AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Charity is not a luxury,” Carly retorted. “We can’t let the best part of us die out with the old world.”
Justin reached across the table and took her hand in his. “If we find a community and I tell you we should move on, will you trust me?”
She didn’t know whether she should be insulted or not as he seemed to be implying his instincts were sharper than her own, but she knew he was just worried and probably didn’t mean it the way it sounded. “You know I trust you, Justin.”
He finished his last bite and took his plate over to the sink. “We might have some trouble getting people to accept Sam.”
“Why? He stays right by my side wherever I go. It’s not like he’d be running around, tearing into people’s trash bags. He doesn’t even bark.”
“He’s a wolf, Carly.”
“That’s not his fault. And he’s very nice. Surely, if people meet him...”
Justin shook his head. “He’s still a wolf. It’s like the tale of the viper and the farmer.”
“I’ve never heard that one.”
“It’s in Aesop’s Fables. A farmer finds a snake freezing in the snow and takes pity on it. He puts the snake inside his coat to keep it warm. The snake revives and bites him.”
She waited for the punch line, but he said nothing further. “That’s it?”
Justin gave her a small smile. “It was the snake’s nature. Likewise, Sam has some things that are part of his nature. He’ll always be a wolf, even if he sleeps on the foot of our bed and carries that damn cat wherever he goes. People will be afraid he might hurt them or their children.”
“He’s not like that, and you know it.”
Justin met her eyes levelly. “I never leave him alone with Dagny.”
Carly was startled. She thought back over the last month and realized it was true. She started to say she left Dagny alone with Sam all the time, but that didn’t seem prudent. Sam lay beneath her crib—as though guarding her—with Tigger curled at his side. She remembered her own concerns about Tigger, having heard stories of cats accidentally smothering babies. She supposed they all had their preconceptions.
“It’s not that I think he would hurt her intentionally,” Justin said.
Carly nodded. She understood what he meant. Sam might not understand how fragile human babies were and could hurt Dagny without meaning to. But caution with any animal was sensible. It would be unfair for someone to think Sam was especially dangerous just because of his species. “Well, if they won’t accept Sam, I don’t want to live with them.”
Justin nodded gravely. “I’ll respect your decision.”
She hid a smile. Of course he would. He didn’t want to live with other people anyway.
A week before they were set to leave, Justin altered their horse-drawn wagon somewhat by replacing the wheels with thick, wide tires and installing springs to make the ride smoother. He brought it into the barn and began to load it, using every inch of space as efficiently as possible, even though their load of supplies was smaller than it had been before and the wagon was larger. Perhaps he was expecting to find a lot of stuff, Carly thought.
He put Dagny’s crib behind their seat, fastened in place with cables. He was worried that rough ground might jiggle the baby too much, but Carly shrugged and said if it was too rough, she’d get out and carry her.
Justin put a halter on Storm for the first time and got her used to it so he could tie her to the wagon. He didn’t completely trust Shadowfax’s placid nature when it came to Dagny and was worried she might bolt with the wagon if something frightened her, but with her baby tied to it, perhaps she’d be more careful. And it would prevent the curious Storm from wandering off and getting into trouble.
Justin taped a gun under the seat. He showed it to Carly, and she made no comment. She hoped she never had to touch a gun again. Every so often, she still had bad dreams of that horrible couple who had shot Justin with the arrow and of the man in the train depot. She knew she had done the right thing, but it still bothered her that she had killed people, taken human lives. She supposed it was like Justin said: It shouldn’t be an easy thing to do.
Carly walked slowly through the house on the day they left, saying good-bye to each room as she remembered what had taken place in each. She was glad Justin was out making last-minute additions to the wagon and wasn’t there to see her tears.
In their bedroom, she lingered by the large, soft bed where she and Justin had come together the first time as husband and wife and where their baby had been born. On impulse, she took a pencil from the office and wrote on the back wall of the closet, “Justin and Carly lived here, and we were happy. 2013.” With one last glance from the doorway, she went downstairs and out onto the porch.
“Did we forget anything?” Justin asked.
Carly shook her head, too choked up to speak.
Justin understood. He dropped the tarp he was spreading over their supplies and went up onto the porch with her. He took her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. “We’ll have another home where we’re just as happy. It’s waiting for us. We just have to find it.”
Chapter Nine
They fell into the familiar rhythm of travel quickly, as though they had never stopped. Each night, they pitched their tent by the wagon. Sam slept beneath it, and the two horses remained nearby, as though recognizing his protection. In the morning, Justin would cook them breakfast over the campfire, and they stopped for lunch whenever Sam brought them a rabbit or a squirrel. Carly disliked squirrel meat and always gave the whole thing to Justin, who seemed to relish it.
