Return to Blanco (Red Book 4) by Darrell Maloney

Author:Darrell Maloney [Maloney, Darrell]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2016-09-28T04:00:00+00:00

-31-

Red couldn’t help but chuckle.

Beth was a woman she’d come to admire greatly in the short time they’d known one another. Beth had been through an awful lot. Things that would have left most women of her age emotionally defeated and unable or unwilling to go on.

But Beth was still standing.

She was, in Red’s estimation, a tough old broad.

That’s why Red was a bit surprised that, in all her years, Beth had never lived off the land. Had never roughed it. Had never even gone camping.

“Not to worry,” she whispered back. “Take these goggles. They’ll be a bit bright at first, but after a few seconds your eyes will adjust. Also, everything will have a greenish gray tint. That’s normal.”

“But where do I go? What do I do?”

“Use the goggles to find yourself a tall tree with high branches. Drop your jeans and panties and squat. With your back against the tree for support.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. After you do it a few times you’ll be an old pro at it.”

“I thought it was more… elaborate than that.”

“Nope. Easy as pie. Just hope there are no snakes to bite you on the butt.”

“Oh, my God! Seriously?”

“No. Just kidding. If there are any snakes they’ll hear you coming and will go in the other direction. Snakes don’t like us any more than we like them.”

Beth put on the goggles and looked around as her eyes adjusted to their glow.

“Wow, these are rad!”

“They’re what?”

“Rad. Isn’t that what you young people say today?”

Red smiled.

“Beth, don’t try to be like us. You’re wonderful just the way you are. Really. And besides, nobody has said ‘rad’ since the ‘80s.”

“How about groovy?”

“Go find yourself a tree, young lady, before I take my goggles back.”

Beth left and Jacob came wandering back over.

“She have to go to the bathroom?”

Red was mildly surprised, but shouldn’t have been.

“Yes. How did you know?”

“She was squirming on the wagon seat for the last half hour. I kept asking her what was wrong but she kept saying ‘nothing.’ I guess she didn’t want to tell me.”

“She’s a woman with a lot of pride.”

“Yep. The more I get to talk to her the more I like her. Did you know her great great grandfather died at the Alamo?”

“No. I didn’t know that.”

“She said the land they’re leaving behind was given to her great great grandmother as a gift from the state of Texas. All the surviving widows got a hundred acres. It’s been in her family ever since.”

“How’s she holding up?”

“The first hour she was fine. Talked a mile a minute. Seemed to be having a great time. The last hour, though, she slowed down a bit. Started yawning a lot. I think she’s getting sleepy.”

“Did you suggest she crawl in the back and get some sleep?”

“Yes. She said she was fine. But I’m afraid if she doses off on the bench she might fall off, maybe even fall forward and under the wheels.”

“I’ll try to talk her into napping, at least until we stop again.

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