Free Falling, Book 1 of the Irish End Games
Page 28
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Three months after writing that letter, Sarah stood by the fence behind Deidre and Seamus’s cottage and watched John trot his pony toward Donovan’s community.
While the community was an easy two-mile ride on horseback across the pastures, the way John went, it was nearer to five by the road—a road already grown over with weeds and bushes after seven months of non-use by automobiles. Sarah always thought the Irish roads better suited to horses anyway. They wound and twisted in illogical gyrations that seemed to fit a horse’s meandering style of travel.
It was four months since they found out that rescue was coming. Four months of letter writing and hoping and waiting.
But no one came.
It had been a hard winter—one in which, because they hadn’t planted anything—they needed to rely on food and fellowship from Mike’s growing community. And while it kept them alive, the dependency did little to assuage David’s growing resentment and frustration as the months ticked by and no word of rescue came.
As Sarah watched John disappear from sight, knowing he would be safe once he got to Mike’s place, knowing he would be surrounded by friends and watched over by Mike and Fiona, she wondered for the thousandth time why she and David needed to live so far outside the circle.
But, of course, she knew why.
“Anything in the traps?”
Sarah turned to watch her husband trudge up the hill toward her, his face slack and guarded against hope. It was only September, but already the traps were usually empty, the rabbits having tucked themselves up in their burrows until the Irish weather proved more accommodating.
She pointed to the trap at her feet, the body of the little rabbit ensnared in it.
“Thank God,” David said, bending down to pry open the steel jaws.
She looked over his shoulder at the expanse of pasture behind him. It was green for as far as she could see, studded by one or two grazing animals.
“John went to Mike’s place,” she said, resting her hands on her hips. David made a face. She knew he was conflicted about their son spending so much time in the community. But the boy was fed and cared for there—something David and Sarah struggled to do on a daily basis.
“I know. I told him to be back in time for dinner,” he said. “And now there’ll be something for him to eat when he does.”
Sarah glanced at the trap, the spring still bloodied, then watched her husband pull out his knife and begin to skin the rabbit. It never ceased to amaze her how much their lives had changed. If you had told her a year ago this time that David would be able to skin a rabbit without even thinking twice about it…well, a lot had happened in a few short months.
Her gaze strayed again to the tree line at the end of the pasture, where she could just make out the fire of the main cook stoves, which always burned. She wondered what was on the camp menu tonight. Fresh rabbit or not, she wouldn’t blame John if he’d rather stay in the camp.
“Oh!” she said suddenly, “I just remembered there’s a council meeting tonight. I promised Fi we would come. Do you mind very much? We can bring the rabbit.”
David followed the direction of her gaze. “No. As it happens, I have something to say at the meeting.”
Sarah turned to him and frowned. “You do?” She watched his fingers move quickly to strip the skin from the rabbit, turning it before her eyes from a furry woodland creature to a piece of steak ready for the grill.
He stood up and wiped his blade against his jeans. “I didn’t want to say anything before but I saw something when I was out riding the western pasture today.”
“Saw something? Saw what?” Sarah felt the anxiety creeping into her arms and legs. She turned toward the community. The western pasture wasn’t any where near it but she suddenly didn’t like John being out of sight.
“It might be nothing,” he said, following her gaze. “I found some cart grooves, like someone came through during the night carrying something heavy in the back. There were a bunch of cigarette butts on the ground, too.”
Sarah sucked in a breath. Cigarettes were the first things everyone ran out of after the bomb dropped.
Everyone around here, any way.
“Is that all?”
He hesitated and Sarah realized he was trying to spare her. After everything they had been through, he was still trying to protect her.
“I found a stuffed animal on the ground. A teddy bear.”
When she didn’t respond he said, “It had blood on it.” He gave Sarah’s shoulder a squeeze and turned to head back to the cottage. “I’ll get the wagon hitched. Be ready in fifteen.”
The wind caught the scent of the wood smoke from Mike’s community and sent it wafting toward Sarah. She took two steps toward it before she realized what she was doing. With the wind came a chill that cut through her jacket and whipped her hair around her face. With mounting panic, she turned and ran toward the cottage.
If you enjoyed Free Falling, Book 1 in the Irish End Games Series, find out what happens to the Woodson family in Book 2, Going Gone.
First chapter of going gone: