Page 45

John

T he next day, after morning chores, Claire and I mounted Ghost and rode toward the McNeils’, where I’d already let Danny know we’d be coming.

“I thought we were going to the Post?”

“We are,” I answered, stroking her thigh. “Just have to make a stop first.”

Danny met us at the gate to Whitewater, the McNeil ranch.

“I got her saddled up,” he said, with a nod toward Claire, who gave him a confused look.

He led us toward the massive stables on the ranch, where a couple dozen horses lived.

“They’re the horse breeders in the Valley,” I explained to Claire. “I thought you might like to ride on your own, and since Kimmy needs Bella today, I asked Danny if we could borrow you a mount.”

Claire’s expression instantly changed from confusion to excitement. “Really? You think I’m ready? ”

“Sure you are,” Danny answered for me, winking. “If even I can manage to keep myself upright on a horse after a drink or two, so can you, Claire.”

“‘A drink or two ,’” I sneered. “Try four. It was also two o’clock in the morning, and someone had to follow him to make sure he didn’t fall and break his fucking neck.”

“Hey, in my defence, my girlfriend just dumped me,” Danny replied, holding up his hands with a grin.

“Girlfriend? You saw her twice at the Post, and you didn’t even kiss her.”

Claire giggled, and Danny retorted, “The heart wants what it wants, Johnny. Maybe I should tell Claire some of your stories.”

“I already told her everything,” I said, shooting him a look. “Now shut up.”

“Once, John got high smoking the hemp his granny grew for medicine, and he ate an entire blueberry patch. When she asked him what happened to the hemp, he puked blueberry vomit all over her.”

Claire burst into laughter. “When was that?”

“I was only sixteen,” I cut in, but I couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her laugh. “And I got extra chores for a month.”

“We’ve spent so much time wondering if our people will accept Claire,” Danny said with a chuckle, “yet we’ve never asked the most important question: can she accept us ?”

We reached the stable, where a beautiful, red Clydesdale horse waited.

“This is Poppy,” Danny said to Claire. “She’s a younger horse, but fully trained. Real sweet temperament—good for a beginner. I think you two will get along.”

I helped Claire mount Poppy, but she otherwise needed no assistance. We let her ride a little around the paddock, getting a feel for the horse, and for riding by herself. She looked fucking giddy, which warmed my heart.

We left for the Post, and Claire handled Poppy incredibly well for a beginner rider. She steered and maintained control easily, and her form had really improved. I was proud of her.

After a couple hours on horseback, we spotted the ruins of the city in the distance, along with the fenced-in portion that made up the Post .

“It’s in the city?” Claire asked with a frown.

“Kind of,” I answered. “It’s only a few streets at the very edge, and they’re fenced-off from the rest of the city.

That’s called the Red Zone, because the only people who live there aren’t people you’d want to meet.

It’s mostly abandoned, though, and there’s enough security at the Post to keep those few at bay. ”

“How many people live there?”

“Not that many,” I replied as I turned Ghost towards the stable, which was a short walk from the Post. “Maybe a hundred full-time residents. Everyone else either lives nearby, or—more likely—is nomadic, and they come and go whenever they like.”

The stable was large and run by a short old man who everyone called Corny, and a few of his kids.

He’d always been an odd guy who collected weird Old World artifacts just for the hell of it.

Once, I traded him a mint condition pocket watch, which apparently, he still wore, tucked into the breast pocket of his jacket.

“Didn’t think to see you again, young man!” he exclaimed as we rode up. “It’s been a very long time…and you brought a lady friend! This why you haven’t been visiting us?”

“Yep,” I replied, flashing a grin toward Claire. “She’s got all my attention lately.”

Claire smiled shyly back. We both dismounted our horses, and I traded a small flask of beer for their stay. I’d made the first new batch of beer with barley I’d traded for back in the Valley and brought several of the small bottles today. Quality alcohol was always in demand.

We walked back toward one of the gates, and I gave Claire the rundown.

“Act like everyone is armed, because they are,” I said. “Don’t be scared by any aggressive sellers. They’re pushy, but they can’t do anything else. The residents shut down trouble pretty quickly, but still, not everyone who passes through here is someone you want to know.”

Claire chewed her lip. “Will there be a slave market?”

“No,” I answered firmly. “Not allowed. The standard of living here is a lot higher than Little River. That doesn’t mean there aren’t any traffickers here, though, so stay close and alert.”

After checking in with the guards, we were allowed through, and Claire’s eyes widened.

The trading part of the Post was mostly one street that people called the main strip, and it was lined with market stalls and small caravans.

There were a few more permanent shops set up in the ruins of Old World houses.

Holes in the walls were filled in with mud bricks and wood planks, and retrofitted fire pits kept the shops warm.

It wasn’t as busy along the main strip as during the warmer months, but there were still a bunch of vendors, and visiting shoppers strolled casually down the street.

A few guards patrolled the main strip at all times, and it kept things quiet on most days.

Compared to Little River, it was night and day, and surprise was written on Claire’s face as she took it in.

“It’s so…cute,” she said, glancing at me. “Like a little Christmas village.”

“It’s definitely better than most settlements,” I replied. “Mostly because it’s remote, and the residents here take out the trash when needed.”

I took her hand and walked with her down the strip, pointing out the things I recognized. We went into one of the more permanent shops which billed itself as a general store, and I traded for ammunition and a small pair of jade earrings that I caught Claire admiring.

“You didn’t have to do that,” she protested.

“I know. I wanted to. Get used to it.”

She huffed, then laughed and hooked her arm through mine. As we got to the end of the strip, she pointed to the last house, which had a bunch of people milling around outside.

“What’s that? Lots of people.”

“Tavern called Longfellow’s ,” I answered. “Been here forever. Beer tastes like piss, though. Wouldn’t recommend it.”

She laughed. “Sounds like they could use some of your stock.”

“Maybe in the spring, yeah,” I said. “They have seasonal festivals here, and the spring one is the busiest. They have music sometimes. We could come back in June, if you like, for your birthday.”

“I’d love that,” Claire replied with a smile.

We made a few more rounds among the stalls, which sold a totally random assortment of crap, including bath products, hammers, and old radios.

“Why radios?” Claire asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. “Probably the only form of long-distance communication that still exists. When you have no phone lines and no internet, radio is what’s left. Who knows if any of them still work, though. At home, we’re able to maintain ours.”

The next stall sold a mishmash of books, and predictably, Claire jumped on it. We traded to get a geography book and a couple novels for teenagers.

“Allie will love these,” Claire gushed, holding up something called Help! My Boyfriend is a Vampire , with a faded drawing of a teen girl next to a teen boy wearing a ridiculous-looking cape on the front.

I raised an eyebrow at the cover, and she laughed. “I promised her that I’d find her a book she’d like to read, remember? She needs something more appropriate for her age. She says she doesn’t like to read, but it’s because she’s bored.”

“I didn’t think reading was something fun till I met you,” I admitted. “I just thought it was something you did because you had to, to learn things.”

“Learning can be fun,” Claire countered, and I smirked.

“I think you might be a little biased.”

Finally, we decided to call it a day and walked back to the stable.

“Thank you for bringing me,” Claire said, her voice full of sincerity, as we directed the horses toward home.

“Of course, baby. It’s our first real date; we had to do something special.”

Her smile was like pure sunshine. Christ, I’m turning into such a sap.

“And for getting Danny to lend me Poppy,” she continued. “I might have gotten a little attached. I’ll have to visit her.”

“You rode very well today,” I said. “And if you like her, she’s yours.”

Her eyes got wide, and I chuckled.

“What?”

“You heard me. I told you we were borrowing her so that you could decide if you liked her without any pressure. But since you do…she’s yours.”

Her eyes lit up with a joy that made the whole thing that much more worth it.

“You got me a horse? Jesus, John.”

“What?” I asked playfully. “We have more PNCs than we can use in a lifetime. I might as well spoil my wife once in a while. Call it a wedding present, if you want.”

It took a while to get home, since I always left a false trail to avoid anyone following us.

After we’d finally made it back and returned the horses to the stable, Claire pulled me into a kiss.

She smelled fresh, like the outdoors, and I never got tired of her silky hair under my hands.

I sighed as she slipped her tongue in my mouth, and the kiss got needy, hungry.

With my stupid schedule, it’d been a while since I took her to bed.

I missed her soft thighs wrapped around my hips, cushioning me as I drove into her. Missed her sweet little moans, the way she tasted on my tongue. How she said my name when she came.

I backed her against the wall, and kissed her harder, deeper. I didn’t care that we were in a stable that smelled like hay and animals. I ground my hardening cock against her, and she moaned. I broke away to frantically spread kisses down her neck.

“John,” Claire murmured, “we’re not going to make it to dinner.”

I grinned against her throat. “Definitely not.”

“Take me home to bed, then. I don’t want to have sex while my new horse watches.”

I laughed. “Fair enough.”

We only just made it back inside the house. I pinned her against the closed front door, nibbling her earlobe the way I knew she liked.

“Wait,” she gasped, “what about Kimmy…and Asha?”

“Asha’s scavving, and I asked Kimmy to stay over at Isla’s. We’re alone.”

She smiled coyly. “Oh. You came prepared.”

“Always do, baby.”

I caught her mouth with mine again, and she sighed. After a moment, she reached for my belt…and a sudden buzz came from my jacket pocket, where I’d stashed my outrider radio.

“Command to Ghost,” Danny’s voice said. “Sorry, man, but we need coverage of the west side tonight. Sadie’s kid got the flu, and she can’t make it. But we only need a few hours, tops. I got Will to cover the rest.”

I groaned. “Fuck me.”

“I was going to,” Claire quipped. “But it seems like they need you.”

“I’m sorry,” I said, gathering her face in my hands. “I promise it won’t be like this forever—”

“But it’s your job,” she replied gently. “I get it. What you do is important, and you care about it. I’ll be here when you get back.”

I pressed a hard kiss against her lips.

“I promise to make it up to you later,” I said with a suggestive smile. “Whatever you want when I get home.”

Claire grinned. “Whatever I want? I’ll have to get creative.”