“She’s going to hate me,” I said.
Cooper leaned forward, touching his forehead to my face, hugging me the only way he could. “I don’t want to risk turning and attacking any of you. Do it now.”
Nathan lifted Zoe into his arms, and then wiped his eyes. “Thank you, Cooper. You saved my little girl.”
Cooper nodded. “Keep Ashley safe, okay? Return the favor.”
“With my life,” Nathan said. “I owe you.”
“Don’t hurt him!” Ashley wailed. “Please!”
I leaned down to kiss his cheek, and then stood up, aimed my rifle at his temple, and pulled the trigger.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Miranda
We gathered under the tree at sunset, next to the place my father and Leah were buried. This time, around a new mound of dirt. Ashley had made the cross herself, tying it together at the intersection of wood with twine, working wild flowers into the binding. She worked on it for hours, carving decoration and Stanley Leonard Cooper II into the wood. The only time she spoke to anyone was to tell them she would not allow a funeral until his cross was finished.
We never had time to bury Jill, and Scarlet had buried my dad before we got here, so it was our first funeral. I just couldn’t believe it was for Cooper. He was the strongest and the kindest of us, it didn’t seem right that he was gone.
Skeeter, Nathan, and Bryce were filthy from digging, and then carrying Cooper’s body in from the field. I’d been inside consoling my nearly inconsolable sister. Once she finished the cross and the boys began digging Cooper’s grave, it all hit her at once, and she’d been hysterical for the better part of the day.
Now that I’d coaxed her outside, she was silent. We all were. Finally, Nathan cleared his throat.
“Stanley Cooper was the best of us. We should strive every day to be as hard working, kind, and loving as he was. He was a good friend, and brother . . .”
“And husband,” Ashley whispered. Her face crumpled, and her body shook with quiet sobs.
“And husband,” Nathan repeated, his voice breaking. “He was a hero. He saved a life. And we should all strive to live the way he did so we can see him again in heaven.
“Cooper told me once about his little sister Savannah, how close they were, how much he loved her, and he also told me he worried daily if she and his mother were alive. If they’re not, he’s with them again. Maybe we can take comfort in that.”
Bryce smiled. “I remember the first time I met Coop. It was in class, and he was staring at Ashley. Of course, I was dating the sister, so as soon as he heard that, he was automatically my best friend. Except, he didn’t fake it just to be my friend, ya know? He was a good best friend. The best.” He cleared his throat. “I’m going to miss him. The world isn’t as good without him in it, but heaven is better off.”
Scarlet smiled. “That was nice.”
“Don’t speak,” Ashley said. “Don’t talk here, Scarlet.”
Nathan took a step toward Ashley, but she pulled away. “This isn’t her fault, Ashley. She had to, you know that.”
“It’s okay,” Scarlet said, motioning to Nathan. “She gets to be angry.”
“Don’t be nice to me,” Ashley said, her emotional state quickly going downhill. “Don’t f**king be nice, Scarlet. Just don’t talk. I don’t want to hear your voice, do you understand me?”
Scarlet looked down, and nodded. Scarlet was one of the strongest women I knew, and she was letting Ashley talk to her that way in front of everyone. Even though we all knew Ashley didn’t mean a word of it, I was still in awe of Scarlet’s patience.
Nathan began to speak in Scarlet’s defense again, but Scarlet touched his arm and shook her head.
We stood out there for half an hour, crying, telling stories, laughing, and remembering. Ashley began to weave back and forth, so emotionally exhausted she could barely stand. I took her inside, supporting her weight while we walked. She went straight to bed, and cried herself to sleep.
“Hey,” Bryce said as I closed Ashley’s door. I held up my finger to my mouth. Bryce nodded, and began to whisper, “How is she?”
“The same.”
“How are you?”
“The same.” Bryce put his arm around my shoulder and guided me to the empty living room. “Where is everyone?”
“Joey is on watch. Scarlet said it might be a good idea to get onto the roof, so Joey found a ladder and climbed up. He said he can see a lot farther. We’ll have better warning this way.”
I nodded.
“Nathan is with the girls. Skeeter and Scarlet went down the road.”
“Clearing?”
Bryce nodded.
“Just the two of them? After what happened?”
“I’m going with them. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I took a deep breath. “I know Scarlet feels like she needs to do this, but I think it’s time we accept that her girls aren’t coming. It’s been nearly four months now.”
Bryce shrugged. “I don’t know. It took Nate and Coop almost all day to cross fifteen miles. That’s a long way for two little girls if they’re on foot. I think if they don’t make it by winter, we can call it.”
“That’s a long time to let her hope.”
“Not long enough if you ask me.” He kissed my forehead. “See you soon.”
“Be careful.”
I watched Bryce leave, jogging to catch up to Scarlet and Skeeter, who were already out of sight down the road. My stomach felt like it dropped, and I wondered if it was a good idea for him to be alone at all, even for the few minutes it would take him to join Scarlet and Skeeter.
Once Bryce was over the hill, I pushed the door open, and noticed the ladder against the roof. One hand after another, I climbed to the top, seeing Joey sitting on the seam with a hunting rifle, a box of ammunition, and what I was sure was my father’s best scope.
“Want some company?” I asked.
Joey looked up to the sun and squinted. “Always.”
I sat down, but could see the bottom part of Cooper’s grave, so I moved closer to the middle of the house. Nathan was by Butch’s pen with the girls, watching them talk to the bull. He looked away only long enough to take a quick glance around, and then his eyes were on them again.