The sea of snow-covered trees gave way to fields, and in the distance, a tall brown barn rose out of the landscape. Still further ahead stood a deep blue farmhouse with sunny yellow shutters, shrouded in silvery white and resembling a holiday card. A cozy glow emanated from the windows, and a thin column of smoke rose from the red bricked chimney, completing the image.
I took a breath and held it. We were really, finally here, and the people I was about to meet would change the course of my life. I wasn’t entirely prepared for that prospect…or for the appearance of a large brown dog. It bounded towards us, and I tensed, preparing to run, but John merely grinned as Kimmy called out to the dog.
“Alma! Come here, girl!”
Clearly excited, the dog sped up and leaped up onto Kimmy to lick her face. I exchanged a confused look with Asha, but Kimmy merely turned her face away and laughed. There was a pure joy in her laughter that made me ache. It was the kind of joy that came from familiarity. From being home.
John must have noticed my apprehension because he took my hand.
“Ever petted a dog before?” he asked, and I shook my head.
“No pets allowed in the compound,” I said. “Only the military had dogs. I never saw them close up. My first close encounter with a dog was the one that bit me on that PNC hunt we went on.”
He squeezed my hand. “That dog was feral. Scared of people. Not like Alma. Unless you’re a rabbit, she’s the friendliest thing you’ll ever meet. Come see.”
I reluctantly allowed him to lead me towards the slobbery, excitable beast, which stopped playing with Kimmy and regarded me with curiosity. He guided my hand towards the dog, and I gave her heada quick, tentative stroke. To my surprise, she leaned into my hand, encouraging me to continue, and I couldn’t help but smile.
“See?” John said, pleased. “She won’t hurt you.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asha roll her eyes.
“Can wenotkeep standing out in the cold?”
Kimmy sobered. “Right. Guess we should make our ourselves known.”
We resumed walking towards the blue farmhouse.
“Ready?” John asked me.
I gulped, suddenly nervous. “No.”
“You’ll be fine,” he said with a chuckle, and I followed him and Kimmy to the door.
I could hear voices inside the house, talking back and forth. John knocked loudly, and they went abruptly silent. There was a pause, and then the door opened.
“You back already, hon—?”
A short, blonde, heavily pregnant woman stood in the doorway, a question in her eyes. My stomach flip-flopped, but thankfully, she didn’t seem to even notice me.
“Is that John Madigan standing on my doorstep?” she said in a near-whisper, seemingly speaking to herself, eyes wide with disbelief.
She didn’t give him time to respond before throwing herself at him, grabbing him in a hug. She barely met his shoulder, but her grip looked bone-crushing.
“Sarah, valuable things are getting squished here,” John gasped out.
“I don’t care,” she replied, her voice thick. “I thought I’d never see you again. And Kimmy!”
She moved to Kimmy and hugged her just as hard. Kimmy smiled warmly, her eyes misty as she returned the embrace.
“You two have a lot to answer for,” Sarah said as she moved back, wiping her eyes. “You’ve been gone so long. We thought you were dead.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” John said dryly.
Sarah’s gaze moved to Asha and me, partially obscured by John and Kimmy, and her eyes grew wide as saucers.
“And you brought…people,” she said, looking back and forth between John and Kimmy with a frantic energy.
“Yeah,”John answered, his voice softening a little, and he stepped aside so that Sarah could see me better. “This is Claire. My fiancée.”
