A Bride for 100 Days

twenty-three: if you're here, I'm not

I blinked in surprise.

"It isn't on the news yet..." he reached over and took my right hand, "He knew what Lonnie had planned. At least to the extent of ordering the van brought in and the keys left for Lonnie."

"Oh. God," It was like a punch to the gut. I felt the tears slip down my cheek and I curled up around the throw pillow. Jeb put an arm around me and tugged me against his chest. I cried into his shirt as he held me for a long, long time. 

"I'm sor-"

"Don't," he ordered, his voice rough. 

I nodded and let myself relax against him.

"We almost lost you," he whispered into my hair.

"He almost...was gonna..." I started shaking and crying again, and he held me tight. Then he reached over and grabbed the kleenex off the table. I used up like, all of them.

"Tell me, what's MooMoo?"

"Oh, that. Uh, lots of hunters at the church so lots of hunting cabins. But Katie and me snuck off to that hunting cabin once she got her driver's license because it has an indoor bathroom. After we got there, Katie heard this noise and said 'I didn't know there were cows!' - she thinks cows are adorable. So she demanded that we throw on our boots and go look for the cows. We tromped through the woods for ages but we didn't find cows." 

Jeb cocked his head. 

"Moose. Specifically, horny moose." 

He laughed, that deep chuckle always made me smile. 

"So, you hunt?"

"You know I don't even hike," I shook my head. "I can operate a rifle, though."

Jeb took me by the hand and indicated the small cabinet over the microwave. He opened it to reveal a metal safe. "The password is 1002119. That's the date of 9/11 backwards, can you remember?"

I nodded.

He opened it and had me reach up. "Lower level is the Glock 19. Upper level is the ammo and the clip is on top of the box." He checked to make sure I could reach both. "You ever used one of these?"

"No."

"Right. Here's the clip, push and lock. Here's the release, you try."

I took the gun and loaded the clip. 

"Great. Here's the safety. Now pull the slide. Good. It's loaded. Point and shoot. You got it?"

"Got it."

He took the gun back and ejected the clip and then turned the gun on its side and ejected the bullet, which he caught. Safety on, everything went back in the safe. "Alice, when it comes down to you or them - pick you. Just like you did today. OK?"

I met his eyes and nodded.

As if he understood how wiped out I was, Jeb put me to bed and then dragged a chair into my room and sat by me until I fell asleep. Every few minutes, I would open my eyes to check that he was there and his eyes would meet mine. Until my eyelids grew too heavy to check anymore. Then I felt his hand on my hand, gently. Gripping it, I fell asleep.

The next morning was bright, not a cloud in the deep blue sky. Jeb was gone but the chair was still there. I gingerly took a shower, holding my left hand out of the water to avoid soaking the splint. I managed to get dressed in a long skirt and my American flag t-shirt. 

"Happy Independence...." I stopped as I walked into the kitchen. 

Kyra was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee.