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scrapes and rubbed skin along the knuckles. “All I have is my strength. I can protect you, defend you, but you have to let me.” He cradled my neck, his fingers branding me with his touch.
    I stuck out my lower lip. “Don’t be mad at me then. I want to do the same for you. And I’m not as strong as you, but what I can do, I will.” I lifted my chin. “So don’t begrudge me that.”
    He inclined his head. “Point taken. Oh, I do wish I could marry you now, Kel.” He touched his forehead to mine, closing his eyes. His nearness comforted me and his touch reassured me that we were fine.
    John cleared his throat. “You guys okay?”
    Bodey and I pulled apart. I blushed. John knew we cared about each other, but I think he blocked out just how much. Bodey intertwined his fingers with mine and lifted his chest. “Yeah, we’re fine, but Dad, I love Kelly.”
    Looking between his son and me, John didn’t say a word. He waited for more. How could there not be more?
    Not missing a beat, Bodey continued, his tone strong but still held at a private level for safety. “I want to marry her.”
    The silence after Bodey announced something we hadn’t completely discussed could have knocked over a stone wall. I shifted on my toes, certain I would have to start running – but from what, I wasn’t sure. The air tightened around us as I waited for John’s reply.
    John jostled his backpack higher on his waist. Solemn, he considered us longer. “Do you mind if you give me time to think about this? I didn’t realize your affections had reached this level.”
    “Of course not. We seem to have all the time in the world.” Grinning, Bodey released my hand after a quick squeeze and reached for the poles. He waited for his dad to return to the head of them and retrieve his end as well.
    A fine perspiration covered the back of my neck. John wanted to think about what? What was there to think over? He didn’t like me? Maybe thought I wasn’t good enough for Bodey – which, I couldn’t agree with him more. Bodey’s sweetness and goodness would be enough to make him a man worth loving, but add in his hard-working ethics and his honesty and he became the perfect kind of man before and after the end of society. He trusted people and didn’t expect bad things to happen.
    Me? I couldn’t be more different. I wasn’t necessarily nice and I tried to get out of work which made me hurt. If lying would get me out of trouble, I wouldn’t hesitate to fabricate a story no one would believe. I was so worthless as a girl, men wanted to trade me for textiles.
    Why would Bodey want to be with me?
    Maybe because he didn’t have any other choice.
    ~~~
    W e walked all day and probably didn’t cover more than five miles. Up and down mountainsides and through small creeks and large rivers, those miles grew and grew. We really just wanted to get a comfortable distance from the northern Spirit Lake neighborhood and the men after us. As ironic as it was we’d been running from this crazy man and his gang for months and had never gone outside of a couple counties. John’s wife was so close. Or so far. Or not even there. Or. Or. Or. Or. The possibility that she was out there searching for him kept him going.
    Maybe his obsession and Charlie’s ran on parallel paths. Hopefully, John’s didn’t slam into a tree like Charlie’s had.
    Dusk bit into our daylight and John stomped his feet, an indication he was nearly ready to stop for the day. I sighed, grateful I didn’t have to keep going. Between uncertainty about how he felt about me and Bodey and fatigue, I don’t know if I could’ve kept going much longer. Every footstep hurt.
    The litany of doubt continued to cloud my mind. Wasn’t I good enough? Why wasn’t I? I had expected him to immediately say he couldn’t agree more, or he loved us both and wanted us happy. Something. Anything. But he’d asked for time to think about his son and me.
    He’d broken my heart and my excitement over