Correction: he’d been accustomed to being alone, but that had changed. Even though he was taking the dog to Jim and Mary Alice, he’d still be checking on the Livingstons and on the dog. However unwillingly, he’d also forged a connection with her, and she’d discovered she could fight for what was important to her. Ben was important, more than she’d ever anticipated.
Not only that, without effort the valley men had opened ranks and accepted him into their company, and the only way he could extricate himself now would be to move completely out of the county. Given the circumstances and how difficult travel was, that wasn’t going to happen. He was a natural at thinking strategically, in seeing what was an urgent source of danger and what wasn’t.
She looked down the road at the long line of headlights, duty making her waffle about going home. Ben saw the indecision on her face. “We’ve got this,” he said, putting his hand on the side of her waist. Even as tired as she was, she was aware that he’d made a very public declaration by touching her that way. No one seeing the gesture would think, “Oh, they’re just friends.”
But she wanted to be his friend, as well as his lover. Friendship was more difficult, more emotionally intimate and they hadn’t achieved either step yet. She looked up at him with a wan smile and nodded. “I know you do. I just feel guilty leaving. But I need to get Olivia home, and I think I’ll fire up the generator so we can all have a nice hot bath.” Though she’d had a shower at his place, now she felt grimy with gun smoke, and her hair and clothes smelled like burnt gunpowder. After the stress of the night, she wanted the comfort of modern conveniences. They had carefully hoarded their cans of gas for colder times and emergencies, but she thought this qualified as an emergency.
She dared to give his arm a gentle squeeze, then dragged herself into the store to get their rifles before going to Olivia. Fatigue made her feel as if she had weights tied to her legs, and her eyes were gritty. “Let’s go home,” she said. “And fire up the generator so we can have hot water for showers. We’ll have to start the pump for the well, too.” Before they’d switched over to the county water system, all of the houses had had wells, and water pumps. Without electricity they’d been pulling buckets of water from the wells or hauling it from the creeks.
Sela gave a reluctant laugh. She wouldn’t go that far, but Olivia’s enthusiasm meant she’d make herself keep going long enough to get everything done.
Thank goodness she didn’t have far to drive, because she kept blinking to keep her eyes open. In the passenger seat, Olivia huddled down into her coat. “I’m so cold.”
“I am, too.” The drive didn’t last long enough for the Honda to get warm. She pulled into the driveway and saw lamplight shining in the window, which meant someone was already awake. It was nearing dawn, she thought, seeing the sky lightening in the east.
Before she and Olivia made it up the steps the door opened and Barb and Nancy both crowded out. “We’ve been so worried! Are you two all right? I can’t believe you did such a foolhardy thing!” Barb cried, tears in her voice, then she held her palm up to Olivia for a high five. “I’m so proud of you both, and don’t ever do anything like that again!” After Olivia, Barb high-fived Sela, too.
“We didn’t plan on doing it to begin with,” Sela murmured as they entered the warm house.
Nancy said, “What happened to your face?”
“Broken glass. It’s nothing, just a few little nicks.”
She and Olivia shed their coats, then both went to stand in front of the fire. Sela had just had the thought that she was glad Carol had evidently slept through the crisis, when her aunt called from the other room, “Sela! Olivia! You two get in here!”
Barb rolled her eyes. “She’s been fit to be tied, since we found out what happened.”
“How did you find out?”
“Leigh Kilgore said Mike tore out of the house when he heard shooting, and she followed on foot because he forgot his gloves. She tracked the noise and lights to the store. After she gave Mike his gloves