Page 76 of Stand

The dawn was still moving when Ty turned to Sam. “Do you want to swap?”

She looked at him, then looked away. Yes. She wanted to swap her life for a woman who could hold his hand forever.

A wave of grief hit her. She took her hand away.

“What’s wrong?” he said.

“Nothing. Not a damn thing. Hey, kids.” She reached a hand back to tap Matt and Alyssa’s knees. “Wake up and look at the mountains.”

“Sam,” Ty admonished, but she sniffed and ignored him. So she was a coward. So what?

In all too short a time, they were heading off the main road and up a narrow street that opened into dirt yards with a few chickens and horses behind railroad-tie fences. The GPS took Sam’s SUV up to a house that was half log cabin, half raised ranch and dominated by a peaked roof over a deep, cool porch. Trees surrounded the lot on three sides. A red-brown horse with a small head and kind eyes ambled over to the fence when they pulled into the driveway. Noah was on the porch and running down the steps at once, followed by two small brown dogs—part Jack Russell, part Chihuahua, maybe—who set up a yapping welcome that made Cairo let out an aggrieved bark.

Sam, Ty, the kids, and Cairo got out of the car slowly—Sam hadn’t realized how stiff the long ride had made her—and greeted Noah in a flurry of hugs and hellos and relieved smiles.

“You guys must be wiped!” he said, his big face split in a warm grin. He wore a shirt that looked homemade, and his hair was at least a foot longer than Sam remembered. He hugged her just as hard as he hugged Ty.

“Dudes, you gotta tell me everything,” he said, smacking Matt on the shoulder. “Coffee’s on.”

“Is that your horse?” Alyssa said. “Can I pet him?”

“He is, and of course you can,” Noah said. “His name’s Jimmy.”

“I can’t believe you have a horse.” Ty shook his head while Alyssa left their little group and ran to Jimmy, who was looking at them with his huge eyes over the fence.

“Got my eye on one the kids can share while they’re here,” Noah said. “Might hafta go bigger. You kids’ve got long legs. Anyway, let’s get you around a cup o’ joe.”

“Mom!” Alyssa screamed.

Sam spun around. From the trees they’d just driven past, along Jimmy’s fence line, Julia was walking as though she hiked this way all the time. At first, Sam could only see her straight pale hair, blown back by the breeze. Against the natural russet of the land around her, she seemed impossibly artificial and out of place. Then she turned the corner, and Sam saw that she was carrying a pitchfork. A goddamn pitchfork. She must have taken it from the stable.

“Kids, get in the house,” Ty said at once. He beckoned to Alyssa without taking his eyes off Julia.

“No, Dad,” Matt said. “I—”

“Matthew. Get in the house.” Ty’s voice was ice and allowed for no argument. “Take your sister.”

Matt snapped his mouth closed. He’d protect his sister no matter what. He and Alyssa disappeared into the house. Sam knew they’d only find the closest window and watch anyway, but at least they might not hear whatever Julia had come to say.

Sam took a stance that would be hard to unbalance, with one foot in front of the other and her flank turned to Julia. Ty stood square on. She couldn’t see Noah and didn’t dare turn her head.

Noah’s little dogs were barking at Julia from several feet away. She gripped the handle of the pitchfork and poked the business end toward one of them. She didn’t make contact, but the dog jumped back anyway.

“Hey!” Noah said. He was behind Sam and to her right, forming a triangle with her and Ty.

“What are you doing here, Julia?” Ty said in an exhausted tone.

“You left town without saying goodbye,” she replied. Her voice was trying to sound light and unconcerned, but her smile was rigid, her muscles tense.

“For God’s sake,” Ty said. Sam wanted to hold him. But she wouldn’t relax her position. “You’re not allowed to be here. I thought you were going to get help.”

Julia showed all her teeth. “My ‘help’ is being with my kids.” Then she struck a pose. “Pissing you off is also very good for my mental health.”

“Julia.” Ty shook his head slowly. “You could have been with the kids all you liked. But you blew it. Every time.”

“Only because you made them hate me.” Her smile slipped at the wordhate.

Ty, for once, didn’t contradict her. “Why do you want to see them anyway? You don’t even like being with them.”