Page 96 of Forever After All

They had Paul ready to go within the next half hour. They’d have to leave some things behind at the campsite in order to make it to the next stop. Thankfully, they’d have a cabin to sleep in next, but the state of the cabin after years unattended promised plenty of work.

Linc and Jess watched Paul ride off with Thane leading the way.

“Looks like it’s just the two of us now,” Linc said.

Jess tilted her chin up to glance at him. “We can handle it.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” Linc said before turning around and heading for the tent. “I’m going to finish clearing the tree line.”

What had Linc worried? She didn’t even know what was gnawing at her insides, but it was something between worry for Ava and the baby and spending unsupervised time with Linc. They didn’t have a buffer anymore, and their journey promised plenty of opportunities to mess things up.

“I’ll take the horses to the creek,” Jess said as she headed for Liberty.

One horse at a time. Liberty was new and needed the most guidance, so they set out first.

She crouched on the bank and filled the bucket she’d brought along as Liberty drank. A knot twisted tighter in Jess’s stomach. What would happen if Ava had the baby too early? She knew little to nothing about babies and pregnancies, and the unknown only served to fuel her concerns.

After ten minutes, the sounds in the woods changed. The birds quieted, and even the sounds of the bugs died.

Jess reached for her bear spray. They were coming out of hibernation now, and a creek was a prime meeting spot for wildlife.

She’d just settled her finger on the trigger when the crunching of leaves revealed Linc and Thunder coming out of the trees.

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. “You scared me. I thought you were working at the campsite.”

“Yeah, well I got worried about you.”

“I’m fine. I have the bear spray.”

“Bear spray doesn’t ease my concerns when you’re involved,” he said as he led Thunder to the creek. His left hand gripped a shotgun at his side.

Jess sat on a boulder, and Linc crouched beside her, resting the gun on the ground.

“I can’t stop thinking about Ava,” Jess finally said.

“They’ll let us know if anything happens. Paul said he’d keep us updated.”

“Paul is probably gonna be promoted to foreman until all this stuff with Ava and the baby is settled. Mr. Chambers could do it, but he’s not getting around too well right now. The season is starting in a few weeks, and we need all hands on deck.”

Linc hung his head. “All this is hitting at once.”

“Maybe we can get some friends from town to come help when they can.”

Rubbing his jaw, Linc sat quietly for a moment. “I bet Asa would help. Maybe Dawson Keller too.”

“What about Beau Lawrence?” Jess asked.

“Yeah. Maybe we can get the preacher to announce it at church that we need some extra hands.”

“I’m sure they’ll all want to help as soon as they find out about Ava,” Jess said.

Liberty and Thunder stopped drinking and stared at the forest on the other side of the creek. Jess looked around. The noises hadn’t returned since Linc and Thunder arrived.

Linc slowly stood. “Something’s out there.”

Liberty pushed off with her front legs and darted up the path behind them. Thunder stepped back and threw his head around.

Jess scrambled off the rock to run after Liberty, but Linc gripped her arm. “Don’t move.”

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