Chapter 46 - Supplies and Surprises [https://cdn.midjourney.com/bc23c09c-7eef-4902-924c-8a6868903b6e/0_3.png]

The store was small, cramped, and smelled of bleach and mothballs. The adhesive tile on the floor showed wear. Along the back wall, high shelves held a strange array of cooking utensils, pots and pans of various shapes and sizes, even some camping gear. The aisles were too narrow for carts. All they offered were baskets, so she’d slung one over her arm and it was already half full.

The vegetables she’d chosen were labeled ‘local’ with stickers on their bins. The blueberries were irresistible, dark blue, and plump. As she strolled the aisles, she popped a few into her mouth. Bursting with sweetness, they tasted like spring. Along a bottom shelf of the staples aisle, plastic bottles of wine sat neglected. Kennedy had never seen wine where the sides of the bottles were sucked in and the shoulders were dusty. Looking at their faded labels, she guessed this wasn’t the beverage of choice in this town. The beer in the refrigerator case looked like it had more turnover. Kennedy chose a small bag of rice.

At first, she thought she was being paranoid, thinking someone was watching her, when a shiver crept across her skin. When she turned to look behind her, no one was there. Nan couldn’t have followed her, could she? When she left the house, Kennedy had run to the truck to keep anyone from going with her. They would not be any help shopping and she needed some time to herself.

As she’d left, there had been a soft fog of sweet weed smell on the porch. She had cut through it on her way to the truck. Her mom’s big, dark eyes had been as shiny as the surface of a lake. On her best day, her Mother wasn’t a prize. High was a whole other layer of difficulty.

A tickle of warning lifted the fine hairs on the back of her neck. Someone was watching her. Had they called Terry? Kennedy rubbed the back of her neck. This town was making her paranoid.

They’d have things to say to her when she got back, of that she was sure. She had potatoes in her basket, apples, and green beans. Her skin prickled again as she turned into the canned goods aisle and she caught a glimpse of the young bearded man from the woods.

No fucking way. No town was so small that he would already know she was back unless Terry had texted him, too. She stood still, one hand on her hip as the bearded boy peeked around the corner. His eyes rounded with surprise at being caught. This one must have gotten very low marks in his ‘How to be Sneaky’ class at Hillbilly U.

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Jeremiah looked immediately sheepish. Decked out in coveralls, he looked surprisingly clean for a mechanic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be following you.”

She just started to laugh. Of course, he was here, stalking her like a nosey golden retriever. What else could she expect in this crazy town?

Taking a half step toward her, he kept speaking. “You never got to rightly know my name, and I saw you tuck into the store.” He gestured toward the front of the grocery. “My shop is a little way down, across the street.”

“So you followed me?”

He nodded. “I did. Doc Terry sent me a message, and I was wondering if it might be true.”

“And you were going to find that out by following me and skulking around corners?”

“I wasn’t sure what to say. Things didn’t end so well and Red was a drunk ass right at the end.”

“That he was.”

“I wasn’t planning on bothering you.”

She tilted her head. “What were you trying to do, then?”

His cheeks filled in with color, and he looked uncomfortable. “Catch your scent.”

“I’m not wearing any perfume.”

He took a hesitant step closer, and then another, earnest and unsure. He took a deep breath, and a soft smile touched his lips.

“What can you smell?” She shifted the basket so its weight was supported by her hip.

“That you’ve caught, but it’s early. What you carry ain’t nothing but a spark of a star. A tiny start.” He reached out very slowly and gently touched her cheek, soft as a blessing. “Makes you a miracle in these parts. Are you keeping her?”

“I’m thinking about it.”

“Then you are brave too.” He hesitated. “I know my cousin didn’t give you a good idea about our family. But I am a solid man, and I work really hard. Now I know I don’t have no real right to ask.” He lifted his shoulders as if he was trying to shake off the struggle of an internal argument. “You could ask my sister about me, or my Mom.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I would like to … if you would let me, that is… Braid you a sweetgrass ring and offer you the promise of my protection.”

“You too?”

He grinned then, shy as a school boy. “Me too.”

“I already have two men circling me like worried sparrows.”

“How about you make it three? I won’t be a bother. I’ll just take the watch when you are resting. I want to help make sure that you make it safely through.”

“Why would you do this? I don’t even know your full name.”

“I might never get another chance. And my name is Jeremiah Triggs, if that matters.”

With the Doctor’s words echoing in her mind, she slid the basket off of her arm and pushed it into his chest, “Carry that. Be useful or something.”