Part Two, Chapter Sixteen
Carina sat nervous and silent throughout dinner at the taqueria up the block from their motel. She nibbled a quesadilla but spent most of her time rearranging the beans on her plate and pretending not...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Seventeen
Donovan stood outside the motel in the pre-dawn darkness, directing the two boys who were loading their things into the wagon. It wasn't hard work, but leaving space for the coffin was a tricky matter....
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Eighteen
Donovan was waiting when Alvi and Carina arrived in the gypsy cart. Alvi pulled up behind him, set the brake and jumped down. "I'll try to make this fast," he assured her. With supple ease, he climbed...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Nineteen
On their first day of travel, the sky was a brilliant blue and the sun was warm on their backs. Carina remained quiet, but it was a resigned silence, not the intense gloom of before. Donovan watched...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty
That evening as they drew near the Sanchez farm, Carina balked. "I'm not up for explaining," she said. "They'll think I'm needy, and I can't stand for even one more person feeling sorry for me right...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-One
The storm overtook them as they reached the valley floor, rolling in with cold crippling winds that rocked the wagon as the rain burst upon them in a deluge. Visibility dropped and the gray, wet world...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Two
Carina left the warmth of Donovan's body to stir up the fire, but when he suggested they make coffee and have breakfast, she looked at him incredulously. This was not a day for something as mundane as...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Three
Donovan played along with Carina's whims for an hour, then went to check on the animals and the state of the wagon. He found some parts that were loose, so he made a few crucial repairs, concluding it...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Four
Carina and Donovan reached the abandoned ranger's cabin at dusk. It was too late to do any fishing, so they ate out of their stores. The meals were growing dull without fresh eggs, game or vegetables,...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Five
Tasha saw them first. She had counted the days and watched for the wagon ever since Carina and Donovan had first been expected back. "They could be delayed by as much a week or more," Amalia had warned...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Six
Donovan helped Will finish unloading the wagon and they took the animals to the barn. Amalia and Tasha disappeared into the kitchen to prepare dinner, and Carina finally had a few moments to herself....
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Seven
By the time dinner was ready, Carina was surprised to find she was ravenous, but it had been so long since she’d had any appetite that she could only get through half of one of Amalia’s stuffed...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Eight
Amalia and the children were pleased to get new clothes, and Amalia's face lit up at the sight of the books from Catalunia. But what excited everyone most was the chocolate. Carina hadn't known about...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Twenty-Nine
It seemed incredible that it should be such a fine autumn day. Carina sat with her sister on the seat of the two-wheeled gig, gazing in wonderment at the bright landscape around her. Funerals were so...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Thirty
In spite of her efforts, Amalia only saved half their pumpkin and winter squash harvest. But the seeds from these hardy survivors would grow a stronger crop next year, and the pantry and cellar were...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Thirty-One
The days grew shorter and a cold wind came in over the mountains. Poplars exploded into color as the rest of the land turned dull. Late fall and winter were always bleak times in a savage land that...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Thirty-Two
As he went down the steps into the storage room, Donovan thought back to his first days on the farm, when he had been so certain they had a hoard of valuable goods. It looked like he was finally going...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Thirty-Three
Donovan stood in the driveway doing a last-minute check of the load. He shivered in the frivolous leather coat from Catalunia. It had softened under Carina and Amalia's efforts, and both the hallway...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Thirty-Four
Donovan and Will traveled toward the center of the valley, and at the church crossroads they turned south toward the mountains. The pass was tricky and the cold wind beat at them like a living thing,...
View ArticlePart Two, Chapter Thirty-Five
Cold settled over the valley. Without Will and Donovan, the sisters reverted to old ways. Amalia finished mulching the fields, shivering in faded clothes, her hair pinned up under a cap. Carina roamed...
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