Mountain Man (Book 2): Homecoming

by Jones, Nathan

  He bit back a curse, turning around to find that sure enough, Kristy had reined in her horse and was waiting a hundred yards back, glaring after him. Halfway between them, Bob had stopped the mule, and everyone was now staring in confusion between the two of them.

  He looked up at the nine-year-old girl. “Thanks for the heads up.” She smiled back tentatively, looking torn between amusement and worry about finding herself in the middle of an argument. Tom led Horse back to Skyler, Bob, and Vicky, where he stubbornly waited in stony silence, ignoring their questions and uneasy looks, until Kristy broke down and joined them.

  “Don't be stupid, Tom,” she snapped. “Don't nuke our plans just because of this.”

  “Because of what?” Skyler asked. They both ignored him.

  “Didn't sound much like they were still “our” plans,” Tom shot back.

  Bob cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Should we head back to the flat until you guys figure this out? There's work I could be doing.”

  “Nothing to figure out,” Kristy said firmly. “We're going to Emery to get the wagon, and Tom's got an order from the Sheriff he needs to pick up.” Her sky blue eyes locked onto Tom's fiercely. “Because this ranch is our future, and I know he hasn't given up on that.”

  “I haven't-” he started to splutter, outraged. Then he realized that in her current mood, this might be the closest she was willing to come to admitting they might still have a future. Together, at least.

  It was another ultimatum, but he had the feeling if he ignored this one it would be the end of their relationship, with no hope of patching it up, and he wasn't ready to give up on them just yet. Besides, whatever might happen between them, the ranch wasn't only for him, it was for all of them. In fact more for everyone else than for him, since he could easily survive the way he had been all these years.

  But that was no sort of life for the others; it would be selfish and petty to abandon a chance to improve their circumstances just because of an argument.

  “Emery it is,” he growled, tugging Horse's reins and starting back down the valley. He couldn't help but add as he passed Kristy, “To see if what's waiting for us up there is everything we hoped for.”

  * * * * *

  Even surrounded by friends and family, Kristy hadn't felt so alone since Miles died.

  The solution was simple: go talk to Tom and bridge this sudden gulf between them. But she couldn't forgive him for flat out refusing to help her, help Vicky, when they needed him most. It would've required sacrifice, sure, but the main sacrifice in caring for a baby was going to be hers.

  Besides, hadn't she sacrificed enough coming to the mountains, the last place she wanted to live? Wasn't she sacrificing by being willing to live in a cave, eat venison for every meal, endure the stink of curing hides and the prospect of probably having to wear buckskins before long?

  Or maybe not, if Tom was going to all this trouble to start a ranch, even after everything.

  The mountain man led them to Emery in stony silence, where they quickly got the horses hitched to the wagon. Then, after he walked off without a word to find the sheriff and pick up the Geiger counter and hazmat suits, Kristy joined the others heading to Brady's to purchase supplies for the trip.

  The distance to Utah Valley was shorter than to Grand Junction by a few days, and over more pleasant if also slightly more difficult terrain. If all went well it probably wouldn't take much longer than three weeks there and back.

  Of course, with this looming gulf between her and Tom that seemed like an eternity.

  Brady was his usual pleasant self, asking after how they'd been faring in Tom's valley, and filling them in on how the others from the convoy were settling down in Emery. That prompted Kristy to seek out her friends to see how they were doing for herself once she'd made her purchases, taking what little time she had before Tom returned from his own errands.

  The mood of the convoy members who'd stayed in town was hopeful, although most showed hints that they were still struggling to get over the trauma of Newpost. Kristy commiserated where appropriate, and promised that once they got back from Utah Valley she'd be happy to have visitors, and would try to find more opportunities to visit them in town, as well.

  Fingers crossed, once Tom dug up Miles's caches she'd have the resources to provide more for those poor people than emotional support and help with cleaning and washing up.

  She wasn't sure what made her feel worse: having to see the obvious struggles of people she cared about, or thinking about how selfish it felt to be miserable herself over a comparatively much smaller issue like an argument with her boyfriend.

  The mountain man found them before she had a chance to visit everyone, carrying a bundle over his shoulder that he quietly tucked into the wagon with his things. Kristy tried to catch his eye to confirm the sheriff had provided everything he needed, but he seemed to be studiously avoiding looking at her; apparently, the only way she was going to find out was by directly asking him.

  Guess it would remain a mystery for now.

  After Tom shared a few words with Bob and got the group started, he quietly invited Skyler to join him scouting the road ahead. Her son gave her an uncomfortable look, aware something was going on but not sure what, or what he was supposed to do about it. Kristy gave him an encouraging nod, and the two took off to check the road while the rest of them followed at the best pace the horse-drawn wagon could manage.

  And so the thoroughly miserable trip to Utah Valley began.

  Those few nights she'd missed sitting with Tom to watch the sunset had been painful enough back when things had still been good between them. Now, after their argument and with the gulf yawning ever wider between them, those minutes as the sun sank, pointedly keeping her distance from the mountain man, gnawed like a festering wound.

  Kristy wasn't even sure what she wanted from him, either. Before they left he'd approached her to try to talk things through and she'd coldly rebuffed him, but then she spent the last couple days despondently hoping he'd try again. And she desperately wanted him to agree to take Vicky's baby if it turned out to be necessary, but at the same time resented the fact that she had to make him do the right thing.

  And the worst thing was, the longer this disagreement between them lasted the more absurd it seemed, since Bob and Vicky hadn't even searched for doctors or exhausted all their options yet. She might be making herself miserable and jeopardizing her relationship with Tom for nothing.

  But she couldn't stop now.

  The tiny, tiny silver lining to the cloud of being away from Tom for so long was that Kristy was able to focus fully on being there to support Vicky. She did her best to provide a shoulder to lean on, and cry on where necessary, as well as giving her friend space when she needed it.

  Of course, the petite woman wasn't blind and knew something was seriously wrong between her friends. At first, she kept her questions to herself, giving Kristy space. Then as the issue dragged on she tried subtly dancing around the subject.

  But on the second night on the road her friend must've decided enough was enough, because she finally confronted her, taking her arm and pulling her away from the fire, out of earshot of where the others were eating. “Okay, what's going on between you and Tom?”

  Kristy looked away. “Nothing. Just going through a rough patch.”

  Vicky wasn't buying it. “You've barely spoken in three days! Or rather, you avoid him like the plague while he stares after you like a lost puppy.”

  She felt a twinge of guilt at that. That, combined with the petite woman's implacable stare while waiting for an explanation, finally made her cave with a sigh and decide to tell her friend everything. “I told him we should adopt your baby, if the doctors can't . . . do anything.”

  Her friend stared, aghast. “And he broke things off on the spot?”

  “No!” Kristy stared sheepishly over at the fire, where the others were giving her curious looks after her outburst. Aside from Tom, that is; he just stared broo
dingly into the flames. She sighed again. “I basically told him I'd break things off if he didn't agree. Then I walked away, and I haven't been able to bring myself to talk to him since.”

  “Kris, why?” Vicky nearly wailed, reaching up to clutch her by the shoulders. “What you and Tom have is pretty much the only good thing going on in our lives right now! You can't throw that away for me!”

  “I'm not throwing it away,” she said, feeling a surge of panic at the very possibility. “I'm just holding out until he sees reason. He's a good person, he'll do the right thing.”

  Her friend didn't seem reassured at all. “We haven't even searched for any doctors yet. You could be torpedoing your relationship for nothing.” Kristy just looked at her stubbornly, and the petite woman shook her gently. “At least talk to him, Kris. Your relationship with him might die while you're sitting around waiting for him to make the first move in an argument you started.”

  She really didn't want to hear that. “You said you won't raise that baby, and I agree it would be the worst thing for you if you had to. So I'm going to help you and take it, Vicky. Even if I have to raise it on my own.”

  Vicky looked away, expression anguished. “Please don't talk like that. I'm already on the brink of losing Bob, if I thought I'd destroyed what you have with Tom I'd never forgive myself.”

  Kristy immediately forgot everything else, taking the petite woman's hands in alarm. “Things can't be that bad between you, can they?”

  Her friend stared into the distance at nothing, forlorn. “They're getting there. We barely talk to each other, and not about anything important. And every time he looks at me I know he's beating himself up for failing to protect me.” She hesitated, then continued in a tiny voice. “And sometimes I hate him for not being able to. He tried harder than any of the other husbands, even forced them to beat him unconscious to get at me, but I still blame him. I cursed him every time they-” she cut off with a gasp, shuddering violently.

  “Oh, Vicky,” Kristy said, pulling the tiny woman into her arms and holding her tight as tears filled her eyes. Her friend clung to her, sobbing.

  They stood like that for several minutes before Vicky continued in a hollow voice. “The worst thing is he's been there for me even after everything. He's the only one I still trust, and he needs me as much as I need him.” She made a low, miserable sound. “I need him so much, but I can't go to him. We haven't been together since then . . . I'm not sure I'll ever be able to again without reliving that nightmare. And I know he needs it, our marriage needs it. And, much as I hate to think about it, deep down I have a feeling I need it too, with the man I love and trust, if I'm ever going to get over what they did to me.” She shook her head forlornly. “But I can't. I can't even think about it. And it's only a matter of time before Bob gives up on me and leaves.”

  “He'd never do that,” Kristy protested vehemently. “He loves you. Things are bad now but they'll get better, you'll see.”

  Her friend didn't respond. She finally pulled away, dark eyes shining with tears in the firelight. “Whatever happens, don't let my destroyed life be an excuse for you to destroy your own life. How do you think that would make me feel?”

  Kristy had no answer to that. Still, after they returned to the fire she couldn't bring herself to approach Tom. After he volunteered for the midnight shift and turned in for the night, she desolately stared at his tent until she decided it was time to head to bed as well.

  She spent the next few hours tossing and turning, finally admitting to herself that this issue with Tom might be more serious than she'd thought if she couldn't even bring herself to talk to him.

  Deep down she had a feeling that was because she was afraid when she did, the question about whether they were going to take Vicky's baby would finally come to a head. And that the outcome wouldn't be what she wanted, something she couldn't accept, because she was going to help Vicky no matter what. If Tom refused to help, she would be forced to end things.

  She desperately didn't want that to happen; better to let the issue hang in limbo, and hope against hope Tom would give in and change his mind. That was the only acceptable resolution she could see to this, hopeless as it seemed.

  Falling asleep with such grim thoughts, it was no surprise that the nightmares about what had nearly happened to her at Newpost returned.

  Chapter Six

  Happy Valley

  It took them nine days to reach Utah Valley.

  Small surprise they made such good time, considering how hard everyone pushed to reach their destination as quickly as possible without Tom even needing to urge them. This argument between him and Kristy was making the trip miserable for everyone, which he felt bad about, but there didn't seem to be any help for it because the young woman just didn't seem willing to talk to him.

  Of course, he hadn't tried since that first attempt before they left; getting shot down was no fun, and it was hard enough to work up the courage to try when there was only the possibility of it happening. When rejection was a near certainty he couldn't bring himself to make the attempt.

  The craziest part about it was, during the trip Tom had decided to agree to take in Vicky's baby if the need arose. It seemed pretty likely the Hendricksons would find the doctor they were looking for and it was a moot point anyway. And even if they didn't, and true to his prediction trying to start off a marriage raising someone else's unwanted baby turned out to be just as awful as he'd envisioned, it was still a kindness to a woman who'd already suffered enough, and a child who didn't deserve to be punished for something it had no control over.

  Besides, if he loved Kristy, and this was something important enough to her to sacrifice her own future for, he didn't see how it was possible he could refuse.

  But his stubborn stupid pride wouldn't let him just go to her hat in hand and tell her that. So he waited for a word, even a look, from the flaxen-haired woman. The tiniest gesture to bridge the gap, to meet him halfway, so he could swallow his pride and tell her they'd do things her way.

  It never came.

  He supposed part of that could've been that he spent as much time as possible out scouting, either alone or with Skyler. He sometimes even skipped meals, or stopped in just long enough to grab his food before heading out again. It seemed pointless to inflict any more misery and awkwardness on everyone else than necessary, so he did his best to avoid it where he could.

  On the bright side, at least their trip was almost finally over, and hopefully this argument with Kristy, too; either the Hendricksons would find a doctor, making it a moot point, or they wouldn't, and things would come to a head and he'd finally have to talk to Kristy. It might not be the most enjoyable conversation, but lonely as he was he looked forward to it just for the chance to finally exchange words with her.

  And he supposed it would be good to get this all settled, one way or another.

  They stopped for a brief rest on a ridge that provided a breathtaking view of the southern end of the valley. To the north was the fallout zone, a barren expanse of skeletal buildings and wasteland where life was slow to return.

  Tom felt a pang, taking in this view. He hadn't seen it since the Ultimatum, when the nuke that had obliterated the most populated areas of Utah Valley had guaranteed that the small community he'd been living in was gone.

  It was somewhat ironic, that although he'd traveled just about everywhere else in the Southwest in the years after the Ultimatum, this was the one place avoided coming anywhere near. Unable to face the pain of losing his family, the doubt that he'd abandoned them when they needed him most. The self-recriminations over the fact that he'd been too cowardly to confront them about taking the side of a petty dictator, a side he couldn't support but that he hadn't been brave enough to openly oppose, either.

  He unconsciously reached up to grip the strap of his trusty hunting rifle, the same one he'd stolen from his dad before fleeing the community, along with the revolver at his hip.

  Although Tom didn't think he'
d given any real clues to his painful memories, out of the corner of his eye he caught Kristy giving him a sympathetic look. That is, right up until the moment their eyes met and she hastily looked away, expression icy. He bit back a sigh and got back to his bitter contemplations about the other haunting failures of his past.

  At least until Skyler joined him, quietly taking in the view. “We lived over there,” he said, pointing vaguely to the northwest. “Where did you live, that community you told us about?”

  Tom pointed. “Closer to the north end of the fallout zone. You can't really see it from here.” Thank goodness, he silently added. The hill where he'd watched the place go up in flames during the revolt blocked their view, barely in sight on the horizon.

  As he finished speaking he glanced over at Kristy, and with a start saw that she was looking in the direction Skyler had pointed with an expression of obvious grief. Thinking about Miles? The parents she'd lost to radiation sickness after the Ultimatum? The life she'd had here before leaving for Newpost?

  Whatever the gulf between them, he couldn't ignore that pain. He nudged Skyler, subtly motioning her way. The boy was perceptive enough to get it, and he went over and hugged his mom. Kristy hugged him back gratefully, sinking to her knees and holding him close as tears streamed down her cheeks.

  The Hendrickson family had also pulled into a huddle, mother and daughter hugging each other while Bob stood close by with a hand on Lisa's shoulder. Probably thinking of the disaster their lives had turned into since choosing to leave.

  Tom retreated back down the ridge to the wagon, feeling lonelier than ever, and did his best to dispel the feeling by focusing on caring for the horses while they were stopped. When the others finally returned from the overlook he spoke briskly. “Probably can't reach our destination today, but we can put some distance behind us.”

  Kristy nodded, still not quite looking at him. “In the morning would be a good time for you and Skyler to head off on your business, while the rest of us make for New Orem.”