“Or what?” Jamie replied.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted movement outside. I followed the hallway the opposite direction from where the brothers were arguing. I didn’t want to hear anymore. At the end of the hallway a glass door exited onto a porch that overlooked the shooting stand. I leaned against the glass and looked outside. There was no one there.
I pushed the door open and went out. I looked around. There was no one, but sitting in the field to the right of the shooting range, I saw a gray wolf. It sat on the lawn looking expectantly at me.
I walked down the stairs and moved slowly across the lawn toward the animal.
The wolf turned and trotted into the tall grass. I saw only its tail wagging through the tall weeds, and then the wolf reappeared where the grassy field met the wood-line. It turned once more and stood looking at me. It was almost like it was waiting.
A moment later the door on the porch opened. I stood still and did not look back. I waited as well.
“What is it?” Jamie asked, coming up behind me.
I turned and looked. Only Jamie had come.
“A wolf, there, at the edge of the forest,” I said, pointing.
Jamie peered toward the woods.
The wolf trotted into the trees.
“That’s unusual,” he said.
I nodded. “Let’s go check out the shooting range.”
Jamie walked silently beside me. I could tell he was thinking, and I really hoped he did not know I’d overheard their argument. Embarrassed, I felt like a snoop.
We rounded the earthen wall and walked down the steps to the shooting stand.
“Booyah,” Jamie said.
There, laid out on the tables at the shooting stand, was row after row of guns and ammo.
“They must have been doing hunter’s safety training or something,” I said as we walked amongst the tables, picking up the rifles.
“I don’t know what they were doing, but I sure am glad,” Jamie said. “Come on, let’s get the others,” he added and we headed back.
Jamie went to pull the SUV closer to the range, and I went inside to get some help. As I walked toward the kitchen, I heard Summer and Ian talking.
“Your reception was so beautiful. You remember the cake? Mom and I almost dropped it carrying it up those back steps,” Summer was telling Ian.
They both chuckled.
“Yeah, it really was beautiful. You and your mom really did a great job,” Ian replied.
A lump rose in my throat.
I walked into the kitchen just as Dusty and Ian exited the storage cupboard pushing dollies with boxes of food. I smiled. “You think that’s a good haul, wait until you see what we found out back,” I said.
We finished loading Ian’s truck with the cases of canned foods and then headed around back to the shooting range where Jamie had been loading my SUV. We loaded all the guns and ammo. Inside, we’d also found several more cases of ammo. Though it had been a rough go, the haul was worth it.
It was after noon when we left the Mara Hunting Club. Jamie and Will rode in the back of Ian’s truck keeping the supplies secure while Summer and Dusty drove my SUV. I rode back with Ian. As we pulled away from the club, I looked in the rear view mirror. The wolf had appeared again at the edge of the forest.
Ian turned the truck, and we headed back down the hill toward town. The image of the wolf fell out of sight. We’d ridden in silence for a long time when Ian leaned over and took my hand.
“Hey, sorry I yelled at you today,” he said, squeezing my fingers.
I nodded but pulled my hand back.
I looked in the mirror again to find Jamie looking at me. Caught, he smiled abashedly. I smiled and winked playfully at him. Then we headed home.
Chapter 13
When I was fifteen, Ian and I had snuck away from my grandma and his parents at the Fourth of July fireworks display to make out under the bridge. I remembered seeing, as we snuck off in the darkness, the townspeople in Grandin Park looking upward as fireworks exploded. Their faces were illuminated shades of green, yellow, and pink in the exploding light. I remembered my grandmother’s face clearest of all. How happy she’d seemed, her face glowing pink, as she delighted in the simple things of life.
Standing on the street in front of the bridge, I turned and looked behind me. Almost everyone had come. The remaining townspeople were assembled in Grandin Park to watch the newest fireworks display. Sadness and despair wracked every face. People looked like pale, hollow versions of themselves. Everyone shifted nervously about. They wouldn’t miss this sight for the world but were in fear of their lives every second.
Larry appeared from under the bridge and signaled for everyone to get back. I jogged back toward the park and waited with the others. Larry made a few adjustments to the fuse box and then, with a quick movement, set something alight and ran back to join us.