Page 115 of Homecoming

“No. I didn’t get the chance. She sprang the whole Riley thing on me, then left. I’ll tell her when she gets back.”

“Dee, you gotta call her and tell her, man. She’ll be made up. It’ll be such a relief.”

“No. I know it’s selfish, but I actually want to tell her face to face—you know, see her smile.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I suppose I get that. And I guess it can wait. Noah said they’re only gonna be gone for a couple of days. We’ll tell her as soon as she gets home.”

“Mm…” Kat sniffs at the fresh mountain air and closes her eyes, taking a moment to absorb the scent of the sprawling pine forest. Hearing the pups yap behind her, she turns around, staring out over the valley below. “Hey, will you two slow down?”

“Boys… hold up,” Noah calls the pups back. “Don’t go too far, I need to show you where the new traps are first.”

“More traps?” Kat frowns.

“Just a couple of extra ones I put in closer to the house. I wanted to make things extra secure for when we’re up here.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Nothing. There’s just been a few more people around on the mountain and I want to ensure everyone’s safety when you come here. Think of the traps more as a security device or early warning detectors,” he smiles, wrapping her in his arms.

“I do feel safe when we’re here with you. This place… it’s our home. The pups love it, and they can really be themselves.”

“C’mon, let’s go inside and get something to eat. I’ll fetch some logs and start a fire.”

Kat stands looking out and as she takes another deep breath she smiles, watching as the pups jump, skip, and run circles around the smaller silver furred wolf as she sits scratching her ear.

“Are you coming inside?” Noah grins from the cabin front door.

“Yeah, sure. I just wanted to call Riley but…” Kat checks her phone and can see the signal bar still sits at zero, “I still don’t have any signal. You know that communications company we passed installing the cable on the way up here? Maybe it won’t be such a bad thing if it means we can finally get the internet.”

“I thought you liked being cut off from everything? The peace and quiet.”

“I do, but I would like to be able to call out once in a while.”

“Well, the SAT-phone Zak left is still here if you really want to call home.” He smiles as he brushes a kiss on her lips.

“No, it’s okay. I don’t need to call them right now. And this is our home.”

Katsighsasshewatches the three small pups curled together on the single bed, asleep.

“Okay… so we put this across here and… there you go,” Noah whispers in a hushed tone as he draws the black mesh curtain across the doorway and clips it in place. “See, it’s pup escape proof.” He kisses Kat gently on the lips and smiles.

“Wow… it really works!” She drums her fingers against the firm fabric stretched across the door, shutting it off from the hall.

“Well, it will do for tonight. I’m not one hundred percent sure it’s Lukas’ proof yet, but… I’ll make something more permanent tomorrow. And I tell you what… while I’m doing that, why don’t we clean out this room? It’s about time I put my momma’s things away.”

“But are you sure? Noah, you don’t have to do that. Her belongings are perfectly fine where they are. We’re only going to be here for a day or so.”

“No. It’s time. Kat, I have a whole new life now. I need to do this. My momma would want me to do that for my family. She’d be so happy seeing them sleeping in her room—I know it would have made her smile. I can feel her now, watching over them.”

“Okay, but only if you’re sure.” Kat leans forward on the tip of her toes and kisses him passionately.

“C’mon, I’ve got something else to show you,” he smiles.

“Something else? Wow, you have been busy while I was in the bath.”

He takes a tight grip of her hand and leads her through the lounge to the front door.

“Oh Noah, I’m not sure about being outside. I mean, the pups… I might not hear if they wake.”

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