favoring him with a half-smile as she shrugged. It looked as though she didn’t care what they were talking about as long as they were talking, whether they agreed or not.
He shrugged back and turned his attention to his food, letting their conversation drop.
Amy pursed her lips and a flash of determination crossed her features.
“What about you, Jack?” Ben asked, although Selena guessed he knew the answer already. Ben was always stirring things up.
“I could never do it,” Jack admitted. “I’ve got a home.
It’s the road. It never gets boring. There’s food, rest and company. Don’t real y care for much else.”
Selena felt a little cry of longing in her chest, but squashed it. Her nomadic days were over. What she wanted was here, or somewhere around here.
What is
taking him so long, anyway?
“I couldn’t live on the road,” Gina jumped in.
“Wouldn’t trade the roof over my head for anything. There’s a thunderstorm? I walk into my cabin and shut the door.
Simple as that.”
“I can see the appeal there,” Jack told her. “Of course you have to repair it afterwards. And you’ve got to clean it.”
“You sound like Selena,” Ben said with the ghost of an impish grin.
She glared murderously at him.
“Do I?” Jack mused rhetorical y, fixing her with a long, measured stare. He’d already guessed that she’d spent a lot of time alone. Ben had just brought him one step closer to figuring her out. Selena resolved to throttle him later or better yet, one of his precious fruit trees.
Dan and Blaire arrived at exactly the same time.
She handed him a plate ful of warm food. They exchanged smiles and for once, Selena knew exactly what it meant.
Dan appreciated her uncanny ability to time things perfectly. Blaire had often said that this skil was the most important part of her job as a cook.
Dan took the only open spot, on the other side of the circle from Selena. There was not a trace of dust on him, which meant that he’d taken a quick bath in the lake. He now wore clean black cargo pants and a tee shirt that did not fit him loosely. This wasn’t his preference. He simply had a hard time finding shirts that gave him room in the right places. Selena decided that he’d actual y gotten over here in very good time, al things considered.
“So you’re traders,” Dan said, spearing a chunk of potato. “Can you tel us anything about other survivors you’ve run into? Anyone close enough to affect us?”
“There’s a camp about eight days northwest of here if you’re traveling at the pace of my wagon,” Jack told him.
“You’re al living in much better style. There’s about seven or eight of them. Very leery people, those were. Can’t say I blame them.”
“Uh huh,” Dan responded, waiting.
“I already mentioned to Shane and Selena there was a nasty band roaming around a couple weeks’ ride north of here. That was a few months ago. I understand their leader’s name was Jake.”
Selena frowned. Did Jack have a defensive tone?
Did he think Dan was testing how forthcoming he was?
Was he right? It was becoming more and more difficult for her to pay attention to al the nuances of behavior, especial y with Loraine gazing at Dan that way whenever he spoke.
He only grunted in acknowledgement before taking a bite of turkey.
“Most people are living in pretty shoddy conditions,”
Jack went on, not appearing especial y interested. “But it seems like everyone is getting a better handle on things as the years go by. I could tel you about other camps but they’re far from here. A lot of people stick to the North because they’re afraid of drought in the South. Of course, that’s wrong, depending on where you are.”
“Wel !” Blaire said brightly. “Good to hear people are gettin’ by!”
“You don’t know of any other posses or gangs?” Cal asked.
Jack shook his head. “I’m sure there are loners out there, stealing and such, but they have to be too sneaky to get spotted. You probably don’t have to worry about anything like that. I’m sure no one could get past G.I. Joe, here.” He stole a smug glance at Selena before returning it to his food.
Dan had been looking at his plate and now he stopped chewing. Ben doubled over, hissing in his failing stopped chewing. Ben doubled over, hissing in his failing struggle not to laugh. Selena had no idea what Jack was talking about, but most of the others were chuckling, especial y the oldest of them. Loraine looked scandalized and extremely bothered with her brother’s joke.
Dan shot a pointed half-smile at Jack and shrugged rueful y. “It’s funny because it’s true.”
“Who the hel is G.I. Joe?” Gina demanded.
“Old cartoon,” Shane snickered. “Military thing. Armed forces or whatever.”
Selena’s eyes narrowed as she studied Jack. Not only had he grasped some of Dan’s capabilities, but he’d isolated their source and was certain enough to crack a joke about it after spending less than five minutes with the man.
“Don’t mind him,” Loraine told Dan in a silky and apologetic voice. “My brother talks too much.”
“Nothing wrong with that. Anyway, I’m real y just here for the music,” he answered amiably, leaning back in his chair.
A flicker of annoyance flashed across Jack’s face, but it was so quick and subtle, Selena was almost sure she’d imagined it. He
was
a musical y inclined person and Selena had been surprised that he didn’t play something on the trip over. Perhaps he’d wanted to make a graceful entrance and Dan had botched it.
Now she frowned at Dan. How was
he
certain enough to prod Jack about being a musician? It was dark and the wel -wrapped instruments in the wagon had been laid low.
Meanwhile Ben was snickering again, this time with a smirk at Selena that said he’d told her so.
She glanced uncomfortably between the two men and realized that she’d underestimated Jack. He had to have some amazing nerve to make fun of Dan at their first meeting. Selena could gather that his comment actual y meant two things. First, he wanted to make it clear that he knew what Dan was capable of. Second, he wanted to make it clear that he wasn’t afraid of him. She wondered if perhaps she was final y learning to read between the lines.
Selena had already found that men had a strange way of coming to understand one another. She hoped that could happen peaceably in this case.
“They’re tired,” she put in before anyone could say anything else. She didn’t want this al to drag out any more than it already had.
“Of course,” Blaire said when she realized that they were finished eating. “You must be exhausted. We had some beds made up. You girls get your own cabin if you want it, and you get one too, Jack. No, leave your plates there. We’l take care of those.”
Amid their thanks, she helped them get their things together and led them off to their cabins while everyone else set about cleaning up.
Selena knew she should be as tired as they were, but for some reason, she wasn’t. Getting away from the others sounded nice, though. When the cleanup was through, she went back to Dan’s cabin. She had assumed he was there already, but when she arrived, it was dark inside.