EMP Lodge Series Box Set | Books 1-6

by Hamilton, Grace

  The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning up and Megan got a crash course in the laundry department.

  They had three setups. A five-gallon bucket with holes all around the bottom, similar to that of a washing machine tub, was placed inside another five-gallon bucket. The clothes were put inside the bucket filled with water and soap. A toilet plunger was put in the center and a lid with a hole cut out for the plunger handle was placed over the top.

  Each of the ladies spent several minutes pulling and pushing the plunger, acting as the agitator in a washing machine. They washed, rinsed and then hung the clothes on a rope stretched between two trees in the sun. Rosie explained they would be taking the clothes in to hang by the fire at dusk if they weren’t dry.

  As Megan worked, she found herself falling into an easy camaraderie with the two women. It was easy to imagine herself working alongside everyone on a daily basis. While she would be the first to say that she preferred hunting and trapping to washing clothes in a bucket, she thoroughly enjoyed how easy it was to talk to Willow and Rosie. Under different circumstances, she might happily call them friends but she didn’t dare now. It would make it too hard to leave when the time came.

  11

  Wyatt and the guys returned to the cabin, dirty, tired and hungry. Despite their best efforts, they all had scratches and cuts from stringing the barbed wire.

  Walking in the door, he stopped to take a long, deep breath and instantly started salivating. The cabin smelled like his favorite family-style restaurant. His mother and Willow had become experts at preparing meals with very few ingredients. It wasn’t always easy to make freeze-dried food taste like fresh food, but they were getting better at it every day.

  The smell of fresh bread took him back to growing up in Spokane when his mom spent her time in the kitchen baking and his dad was always sniffing around the stove or sitting at the table, ready to dig in the second she gave the all clear. He longed for those days, but was going to appreciate every moment of his future.

  Megan, his mom and Willow were all chatting in the kitchen, holding what he assumed were cups of coffee. It looked so natural and Megan was practically glowing. This was the first time he saw her acting like a typical woman.

  She seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself and his mind quickly brought the sight of her nearly naked body to the forefront. His blood started racing and he had to take a deep breath to control his very primitive response to the image.

  She turned to look at him, smiled and then went back to her conversation. Boy, he was in trouble. He wanted her to stay—bad. He had to make her see the benefits to sticking with them. Sure, it would be a little crowded, but they would find a way. This woman sparked a fire within him that he didn’t want to ignore.

  He watched with envy as Jack walked into the kitchen, grabbed his wife at the waist and laid a big kiss on her. She giggled. They chatted a few moments before he swatted her on the butt and went out the back door.

  Wyatt followed his brother out to clean up before dinner. The table was already set and he knew they were waiting on the men to be settled.

  Ryland came downstairs. “Next time I want to go with you guys,” he called out.

  “I doubt that, young man,” grumbled Albert. “Messing with barbed wire isn’t any fun.”

  “Hanging out with the girls and doing nothing all day isn’t any fun either, Albert.” Ryland stood on the bottom step. “I’m practically a man and I need to know how to do that stuff,” he argued.

  Wyatt overheard the conversation and popped back in the door. He figured the kid was right. “You’re right, Ry. You can do your school stuff in the morning and if your mom and dad say it’s cool, you can come out with us.”

  Willow raised an eyebrow and then busted out laughing. “Do you actually think I’m going to argue for you to stay with me all day, kid? No way. You go right on ahead and hang out with your dad and uncle.” She quietly added, “Let them experience your bubbly attitude.”

  Wyatt laughed; he remembered those tortured days of being a preteen. Too old to play, too young to work. It was a rough time in a boy’s life. Thankfully, his nephew had plenty of things to keep him busy. He wouldn’t have to worry about being bored or not fitting in. He would figure out his place soon enough.

  Dinner was served and they spent an enjoyable hour eating by candlelight. The conversation was light and they all talked about their plans for tomorrow and the future. Chase and Albert ended up in a heated argument over whether baseball or football should be brought back first as the national sport. It was Ryland, who put a stop to it when he pointed out that technically, soccer could be played most anywhere. Jack backed him up and Chase conceded the argument but Albert refused to pointing out that the stadiums still existed.

  Wyatt couldn’t help but notice Megan had been quiet during dinner as they made their plans for the day, weeks and coming months and didn’t bother contributing to their attempt to talk about sports. She stared down at her food with a pensive look on her face. She clearly had no intention of staying and the others seemed to notice her silence.

  Chase finally said what had been on Wyatt’s mind. “You know, with the nine of us together, we make an excellent team. Each of us brings something to the table. Even the kids and that dog.”

  Despite Albert usually being grumpy and negative, he looked directly at Megan. “You should stay.” His gruff voice didn’t fool anyone who knew him. He acted like a grumpy old man, but he was really one of the nicest, most loyal people around.

  Wyatt watched Megan to see if the words were getting through. “Thank you. I’ll think about it. Right now, I need to get my daughter better.”

  Willow stood and began clearing the table. “You think about it. We’ll all be right here.”

  Megan excused herself to go check on Caitlin again.

  Wyatt walked in to see if there were any changes in the little girl’s condition. The scene before him was very touching. Megan was sitting next to her daughter, smoothing her dark hair back from her face. He knew her heart was breaking and she was terrified of losing her child. He was hoping that once Caitlin got better, she’d be more willing to listen to the group.

  She had to stay. Every day that passed, he found himself caring about her more and more, which logically didn’t make sense. He barely knew her and she intentionally didn’t share much because she didn’t intend to stay. But her passion for her daughter and the way she tackles anything set in front of her are qualities that make her that much more attractive to him.

  Duke’s ears perked up when he saw him. He’d moved to the foot of the bed, but was still sticking close by taking his guard dog job very seriously. In fact, it may have been a little too seriously. He hadn’t touched his bowl of food since he took on the job of guarding Caitlin.

  Wyatt hoped it was because he was dedicated to his charge and completely focused on her. The last thing they needed was a sick dog. Duke was only five and had many years left in him. Ryland would be crushed if he lost his dog. They all would be.

  It seems like they’d all been fighting to hold on to even the smallest things that reminded them of their old lives. Hopefully, it was nothing more than a phase and the dog would bounce back tomorrow.

  “You can use that top drawer if you want,” he told her when she looked up and saw him standing there.

  She chuckled. “I packed pretty light. I don’t know that I have anything to put in that top drawer.”

  “Just the same. Put a few things away. I want you to feel comfortable here,” he told her in all earnestness. “Megan, you don’t have to go. Okay? I know, you’re tired of hearing us all say it, but we really want you to know how valuable you are to us and how valuable we can be to you and your little girl.”

  She took a deep breath. “I know. I get it. I need to work some stuff out. I’ll give it some thought.”

  “Okay, I promise, I won’t say another word about it.” He grinned. “Well, I’ll certainly try not to. We still on for hunting i
n the morning?”

  “Yep, I’m looking forward to it.” Megan looked back at her daughter. “Is your mom upstairs?”

  Wyatt turned to look into the kitchen. “Probably. She’s been working on that puzzle. What’s up?”

  Megan shook her head. “I want to ask her if there are any other plants we should be looking for. Caitlin seems better, but she’s still not winning whatever battle is waging in her little body.”

  Wyatt felt a knot swell in his stomach. He was hoping the little girl would be up and awake by now. What could possibly be wrong with her?

  12

  Megan got off the bed and stood in the bedroom, looking at the bare walls. This place could be a very comfortable home with a few personal touches. It was safe, secure and there were plenty of people to help. She wouldn’t have to be the sole provider. Megan allowed herself to consider the idea of sticking around, at least until Caitlin was better and back to her old self. There were many benefits to staying—temporarily.

  Could she rely on them when things got really bad? More importantly, could she trust them?

  When she was nine, her dad had given her a signed Seattle Mariners’ baseball. The entire team had signed it and her dad had presented it to her in a special box. She knew she wasn’t supposed to play with it but she couldn’t resist. It was her favorite and she often slept with it under her pillow so her dad wouldn’t see it. When her best friend, Sasha, spent the night, they’d taken it outside to play. Sasha was pretending to be Randy Johnson as she practiced her windup. Unfortunately, her pitch went wide and she accidentally threw the ball into one of the wells on the property.

  Luckily, the well was dry but Sasha felt awful about it and before Megan could say anything, she decided to climb down to get it. Unfortunately, the darkness of the hole hid the real depth. When Sasha jumped in, she ended up twisting her ankle when she landed.

  Megan had run for help, but no one believed her. The adults she thought would help her ignored her. Megan was terrified for her friend so she did the only thing she knew to do—she went into the well and after many hours, scratches and bruises covering the both of them from head to toes, she finally managed to get her friend up and out of the well.

  Sadly, Megan wished that had been her only lesson on counting on others but it’d only served as the basis in a long line of disappointments over the years that taught her it was better not to rely on others than to risk constant disappointment and hurt feelings. It all left such deep emotional scars. She didn’t think she could survive being hurt or let down again.

  She also knew she had to try. If it had only been her in this scary, new world, she would’ve left already. She had to think of Caitlin. Was it fair to her daughter to raise her in such an isolated environment? Her daughter loved being around people and made friends so easily. She needed to do what was best for Caitlin.

  Megan made the decision to stay with the people who’d taken her in and were providing her with the help she needed to take care of her daughter. The driving factor behind her decision was the idea of learning more about how to survive without modern conveniences. How to survive in a world without grocery stores, plumbing or electricity.

  The decision gave her new resolve and she was excited to have somewhere to call home, even if it was only going to be for a little while. She pulled her pack out from under the bed and started to go through it. She wasn’t lying when she said she packed light. Both she and Caitlin each had a change of clothes and her basic survival gear.

  She’d used her last emergency blanket the night before they found the cabin. She checked her small headlamp to make sure it still worked. She needed to look for batteries on her next scouting mission.

  She resealed the sandwich bag that held her lighter, matches and the dried moss she always picked up when she saw it. Finding tinder wasn’t always easy so she carried it with her to make starting a fire easier. She’d put her knife back in the pack after showing Ryland how to process the rabbit. That would stay in there, along with the multi-tool, paracord and her little first aid kit.

  Yes, she planned to stay, but the past few months had taught her the importance of being ready to go in a heartbeat. The stuff in the drawer wasn’t critical to survival. She could leave it if she had to go in a hurry; all she had to do was grab her daughter and her bag.

  She found the picture she’d tucked into the pack at the last minute before they left their house. The picture had been on the fridge for a couple years.

  It was one Caitlin had drawn in preschool. The crayon drawing depicted their little family back then. Derick was holding hands with the little stick figure that was supposed to be Caitlin. Megan’s character had a big smile.

  Those were days she missed. Thinking back to them often brought pain and resentment. Derick had really done a number on her. She couldn’t believe he’d betrayed her and then left them as if they were last week’s trash.

  Megan kept the picture for a number of reasons, but mostly to serve as a reminder of what happens when you trust implicitly. You’re taken advantage of. She placed the picture on top of the dresser and put the few personal items she and Caitlin had in the top drawer. She stared at their meager belongings in the drawer and felt her breath hitch. Could she make a home here? With Wyatt? With Rosie and the rest of the group?

  She slowly closed the drawer and her eyes were drawn back to her daughter’s artwork. The school! She knew every town had to have a school and that meant there was going to be a nurse’s office or at the very least a stash of medicines and first aid supplies. Maybe someone had left antibiotics at the school. Megan was thrilled and quickly dashed upstairs to find Rosie.

  Instead of working on the puzzle, she found her sitting on one end of the couch with several books spread out around her. She had her little notebook and was jotting down notes. Soft candlelight made it possible to read, but it would certainly strain the eyes after a while.

  “Rosie, what about the school nurse’s office?” Megan blurted out excitedly. “Do you think they would have some leftover antibiotics?”

  Rosie looked up from her notebook. “Maybe. I can tell you we checked every pharmacy from Spokane to here. They were all wiped out; school medical rooms may be the same. Medicine was one of the first things to be looted.”

  The news deflated the excitement Megan felt earlier.

  “She does seem to be getting better. I need to figure out what it is she’s fighting,” Rosie assured her. “These are the times I miss those expensive tests the doctors could do that gave us answers within minutes. We’re stuck going the old-fashioned route. Thankfully, I have a ton of medical books. Dale picked these up at library sales and wherever he could. He knew we would have to go back to old school medicine and provided us with the tools, now I need to find the answers.”

  Megan plopped down on the couch opposite Rosie, sinking into the soft material. “Thank you. I know you’re working hard. It’s so frustrating not knowing.”

  They sat in silence a few minutes. “I’m going hunting with Wyatt in the morning and would like to check the school after we’re finished, in case. Even if it doesn’t help Caitlin, it may come in handy to have around.”

  Rosie looked at her and smiled. “It sure will. It’s important to stock up when you can in case you need it down the road; especially since most of the medications have a shelf life far longer than what’s listed on the bottle.”

  Megan realized she’d actually let herself think about being here in the future. It felt good to think about the future and not worry about whether they’ll have food and shelter. Usually, when she thought about the future, she became apprehensive and stressed herself out. Now, it wasn’t so scary.

  Especially with Wyatt around. She had to admit to herself that if he wasn’t a member of this group; chances were that she wouldn’t have had such a difficult decision to make. Around him, she could be herself and he seemed to appreciate what she brought to the table; unlike Derick whose condescending attitude constantly made he
r feel less than him. It was as though he took great pleasure in belittling her. Wyatt was definitely the better man compared to her ex; heck, he was the better man compared to Chase and Albert.

  Wyatt woke up earlier than usual. The sun was starting to put out some color across the dark sky. He’d slept on one of the couches upstairs since Caitlin and Megan were in his bed. Chase was on the couch opposite him, snoring away. They were short a bed, so every few nights, Albert, Wyatt or Chase would give up a bed and take the couch.

  Now, they were short two beds. They were going to have to either add on to the cabin or maybe build a new small cabin close by. He would talk to Jack about that. He may actually like having a bit of privacy for him and his wife. Getting materials would be difficult, but amongst the group, they could come up with an idea or three to transport lumber and other heavier supplies up the hill. He didn’t feel bad about raiding the Home Depot or lumberyard. It was all up for grabs now. The world had suffered a huge blow and commerce wouldn’t be starting up anytime soon.

  It wasn’t hard to wake up. He was excited for the hunting trip and the chance to spend time with Megan. He quietly went downstairs to find his mom already brewing coffee.

  “You’re up early,” he said in surprise.

  She nodded. “I’m going to keep an eye on Caitlin while you two are gone. I figure Megan will feel better if I’m awake, in case Caitlin wakes up.”

  Megan appeared in the doorway. “If Duke could speak, he’d be the perfect babysitter.” She twisted left and right a couple times. “That dog insisted he sleep beside us, which left very little room.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Sleeping in a bed with a dog is better than sleeping on the ground.”

  She carried her boots to one of the chairs at the table. “You ready?” she asked, lacing her boots up.

  “Do we have time for coffee?” Wyatt hoped she’d say yes because he really wanted some.