Megan picked up her glass of wine, “With the amount of alcohol Harry and Wyatt brought back, we may all lose our minds. At least it isn’t Albert’s moonshine.”
“Hear, hear,” Willow chimed in.
They all giggled at once.
“I think it will be the potato toppings that do it. I have never had freeze-dried sour cream. It is pretty close to what I remember sour cream tasting like,” Willow said, dipping her finger in the dish.
“Thank you again for sharing with us, Linda,” Megan said, gesturing to the feast spread out before them.
“It is nothing, really. I am so glad we have someone to share it with. When my husband bought all this stuff years ago, I thought he had lost his mind. He was ordering cases and cases of all this crazy stuff. We filled an entire room downstairs. I demanded he add some wine to the list. But I think he got a little carried away,” she laughed.
“Well, his getting carried away has worked out quite well for us,” Tara laughed.
Linda sighed, “I wish those horrible men wouldn't have used so much of it. They were so wasteful. So awful in general.” Emma’s arms had crept around her and she hugged her granddaughter to her.
The room grew silent.
“Sorry,” she said, suddenly realizing talk of the men that had held her captive for months brought Jack's death front and center.
“It's okay,” Willow assured her. “We can talk about him. All of them. None of them should be forgotten.”
Tara nodded, her own loss still a fresh wound on her heart.
“Let's set the table. Linda, would you light the candles, please?” Megan asked.
She was truly enjoying herself. It was fun to hang out with the girls. She wasn't worried any of them were going to stab her in the back or gossip about what she was wearing or how her hair looked.
These ladies were her true friends. She felt very fortunate to have met them.
Once everything was perfect, Tara was asked to do the honors of inviting everyone in.
It would be their first big group meal together since the loss. Harry, Linda and Emma were officially a part of the group. This was to be a celebration of life in general.
Everyone filed in the back door. There was a lot of excitement as they all got a glimpse of the table that was set up. There were baked potatoes, venison steaks, corn, and a rice dish set out on the bar. Wine glasses were at each place setting.
The surprise was at the end of the bar, carefully covered to hide what was underneath.
“What is it, mom?” Caitlin asked; and not for the first time.
“You have to wait until after dinner.”
“Have a seat, everyone,” Rosie instructed. “We will be your servers this evening,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.
They all managed to squeeze in around the table. The five women remained standing so they could serve the meal.
Willow picked up a bowl that was stacked high with baked potatoes wrapped in foil. She put one on each person's plate.
Megan delivered her tray filled with small bowls.
“What's that?” Ryland asked.
Megan smiled, “This is sour cream, butter, fresh chives and bacon bits to put on your baked potato.”
Albert let out a whistle, “I haven't had a loaded baked potato in forever!”
Willow went back to the counter and distributed slices of bread, slathered with butter.
Rosie dished out the corn, while Tara followed behind pouring red wine into each of the adult's wine glass.
“We have something for you guys too,” she said to Frankie who looked a little bummed to have an empty glass.
Megan grabbed the bottle of apple cider Linda said she had been saving for when her grandkids came to visit. They never had the chance to drink it before the Raiders arrived.
“Wait,” she said to Caitlin who was about to take a drink. “We are going to have a toast.”
Linda quickly served the venison steaks that had been resting on the stove.
“This looks absolutely amazing,” Wyatt said, making eye contact with each of the women. “You absolutely outdid yourselves.”
There was a chorus of ‘thank yous’.
“Wyatt,” Megan started, “Would you make the toast please?”
He stood, holding his glass of wine.
“Here's to a fresh start. We will never forget those who gave their lives so we could all be here today. Their sacrifice can never be forgotten. We honor them by moving forward.”
The moment was honored with a moment of silence following the heartfelt tribute before Wyatt shouted, “Let's eat!”
The dinner was lively with everyone asking for seconds. They talked about Jack and although there were some tears, there was a lot more laughter. They shared stories about Greg and Sandra as well. Sandra had acted as the camp grandmother. She was also baking, reading stories to the kids, and provided a shoulder for anyone to lean on.
Bryan spoke fondly of Greg and how helpful he had been in the beginning. Greg had been one of the men who helped push out Kyle's men. He was not a man to be pushed around. He was stern, but had a real soft spot for the kids. They had relied on Greg a great deal because of his knowledge of off-grid living.
Once everyone declared they couldn't eat another bite and the surprise had all but been forgotten, Willow stood, carried the tray to the cleared table and removed the lid.
“Mom! It's chocolate!” Caitlin screamed.
Everyone started talking excitedly all at once.
“Linda has been so generous to share her chocolate stash with us,” Rosie announced. “You are all about to go into a chocolate coma. We have some powdered milk to help wash it down, too!
“What kind of cake is it?” Ryland asked.
Willow smiled, knowing she was about to make his day, “It is chocolate cake, with chocolate filling and chocolate frosting.”
Brenda groaned, “I am thinking about kissing you, Linda.”
Everyone laughed. Brenda was not the type to joke and her dry tone made it even funnier.
“Kids, I'll make you a glass of milk and adults, you can have milk or wine,” Tara announced.
Duke barked, not wanting to be left out of the festivities. Megan cut off a few chunks of the venison, cut up a baked potato and served the ecstatic dog. He scarfed it down and instantly and started to look for more.
The cake was polished off without even a crumb leftover.
“How about a game of Bridge for the adults and the kids can play that Life game they have had their eye on?” Rosie said.
“How about a nightcap to go with it,” Harry said, holding up a bottle of his favorite scotch.
There were more cheers as most of the kids raced upstairs but Emma remained behind holding Linda’s hand. Brenda and the men cleared the table and quickly washed the dishes while Rosie and Tara set up the Bridge game.
Megan and Willow had gone outside together to walk to the outhouse.
“You doing okay?” Megan asked her on their way back.
Willow stopped, inhaled deeply and stared up at the stars.
“I am. I will always miss him, but he would not want me to be miserable. I'm still sad and it hurts like crazy, but with all of you around me, I'll get through.”
Megan held back the tears. She felt the same way. Jack would always be a part of their lives. His presence could be felt everywhere. All of his building projects were reminders of how much he did for them all.
To honor him, they had to keep going. Failure or giving up was not an option.
“Let's go learn how to play this game,” Megan said grabbing her hand. “I have a feeling Linda and Rosie are going to be kicking our butts!”
They drank and laughed and enjoyed the camaraderie well into the night. For the first time in a long time, they could let down their guard and simply enjoy all the good in their lives.
Megan looked at Wyatt. His smile warmed her heart. She was at peace. Right in this very moment, she was the happiest she had ev
er been in her life. She was going to cherish the moment. Megan knew it may not last forever.
End of ‘Dark Defiance’
EMP Lodge Series Book Three
Thank You!
Thank you so much for purchasing and reading my book! My readers mean the world to me and without you I wouldn't be able to write these stories. If you enjoyed this book, please remember to leave a review on the book's Amazon page --I read every single one of them!
Loved this book? Share this link with a friend, www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com/books
To be notified of my next release
please sign up to my mailing list!
Grace Hamilton is the prepper pen-name for a bad-ass, survivalist momma-bear of four kids, and wife to a wonderful husband. After being stuck in a mountain cabin for six days following a flash flood, she decided she never wanted to feel so powerless or have to send her kids to bed hungry again. Now she lives the prepper lifestyle and knows that if SHTF or TEOTWAWKI happens, she’ll be ready to help protect and provide for her family.
Combine this survivalist mentality with a vivid imagination (as well as a slightly unhealthy day dreaming habit) and you get a prepper fiction author. Grace spends her days thinking about the worst possible survival situations that a person could be thrown into, then throwing her characters into these nightmares while trying to figure out "What SHOULD you do in this situation?"
It’s her wish that through her characters, you will get to experience what life will be like and essentially learn from their mistakes and experiences, so that you too can survive!
You can also follow Grace on Facebook, Goodreads and GraceHamiltonBooks.com
Grace Hamilton’s Books
BLURB
In this new dark world, responsibility for others is a heavy burden.
Megan Wolford is used to handling her own problems, so being part of a makeshift family, and all the responsibilities that come with it, is a new experience. She’ll do anything to help protect her newfound love Wyatt and the lodge group—but sometimes events are out of her control…
When a leak in a nearby dam threatens to flood the land they’ve fought so hard to keep, Megan and her group will have to make a difficult choice: stay or leave? Stopping the flood will require all their resourcefulness, prepper ingenuity and effort—but leaving it will mean the blood lost protecting it was for nothing.
As Wyatt reveals the true hidden value of the lodge, they’ll be forced to dig in and build a set of flood defenses to divert the incoming torrent. But with the leak growing larger everyday the survival of the group is anything but guaranteed—and little do they know, a force more malevolent than Mother Nature is behind the deteriorating dam…
Get your copy of Dark Redemption from www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
EXCERPT
Vlad Berezin scanned the area below. Most of the snow from the heavy winter had melted, leaving a beautiful, peaceful scene reminiscent of some of the landscape paintings his grandmother had hanging in their home where he grew up. The lush green colors intermingling with patches of white from the leftover snow reminded him of his favorite painting created in the image of a forest in Yakutia. Like him, the forests in the region were slowly dying.
He used the binoculars to follow the river until it forked. The smaller fork likely irrigated the fields that had once grown food, while the path of the main river snaked all the way down the mountain.
He almost felt bad he was about to destroy the mountain’s tranquility with one explosion. Shaking off the momentary lapse in emotion, he returned to his binoculars, following the river downstream to where it opened into the lake below. The small town that had been built along the lake would be destroyed along with any remaining residents. People died every day; some much more horrifically than he planned. He didn't know them, or care about what happened to the nameless faces.
Vlad looked back up the river to another fork. The small stream seemed innocuous, but that was all about to change.
It was the young woman who had caught his eye earlier. He turned his gaze to the area in which she lived, farther down the mountain. She carried a backpack into a large lodge. He had noticed other people milling about, but it was the woman who had his attention. She looked to be in her late twenties, maybe early thirties. She walked with confidence as if there was nothing in the world to fear. Vlad wondered if his life would have turned out differently if such a woman had ever taken an interest in him. Would he have become the heartless monster he was so often accused of being? Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he took a moment to admire her beauty before pulling himself back to the task at hand.
The time for regrets was over.
He had one job and he intended to complete it before his time on this sorry earth was over. He chuckled to himself as he thought of the cliché “going out with a bang.” He was going to do exactly that.
Vlad put away the binoculars he had been using to watch the woman and picked up his C-4. The pretty lady would probably die, but that wasn't his problem or concern.
Handling the explosive didn't bother him a bit. He could die quickly or continue the slow death from cancer. A quick death was starting to sound more appealing with each passing day. Unfortunately, his survivor instinct kept him from sticking around when the C-4 was detonated.
Vlad climbed down a small hill and placed the explosive on the wall of the dam that was holding back the spring melt and set the timer on the detonator. Even if he didn't blow it up, there was a good chance the water would erode the spillway and cause a flood. He was simply speeding things up.
He picked up his pack, shouldered his rifle and took one last look around before strolling down the hill being careful not to slip in the mud that covered the hillside.
“Bog prostit menya,” he said in Russian. Hopefully, God would forgive him.
Get your copy of Dark Redemption from www.GraceHamiltonBooks.com
The EMP Lodge Series: Books One to Three Page 60
