Page 88 of Heart of the Sun

We stayed at the ranch in the middle of nowhere for three days, a brief respite from the uncertain world, a celebration of survival, and a sharing of hearts. We ate food from the pantry, but took as little as possible, mindful that this family might return. Hoping that they would. We tended to their horses and replenished what we could from the stable. We made coffee over their firepit and watched the sun rise behind the hills. And we danced in candlelight. Those hours were sweet, and dreamlike, and I knew no matter what came next, those three days would forever be seared into my soul.

My Emily. My wildflower. The thorn in my side. A silken-voiced troublemaker.Little Showboat.She was kind and unpredictable and slightly wild, even if she’d let herself be tamed for a while. But for that stretch of time, she was completely and utterly free. We both were.

We cleaned up their house, and then Emily wrote a note, leaving it on their kitchen counter next to the school trip itinerary. I stopped and read it as Emily did a final check of the rooms upstairs.

Dear Garcia Family,

Our names are Emily and Tuck and we stayed here for three days. We cared for the horses and ensured that they’re all healthy and injury-free. We also added one more to your herd, a palomino that we found walking alone on the road that we named Providence. She was quickly accepted by the others and they’re all doing well.

We hope you reunited with your son and that the three of you are home and reading this together. We pray that you are.

We are taking the car in your garage, and if there is any way to return it, we promise to do that. And if there’s any way to pay you for the rental and the mileage, we vow to do that too.

(I also took a few feminine items, and hope with all my might that the world is such that I might replace those someday soon.)

We want to thank you for the three days of peace your home brought us as we’d been traveling since the solar flare hit. Our journey was filled with challenges and setbacks, and we saw the worst of humanity on display. But we also saw the best, and I hope you saw it too. It’s what we have to hold on to now in this new, chaotic world. And if this journey has made anything clear, it’s that that is how we’ll all survive. With the kindness of strangers, and the help of our friends.

And though you didn’t grant permission ahead of time, I hope you’ll extend forgiveness, and accept our deepest gratitude.

All our best,

E & T

chapterthirty-six

Emily

Day Thirteen

I wiped the tears from my eyes as we drove away from the ranch where we’d spent three magical days, looking over my shoulder as the horses grew smaller and smaller.

“You okay?” Tuck asked, pulling me against him and kissing my temple.

I nodded, swallowing heavily. “I just worry about the horses.”

“They’ll be okay. The Garcias left them enough food for many months.”

Would that be enough though? The world was breaking down by the day. It’d taken us nearly two weeks—even with a number of rides clear across states—to make it from Illinois to New Mexico, but we’d left directly in the wake of the solar flare hitting. We’d had several days—at least—where much of the world was at a standstill as people just waited. We’d entered that pause—because of Tuck’s instincts to get on the road—and because of it,we had probably moved much more quickly than others who hadn’t.

And I was worried about the Garcias too. Perhaps it was irrational, but I’d come to think of them as extended family. I’d lived in their home. I’d passed by the family photos on the wall and seen the love reflected there. I’d practically sensed their panic as they realized the scope of the disaster and counted the hours that they didn’t hear from their only child, halfway across the country as society collapsed.

I had to try my best to push those imaginings aside though because they’d only end up breaking me. We’d heard story after story as we’d traveled, andeveryonewas panicking. So many were trying to get somewhere. People were doing everything possible to protect themselves and those they loved in any way they could. I turned toward Tuck, breathing him in and finding comfort in his scent and his solid strength beside me.

Even the back roads were more crowded now and it was slow going, even in a car. We passed several men siphoning fuel from the cars, watching us with narrowed eyes as we went by as though we might stop and challenge them. And that made sense being that we were in a vehicle that would only keep running if we had a continued supply of gasoline. Now that it had obviously occurred to more people that there was fuel available in the deserted cars, I wondered how long it would take until most of them were emptied out. I wondered how long it’d take before people were fighting over the last of it to keep their generators running, or whatever else they might have that used gas and was still working.

Tuck looked concerned too as we passed by a couple with a gas can and a hose, draining a Lexus SUV. “Things have progressed in the last few days,” I murmured.

“Or regressed.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have holed up for that long,” I said. “But I can’t manage to regret it.”

“Me neither. I wish it could have been longer.”

It could be, I wanted to say.It could be forever.But I didn’t say that and neither did he. I hardly dared to dream that Tuck would stay with me, that he couldn’t bear parting. And right now, there were a thousand unknowns and too many maybes that were bigger than us. I’d seen the way his eyes had lit up when Hosea mentioned helping abandoned children and others who needed assistance. Would he be pulled back on the road once he’d helped me get to my parents? There were so many things he could do now, and I wondered if staying with me would be enough.

That old familiar longing rose inside me, bringing a rush of fear. I felt like, in some ways, I’d been here before. Only now, it was far more complicated, and the stakes were higher.

I hadn’t asked for promises and he hadn’t offered any. Perhaps now was not the time for such things anyway.

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