“Travis. ”
“Huh?”
“Stop. ”
He blinked.
“Stop. It's okay. Just let it go. Just relax. ” She motioned toward the hills and the approaching night. “Enjoy the view, enjoy the moment, the here and now. You've done all you can for today. ”
Travis nodded. He tried to shove it all away. It took about a minute for his pulse rate to drop and for his tense body to relax. When he finally opened his eyes, he saw the first stars appearing. It was beautiful.
“What would I do without you?”
“Let's not find out,” Katie answered.
She slid out of her chair and snuggled onto his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and relaxed even more as she stretched her legs over his and got comfortable. Travis kissed her brow and relished the feel of her in his arms. All he wanted to do was protect her and their home, but he had to remember that he needed to just relax and enjoy the fact that she was safe.
I'm going to marry you, he thought, and pressed his lips against her cheek. When the time was right, he was going to marry her. And it would be the happiest moment of his life.
All they had to do was get through the next few days, defeat the bandits, and buckle down for the coming fall and winter.
“Stop thinking about work,” she chided.
“What?”
“You got all tense again. ” Katie laughed.
“Dammit,” Travis muttered.
“Okay. There is only one thing that will get your mind off work.
I'm going to have to get naked,” Katie said, and slid off his lap.
Travis grinned. “Can I come along?”
“You better. ” Katie slipped into their bedroom.
Travis scrambled after her.
Chapter 17
1. The Countdown Begins
The morning of the big day arrived. They were done waiting for the bandits to come to them. They were going to lure them out.
Nerit was standing with Peggy when Travis and Katie walked through the lobby together. They were dressed and ready to go.
Holding hands, they looked pensive, but ready.
“We're heading out to the shop, Nerit,” Travis said.
Nerit nodded tersely. “And you have the vault combination?”
Travis bobbed his head and said, “Yeah. I have it. ” He looked at Nerit with compassion, but seemed reluctant to say much.
Peggy marveled at Nerit's way of dealing with things. With her husband dead of a gunshot, Nerit had collected all the ammunition and stuffed it into an old bank vault in the shop. Next, she had stacked the better firepower in as well until she could fit no more, then shoved the door shut and twirled the combination lock. What she had left in the cases were. 22's with no ammunition. Peggy would have just run, terrified of the bandits. Nerit's straight thinking in the midst of her personal tragedy had made things a little safer for them all.
Nerit looked down for a long moment, then finally said, “Please, don't disturb him. ”