Post Grid: An Arizona EMP Adventure (38 page)

“Go ahead, look at your rings, you guys. Merry Christmas,” Dennis said. He and Jose went into the kitchen. “What's up in here?” Dennis asked rhetorically. He ran up behind Lynn and tickled her around the waist. She jumped and giggled, trying to move away from the assault.

“Stop, stop! I mean it,” she said, laughing breathlessly.

“No fooling around in the kitchen,” Emma said. “I'm going to have hot things on the stove in a minute.”

Dennis and Lynn jumped to attention, smiling devilishly and giggling.

Chapter 20

“Kelly,” Emma said, walking up behind her daughter as she was drying dishes off the drainboard. “Why don't you put that down and come with me?”

“What is it, Mom?” Kelly casually draped the dish towel over her shoulder and turned, leaning back against the counter.

“We need to talk something over before the wedding. It's only two weeks away.”

“Well, I know you can't be talking about the birds and the bees,” Kelly joked.

“No, silly girl, it's about your dress.”

“I thought I'd wear that skirt we made for the Mormon dance.”

“That's one possibility.” Emma smiled and held out her hand. “But I have another option for you to consider.”

Kelly took her hand and followed Emma down the hall. On the hook next to her mother's dresser was a long plastic garment bag.

“Before you open it, I have to tell you that this was my dress; the dress I wore when I married your father. I don't know how you might feel about that, with him and I being divorced and all,” Emma said quietly.

Kelly stepped forward, saying nothing. She took the thin metal zipper in her hand, tugging lightly until the bag opened and the dress spilled from its confines. She fingered the ivory silk, embroidered with hundreds of tiny, iridescent, seed beads.

“It's beautiful,” Kelly whispered, running her fingers down the dress from the neckline to the waist, her fingernails popping over the beads. She turned to her mother. “I love it, but don't you think it's a little extravagant? I mean, Jared won't have anything fancy to wear, Lynn won't...”

“They aren't the bride. The bride should always steal the show. It's your day, honey. Unless you think it's bad luck or something...”

“I don't, I don't.” Kelly fell into her mother's arms. “I'd be honored to wear your dress. You and Dad loved each other at the time; that's what matters.” The fabric flowed from the garment bag like a magician's never-ending scarf. Kelly scooped up the train, so it wouldn't drag on the floor, and put it over her forearm. Holding the bodice up to herself, she turned toward the dresser's mirror, admiring how the dress sparkled; how the light from the window seemed to be reflected in every tiny sphere.

Kelly turned back to her mother. “Oh, I can't wear this. It will drag on the ground and get dirty. I'm not getting married in a hall. The chairs are going to be on either side of the dirt path out to the garden.” She spoke quickly, thinking out loud.

“I know where the chairs go. I was there when we picked the spot, remember? And I don't have another daughter.” Emma smiled from ear to ear, blotting her eyes with her shirt sleeve. “I'd love to see you walk down the aisle in that dress, with this beautiful train dragging in the dirt behind you.”

“Can't you just see Jared's face?” Kelly asked, blinking back tears.

“Can't you just see Lynn's?” Emma said with a little snort. “I don't know who will be more surprised and thrilled.”

Kelly placed the dress on the bed and stared at it for a moment before wrapping her arms around her mother. “Oh, thank you! No one will ever forget my wedding, least of all my husband.” Kelly beamed and setting her lips in a determined smile, said, “You haven't told anyone, have you?”

“No, I thought I'd see your reaction first.”

“I want it to be a surprise,” Kelly said decisively. “The biggest surprise of
all
, on my wedding day.”

****

“ Lynn, get your coat and sidearm and come on,” Emma bellowed. “There's so much to do.”

“Okay,” Lynn called back, her voice tight with frustration, “it's not like we're on a time schedule or anything.”

“You may not be on a time schedule, but I am. I wasn't going to tell you, Lynn, but I have a surprise. Well, not exactly for you, but...”

Lynn's face lit up. “What is it?” she asked impatiently as if she hadn't just been annoyed with Emma moments earlier.

“Wanna take a ride? We're going over to the Branham's to take a look at the place, and we need to get out of here before Kelly and Jared start back from the creek. Jared is supposed to be buying me some time and taking Kelly a little farther north today so she won't see us make the corner from the driveway onto the road.”

“Take a look at the Branham's house? Why?” Lynn asked suspiciously. “And why is it a secret?”

“I thought you and I could fix it up for Kelly and Jared—you know, for after their wedding.”

“You mean they're moving out?”

“Not exactly,” Emma mumbled. Seeing that Lynn was still not catching on, she decided to be more direct. “For their wedding night. It won't be permanent because there's safety in numbers, but I have talked with some of the neighbors and they are willing to help us guard the place for a couple of days right after the wedding. You know, like a wedding present.”

Lynn smiled knowingly, as though she had some great secret, and finished putting her boots on. Hurrying after the older woman, they climbed the small hill to the corral.

“I'll take this new girl, Sapo,” Emma said, walking toward one of the mares Kelly had wrangled only a few days earlier. “I think she knows I mean business. You take Pokey. We'll leave Mr. Bullet here 'til he's had more”—Emma searched for the word—“schooling.”

Lynn was very familiar now with saddling a horse. She led Pokey to the corral fence where she had placed the tack. She threw a colorful saddle blanket over Pokey's back, then hefted a large saddle over the blanket, being careful to ensure the blanket was smooth. Lifting the stirrup over the saddle horn, she reached under Pokey's belly for the cinch and threaded it through the rigging, pulling it tight around the horse's belly. Emma handed Lynn a bucket of cleaning supplies, letting the calmer horse bear the brunt of toting them. Opening the gate, she watched Lynn and Pokey trot out before mounting Sapo and following them down the main road.

“Watch for anyone on the road, or off of it for that matter,” Emma instructed as she watched Lynn trot ahead of her, long black hair bouncing against her shoulders. “Slow up,” she called.

Lynn headed back, making wide circles around Emma and Sapo as a game, a diversion, for the rest of the trip.

The ride to the Branham's place was cool and windy. Emma had Lynn wait at the road as she went up to the house, quietly, and looked in the windows. Some folks in the village had chased squatters from the house on and off, but it seemed to be empty now.

Lynn rode Pokey up beside Sapo and dismounted.

The two women stretched a rope between a pair of trees on the east side of the house, the side with the fewest windows, and attached the horses' reins to it. The horses could move freely between the trees, and took to munching the grass that grew there.

“Let's go in. Cover me like Jared has been teaching you,” said Emma.

Lynn followed Emma up onto the porch, the old wooden steps creaking under their weight. She stood to one side of the front door while Emma stood on the other. Both had weapons drawn.

“Wait,” Lynn whispered. “I think I'm going to be sick.”

“It's just nerves, Lynn. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I'm going in.”

Emma tested the screen door handle; the thumb press opened smoothly into the unlatched position. The hinges on the door were another story altogether. They squeaked as the door swung open. Lynn and Emma both winced at the noise.

Without delay, Emma pushed the door open. She hadn't expected to be blinded by darkness. She pulled back around the door frame from where she had just come. Lynn jumped back, thinking Emma had seen someone.

“What did you see?” Lynn demanded, eyes wide.

“Not a blooming thing,” exclaimed Emma. “It's too dark. I expect if anyone was in there, they would have shot me by now. You stay here 'til I call for you.”

Emma stood next to the front door for a minute with her eyes closed until they adjusted and she could make out the objects in the living room clearly. The wooden blinds were closed up tight, but the curtains had all been removed.

“Come on in, Lynn,” Emma whispered, motioning with her index finger.

Lynn entered cautiously. Both women stood together silently, listening for any sounds that might indicate someone was in another part of the house. An eerie stillness enveloped the pair.

The sofa cushions were on the floor, lined up against the wall like someone had used them for a mattress, and there had been fires lit in the fireplace. The ashes remained, some spilling out of the hearth onto the wooden floor. Two old chairs completed the living room's decor.

“Looks like there's been people in here for sure,” said Lynn.

Emma pulled on the blind cord and light shot through the slats. Dust particles swirled in the streaks of light, looking like miniature snowflakes in flight. Emma coughed more at the sight of the dust than from anything tickling her nose or throat.

“Looks like this room alone could take us all day,” she said.

Together, they searched the rest of the house. The home was cold, and each room seemed to be more disheveled and dusty than the next. The downstairs bedroom had nothing in it but a naked, dirty mattress and a dusty nightstand. A broken lamp lay on the floor.

Rat droppings littered the floor and counters of the kitchen. Dishes had been left in the sink, as if someone had meant to wash them. The loft bedroom was dusty and the two mattresses filthy, but it was decided that that room wasn't needed and would be ignored, the door closed.

Emma drew in a deep breath, put her hands on her hips and announced, “Let's get to work.”

Lynn took care of lighting a fire in the small wood-burning stove to take the chill from the crisp morning air. Then together they worked, sweeping, mopping and scrubbing. Finally, it was all they could do to haul the big mattress out on the porch, scrub it down, and tip it on its side to dry.

“Cold and windy today, but not humid,” Emma said. “The mattress should dry quickly. We need to come and get it tomorrow and take it to the house, if we want it to stay usable. It's too heavy now, wet and all. I wish we had some special bedding for it. The beds at my house are all full-sized beds because the rooms are so small. That place was built back when a cabin was just that, not these mansions they build today. This is a queen-sized bed, I don't even think I have sheets to fit.”

“I saw fabric out in the garage when we came to get the windows for the solar hot water heater, and when we got the tools for Jose's Christmas present too,” said Lynn. “We could make some.”

“They would have a seam down the middle, but that would be better than having something that didn't cover the bed. Let's take a look and see if it's still there.”

Lynn led Emma to the garage. They entered it carefully as well. Slowly their eyes adjusted and Lynn strode to the back. There, in a tall cabinet, were stacks of fabric in many different sizes and patterns. Emma reached in and pulled several different colors from the nice collection. “Looks like Mrs. Branham may have been a quilter.”

“Can we make a quilt?” asked Lynn.

“Well, it's been a long time since I've done any quilting, but I bet there are some women in town who could help us. It would be a wonderful wedding gift. I remember seeing a quilting loom at the Bantings’ when we were down there for Emmet's funeral. Bea would probably welcome the company by now, and it's a fine reason for socializing.”

Lynn and Emma pulled large pieces of fabric for the sheets and the backing of the quilt, then laid out smaller pieces, deciding which colors and patterns looked best together.

“These look fine,” said Emma. “I hope we can get it done in two weeks. We should probably take all of this fabric tomorrow when we bring the cart for the mattress. I'm sure it will come in handy down the line.”

“I can already see a few skirts and blouses for me,” Lynn said. “Maybe if I learn to quilt, I can make myself something warm and cozy.”

“Sure. You'll need blankets for your trip, too. That would be more practical than taking what Rich and I have,” said Emma.

Lynn put two more pieces of fabric on the wedding quilt pile. “There's where we got the tools,” she said, pointing at the workbench. We didn't take them all, they were too heavy. The guys should come down and sort through this garage for anything they might need for our journey.”

Emma glanced up at the sun. “We need to get going. We've been gone a mighty long time and I'm surprised we don't have the men-folk down here looking for us. Close the garage and we'll go lock up the house. Let's pray that we don't have more squatters before the wedding.”