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“I know how to take care of myself, Bails. I learned from the best.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere,” I told him.
“Don’t I know it,” he mumbled under his breath. Pike and Caleb were just walking up as Ethan looked at Matty in confusion. “She treats me like a child and prefers I stay inside and safe where I can’t get hurt even though I am more than capable of taking care of myself,” Matty said, answering a question that hadn’t been asked.
“I don’t know. I haven’t said anything about your nightly visits with Anna, have I?” I pointed out.
His face turned red, and his chest puffed out as he crossed his arms defensively. “How did you… how did you know about Anna? And how do you know that I sneak out every night?”
“You, my dear brother, are not as sneaky as you think you are,” I told him. “Why do you think I never take you on scouting trips with me? Sure, part of the reason is because I want you to stay where you are safe, but the other part is because you sound like a herd of elephants stomping through the forest.”
“Not to take your sister’s side or anything, kid, but how do you think we found you to get help for Gray?” Boone asked. “At first, I thought you might actually be a herd of elephants until I got closer.” A giggle bubbled out of me before I could stop it, and five heads snapped to me. Matty looked shocked, making me wonder when he last heard me laugh. The other four, well, they looked… hungry.
I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “Right, Matty, finish loading up all the bodies, then we can take them down to the pit to burn,” I instructed.
“Actually,” Caleb said, “If it’s ok with you, we’d like to help Matty and go with him to burn the bodies. It’s the least we can do.” Normally, I might have pushed back. I don’t like people doing things for me that might put me in their debt. But the zombies were here because of them, and I really didn’t want to smell like barbequed zombie for the next few weeks.
“Ok. I’ll check on the chickens and then your friend. Thank you.” I tried to think about how normal, well-mannered, socialized humans behave and added a tentative smile. I was rewarded with a beaming smile and a wink from Caleb. I walked away thinking that no matter how many times I tried, I would never be able to smile like that. It’s like a special skill or something.
I went inside and hung up my crossbow and empty quiver in their spots. Matty would collect and clean the arrows for me. I grabbed the crossbody cloth bag we used to collect eggs and slung the strap over my head. I peeked in on Gray, sleeping soundly, then returned outside. Walking to the chicken coop, I ignored the men in my yard. I was reminded of a song Jenn used to sing growing up. I certainly didn’t shake any milk, yet here they are.
I let myself into the coop and immediately spotted the chicken lying dead in the middle of the pen. I crouched beside it and inspected it for injuries but found none. The poor dear probably dropped dead from fright. I guess chicken is on the menu tonight. “Hi,” a voice behind me said as I stood, causing me to jump three feet.
I spun around to find the man named Ethan standing on the other side of the fence. He held up a pair of needle nose pliers and gestured to the hole in the chicken wire from the zombie. “Caleb mentioned that there was a hole down here that needed patching, so I thought I’d come over quick and take care of it,” he said as he knelt and began pulling the broken pieces back together. “Plus, I realized my brothers got to spend some time getting to know you, and I felt left out.”
“Well, we can’t have that now, can we?” I said back. I grimaced internally. Something about these men brought out parts of me I didn’t even know I had. I don’t do flirty banter. Ethan’s copper hair shined in the sunlight as he fixed the fence with a smirk on his face without responding.
When he finished patching the hole, he stood up, looked at the chicken coop, and then around at the other buildings. “You know, since we’re going to be here a while, we stopped overnight in a town with a Lowes about a day or so away. We could go back and see if they have any building materials left and upgrade your coop and the other buildings. I saw a hospital down the road, too, and you said you’d need to run to a hospital for Gray.”
“It’s probably all been picked clean by now. Plus, how would we get it all back?” I asked.
“I’m sure we could figure something out. Think about it and let me know,” he said with a smile as he walked away without giving me a chance to respond. I watched him walk away and found myself appreciating his well-toned body. He looked back with a knowing look in his light brown eyes as he continued walking, shaking me from my staring. I should send them all to Anna’s with Matty for Gray to recover. Having them here is just too much. I’ll discuss it with Matty later.
I combed through the coop, gathered the eggs, and took them and my dead chicken back inside. I hung the dead chicken on a hook over my sink and cut the head off, letting the blood drain from the carcass down the drain. Once it was bled, I scalded it and plucked the feathers, shoving them in a sack to deal with later. I finished processing the chicken, slathered it with a marinade I made, and put it in the fridge until it was time to cook. Gray was still sleeping, but I knew he would need to wake up soon and eat something so he could take some antibiotics to ward off any infection. I’d also give him some light pain medication to take the bite out of the worst of the pain.
As I was frying up the scrambled eggs and veggies from my garden, Matty opened his door and stuck his head in. “Hey, we’re leaving. It should only take us a couple of hours.”
“Ok, hey Matty?” I didn’t turn to face him as I talked. My brother knew me well, and I knew he would see right through me to why I was suggesting our new friends go to Anna’s.
“Yeah? Listen, if it’s about me being careful, I know. There’s going to be four other guys with me. I’m sure we can handle it,” he said as he came the rest of the way into the kitchen.
“No, it’s not that. I was just thinking that maybe the guys would all be more comfortable down at Anna’s. They have more room there and better accommodations. We could-”
“No,” Matty said, cutting me off.
“I’m sorry, no?” I asked. I faced him and placed my hands on my hips. He shrunk away from my glare for a moment before squaring his shoulders.
“No. They’re staying here. And maybe that scares you, and you would be more comfortable if they left, but I think it would be better for you if they stayed,” he said. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me. “B, I know you have issues opening up to and trusting people, but you laughed today. I can’t remember the last time I heard you laugh. And I’ve seen you smile more times today than I’ve seen you smile in six months. Let them stay. They can help fix this place up while Gray gets back on his feet, and then you can decide whether you want them around or not. Give yourself a chance to grow as a person.”
I stood in his embrace for a moment in silence. “Who gave you permission to be so smart?” I grumbled to him, making him chuckle.
He put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me back to look at him. “You did. Everything I am is because of you and everything you’ve sacrificed over the last seventeen years. I’m leaving, and you’ll need somebody to boss around here. It may as well be five guys who have the hots for you.”
“Matty!” I exclaimed as I felt my cheeks heating.
“Don’t Matty me. You deserve to get some enjoyment and pleasure out of life, and I have a hunch that if you asked, they’d be more than willing to help you out with that. I get the sense that they wouldn’t be opposed toallof them helping you with that,” he said with a grin as he wagged his eyebrows at me.
The sound of a throat clearing came from the direction of the door. My eyes widened in shocked horror, and I knew my face must be beet red as I looked around Matty and saw all four of them standing there, grinning ear to ear. Jesus, fix it. Actually, I’d happily let the ground open, swallow me up, and send me straight to hell if it meant escaping this moment.
