“We don’t always understand the curves life throws at us, but sometimes good comes out of bad. Just consider that life has given you a second chance to be happy,” she finished.
Gabe continued to stare at the floor. Finally he nodded. “I hear what you’re saying, and it all makes sense, but we’re going to have to take things real slow. I need to think this through.”
* * *
The light streamed into DJ’s room. He’d slept as long as he could since he knew he’d be riding most of the night. He got up and dressed, then pulled out his map. He was fifty or sixty miles from his original route. With a little luck, he could be back on it and well on his way to his retreat location by this time tomorrow. He found one of his camping spots about thirty-five miles from where he’d get back on track. That should be an easy ride for the first night back in the saddle, he thought.
He organized the gear in his room and made mental notes of the things he needed to do before he left. He’d decided he wouldn’t tell Crystal until just before he left. No need to have her pissed all day. He’d just play it cool until dark.
When he walked into the living room, both Crystal and Nancy were reading.
“Hi, sleepyhead,” Crystal said cheerfully. “I thought you were going to sleep all day. Want some breakfast?”
“Yeah, that would be great,” he said.
She got up and walked to the kitchen. Even in the ratty old sweatpants she was wearing, the sway of her hips made his mouth water.
* * *
“Now just squeeze the trigger. Don’t jerk it,” Gabe said.
Bang.
“That was a lot better,” Gabe said. “Where were the sights when the rifle went off?”
“They were just a little to the right of the bull’s-eye,” Robby said excitedly.
“All right, let’s go look.”
Robby carefully set the rifle on the table, and then he and Gabe walked down to the homemade paper target that was pinned onto the fence at the back of Jane’s property. There was a small hole just to the right and slightly below the black circle in the center of the paper.
“Not too bad,” Gabe said. “Let’s go back and shoot three shots this time.”
They turned to walk back to the table they were using as a shooting bench. Gabe watched as the boy hurriedly walked back to Michael’s rifle. Gabe felt a pang at the fact that it wasn’t his son he was teaching to shoot. Michael would have been close to Robby’s age if the accident hadn’t happened. Gabe wondered if the boys would have been friends.
They probably would have. Maybe I would have taught Robby to shoot at the same time I taught Michael. Maybe this is the path my life is supposed to take now.
They reached the table, and Robby loaded three rounds into the magazine and fired them at the target with Gabe coaching him. Then they’d examine the target and repeat the process again. With each group, Robby got closer to the center of the target.
As Gabe guided Robby along, he thought more about the things Jane had said. It was likely she was right. Maybe this was his second chance. He was going to do his best not to screw it up.
After a few more groups from the bench, Gabe had Robby shoot some from a standing position. The first group was all over the target, but with a little more instruction, even this improved dramatically. When they’d been at it for a little over two hours, Gabe felt it was time to take a break.
“Do we have to stop, Mr. Horne?” Robby asked.
“It’s almost lunchtime, and we both have chores to do,” Gabe said. “Maybe we can shoot a little more this afternoon.”
“Can I just shoot one more group?”
“Okay, one more,” Gabe said, trying not to smile.
After lunch, Robby attacked his chores with a vigor his mother couldn’t recall him ever having. He was waiting anxiously when Gabe drove up with several buckets of vegetables in the back of his truck. Robby helped him carry them into the house.
“Gabe, this is way more than we can eat before it goes bad,” Jane told him.
“Then I guess we better trade some off or can some of it. I have almost twice this much back at my place.”
“Canning it sounds like a good idea, but I don’t know how. Do you?”
Gabe shook his head. “Hannah used to do it. I still have her pressure cooker and a bunch of jars at home, but I don’t think there are any lids. We might be able to get some in town, and I think there’s a book that tells how to can all kinds of things in her stuff. I hope there is, because I don’t have a clue,” he said.
“We could go back to your place, and I could help you look for it,” Jane said.
Gabe saw the happy look on Robby’s face melt. He decided to have some fun with the youngster.
“Well, I promised Robby we could shoot some more once all the chores were done.” The smile returned to the teen’s face. “But I was also thinking we really shouldn’t waste any more ammo on target practice.” The corners of the boy’s mouth were starting to resemble a yo-yo. “So I guess we could go look for it. Or . . . Robby and I could go back to my place and try to get some squirrels for supper.”
Robby’s mouth dropped open, and his eyes looked as if they might pop out. “Please, Mom, let me go hunting with Mr. Horne. I’ll help you look for whatever you need later if you let us go. Please!” he said.
“Please!” Gabe added, tipping his head to one side and putting on a big smile and his best little beggar boy look.
“All right,” Jane said. “I can see that you boys would be useless anyway, but you’d better bring home some meat. I’m getting sick of chicken.”
“We will, Mom. You’ll see. Thank you!”
“Get your rifle and a hat,” Gabe told Robby.
“Yes, sir.”
After Robby left the kitchen, Gabe said, “That’s a good boy you’ve got there, Jane.”
“You just make sure you teach him to be safe, and I’m serious about the meat.” She gave him a peck on the cheek.
“I will, and I know you are,” Gabe said with a wink.
Gabe and Robby were soon walking into the woods that made up the back of Gabe’s acreage. Gabe reminded the boy of the safety rules and told him it was important not to let the excitement of the hunt cause a lapse in the adherence to those rules. He showed the young man how to move slowly and quietly and how to watch for squirrels. Before long, they spotted one, and a few minutes later, it was in the bag. Gabe encouraged Robby only to take head shots, so none of the meat would be wasted. He also explained that it was best to take fully grown animals and only to kill what they needed.
It didn’t take long for them to have six bushy-tails. They walked back up to Gabe’s house and cleaned them; Gabe first showed the young man the process, then had him do it. As they drove back to the Walker place, it was hard for Robby to contain his enthusiasm about the hunt. They pulled up in front of the house, and the boy was out of the truck and running for the front door with the squirrels before Gabe could bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
Gabe smiled as he walked into the house with the rifle case Robby had forgotten.
“It was so cool, Mom. We got six squirrels. See? I got four of them. I only missed the head on the first one. Mr. Horne showed me the tricks of how to get them. It’s pretty easy if there are two of you. One of us just has to go to the other side of the tree, and the squirrel will come to the other side, but if you’re by yourself, you have to be really patient. The squirrels are curious, and if you wait real quiet, they’ll stick their head up to look at you. Like Mr. Horne said, he didn’t know if curiosity killed the cat, but it sure has done in a bunch of squirrels.”
“I see,” Jane said. “So I guess you had a good time.”
“It was great! Mr. Horne said I did really well! He said maybe we could go hog hunting one night, if it’s okay with
you, of course.”
“We’ll talk about it,” she said. “I’m sure we can work something out. Now I need you to go get the eggs before it gets completely dark.”
“Okay, Mom. Thanks,” Robby said as he ran out the back door.
Jane looked at Gabe with a big smile on her face. “I can’t remember the last time he was this excited about something, but what do you expect me to do with these tree rats?”
“We men killed and cleaned the ferocious beasts; all you have to do is cook ’em, woman,” Gabe said with a sarcastic smile on his face. A split second later, he was ducking to dodge the wet sponge Jane hurled at him.
By the time he stood back up straight, she had closed in to put her arms around him and had pressed her lips to his.
* * *
It was almost dark. DJ had tried to sleep, to no avail. His mind kept racing about getting ready to go. He really had gotten comfortable here and hated to leave, but he couldn’t chance being caught for killing the two quad thieves. He got up, went outside, and cut a section of garden hose from one hanging in the shed. Crystal was in the kitchen cooking and hardly noticed him go outside. He siphoned all the gas he could get out of her car into one of his jerry cans. He was only able to get a little over three gallons, so he figured there should be enough for Crystal to get back to town for more. If there wasn’t, she could always borrow another gallon from the neighbor. Going around back, he filled the tank of his quad with the last of the fuel he’d brought with him. There was a little left in the can, and he poured it in with the gas from Crystal’s car. He turned the key on the big machine, and it fired immediately. He inspected it quickly and determined that it was ready to go, so he turned it off. All he had to do was load his stuff.
“What are you doing?” Crystal said as he walked into the house.
“Nothing, just checking on my quad,” he replied.
“Well, dinner’s almost ready. Why don’t you get washed up?”
“All right.”
He was sad that this would probably be his last home-cooked meal for a long time. Crystal wasn’t just nice to look at; she was a hell of a cook.
Dinner was quiet. Crystal and Nancy talked some, but DJ was detached as he thought about getting everything ready to go. After the table was cleaned off, Crystal sent Nancy to her room to play.
“What’s the matter, DJ?” she said as she started washing the dishes.
“I have to go, Crystal,” he said.
She dropped the plate she was scrubbing back into the water. “No. You don’t have to. I’m not mad at you anymore.”
“It’s not that, Crystal. It’s the cops. They’re not going to stop until they find out who killed the sheriff’s cousins.”
“They won’t find out,” she insisted. “I won’t tell them, and nobody else knows.”
“They’ll find out if they keep looking. I was sloppy and told the deputy I was your husband. Sooner or later, someone’s going to tell them I’m not, and when they discover that lie, they’ll start digging. They’ll interrogate us both until one of us cracks.” DJ knew all they’d have to do was tell Crystal they were going to take Nancy, and she’d tell them everything. “Then I’ll be in jail, and you’ll be without me anyway. It’s better if I go now.”
“But we need you to protect us until Roger gets back. Can’t you just stay a little while longer?”
“I can’t. If it had been a regular deputy who’d come to the door instead of the reserve, I’d probably already be in jail. I have to leave tonight,” he said.
Crystal started to cry. “Who’s going to take care of us?”
“You are. I’m leaving one of the guns we got from the guys who attacked you.”
DJ spent a few minutes showing Crystal how to use the Desert Eagle. He knew it was way too big for her hands, but she should be able to scare a few goblins with it. There wasn’t much ammo; otherwise he probably would have taken it himself, but it was better than nothing. She cried the whole time he was showing her how to load, unload, and shoot the huge handgun, but hopefully she’d remember. When he was done, he went to his room and started carrying his gear out to the quad and securing it in place.
He was on one of his last trips when Crystal met him at the door.
“Please stay, DJ,” she pleaded. “I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?” His mind went into overdrive.
She blushed. “Well, not that, but almost anything,” she said quietly.
“Look, Crystal, I have everything I need where I’m going. Everything but one thing,” he said with emphasis. “Now, if you’re willing to give me what I don’t have, then we can talk about me staying. Otherwise, I have to go.”
She stared at him blankly. After a moment, he pushed past her and went into his room. He picked up what was left of his stuff. It was more than he would normally carry, but he didn’t want to face her again. When he turned toward the door, she was standing there looking at him.
“Okay,” she whispered, a tear running down her face.
“Okay what?” he said a split second before he realized what she meant.
“I’ll do it. Just let me put Nancy to bed first.”
It was all DJ could do not to drop the armload of gear and rub his hands together like a hungry man sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner.
* * *
“Dinner’s almost ready,” Jane called into the living room.
“All right,” Gabe said. “Robby and I are almost finished cleaning our rifles. We’ll be right there.”
Jane heard them zipping up the rifle cases and then tromping into the bathroom to wash up. She smiled. Robby had long needed some male guidance. She hoped Gabe would remain the man he’d become and that he’d help Robby become the man she knew he could be.
* * *
DJ was waiting outside Nancy’s door when Crystal came out. She turned and headed for her bedroom without saying a word or even acknowledging his presence with her eyes. He closed and locked the door behind him. She stood silently by the bed. He wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss her. She didn’t return the kiss.
I guess she doesn’t want any foreplay.
He pushed her down onto the bed.
* * *
Jane was washing, and Gabe was drying and putting away. Dinner had been good. The fried squirrel was a little tough, but at least it was different. Jane promised that if the guys would get more, she’d cook them slowly to tenderize them and make squirrel and dumplings. Gabe and Robby promised to go hunting again as soon as possible.
“How do you think the meeting will go tomorrow?” Gabe asked.
“What do you mean?” Jane replied.
“Do you think the small groups will have plans for the things we talked about?”
“I’m sure they will be. The question is whether they’ll be acceptable to the whole group.”
“I guess so,” Gabe said. “I hope they are.”
“I’m sure they will be. It seems like you got some good people to work on the committees.”
“Yeah. I hope one of them will step up and take over the meetings. I think that army captain would make a good leader.”
“I guess,” Jane said, as if her mind were somewhere else. “So, are you spending the night here?”
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. People might get the wrong idea about what’s going on with us.”
“And what is going on with us?” she asked with a coy smile.
“I guess we’re kind of going together.”
“Wow! How romantic. You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet.”
“You know what I mean,” Gabe said.
“I guess I do, but it’s not like we’re in high school, Gabe. If you spend the night over here on the couch, what difference does it make?”
Gabe had to admit that she had a point, but somehow he just wasn’t comfortable with it. “I see what you mean,” he said, “but I think it’s best if we just sleep in our own homes for now.”
“Whatever you want, Gabe.” She seemed agreeable, but Gabe couldn’t help wondering if he’d hurt her feelings.
* * *
DJ picked up the last armload of his stuff out of the guest room. She was nuts if she thought he was going to stay if that was what he could expect. She had just lain on the bed like a dead fish. Sure, it was better than nothing, but not much. He’d built up in his mind that she would be so good, and then it was as if she weren’t even in the room.
He carried the stuff out to his quad and strapped it into place. He looked at his gear. Everything seemed to be there. It wasn’t quite dark, but it would be in ten or fifteen minutes. He thought about going ahead and leaving, but it wouldn’t do for someone to witness him leave on his quad. It might give the law too much to go on.
He decided to recheck everything since he had a few minutes. He heard the door open behind him.
“What are you doing?” Crystal said.
“I’m leaving.”
“But you promised you’d stay.”
“I never promised,” he said.
“But—but I did what you asked me.” Tears began to run down her cheeks.
“Yeah, right! That was horrible, Crystal. It’s no wonder Roger hasn’t come home. He’s probably shacked up with some little truck stop tramp who really knows how to screw.”
DJ smiled as he saw her eyes open wide and the tears suddenly stop. All the color blanched from her face as what he said sank in. She turned and ran into the house.
Collision Course Page 20
