red hill - jamie mcguire

“Ssh ssh,” I said, hugging them both. “How long have you been alone” I didn’t know why I was
asking. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, or that it mattered.
“I don’t know,” Jenna said. “A week I think.”
“Wow,” Skeeter said. “Tough like their mama.”
Jenna smiled and nodded, and leaned her head against my chest. “That’s what Dad said, too, when
we left him. He said we could do it because we were tough like you.”
I looked at Nathan, who was holding Zoe and Elleny close. It made me sick to think my sweet little
girls had been alone that long, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what they had gone through during
that time.
“If you hadn’t cleared the way for them, it would have been tough for them to make it past Shallot
alone, if not impossible,” Nathan said. “You were right. It wasn’t for nothing.”
I nodded, and hugged my girls again. “Come on, babies. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Halle whined,
but I kissed her hair. “You’re safe now.” I looked to Jenna. “When is the last time you’ve eaten Or
slept”
Her eyebrows pulled in. “It’s been a while.”
I pulled her into my chest. “Okay. Okay, that’s all over, now. Nathan”
“I’m on it,” he said, going straight into the kitchen.
I helped the girls wash, and brushed their hair. It was so surreal, doing something so mundane
while listening to their terrifying journey. I sat with them at the table and watched them shovel food
into their mouths, and once their bellies were full, I walked them into Bryce and Miranda’s bedroom,
and tucked them in.
In the other room, I could hear Nathan humming to Zoe and Elleny.
Halle gripped her fingers around my wrist, tight. “Don’t leave, Mommy.”
I shook my head, brought her hand to my mouth, and gave it a kiss. “We’ll never be apart again.”
“You promise”
“I promise. You are so brave,” I said, kissing Halle’s forehead, and then looking into Jenna’s eyes
and touching her cheek. “So brave.”
The girls settled in, and within ten minutes they were both in a deep sleep. Nathan came in and
watched them for a moment with a smile. “They’re beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I said, sucking in a sharp breath to hold back the sob in my throat.
“You’re sleeping in here” he asked.
I nodded. “In the chair. So I can be here when they wake up. They’ll probably forget where they
are.”
Nathan kneeled down beside me and kissed the tender skin just below my ear.
I leaned into him. “Where is Ashley”
“Skeeter is with her. She’s feeling pretty alone.”
“I imagine.” I sighed.
“They’ve both lost the loves of their lives. They have that one awful thing in common, and they can
help each other get through it.”
We hugged for a while, watching my babies sleep. Jenna jerked a few times, unable to escape the