The McClane Apocalypse: Book Two (17 page)

Hannah nods. “Oh, yes. I know how he is. He’s like that with the med shed and his office in the house, too. But I know he appreciates all the help. When we had friends over from church or from Sue’s school he would get mad if we even went in his office. But we liked to play games like hide and seek, just kid fun. I was never found. I always won at hide and seek,” she says proudly.

“How the heck did you win at hide and seek?” he asks incredulous, his voice nearer than before.

“Because, silly, I can hear better than everyone else. So I always found people easier. People can be a lot noisier than they think they’re being. Sometimes we’d play at night outside and then I could really kick butt, as Reagan used to say. When it was dark and we were all in the dark, then we were on an equal playing field, if you know what I mean.”

“Right, I get it,” he agrees and takes her arm again. “Ready?”

“Sure, but you’re not dumping me at the house. Let’s put the tools away, and then you can take me for that walk,” she bosses cheerily. She’s trying so hard to be just the tiniest bit like her sister and not the timid and weak person who she really is. It’s kind of empowering, actually. Kelly groans and says a swear word under his breath. Eventually he sighs heavily, and Hannah hopes that it is a sigh of resignation.

As they walk toward the garage near the house, Hannah loops her arm through Kelly’s as they talk more about their past, mostly hers.

“Didn’t Reagan bring home friends from school? You mentioned friends from church and Sue’s friends, but you didn’t say anything about Reagan’s friends,” Kelly asks her to which she shakes her head.

“Reagan was so far ahead of everyone in her own grade and was always surrounded by kids in school who were way older than her that it wasn’t a good environment for making friends. She was sort of an outcast because she was so much smarter than everyone else. Also, when she was younger, a couple of girls pretended to be her friends so that they could copy off of her tests, and she caught on pretty quickly to that. She’s always been leery of people and whether or not they really liked her for who she is. I think that’s why she made friends with older people like Grandpa’s doctor friends. That’s why what happened was so hard on her when she left the university because of Grandpa’s friend getting killed and all. She feels guilty for it or something is what Sue said. Shoot, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. We’re not allowed to talk about it. Also, that’s kind of all I know about it. Reagan’s never discussed it with anyone as far as I know,” Hannah realizes immediately that she’s said too much. Reagan would wallop her if she knew she’d just revealed any of that.

Kelly doesn’t question her further on this, though, and she’s glad because she is blurting things that she shouldn’t. If anyone knows about feeling guilty, it’s the man beside her which is why he is likely so quiet.

“Yeah,” is all he says before he changes the subject. “What about you? Did you have friends growing up or was it just Sue?”

“Yes, I had some friends from church, but they all went to regular school, so they were closer with their school friends. I was always closest with Reagan until she left for college. But she’d come home whenever she could. Sue had left for college, too, and then married Derek. She was gone after that, living near wherever Derek was stationed at the time,” she explains. Kelly holds her upright when she stumbles.

“Careful, the gravel is loose here,” he warns.

“Thanks,” she says and clings tighter to his arm. She continues on, “When my friends got to their teen years, they were all about boys. This boy’s cute, that boy’s hot, that kind of talk. How would I know? It wasn’t like I could see them,” she quips with a chuckle, but Kelly does not.

“Yeah, but they could see you, and I’m sure they got their fair share of looking, too,” he says almost bitingly.

Hannah berates herself and laughs. “I seriously doubt that.”

“Trust me, they were,” Kelly says on a long, irritated sigh. “Did you have a boyfriend before all this happened?”

“Nope, no boyfriends for me. I sort of had a boyfriend when I was younger, but that didn’t work out.”

“What happened? Was he mentally impaired or something?” Kelly jokes.

“No, silly. I was out of my league. He was more... sophisticated than I was at that age,” Hannah tries to explain without telling too much of the sordid details.

“What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Kelly asks with anger.

“Nothing really, he just was more... I don’t know how to explain it... experienced than I was,” Hannah tells him.

“Did he maul you or something? ‘Cuz if he did and he’s not dead, I’m going to find him tonight and he will be,” Kelly says with such murderous conviction that she laughs nervously.

“Kelly, don’t be ridiculous!”

“I’m not. I’m serious as hell,” he adds stiffly. The muscle on his forearm flexes tensely under her fingers.

“I know; that’s the problem. But no, he didn’t maul me. It was just very clear right away what his intentions were. And that isn’t how I was raised, so it didn’t work out.”

“So he was mauling you?” he asks angrily.

“Besides, he moved away to go to college in California,” she says, avoiding his question.

Kelly snorts, “Figures.”

“Kelly, you’re so funny,” Hannah chuckles and gives his big bicep a squeeze.

“Wait here for me while I put this tool box away,” Kelly tells her and places her hand gently against the wall of the garage.

“Yes, sir!” she says, doing her best soldier impression. Kelly just chuffs at her and walks away. Hannah waits patiently as he bangs around in the garage putting tools back in their proper places, though she could easily find her own way back to the house.

A touch at her shoulder lets her know he’s back.

“Come,” Kelly says as he wraps his arm around her lower back, but she can tell that he’s taking her toward the house.

“Wait, stop!” she says firmly. “You’re taking me toward the house. I know, Kelly. I’m not an idiot,” she complains drolly and pulls away.

“I have shit to do, Hannah. I need to get caught up on some things around here today because I want to take Cory on a short run tomorrow. I need to start working with him on that sort of thing so that he’ll be more independent of me just in case something happens to me. I don’t have time for an afternoon promenade with you,” Kelly berates her, but she isn’t about to give up.

“Sure you do,” she counters sunnily and attempts to turn him the other way by grasping his waist and twisting- hard. This isn’t something she’d considered when this idea had come into fruition. Kelly is like moving Grandpa’s bull in the back pasture, and she doesn’t stand a chance against this man when he plants his feet on the ground like he is doing.

“How’s that working out for you?” he mocks with a smile in his voice and doesn’t move. Hannah harrumphs at him.

“What were you going to do after this anyways? I’ll just go with you.” She changes tactical direction and gives up on physically forcing him to move.

“I’m going out to look at the Hummer. Your grandpa said that there’s an old truck behind the hog barn that he snags parts off of to use in the other vehicles, and that maybe we might find what we need for the Hummer.”

“Ok, let’s go...”

“No, Hannah! I don’t need to be taking you out there with me. It’s dirty and you could get hurt on something. Just let me take you to the house,” he complains.

Hannah says nothing but starts walking in the opposite direction of the house, which just so happens to be toward the hog barn- now the hog and goat barn thanks to Reagan’s new additions.

“Damn it,” he mutters under his breath and takes her arm again.

“Tst tst, you shouldn’t swear,” she reprimands him and tips her chin back to soak the warm sunshine into her skin. “Isn’t it a glorious day, Kelly?”

“What? Hell no. In case you haven’t noticed we’re living in a shit new world, Hannah. And...”

“But just listen. Nature doesn’t know that. The birds are still singing and the cows are mooing and the sun is so warm and wonderful and making things grow. You just like sulking about the negative. That’s your problem, Mr. Alexander,” she interrupts him, and he grunts his rebuttal.

“Mm hm, yeah that’s my problem. I’d like to tell you what my problem is, woman,” he warns and lifts her over something by wrapping his one arm around her waist. It leaves her feeling very unsettled knowing how easily he can just move her around. “Giant mud puddle disproving your theory of everything being sunshine and roses.”

“You need rain to make the roses, sir,” she corrects and feels more self-assured than she has in maybe forever. She only wishes Sue and Reagan were here to witness it.

“We’re here so just try to stay closer so you don’t bump into anything. This barn isn’t as organized as the others. Cory and I have been meaning to clean it up out here,” he tells her as he opens the door to the barn.

“No problem, General,” she says purposely lowering her voice.

“I’m not a General, Hannah,” he corrects and pushes something out of their way with his free arm.

“No? You’re grouchy enough to be one. What was your rank- not that I’d know what it means?” she asks with sass and snuggles closer to his arm, pressing her cheek against it. It’s a completely unnecessary move, but it seems very necessary to her. His skin is hot against her cheek, and he smells so sensually delicious.

“Just a Sergeant, Heavy Weapons Sergeant to be exact,” he explains and tries to pull his arm away to put inches between them. She doesn’t allow it.

“Heavy Weapons, huh? Like this here?” she asks with an impish giggle and squeezes his massive bicep for good measure and for, well, her own naughty reasons. “This here seems to be a heavy weapon if you ask me.”

“No,” he chastises and by the tone in his deep voice, sounds flustered. “Those are just the tools for carrying the heavy weapons.” Was that a joke? If it wasn’t meant to be, then it doesn’t matter to Hannah because she laughs aloud.

“Good one. You’re very funny today,” Hannah praises him, and he grunts again. And stingy with your words as usual, she thinks with irritation.

“I’m going to stand you against this back wall while I dig around under the hood to see what we’re up against, ok?” he says and does it anyways.

“I’m not a puppy, Kelly. I’m not going to run off. Where would I go anyway?” she asks in her best impersonation of Reagan’s humorless tone.

“Just... just stay there,” he says with frustration.

Good, this is actually working. Maybe she just needs to sass him a bit to get a response out of him because he sure isn’t making any attempts to pick up their conversation from yesterday with her again.

Kelly makes a bunch of noise from within the vehicle then comes back closer to her where he is apparently “under the hood” as Grandpa calls it. Sometimes the English language does mean things literally and sometimes not at all, and this was something she’d had to learn to adapt to that she hadn’t learned as a young child before she’d gone blind. She stands there a good ten minutes fiddling with her cane, her braid and mostly wishing he would just stop working and talk with her.

“Shoot, this isn’t gonna be compatible with the truck’s parts. Oh well, it was worth a shot,” he says mostly to himself and slams the hood, making her jump. If he notices her startle, then he doesn’t comment when he comes to stand in front of her again. “My hands are filthy...”

“I think we’ve already had this conversation about your hands, Kelly,” she teases and reaches out for them.

“Hannah, they’re greasy,” he explains, but she finds them nevertheless and holds them both in front of her.

Hannah sighs softly. “I love your hands. I feel like I can put all of my hopes and dreams and fears and the safety of myself and my family in them, and you’ll take care of everything,” she explains gently.

When he stands so close to her, she can smell the grease of whatever’s he’s been working on all day mixed with his perspiration and other less familiar things like sawdust or sweet, outdoorsy scents. It’s all quite heady and divine.

“Hannah, don’t say things like that,” he almost whispers.

“Why not? It’s what I feel,” she replies simply and releases one of his hands to touch his face instead. There are deep crease marks around his eyes and between them and on his forehead which means he is either angry or stressed out.

“You don’t have to say anything like that or promise anything or do anything. I will take care of you, and I will take care of your family. But don’t pin your hopes and, sure as hell, not your dreams on someone like me,” he replies raggedly.

“Why not?” she repeats honestly. “You’re the best man I know, Sergeant Kelly Alexander. I don’t deserve someone like you.” There’s a noise that resonates from him that nearly sounds like a broken sob or a gush of air.

“Jesus, Hannah. Don’t ever say anything like that again. Do you hear me?” he demands. “You are...”

“It’s true. Other than my grandpa, you are the best man I know. Not many men would’ve driven halfway across the country to pick up their step-siblings in a time like this. I’ve thought a lot about it. You probably hardly ever saw them that much since you were gone in the Army, but you didn’t leave them. You didn’t abandon them.”

“I had to. They’re my blood, my responsibility,” he justifies with such intensity that it scares her. She so wishes that he would just feel the same intensity about her.

“So? Lots of people would’ve just left them to fend for themselves. That boy that I kissed and, yes, the same one that sort of did try to maul me? He was the kind that would’ve left them. And that’s why I’m not with him or any other man like him. He was no good; he had no worth. Men like them leave their responsibilities behind and don’t look back- just like my dad did. But you’re not like that, Kelly. You run into the face of danger, into the war zones and into the fray without thinking of yourself at all. Don’t you see? God brought you to this farm for me,” she rationalizes out loud what’s been going through her head for months, and it feels great to do so.

“Jesus,” he repeats, and his mouth crashes into hers with finality and silences her speech. If he isn’t able to vocalize intensity for her then he is certainly showing her with his touch, his kiss and his hands which have moved to her waist.