“I was planning to come back. Really. I tried to make it there. I was just too weak. Can I have some of that applesauce?”
I handed the jar to him. “Knock yourself out.”
He opened it and smelled it. “Got a spoon?”
I rolled my eyes, then sighed, reached into the pack, fished out a spoon and handed it to him.
“I don’t know why you left in the first place. If you had just stayed—” I shook my head. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
He spooned some applesauce into his mouth. “I didn’t lie. It was my dog. He stole her from me. I came over to show him the dog and he immediately grabbed the leash from me and told me I didn’t know what I was doing. I got mad, and rightfully so. That thing I said about his mother was true. I … I just didn’t know she had died that day. But Court, he took it the wrong way and slugged me in the eye, then took the leash and the dog and went inside. He refused to give the dog back to me, said I didn’t deserve it and I didn’t know how to treat it anyway.”
He stuck another spoonful of applesauce into his mouth and swallowed.
I stared at him until he finally looked at me. “What? I swear that’s how it happened. Whatever he told you is a lie.”
“Whatever.” I wasn’t going to get into a who-lied-and-who-told-the-truth match with him. Besides, I didn’t care so much about the dog. I did care about the way Max hurt Court with the “half-breed” comment, which Max just admitted to—and the rumor. “What about the rumor?”
“What rumor?”
“The one you started about him being a freak. Saying he could talk to animals and making fun of him, calling him ‘Dr. Doolittle.’”
Max shrugged. “If the shoe fits.”
I shoved him and he had to catch himself with his hand, spilling applesauce down the front of his shirt.
“Hey!” he said, wiping his shirt with his fingers and licking them clean. “Okay, I didn’t know it would stick. How could I? I didn’t know everyone would actually believe that Doolittle shit. But when he showed up with the dog and she followed him everywhere without his ever having to say anything to her it just validated my story. Kids really started to notice when he started helping out at different ranches. He began doing that shortly after his mother died, I think. It made it worse when he wouldn’t say anything to people to defend himself. I think he just stopped talking to almost everyone.”
“Did you ever think he was hurting? That you hurt him? Did it ever occur to you that maybe he didn’t talk to any kids because they laughed at him all the time and made fun of him because of what you said? Did it ever occur to you that he lost his mother and his best friend all in the same day? Then he lost his father from his drinking because he couldn’t cope with his wife’s death. Did it ever occur to you that he may have needed you?”
Chapter 34
~~ Courtland ~~
I sat in the little hidey-hole, waiting for a squirrel, or preferably a rabbit, thinking about everything that had happened over the past couple of weeks.
Aside from the earthquake and so many people dying, I was glad I finally had the chance to get to know Adela. She was everything I’d always known she would be. I only hoped, now that Max was back in the picture, she wouldn’t go back to pining over him. What we’d shared that morning was absolutely fantastic. Her kisses told me she loved me. She told me she loved me. But still, Max had been her number one focus for so long I worried.
It only took a couple of minutes before I heard a rustle in the brush. I poised for the kill, expecting to see a rabbit hop out of the brush, but my mouth watered when I heard a gobble instead. I took aim, letting go of the knife as my foot slipped on some wet leaves and crap, I missed. The turkey scurried away. I grabbed the knife and followed the large bird. I didn’t think it would run too fast. Most of the wild turkeys around were pretty used to seeing people, at least the ones by my house. As I slowly came around a tree, I stayed hidden and smiled at the sight. There were six turkeys gathered together. I shouldn’t have been surprised, since I knew they usually traveled in flocks. I took aim again, and this time I hit one right in the center of his side and he fell over. He was small, but plump, still pretty young. I looked around and saw the others scurrying up the hill and out of sight before I could blink.
I glanced up at the sky. Some dark clouds were rolling in and I wondered what sort of weather we were in for now. There was a chill in the air and most likely, those clouds meant snow. I sighed. Snow would add one more thing to make our journey even more difficult. I pulled my shirt collar up around my ears—every little bit helped and trekked back to the museum. I took the turkey to the side of the building, placed him on an old sawhorse, cut his head off with the ax, and plucked and gutted him there before I went back inside. There was no sense in making a mess on the museum floor. When I entered, I stopped in my tracks at the sight of Adela sitting on the sleeping bag, Max right beside her. Shit.
They heard me come in and turned toward me. Adela jumped up, her eyes wide, her face adorned with a broad smile. “You killed a turkey! Wow, and you already plucked it and everything.”
I forced a smile and walked to the fireplace. “It’s small, but it’ll feed the three of us.” Adela had already taken out the little grill we had and positioned it over the fire. She used a couple of bricks to hold it in place. I glanced at her. “Good job.”
“Thanks,” she grinned. “I had a good teacher.”
I placed the turkey, breast side up, on top of the grill and sat on the edge of the sleeping bag, leaving room for Adela to slide in between Max and me.
“That didn’t seem to take you very long,” she said.
“No. I got lucky.”
“You seem to get lucky pretty often when it comes to finding food.”
“Yeah, well, our luck may run out if those dark clouds I saw heading this way bring snow. We might be here for a while if that’s the case. No sense trying to go anywhere and freezing to death along the way.”
Adela nodded. “Right. At least here we have the fire.”
I picked up one of the cans of pears, grabbed the ring and flipped the top open halfway, pouring a little of the juice over the turkey. The fire sizzled as some of the juice hit it. I opened the can the rest of the way, pulled out one of the pear halves and offered it to Adela.
“Thank you.” She took a bite then offered it back to me.
I had to smile, liking the way she thought about me as I took a bite, then she took another, then me until it was gone. When she took the last bite, she grinned. “That was good.”
I put the knife down on the floor and Adela picked it up, then stuck it in the can and pulled out another pear half. She offered it to Max. I stayed quiet and hoped she wasn’t going to take a bite after him. When he took the knife out of her hand, my back stiffened. What would Max do with the knife? I watched him out of the corner of my eye and wondered where the kid I once admired had gone. When Max finished eating the pear, he put the knife back down beside the can and I relaxed my shoulders.
The smell of the juice from the turkey permeated the air. “How long is that going to take to cook?” Max grumbled, clutching his stomach.
“A little while. Here, have another pear,” Adela said, picking up the knife, spearing another pear in the can, handing it to Max.
I watched him put the whole pear half in his mouth, never offering any to us. Typical Max, but I figured he would be hungrier than we were. I knew Max didn’t know too much about hunting and I wondered what he did to survive out there over the past week. But quite honestly, I didn’t care to ask him to find out.
The skin on the turkey’s legs began to separate, indicating it was cooked. I pulled one off, held it out toward Max. He snatched it and nodded at me. “Thanks.” Then he took a bite.
I cut some of the breast meat and offered it to Adela. I cut two more pieces, handed one to Max and kept one. Max had already finished the leg and started in on the piece of breast meat immediately. I had to remind
myself that Max hadn’t eaten in a few days to keep from commenting on the way he guttled the meat.
It was no big surprise that we managed to eat every last bit of the turkey, leaving nothing but the bones, which meant I’d need to go back out tomorrow morning and find more food.
Maybe it was time to make some more weapons. There were three of us, after all. We could take turns hunting or even hunt together, but there was no way I was giving Max the knife and letting him go out with it alone. He would probably just take off with it and never come back.
I glanced at Max, his lanky body sprawled out on the floor on the other side of Adela. She sat poking a stick at the fire. I picked up another stick almost identical in size to the one she held and began shaving the top edge with the knife. She watched with interest.
“Good idea. Now I can hunt too,” she said.
I shaved the tip until it came to a sharp point, then smoothed down the sides, making it straighter, easier to grip, and handed it to her.
“Nice. Thanks.” She smiled then nodded toward Max.
I rolled my eyes. “If you insist.”
I had planned to make another one all along, but couldn’t resist teasing her.
After carving another spear, I placed it against the wall next to the fireplace. Max was asleep, his eyes shut and his breathing heavy. Sleep on a full belly was probably something he hadn’t had in a while. I considered the question of which one of us had it tougher over the last week. Remembering my time with Adela, I decided it had to have been Max.
Adela yawned and stretched out on the floor beside me, her head inches from my thigh. I fingered the strands of her hair and she smiled up at me. Those bright brown eyes sparkled against the flames of the fire. My heart sang and fluttered as Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl” came to my mind, my favorite song since the fourth grade.
I added a few more boards to the fire, stoking it enough to last until morning, then positioned my body close to Adela’s, though not exactly side-by-side. I wanted to take Adela in my arms and hold on to her while we slept, but things were different now that Max was with us again. I wasn’t sure how she felt about snuggling against me with Max in the room. I closed my eyes and was pleasantly surprised when the warmth of her body pressed against my back and her arm draped around my waist. I wondered what would happen when Max woke and saw us. Maybe he’d give me another opportunity to decorate his face.
Chapter 35
~~ Adela ~~
I awoke freezing and scooted closer against Courtland, opening my eyes to a brightness that wasn’t exactly warming as I squinted at the frost-covered window. I got up, walked to it, made a small circle in the middle of the glass with the edge of my fist, and watched snow floating down. Each little flake glistened as it hit the ground. A wet snow most likely. I stood, mesmerized for a few minutes before crawling back in the sleeping bag with Court to get warm.
Max sat against the wall next to the fireplace, glaring at me. Court stirred next to me and I looked at him and then back at Max. At that moment, I realized what Max was thinking. Suddenly filled with chagrin, I gave him a weak smile. He did not return the gesture, only scowled, not saying a word. He didn’t need to. His silence told me everything he was thinking and the vitriol pooling behind those steel blue eyes of his caught me off guard. I didn’t want Max to hate me and he really didn’t have any right to be upset. I had a strong desire to walk over and slap him, but Court sat up beside me, rubbing my neck as he looked around.
“It’s snowing,” I said.
“I thought it might. It looks like we’re stuck here, for a few days at least, depending on how long it snows.” Court got up and walked to the window. I stayed seated while Max continued to glare at me. I glanced away and pulled myself up to walk over to the window to look out at the snow again.
“Somebody needs to go out and get some more wood,” I said, trying to distract Max from staring icily at me.
“I’ll go, and get more food while I’m out there too,” Court said.
“I can go with you.” I did not want to be alone with Max even if it meant walking out into the freezing snow.
Court turned to me. “That’s okay. You’ll get your chance, but it’s tricky hunting in the snow.” He glanced at Max who just sat there staring at the two of us and Court gave me a puzzled look. “I think it would be better if I went this time. We’ll draw straws to see who goes later. Maybe the snow will let up by afternoon and the animals will come out of hiding.”
Court bundled the sleeping bag around his shoulders and took one of the spears he’d made along with the knife. He turned toward the door and took a step. I grabbed his arm. “Wait.”
I decided right there and then that it didn’t matter anymore what Max thought. He wouldn’t be any more upset than he already was, so I stood on my toes, threw my arms around Court’s neck, and kissed him. Court, I’d learned, was never one to miss an opportunity like this, so he placed his hand on the nape of my neck and pulled me in close, turning the kiss into what must have appeared to Max as a hot, sensual display of affection. “Be careful.”
Court smiled and let go. “Don’t worry.”
When the door closed, I turned back toward the fireplace and glanced briefly at Max.
“What the hell, Adela?”
“What do you mean?” I played dumb.
“You and Courtland, why didn’t you tell me?”
“There’s really nothing to tell.”
“No? I wake up and find you clutching him against you and then you grab him and kiss him goodbye? That’s not nothing, Adela.”
“I thought you knew.”
“No. How would I know?”
“I thought Court told you outside.”
“He never said. I was only guessing.” Max shook his head. “How could you, Adela? How could you let that freak touch you?”
Court never told Max anything? I was extremely pleased to learn Court wasn’t the kind of guy to kiss and tell. “He is not a freak and I don’t like what you’re insinuating. I kissed him because I wanted to and I will continue to kiss him because I want to.”
I sat in front of the fire, steaming in silence and staring into the amber ashes in the fireplace, the sizzling fire the only sound for several minutes until Max said, “You really like him?” His voice was low and soft as he came and sat beside me, the way he always did when we talked about important things.
I looked at him. “Yeah, I do.”
“Are we still friends?”
“Yes, of course.”
“So how can you like him when you know he can’t stand me?”
“I don’t think he feels that way about you. He just knows you don’t like him. Am I supposed to not like somebody because you don’t?”
He shrugged.
“That’s kind of childish, don’t you think? And you used to like him until you realized he could take you in a fight.”
“I was only ten then and he was a whole foot taller than me. But I bet I could take him now.” He grinned.
“Don’t even think about it. It doesn’t matter.”
“It matters.”
The door flew open and Courtland walked in covered with snow, carrying over his shoulder … a small deer?
“You got a deer?”
“It’s a fawn still. I hated killing her, but we gotta eat and rabbits and turkeys are hard to find in the snow,” Court said, laying the animal down on the floor. “We won’t be able to eat all of this but we can keep some of it fresh packed in snow for a little while.”
“Slick, dude, you killed Bambi,” Max said.
“Shut it, Max. I won’t be able to eat any of it if you keep that up.” I walked up to Court. He looked absolutely devastated that he had to kill that poor creature. His head hung low as he knelt over the deer, stroking its side.
“She gave her life for us. I didn’t want to have to kill her, but there was nothing else out there. At least she’ll give us food for a few days.”
“Don’t worry a
bout it, dude. You probably saved our lives. It looks like it might snow for a while. So, good job.” Max patted Court on the shoulder. “Want some help skinning her?”
“Okay. You sure you’re up for it?”
“Yeah.”
~~ Courtland ~~
Something happened between Max and Adela the day I went out and killed that deer. Something good.
It snowed nonstop for the next three days. By the amount of snow that dropped, I realized we were no longer just in the foothills, but somewhere smack dab in the middle of the Sierra Mountains.
Somewhere between the forest and the smoke, I’d lost track of the sun and took a wrong turn so that we’d headed too far east instead of north. This wasn’t something I wanted to mention at this particular juncture, not when Max was actually acting human toward me.
Adela no longer seemed worried about cuddling up next to me and Max stopped shooting daggers at me with his eyes. Max spoke to me more often and actually laughed at my stupid jokes, almost the way he did when we were kids.
A chill ran through the air and I noticed the fire needed stoking. Since our little pile of firewood had dwindled to only two logs, I stood and headed toward the door.
“Where are you going?” Max asked.
“The wood’s getting low so I’m going out to gather some more before it gets dark.”
“I’ll come with you.” Max grabbed the blanket we’d found him wrapped up in and put it around his body.
I shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
As soon as we stepped outside, Max grabbed my shoulder. I turned toward him just in time to meet his fist with my jaw. I stumbled back and fell into the snow.
“Now we’re even,” Max said, rubbing his knuckles with his other hand.
I rubbed my jaw and stood up, hands fisted at my side, expecting Max to charge me. I didn’t want to fight; I was sick and tired of fighting. When Max didn’t make a move toward me, I frowned. “What the hell, Wendell?”
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