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  “I’m pretty sure this can’t be good for a gunshot wound.” Mack. He sounds amused.

  I pull away from Travis, giggling and hiding my face against his good shoulder.

  Mack comes into the room. “I guess this means you’re feeling better?”

  “I’d be better if we hadn’t been interrupted. Ever hear of knockin’?” Despite his words, Travis doesn’t sound grumpy. He’s flushed now and grinning like a fool.

  “I was just stopping by to check on the patient and make sure Layne didn’t need anything. And there’s this dog out here who won’t move. He’s tripping everyone up.”

  “Oh, please let him in,” I say, raising my head.

  Mack glances behind him as if checking for observers and then steps out of the way to let the dog come into the room. “Just don’t tell anyone I let him in.”

  The dog hurries to the side of the bed and snuffles at the mattress. I give him a pet, and he runs around to the other side so Travis can pet him too.

  Mack is grinning at me. “I guess since I caught you making out on his sickbed, this means things were pretty simple after all.”

  I return Mack’s smile and hug Travis’s forearm to my chest again. “It actually wasn’t simple, but we still managed to figure it out.”

  I END UP SPENDING THE night on the bed beside Travis.

  Patty, the overbearing nurse, isn’t happy about this situation, but we ignore her grave warnings and do what we want. After greeting us, the dog is made to sleep outside the door.

  I wake up the next morning before Travis does, and I have time to go the bathroom and clean up a little before he wakes up.

  The doctor stops by to check on him almost the moment he opens his eyes, and Travis is grumpy and curt during the bandage-changing and examination.

  “I can give you some aspirin and Advil,” the doctor says. “I’m sorry that’s all we’ve got. If anyone has anything stronger, they’re not sharing.”

  “I’m fine.” Travis obviously isn’t fine. He still looks pained. In fact, he looks more uncomfortable than ever this morning.

  “You’re not going to be able to travel for a day or two.” The doctor looks worried. “The caravan will be leaving this morning, but you won’t be able to go with us.”

  “That’s okay,” I say. “We weren’t going to stay anyway.”

  “He’s going to need more than just you to take care of him.”

  “We’ll be fine,” Travis grits out.

  “I can stay,” Mack says. He’s been lingering near the doorway since the doctor came in. “At least a day or two. Then Anna and I will need to start off for West Virginia.”

  “What about Maisey and Jenna?” I ask.

  “They changed their minds. They’re gonna stick with the caravan.”

  That somehow doesn’t surprise me since the other two women didn’t seem as set as Anna on joining Maria.

  The doctor seems to think his job is done, so he leaves.

  Mack asks me, “Where’ll you be heading?”

  “Oh... I don’t really know. We haven’t discussed it.” I turn to look at Travis. He’s watching me soberly. “Maybe we should... There’s a place in the mountains where we’d be safe for a while. Maybe we should go back to that house. At least until you’re back on your feet. Then we can figure out what to do.”

  Travis nods at me and then looks at Mack. “In that case, we’ll be traveling in the same direction as you and Anna. So maybe we could go together. I’m not gonna be much good at keepin’ Layne safe for a while, so I’d be glad of the help.”

  “Sounds fine to me. You sure you’ll be up to traveling in a day or two?”

  “I’ll be ready.” Travis’s expression brooks no argument.

  If it’s humanly possible to be ready to travel in two days, Travis will do it.

  IT’S MIDMORNING BEFORE Travis and I are finally alone again. The caravan has left, and we’ve said goodbye to Cheryl and the others from Meadows.

  They’re heading for the mountain area damaged by the earthquakes. They have nowhere else to go, and that’s likely to be as safe as anywhere else they can get to.

  Maybe they can find a neighborhood with a lot of houses in livable condition.

  They’re going to try to set up a life there.

  If Travis wants to join them eventually, I’ll be okay with that. And if we stay at the house, which I’d prefer, we’ll still be close enough to visit occasionally and make sure Cheryl and the others are okay.

  While Mack and Anna go outside with the dog to get some food from our Jeep and check the perimeter for intruders, I stretch out on the bed beside Travis, reaching down to take his hand.

  “You wanna do some more kissin’?” he asks, his voice thick and fond. He sounds better now that the crowd of people have moved on.

  I laugh softly and lean over to press my lips against his. I don’t let them linger. “We can kiss more later. First I want to talk.”

  “Okay. What about?”

  “Are you okay with us heading back to that house? We don’t have to go there. I just couldn’t think of anywhere else.”

  “No. That sounds ’bout perfect to me. Nowhere’s gonna be as safe as that, especially with me in bad condition like this.”

  “That’s what I thought. We don’t have to stay for long. Just until you get better. Then we can decide what we’ll do from there.”

  “We can do whatever you want. Bein’ with you is all I could ask. I’ll be glad to do anythin’ that makes you happy.”

  “That’s sweet, but I want to discuss it. I want to know what you want too. If you could do anything in the world, if I wasn’t a factor in any way, what would you do?”

  “You’re always gonna be a factor for me. You have been since you held me at gunpoint over that motorcycle.”

  “I wasn’t really a factor for you right at first.”

  “Yeah, you were.” I frown and start to object, but he won’t let me. “I thought you were the bravest, prettiest thing I’d ever seen in my life, but I was scared for you.”

  “I was okay.”

  “I didn’t know that for sure. In this world? I was scared for you.” He drops his eyes and then raises them to meet mine again. “So I followed you.”

  I gasp. “You did not!”

  “Yeah, I did. It wasn’t easy ’cause I didn’t have a good vehicle, but I couldn’t stand the thought of you bein’ all alone in the world like it is now. What might happen to you. So I tracked you. Followed your trail. Why else do you think I happened to show up right where you were?”

  “You said it was because we were taking the same route!”

  His lips are twitching slightly, although his eyes are still sober. “And you believed me?”

  I let out an indignant huff. “You big liar!”

  He chuckles and reaches for my hand, bringing my knuckles to his lips and kissing them one by one. “Yes, I’m a big liar. But it just proves that you been a factor for me since the very beginning. And that’s never gonna change.”

  I get momentarily distracted by sappiness, but I manage to pull myself together. “Maybe. But back to my original point. Pretend I decided to hook up with Mack and we didn’t want you around.” I giggle at his scowl. “What would you do then?”

  He sighs. “I’d probably go back to that house. I liked it there. A lot. I’d take the dog if you’d let me have him, and I’d see if I could be part of that network Mack keeps talking about—helping folks who need it. I think I could do some good once I’m back on my feet, and it’d be better than sitting around with nothin’ to think about ’cept my broken heart over losin’ you. So that’s probably what I’d do.”

  My eyes widen, and I squeeze myself in excitement. “Really? That’s what you’d do?”

  “Y-yeah. Probably. Why?”

  “Because that’s what I’d do too! That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about. I loved that weird little house. I liked that we weren’t all crowded there, but I don’t think I want to be t
otally isolated forever. I don’t want to just hide away. I want to... help people if we can. So maybe Mack and Maria and whoever else is in that network could use us. Me and you. We could... do something good.”

  Travis’s mouth is turning up at the corners. “That’s really what you want? You’re not just sayin’ it ’cause you think it’s what I wanna hear?”

  “No! I mean it. It’s exactly what I want. I want to... I’ve been hunkered down since the asteroid hit. Like it’s all I can do to just survive every day. And I don’t want to be that way anymore. I think I’m only now realizing it after seeing how close you were to dying yesterday. I want to live. I want us to live. Really live. I want to wake up with you in the mornings. I want to see if we can plant a garden and make a few things grow. I want to help people whenever we can. I want to make a few friends. I want to find every bird that’s still alive in the woods. I want to listen to the bugs at night and watch the sun set. I want to kiss you while we’re making love. I want to have a... have a baby with you.” I gulp as I realize what I’ve been babbling out without thinking. “I mean, if you want. And if we can.”

  My hands are trembling as Travis stares at me speechlessly for a long moment. Then something breaks on his face. “Darlin’, I want that too.”

  “You mean it?”

  “Yeah. I mean it. I want all of it. I thought after Grace died that the part of my life that means something was over for good. But I was wrong. It’s not over. It’s somehow come back to life. And it happened because I found you. I want to live now. I want to really live with you.”

  TWO DAYS LATER, TRAVIS, Mack, Anna, and I start east. Travis is still in a lot of pain, and he’s not moving very well, but he insists he’s ready to travel, and we don’t want to delay Mack and Anna any longer.

  They’ve got a longer trip ahead of them than we do.

  The trip is slow and hampered by our need to stay out of sight and our constant search for gas, but we reach our destination eventually.

  We say goodbye to Mack and Anna on the edge of the woods, at the head of the dirt trail that leads to our little house. We’ve made plans to communicate, leaving notes in designated locations so we can start to become part of that network to help people.

  When Mack and Anna’s pickup is out of sight, I drive us down the trail through the trees, Travis slouched in the passenger seat and the dog on a pile of towels at his feet.

  I’m holding my breath when I make the turnoff up the mountain.

  The woods are silent. There doesn’t seem to be anyone for miles around.

  But there’s no way of knowing if that house will be as empty as we left it.

  When I reach the top of the trail, the woods clear, exactly as I remember. And there’s the weird little house with the solar panels on top and the workshop out back.

  It looks quiet. Untouched.

  We get out, Travis pale and limping but holding his shotgun in position as I unlock the door.

  There’s no one inside.

  The dog yaps happily as he runs in and heads right to his little rug in front of the woodstove, scratching it a few times with his front paws to make sure it’s still in order.

  I turn back to Travis and smile.

  For the first time since I’ve left Meadows, it feels like I’m home.

  TWO WEEKS LATER TRAVIS is grumbling as I rub antiseptic salve on his wound.

  It’s not really a wound anymore. The skin is mostly healed, leaving a raw, reddish slash. The stitches came out a few days ago. But the skin isn’t what I’m worried about. It’s how everything is healing inside.

  There’s no way to know except for the pain Travis feels and his ability to use his shoulder.

  He says it’s fine, but I know it still hurts him a lot. It’s going to be a long time before he’s back in his previous condition. He may never be able to use that shoulder the way he used to.

  “See,” he mutters. “Told you it’s fine. It’s not gonna get infected.”

  “It doesn’t look like it. But it was a gunshot. They don’t get better overnight.”

  “Yeah, but it was just a .22 caliber. And it wasn’t a good shot. Didn’t go in very far. It’s really fine, Layne. I’m back to full form.”

  “You’re still in pain. You can pretend you’re not, but I know you are. And I’m not going to let you overextend yourself just because you’re stubborn and macho.”

  “Has nothin’ to do with bein’ macho. Has to do with the fact that we ain’t had sex in ages.”

  I chuckle at that and stroke his bare chest, enjoying the texture of his skin, his nipples, his chest hair. He’s stretched out on the bed, wearing nothing but his underwear. He’s big and warm and sexy and scowling.

  We found another small rug in the cellar and put it in our bedroom so the dog could sleep in here with us. He’s currently stretched out on his side and snoring loudly.

  I’m wearing one of the house’s former occupant’s oversized shirts. I slide my hand down to Travis’s groin and massage him through his underwear. “I’ve been doing my best to take care of you.”

  “I got no complaints about that.” He’s starting to get hard under my hand, and he rolls his hips into my touch. “But I love you. And some kind of miracle happened, and you love me back. And because of this damn gunshot, you won’t let me make love to you. It’s enough to make a man crazy.”

  I lean over to kiss him, still caressing him through the fabric of his underwear. “It won’t be forever.”

  “It feels like forever.”

  “I don’t want you to do anything to hurt yourself more.”

  “I know. But what if I just lie here and not move? You can get on top and do all the work.”

  I giggle against his lips. “That’s never going to happen. I know you too well. You’ll get all excited and won’t be able to hold still. And you’ll end up doing your shoulder more damage.”

  He hisses as I slide my hand beneath his waistband and wrap my fingers around his erection. “I’ll be real good.”

  “You won’t be good either. I’m not going to risk it.” I pull down his underwear. He helps by raising his hips. “But if you stop complaining, I’ll do something special for you.”

  He lifts his head and stares at me, his eyes going hot. “What you got in mind?”

  I lower my mouth to his groin and show him.

  IT’S TWO MORE WEEKS before Travis stops wincing every time he moves his shoulder.

  The wound is completely closed and doesn’t look as raw anymore. And he’s been working diligently at exercising his shoulder. He’s almost got full range of motion back, although I know it’s still quite sore.

  We’ve spent the afternoon doing laundry. He insisted on helping, and I can’t see any reason not to let him. I’m tired afterward, so I take a long shower, and then we eat a quiet dinner of stew, cornbread, and beer.

  I’m liking the beer better now than I did at first.

  When Travis says he’s taking a shower before bed, I know what he has in mind.

  And the truth is, I think it’s finally time.

  Travis seems fine. We got a note from Mack a few days ago that someone traveling through must have dropped off at our communication spot. Mack will be coming this way in another week and wants to see how we’re doing and if Travis is getting better. Then maybe we’ll get a job since Travis has healed as well and as quickly as anyone could expect.

  I’m looking forward to that. To doing good in the world.

  It’s not the only thing I’m looking forward to.

  Despite my worries, I can’t imagine that having sex is going to do Travis damage anymore. Even if he goes about it as enthusiastically as he used to.

  I’ve been trying to be patient. And he’s been taking care of me in the same way I’ve been taking care of him.

  But it’s not the same.

  It’s been more than a month now.

  I want to make love to him too.

  So I’m wide awake and waiting for him in bed when h
e comes into the bedroom, smelling of soap and toothpaste and the faintest whiff of Travis.

  He stands over the bed, gazing down at me. “You’re not gonna tell me no again tonight, are you?”

  I smile. “I’m not going to tell you no.”

  He makes a guttural sound and drops the towel he’s got wrapped around his waist. Then he climbs over me, kissing me with such urgency and passion that it takes my breath away.

  He spends a long time, just kissing and caressing me. Both my heart and my body are ready when he finally spreads my thighs apart and lines himself up at my entrance.

  “Oh darlin’,” he murmurs as he eases himself in. “I’ve missed you like this. I’ve missed you so much.”

  I feel tighter than I remember, like he’s filling me completely. I gasp and bend my knees up, grinding my hips against the sensations.

  “Fuck. Oh fuck. You feelin’ good, Layne?”

  “Yes.” I dig my fingers into the small of his back. “Oh God, I feel so good. I missed you this way too.”

  He pumps a few times. “Yeah. Nothin’s ever felt better than bein’ inside you.”

  I pull my knees up even more, letting him sink deeper. “God, you feel so big.”

  He huffs with amusement and makes a few jerky thrusts.

  I love how it feels so much my back arches up. “Yes! Do it like that some more.”

  He builds up a fast rhythm, holding himself above me on his forearms, leaning more toward one side to protect his injured shoulder. “You like it like that?” He’s sweating and smiling down at me. “I know my little darlin’ likes her bouncin’.”

  I giggle and groan with pleasure at the same time, and it ends up making the silliest sound. He’s taking me hard enough to shake both the bed and my body, but he’s definitely taking it easy on himself, and that fact allows me to relax and enjoy it.

  I wrap my arms around him and move my hips with his, our bodies making a sexy slapping sound until a climax coils hard and unleashes inside me. I cry out as the pleasure shudders through me, and I know Travis is about to lose it too.