A Long Road Back: Final Dawn: Book 8 Read Free Page A

looked at David and said, “Thank you for dressing his wounds and stopping the bleeding. He’ll be okay now. I’ll care for him. You men be on your way.”
         Martel gave her the support she so desperately wanted. It was ironic that the only man in the room who took her side was the one she should have feared the most.
         “Yeah,” he snarled vehemently. “You bastards get the hell out of my house and don’t come back. I’ll kill every last one of you.”
         Sarah placed a finger on Martel’s lips to shush him.
         “Honey, please. You’re not helping.”
         Martel turned on her again.
         “Don’t you tell me to shut up, you stupid bitch. I’ll kill you along with them!”
         Sarah was in tears. She didn’t know what to do or what to think.
         She turned to David and once again said, “Leave. All of you. Please.”
         But the resolve had gone from her voice. She was no longer sure of herself. No longer certain that this vile man was the one she’d chosen to marry.
         It was Bryan Too who came to the rescue, after Sarah rushed out of the room in tears. Bryan Too looked at his friends and none of them had a clue what to do.
         So Bryan Too went after her.
         He found her downstairs, in the study, looking out the window at a robin who was pacing back and forth on a tree branch.
         He stood in the doorway and asked, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”
         She turned to look at him and saw something in his face. Perhaps a sense of kindness or humanity. Perhaps something else.
         In any event, she relented and invited him in.
         “I just don’t know what to do. Nathan is the only other human on this earth I know. He’s been telling me that few other people survived. And that those who did have been trying to come in here and do us harm.”
         “Look. I know you don’t know me from Adam. But let’s look at this logically. If there are just a few survivors out there, then the world is free for the taking. The other survivors can go anywhere they want. Take whatever they need, with few others to challenge them. Why on earth would they risk injury or death by tangling with someone like Nathan?”
         “I… I don’t know… I…”
         “And why were you naked when we walked in?”
         “Nathan told me I was a nudist. That I haven’t worn clothes in years. That I hated wearing clothes.”
         “Let’s look at that logically too. I couldn’t help but notice that some parts of your body are tanned, and others aren’t.”
         She looked away from him, as though embarrassed.
         “You looked?”
         “I’m sorry. I couldn’t help it. You are a very beautiful woman. I didn’t mean to make you blush.”
         “But why would he tell me I was a nudist if I wasn’t?”
         “I don’t know. Maybe he enjoys looking at you that way. But I think it’s more likely he convinced you of that so that you wouldn’t run away. He probably figured you’d be less likely to walk away from the farm while he slept if you were completely naked.”
         “Maybe…”
         She seemed to chew on his words, analyzing them to see if they made sense.
         “Can I ask you something, Sarah?”
         “Yes.”
         “You covered up your body. It’s still covered. Is that because you don’t feel comfortable in a room full of strangers?”
         “Not particularly, no.”
         “And is that something you feel a nudist would feel? Embarrassment at being naked in front of strangers?”
         “No. I suppose not. What is your name?”
         “My name is Bryan. You can call me Bryan Too.”
         “That’s a very odd name.”
         “It’s a nickname your husband gave me.”
         “The man who claims to be my husband. He said his name was Bryan as well?”
         “Yes. You see, I’m a soldier