Post Grid: An Arizona EMP Adventure (41 page)

“Oh my gosh, Jared, wasn't it beautiful?” Kelly exclaimed, sighing deeply.

“Yes, and you're the most beautiful part.” Jared blew Kelly a kiss from atop Hokey. “When I saw you coming down that aisle, I was sure I had died and gone to heaven. I wasn't expecting a long, white dress either. You practically floated.”

“Thank you, kind sir.” Kelly winked at him. “You didn't look bad yourself.”

“Yeah. Tim Nichols, Janet's husband, loaned me this suit.” He looked down at it. “Fits pretty good.”

“I'd say. The whole day was wonderful: the arbor full of flowers, Lynn's 'Here Comes The Bride,' Dennis's beautiful ceremony, Rich's barbecued beef, all the wonderful food, the cake, the quilt—and then we had quite the hoedown at the end. It couldn't have been more wonderful. My mom slaved.”

“A bit breezy, don't you think?” Jared shuddered like an autumn leaf in a stiff breeze.

“It's always that way up here in the fall. Besides, I refuse to say a single negative thing on this perfect day.”

The sun made its final drop behind the cliff, leaving them in darkness. Kelly shivered too.

“Here, take my coat,” Jared said, slipping it from his shoulders. He guided Hokey next to Pokey and attempted to hand it to her.

Kelly reached out, but reflexively reached back for her saddle horn when she tipped farther than she had envisioned. “Riding sidesaddle in satin on a western saddle is a bit tricky; I'm afraid I'll fall off. We're almost there. I can wait.”

“I think I can see the turnoff up there. We'll get you inside.” Jared spurred Hokey, then remembered what Kelly had said about falling off, so pulled back on the reins to slow him down. Hokey gave a whinny in protest.

Dennis yelled, “What's up?” in staccato.

Jared called back leisurely, “Oh nothing, we're good.”

“Jared?” Kelly said, making sure she had his attention. “My mom told me there's everything we could ever need in that house: clothes, food, dishes, firewood, everything. Wasn't that sweet?”

“Wonderful. You and me, totally alone for three days. That's the best wedding present I could have imagined.”

“Here we are,” Kelly said, motioning with her head to the left.

Sure enough, it was the turn for the Branham's. Both riders eased into the driveway. When they got to the porch railing, they came to a stop. Pokey bobbed his head deeply at the prospect of jettisoning his rider.

“I'm coming,” Jared told Kelly as he jumped from Hokey. “Stay where you're at, I'll help you down.”

Kelly did not object. Jared stood with his arms outstretched, ready to receive his bride, and Kelly slid smoothly from the saddle into his waiting arms. A short kiss followed, then Jared swept her up into his arms, her dress billowing to one side. In one fluid motion, he climbed the steps.

“Hold up, you two!” Dennis called. Both looked up in surprise. He was tying Traveler to a tree not more than fifty yards from the house. The horse had a lawn chair, sleeping bag and Winchester tied behind the saddle. “We've got to clear the place.”

Looking truly frustrated, Jared set Kelly down by the door. Instinctively he took her shoulders and moved her behind the door frame to wait for Dennis. “He's staying 'til his relief gets here at 2 a.m.”

“You're kidding, out in this cold?”

“Yep, Rich told me all about it. We're to have a twenty-four hour guard for all three days we are here. Not in the house, of course.” Jared screwed up his face into a funny expression that made Kelly giggle.

Dennis bounded up the stairs to Jared's side.

“I'll be right back,” Jared told Kelly, puckering his lips softly. “You go in first, Dennis.” Dennis looked at him questioningly, and a smile broke across Jared's face.

“Just kidding, man.”

Dennis reached forward with the door key and turned it in the lock.

Jared lifted his eyebrows at the novel entry technique, then turned the door handle, cracked the door open and yelled, “Police!”

Dennis looked at him questioningly. Again.

“What?” Jared whispered loudly.
“First thing that came to mind, habit,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

Kelly giggled. “Mom said there was an oil lamp and matches on the table next to the door.”

“Got it.” Jared called as both men disappeared inside.

Kelly waited patiently at first. Then she started to fidget. She didn't have a gun; there wasn't a place for one in her gown.
You've only been standing here two or three minutes,
she thought to herself
.
She slumped against the wall and continued her wait. Another two or three minutes passed before Dennis came through the front door, tipping his cowboy hat to Kelly as he passed.

“Good night, Mrs. Malloy,” he said with a straight face and walked toward Traveler.

Jared appeared on the porch and lifted Kelly in his arms again. “There aren't any intruders in the house, Mrs. Malloy, but I can't say it's safe to go in, over the threshold with me, I mean.”

“I'll take my chances, Mr. Malloy.” She kissed him softly.

With that, Jared threw her into the air just a bit to reposition his grip, then strode forward. He slammed the door behind them by hooking the toe of his boot around the door and giving it a stern shove. The sound was lost to the wind.

Dennis returned to his horse and started untying the knots that held his equipment. He smiled to himself while removing his bedroll and preparing to start a fire.

****

“Do you hear that?” Kelly said, sitting straight up in bed, clutching the covers to her neck and nudging Jared's shoulder.

“What?” Jared slurred, rousing from a sound sleep.

“That!” Kelly said with more alarm.

The sounds grew louder. It was a banging, but it had almost a musical quality. The volume increased by the minute.

“What the...?” Jared sat up to the side of the bed and gathered his suit off the floor. He hadn't bothered to look for anything else to wear before getting into bed. “Get dressed,” he blurted.

“In what?” Kelly asked, looking down at the huge white dress in a heap on the floor.

“I'll find you something.” Jared went to the dresser at the end of the bed and opened the top drawer. There was some kind of light-colored garment sitting in it, and he tossed it to Kelly. “Try this.” With that, he sprinted for the front door and the din in the yard.

He peeked out the front window. There had to be twenty people with lanterns and torches. They were all banging rhythmically on pots, pans, or buckets. One of them even had a drum.

Kelly joined him at the front door, dressed in a long white nightgown. She put her hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to see too.

Jared sensed her standing beside him. “It's a mob, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. You stay here.” He went out onto the porch, dressed in the suit he had thrown back on. “What's the meaning of this?” he shouted.

“Bring out the bride, bring out the bride!” The chant grew louder each time it was repeated. The crowd danced around each other, raising their torches high.

“Dennis is with them,” said Jared, leaning in through the front door. The moon cast a pale glow, illuminating the man at the back of the crowd. “He's shouting too. Emma, Rich, they're all here.”

“Bring out the bride, bring out the bride!”

“I think they want you.”

“But I'm not dressed,” Kelly cried, taking a small step backward.

Jared took that same small step toward her. “You're dressed, you have fabric over you. Just come out for a second, maybe they'll leave.” He put his hand out and motioned with his fingers for her to take it. She did, tentatively. “Come on,” he said, pulling on it gently. “I'll be with you.”

Kelly thought about the crowd and then Jared.
I'll trust him.

They stepped together onto the porch to boisterous cheers and clapping.

The chant abruptly changed to, “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss...”

The young couple looked out at the crowd, then at each other. Jared raised his shoulders and his eyebrows. Kelly copied his movements exactly, then fell into his arms. The newlyweds kissed. Kelly tried to pull away, but Jared would have none of it and kissed her for a full minute.

The kiss was the finale of the evening.

The crowd turned and went as they had come, the banging fading little by little. Everyone left except Dennis, who sat back in his chair by the tree.

Epilogue

Kelly Malloy fidgeted with the dials on the Clansman radio. The speaker emitted an unearthly, off-frequency voice. She slowly tuned in until Sam Wise's speech became normal.

“Hi, Dad. Our preparations are going well. Jose and Jess have finished the wagons. We have enough tack for two wagons and a spare set. The horses are mostly broken to the wagons already.”

“How many total?” asked Sam.

We'll be six souls and seven horses. I'm hoping to keep the teams fresh. Over.”

“Seven horses? That seems like a lot of stock to water in the desert. Over.”

“We're going to need all of them to make the long, steep pulls. I'm afraid to cut down. If any wear out, go lame or get sick, we're stuck in the middle of nowhere. The water will work out,” she said, more hopefully than declaratively. “We've gone over the topo maps in the Arizona Gazetteer a hundred times. There are wells and springs along the way. Jose has put water tanks on the wagons. Over.”

“I'll have to trust you. Your friends sound pretty amazing and I never have been able to get you or your mother to change your minds about anything. Hey, Cowgirl, how's that new son-in-law of mine?

“Jared is
wonderful
,” she said and looked at her husband, giving him a smile. “I can't wait for you to meet him in person. Over.”

“I can't wait to meet him either. Are you set? Over.”

“As set as we can be. Night, Daddy. Over.”