He collected the cards, shuffled, and dealt again. “As long as I’ve lived there, there’s always been a thriving community and jobs. There’s an aboveground meeting hall attached to the intake office, a cafe, and the medical center. In the old days, we used to have fewer jobs because we had a smaller population, but xTerra has grown into a small town now. We have a dozen doctors, two dozen nurses, several teachers, and a variety of artists, craftspeople, and scientists. Many community members have learned how to spin, weave, farm, and make clothing. I joined the Watch after the asteroid hit, since my college aspirations were kaput.”
“The Watch?” She placed two cards into his crib while he deliberated what to add.
He gave himself a pair of cards. “We guard the wall. Watch for problems.” He grinned. “Hence the name.”
“Problems like the Slains.” They gave her the creeps.
“Have you had personal experience with them?” His steady gaze rose to meet hers. A spark of anger filled his eyes, like perhaps he would be angry on her behalf if she’d run afoul of them.
Lissa shook her head. “Not up close. They’ve been to Fort Robinson a few times. I’ve only ever observed them, mostlyto ensure they weren’t coming near my place.” She looked up. “I’m not usually fond of surprises.” Cam’s presence was the exception.
“Why did you follow me?” Cam raised an eyebrow but kept his voice neutral.
“It isn’t your turn to ask a question.” She examined her cards, her cheeks growing hot. She’d given herself away twice. Of course he would ask. She pretended to be considering what to throw into the crib. She couldn’t say she’d been fascinated by Cam.
“You’re stalling.” His voice was warm, laced with amusement.
Her gaze flicked upward to confirm she’d read him right. “Maybe a little.” She hesitated, considering what else she wanted to know. With a glance away from her cards, she spoke toward the fire. “Why won’t your brothers be worried sooner?”
“So, we’re going there.” He sighed. “For all that we’re brothers, they’re close to each other, and I’ve always been on the outside. Jed, Aiden, and Nate still live at home with our mother, while I moved out as soon as I could.” He shifted on his wooden chair, his gaze intent on his latest cards. “She said some unkind things before I left, and they probably agree.” A note of sadness entered his voice. “She called me a traitor.”
Traitor was a harsh word. Lissa couldn’t imagine this man turning on his people. “Why would she say that?” Now she was the one asking out of turn, but he didn’t seem to notice, or care.
“As the mayor, she wanted to keep xTerra exclusive, and when I was on watch, I let an older couple and their teenage granddaughters in so they could join our community.”
She reached for his hand, resting hers on top of his momentarily, unable to ignore the zing that shot through her at contact. “Her words must have hurt.” She swallowed, chasing away unwanted sympathy tears. Lissa had forgotten the extentto which others’ emotions could trigger hers. She’d always been an emotional mirror.
He shrugged. “It didn’t surprise me. I knew letting them through the gate would make my mother angry.” His tone suggested he’d been resigned to making her displeased.
“But you did it anyway,” Lissa said. “Because it was the right thing to do.” She took her hand away and gathered the loose cards to shuffle.
He nodded. “She didn’t understand.”
They played several hands without more questions, the silence amicable as friendship bloomed from something unspoken. The game progressed and stayed relatively even as first she led, then he did.
Cam finally broke the silence. “What do you miss most about your husband?”
Startled by the change in topic, her tears welled. She blinked, trying to ignore them. Lissa could barely remember Derrick’s face, and they hadn’t been married for long. She almost didn’t answer, but Cam had shared his mother’s words and something real. The least she could do was to speak the truth.
“Without Derrick, I didn’t have anyone I could let my guard down around. At the Refugee Center, I had to mask constantly. Plus, it sounds selfish, but I also missed mattering to someone.” She felt her heart on display, like maybe she’d said too much, but words continued to spill. “Company. Feeling like if something went wrong, he’d help, so I didn’t flail around on my own. When Derrick didn’t return, I struggled in what suddenly became a world about strength and power. I also had to watch people so carefully to ascertain their intentions.”
She flicked a glance up to see Cam intent on her words. “Women aren’t usually physically as strong as men, and several tried to take advantage.” She lifted her chin. Like her former supervisor, Mr. Blackburn and his sons.
“So, it wasn’t just your husband you missed, but how he made you feel.” Cam stopped shuffling, but he didn’t deal the next hand. “I’m sorry you lost that feeling. I can relate. When my friend Lewis died, I lost the only person who gave a shit where I was and what I did. Like you, I spend a lot of time alone.” He shuffled one more time, then dealt. “Would you consider moving somewhere like xTerra if the opportunity arose?”
She shook her head. Not a chance. “I like the peace and my freedom out here. I don’t answer to anyone or have to worry what others think.” She huffed out a breath of air. “The Refugee Center was difficult. Unsavory. I always had to guard my possessions and be wary of people who would take advantage of someone on their own, like me. I dealt with unwanted attention, theft, and intimidation.”
Lissa flicked a glance at Cam. “That got heavier than I expected.” She surveyed her next hand. “Maybe we need to go back to simple questions, like what’s your favorite color?”
He grinned, a dimple appearing on the right cheek. She wanted to touch it but restrained the urge. “Blue, like the summer sky.” He glanced around the room. “You like bright colors.”
She nodded. They made the world more cheerful. “I like pink, blue, yellow, and purple the best.” She spoke more quietly. “There’s a field near here that’s gorgeous in late spring, filled with the most amazing tangle of reddish paintbrush, purple clover, prairie roses, wild sunflowers, and larkspur.” She hesitated a moment before continuing. “Along the edges of the field is also the best place for wild strawberries. They’re what gives my jam its incredible flavor.”
“I love wild strawberries too,” he said. “Even if you have to collect a bucket’s worth to get enough to preserve. You must be patient.”
“Sun-warmed wild strawberries are my favorite thing in the entire world.” She looked up. “The real struggle is not to eat them all the first day.” The first spring here, she’d gorged on the berries on the first day. Afterward, she’d learned to enjoy a few and save the rest for fall and winter when she needed the vitamin C.
He grinned, probably because they’d found yet another piece of common ground.
