Page 6 of Following Their Heart

But an uncertain, speculative look passes over his face as he scans the tree line. I follow his gaze to find Jud driving a four-wheeler out of the woods and into the clearing. I don’t like how his eyes narrow in thought as he tracks Jud’s movements.

With a final squeeze, he stalks away, leaving me feeling unsettled. Shrugging it off, I seek out Doc and Brawn and offer to help out.

I’m no stranger to a construction zone. It seems a lifetime ago that I spent my high school summer vacations volunteering with my uncle for Habitat for Humanity. We’d travel all over South America building houses to help communities in need, and I learned a ton about construction, not to mention a good deal of Spanish. Calling my dormant skills to the surface, I slap on a hard hat and some safety glasses, and pitch in.

At lunchtime, Doc announces he has to go inside and set up lunch, but I volunteer to do it instead. It’s not hard. Shep has scheduled simple fare for the morning and afternoon meals for the foreseeable future, to free him up to do the harder work of preparing for an invasion. Today’s lunch is just bags of chips (we have so many we’ll probably never run out) and make-your-own sandwiches. I lay out the stuff in the passthrough window and blow the horn, and the guys come running. Well, most of them do.

“Where are Jud and Scrap?” I ask Rev, taking a seat beside him with my plate.

“Probably up at the summit,” Rev says with a scratch of his goatee. He takes a huge bite of his canned-ham and tomato sandwich.

“The summit?”

“There’s an old weather station up there. Gonna use it to set up radar so we can spot incoming as early as possible.”

“Incoming?” That sounds like military-speak. “Is that, like, planes and stuff?”

“Or choppers. Yeah. No one’s gettin’ up our mountain on wheels. I can promise you that. If they’re smart, they’ll use wings.”

The lump of sandwich I swallow sits heavy in my stomach. All this sounds too real. I just found my guys, and now we’re on the verge of being attacked. Byair.Like a real battle with guns and helicopters and stuff. I feel the blood drain from my face at the thought of any of my guys taking a bullet or being exposed to explosions. Appetite lost, I push my plate away.

“Makes sense,” Rev goes on, oblivious to how frightened he’s making me. “Raptor’s Gift is all about birds and things that fly. Probably gonna come in by sky.” He glances down and realizes I’ve left my sandwich half eaten. “Hey, now,” he says, gathering me to him. “You’re not gonna be in any danger, you hear? None at all.”

“What do you mean,I’mnot going to be in any danger? What about you all?” I push out of his arms, frantic at the prospect of being sent away while the guys stay here and fight. I can’t stand the thought of being separated from them. “I don’t wantanyof us in danger.” My voice is raised, and the others are looking our way, but I don’t care. The idea I might lose any of these guys is unbearable.

Rev’s face grows serious. I can tell he regrets upsetting me, but I don’t regret it. I need to know what he thinks is coming. I need to help prepare. A battle is coming our way, and we can’t afford to lose it.

“Easy, baby,” Rev says. He takes my hand and holds it to his heart. “I’m speaking as your daddy, now, mind. We are taking every precaution. We’re gonna defend our home and our territory with everything we’ve got, and we’ve got a hell of a lot.”

“We’ve been preparing for this a long time,” Grim says.

“Yeah,” Doc adds. “Not just since Rev’s sermon last night.”

“Some of us have military training,” Rev says, nodding to Doc. “And we know how to set up an impenetrable defense.”

Doc says, “Damn right, we do.”

“How are you going to protect this place from an air attack, though?” I throw my arms up, exasperated with how vulnerable I feel for all of us. “What if they have bombs and grenades and stuff? The windows are bullet proof, but they’re notbombproof. What if they blow our home to smithereens?”

Rev shakes his head. “I don’t think they’ll come in quite that hot,” he says. “They won’t want to risk hurting you. It’s you they’re after, remember.” When I stiffen at the reminder, he adds, “But don’t worry. You’ll be completely safe.”

“Safe as houses,” Doc says.

“Da,” Grim says. “No one gets to you. No one,” and his blazing eyes prove he means it. But it’s not me I’m worried about.

Rev grips my chin with a gentle hand and turns me to face him. “Jud will explain tonight. Hang in there, little one. We’ve got a plan, and we’re gonna see it through. It’ll all work out.”

But all I can hear in my head is,“You’re right, little one. I don’t know it for sure.”

Chapter 3

Cora

Shep is back in the kitchenfor dinner prep, and I’m happy to help. We’re making bison burgers with bacon, lettuce, and goat cheese. The sides come fresh from our garden, baked potatoes and coleslaw made from carrots, radishes, and cabbage. How will the garden fare if we’re attacked? What about the cows that provide our milk and sour cream and the goats that give us such delicious cheese? Will Shep’s measures keep them safe?

Will Shep and the others be safe? Not knowing is making me sick. I can’t stand the thought of any harm coming to my guys. Or to this place that has become my sanctuary, my home.

While Shep and I slice and dice and mix and season, the work of fortification goes on around us. Each hammer blow and rasp of a saw blade drives home the seriousness of what’s coming our way.

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