Page 27 of Defending Our Ever After

I nearly groan out loud when Dale does that. Nothing makes Jace dig in deeper than when ‘the adults’ cut him out of a discussion.

“I was going to offer to escort you and Steve halfway down the mountain to where you hid your ATV when it ran out of gas. Then, you two can use that to move on to Steve’s in-laws and I can get some information about what’s going on.” Jace’s statement rather bluntly tells Dale he expects them to head on their way sooner than later.

“Jace, Dale and Steve will always have a place at my table.” My father’s voice is low, but there’s no mistaking the warning in his tone.

“Steve’s family is expecting us to follow them, Mike,” Dale says, trying to broker peace between them. “And if Jace will carry the fuel we’ll need to our ATV, that would save having to lug it there ourselves.”

“Once Trisha and Elsbeth agree that Steve is strong enough to travel, we’ll gather up supplies for your journey. You can pull them on the sled,” Dad responds, and I smile. Elsbeth isn’t here to give her opinion, and Eddie hasn’t bothered to translate any of this for Trisha.

“Much appreciated,” Dale says before looking over at Aiden. “Are you up for more poker tonight?”

“Like I was saying, I’ll go into town and see what news people have heard,” Jace interjects, not giving up on his original plan. “Maybe Dylan can come with me?”

“Absolutely not,” I say, not even bothering to take a page from Dale’s attempt at diplomacy.

“Mom?”

“No.” I keep my glare trained on Jace, but I don’t miss the subtle nudge that Julia gives her brother.

Jace shakes his head, mumbling something before cramming the last bit of food into his mouth and rising, carrying his plate to the sink before heading up to his room.

“Do you want me to go with him when he goes?” Eddie asks tone low enough that it won’t carry.

My dad continues eating until he’s finished up every last bite before he eventually answers. “No, I don’t want to risk anyone. I don’t want Jace to go, but we all know he getsrestless. He won’t be happy until he sees what’s happening down there.”

“Dylan, I’m going to go pull on another layer. I’ll meet you in ten minutes to go relieve Russ for the night,” I tell him, all while worrying about the conversation that I know is coming as we spend the night alert for any movement on the lone road from town.

*

“Mom?” Dylan nudges my foot, waking me up from the twenty-minute nap I allowed myself during the shift.

Our conversation earlier was more about the warning system that Eddie, Aiden, and he are setting up around Elsbeth’s place. I was surprised he didn’t start in about going to town with Jace, it’s nice to just have one-on-one time with him and adding on an argument would have killed the vibe.

“I know it’s one of those things that isn’t up for discussion,” Dylan says after I stretch and drink some water. “But the one point I’d like to make is, what if me going to town with Dad makes him more cautious than he would usually be?”

Looking down, I smile at the old wind up watch that looked oversized on my mother’s wrist, I see that he let me sleep closer to forty-minutes. The little boy smile that he gives when I raise an eyebrow at him, cracks me up.

“Change of duty.” We both turn at the sound of my dad voice, and while I’m surprised to see him, I’m happy to have his company. “I couldn’t sleep so I thought I would relieve one of you.”

“Dylan, why don’t you go get some rest?” I suggest and he looks relieved.

I turn, watching him walk back up the road as Dad places the fresh supplies in the small blind we’ve been using.

“I have to let him go, don’t I?” I ask my father, once I see light shining out into the night when Dylan opens the front door.

“I’m afraid so,” he murmurs. “But I have a plan.”

Two days later, Dad stands beside me as Jace, Dylan, Dale, and Steve head down the mountain. Jace is driving the ATV with Steve sitting behind him, they’re pulling the sled of supplies for Dale and his son to continue on their journey. Dale and Dylan have the rough end of the bargain, trailing behind them in snowshoes; we all hold out the hope that Dale’s ATV is where he left it.

I reach my arm around Dad’s waist, knowing their journey will be a difficult one, it’s made harder by the fact that it could be months, or years, before we hear whether or not his friends make it to Missoula.

Naturally, Dylan goes on this trip armed, not only with weapons, but with several keys. On the edge of town, closest to our road sits two homes among many. One was Trisha’s sister’s house, the other was Dale’s.

Dale’s house has a hidden crawl space that Dylan can use as needed, along with his leftover cache of supplies. Trisha’s sister’s home will be useful in case a fallback location is needed. Dylan has promised to stay there while his father scouts around town. They plan to be gone two nights, but I hope they will head back by tomorrow evening.

This is the part that worries me, Dylan has promised not to tell his father about the extra supplies unless absolutely necessary. I know that puts him in a tough spot, but as the request came from Dale he readily agreed to keep it a secret, if possible.

Chapter 11

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