Total pages in book: 163
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 150878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 754(@200wpm)___ 604(@250wpm)___ 503(@300wpm)
Their expressions shifted through several obvious emotions as I described what we’d gone through and what we’d seen: horror, shock, sadness, relief. “The entire country,” Mrs. Swanson murmured. “It’s what we heard but didn’t think we could believe.” Mr. Swanson took her hand in his.
“What happened here?” I asked. “There were obviously lots of fires just like in other places. But the bullets? The blood?”
“The homes left standing were attacked, including ours. We joined forces with the neighbors still here and fought back. There aren’t many, but there are enough.” She glanced at her husband again, something unspoken moving between them. “We had to. There was no other choice.”
“Of course there wasn’t,” I said. “They obviously meant you harm.”
“Whatever they wanted, they didn’t get it,” Mr. Swanson said. “We’ve since set up lookouts and have eyes on anyone coming or going. It’s how I knew you were here.”
“You did well.”
“We did what we had to do,” he said.
“What will you do now?” I asked.
He let out a long, slow breath, letting go of his wife’s hand and running his fingers over his jaw. “We’ll clear, and we’ll rebuild. Several of the citrus trees made it through the fires and we’ll begin grafting in the spring. If you have time, I’d love to go over the particulars to ensure I’m not overlooking anything. There’s no room for error right now and almost all of the others who live here moved in after the citrus business began to die.”
“Yeah, of course. I’d be happy to.” I looked between them. “It’s going to be a lot of work.”
She gave me a wistful smile. “There are plenty of young people here, and they have children. We’ll do our part, of course, but we do know our limits. We’ve made a good team so far, all of us together.”
I felt a knot in my shoulder muscles loosen. They were taken care of. They’d made it this far, and I felt confident they’d continue forward. I was especially relieved to know they’d banded together with others.
“Will you stay, Tuck?” Mrs. Swanson asked. “You would be invaluable to getting a functioning citrus farm set up. We lost some animals, but still have chickens and several goats. We’ll need to start breeding them as quickly as possible.” She brought her hand to her forehead. “Oh, there are a million things to do. But what else is there now if we want to survive?”
“I’d love to stay and help with the labor, Mrs. Swanson, but I’ve been offered a position in Kansas, and maybe other places too. There are people in need of help everywhere now, and things are only going to get worse before they get better. Especially in the cities. There are groups of people with special skills, some military, some first responders, and others, who have backgrounds like me. They’re forming teams and doing what they can for people in bad situations.”
Her brow knitted. “That sounds very dangerous.”
“Maybe. I’m up for it.”
“I know. Yes, of course you are. And we’re up for the work we have in front of us too. Thank heavens we have enough to start with.”
I also had the confidence that they were up for the task and had plenty of willing hands and strong bodies. And weapons as well. If they didn’t, well, that would be different, but they did. They had much more than most and they’d be okay. “I’d love to stay for a couple of days if you’ll allow me to, and if you have the food to spare. I’ll go over what I know about the land and the trees and anything else that might come in handy, and then I’ll take off.”
“We’ve pooled our food items in the old barn,” she said. “And we’re rationing for now, until we have more animals, and until the spring planting gets underway.”
“Wise,” I said.
She smiled and stood. “Come on, I’ll get you set up in the guest room. You must be exhausted.”
The guest room. Emily’s old room. She’d be everywhere, and though I knew it would hurt, I also desperately craved having any part of her surrounding me.
* * *
We’d eaten a rationed dinner of canned franks and beans, corn, and sourdough bread cooked over a campfire, and afterward, I wandered out back to the patio. It seemed virtually untouched from the fight that had been waged for this property, though it had aged over the years and obviously gone untended as the Swansons put all their work and focus into keeping the orchard alive. Weeds grew through the gaps in the pavers and the edging had moved so that it was now misshapen. The furniture was rusty and the planters, once overflowing with flowers, were now merely dirt. The only thing that did work was the solar lighting that twinkled around the space. I took a seat on the short rock wall, my heart heavy as I looked around.