Rise and Shine (Shine On Series, Book 2) (20 page)

She started to ask him why he felt the shotgun was necessary but he turned on a gravel path that she’d never been down before. She’d really never even noticed it, so she chose a different question instead.

“Where are we going?” Her eyes were peeled to the farmland and wooded area in front of her.

“I told ya, a hike.”

Walter drove until the path ended and the truck couldn’t make it any further into the woods. When he turned the car off and looked around.

“I don’t think nobody could see it from the field out there, do you?” he asked her.

Emmie shook her head no and her hands started to tremble. Walter’s question scared her. Not the words. Not the fact they were hiding their car from open view but the fact his voice was unsure. He’d asked her for advice. It was like he’d asked her if they were safe enough. She brought the shotgun up and laid it across her lap. She ran her hands down the wooden handle. Who might she have to shoot? Would she be able to pull the trigger if it came to that? She wasn’t sure.

Emmie wished she had been able to tell Silas where she was going before he’d left that morning. When she looked up at Walter he was rubbing his whiskers in thought. He took a deep breath before he spoke. He put his hand on her trembling fingers.

“If you was thinking of changing your mind, now’d be the time to do it.”

She’d mailed the money back to her father before she went to the grocery but they could still count on Silas for the loan. “Are you sure you won’t just take Silas’s money? Would that be easier?”

He was glad she was showing fear. It meant she was finally realizing this wasn’t a game. “I’m not taking his money. But that don’t mean I expect this of you.”

Emmie laid her head back on the seat and thought a moment. This was just her nerves getting to her. It was the gun, the hidden car, the fact she wasn’t at the familiar cave, and seeking out a hissing Ole Maizy. It was the newness of the situation that felt scary. All she was going to do was make some apple pie. That’s it. A little shine, some apples, this would be done and Max would be on his way to Louisville.

“Thank you for caring for my boy.” Walter’s voice was weak. “I got enough money from Maizy to send ’em there for a couple weeks. Got them a train ticket and everything. Johnson thinks we’ll make enough here to keep ‘em up there through Christmas and New Year. I ain’t got the words to thank you. If my daughter hadn’t met her maker so early…” He stopped, clearing his throat. “Well, I bet she’d have been like you. I’m thinking she must be one of your angels.”

Emmie didn’t know what to say. Walter never talked about personal stuff with her. He had done a one eighty. She thought he was gonna hate her when he came over and now it had turned to this. He had compared her to his daughter, Max’s mom. Is that how he thought of her? Emmie’s throat tightened. It really wasn’t until that moment that she realized that family was about more than blood. It was about this. Helping each other. Hard times. Love. She reached over and wrapped her arms around the older man.

“That’s about the nicest thing anyone’s ever said. You know she’d be proud of you too and the way you’ve taken care of her boy,” Emmie said, pulling back to her spot.

Walter put his shoulders back and cleared his throat. He reached under the seat and pulled out his own shotgun. His had been sawed off much shorter than hers. When she frowned he answered her unspoken question.

“Can’t see as well as I use to. You ain’t gotta be much of an aim with one sawed off like this.” He grinned.

Emmie nodded. Walter turned and hopped out of the cab. “We best be ready.”

She followed his lead. Stepping down from the truck she carried her gun. It was heavy and felt like a foreign object in her hand. “So, where do we go from here?” she asked.

“We wait,” he said, staring out into the woods.

Emmie couldn’t say how long they waited. Thirty seconds. Thirty minutes. Hours. Time stood still in the woods. She felt the bitter cold even through the wool coat. The sound of a truck was startling. The other truck came in from the west. It was full. Bo was driving, Mr. Johnson was a passenger and there were others in the back. Emmie recognized one as his brother, Brett but she didn’t know the other boy. He was a little younger, maybe eighteen, but was definitely a Johnson. He had the telltale dark eyes and hair.

They piled out and made their way over to Walter and Emmie. Bo was grinning, as usual. Walter and Mr. Johnson exchanged a handshake and hello. Emmie tried to hear their words but couldn’t make them out. Their voice was barely above a whisper. She was surprised to feel the shotgun jerked from her hand.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll be keeping up with this for ya… since you look scared as a cat out here.” Bo laughed.

“Give me that back Bo Johnson,” she warned.

He gave a deep laugh and tossed it to the youngest Johnson boy.

“So what happens now?” she asked Bo.

“We hike.” He smiled.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“Because there ain’t roads to take us down to the holler. Unless you got a horse hitched to that truck.” He looked around her.

Emmie was thankful for his jokes. He had lightened the mood. Her hands were no longer shaking. Bo was a welcomed distraction.

“Well, I’m tired of waiting around here for y’all. Let’s get going,” she said with a smile.

Mr. Johnson must have heard her because he gave a throaty snort of laughter. “I guess if you’re in a hurry we best be going. Walter we’ll meet you back here in a couple hours.”

“No.” Walter shook his head.

“Walter you can’t make this walk. It ain’t about us not wanting you there,” Mr. Johnson said.

Emmie could tell by the look in Walter’s eyes he didn’t believe him.

“I ain’t gonna send her off without me. I think it’s for me to decided where these old legs can go,” he said, jutting out his chin.

She took a look around at the landscape. If they were going down in the holler there was a good chance they were being honest. There had been times she had worried about Walter moving around that cave by himself and the cave was easy land compared to this. She did wish she had someone else with her though. But, she’d known Bo nearly all her life. She was sure she’d be okay.

“Walt. I’ll be okay,” she said with more courage than she felt. But she’d learned courage was contagious. Act brave and others around you will feel safer.

“I don’t like it,” he said.

“Two hours. I’ll be right back here,” she assured him. “That’s it.”

“You think I want her boy coming after me? I’m gonna take good care of her.” Mr. Johnson laughed.

“He is okay with this, right. You talked to him?” Mr. Johnson asked her.

Emmie only hesitated for a brief second. She might be able to talk Walter into things without Silas’s approval but she knew she wouldn’t be able to do that with Mr. Johnson. So she told a half-truth and hoped he didn’t ask any questions. “He wants the best for Max too, ya know.”

Mr. Johnson frowned for a moment then Bo spoke up. “Let’s get a move on it. Emmie’s freezing.”

Walter handed Emmie his shotgun. “Remember what I said. You ain’t even got to be able to aim with this one.”

Emmie nodded and took the gun from Walter.

“Two hours or I’m coming to find you… with Silas,” he said pointedly. He knew she hadn’t breathed a word of this to him yet. That was his warning to her not to drag this thing out.

She nodded again and turned to face the men. She smiled and gripped the shotgun tightly as she headed into the woods.

Chapter Twenty-eight

W
hen everyone kept telling her they were going on a hike, she thought they were kidding. It turns out they weren’t. After she’d fallen the second time, Bo had offered to carry her down the ravine. Mr. Johnson had taken Walt’s shotgun away from her too. It turns out her probability of falling and the loaded sawed-off made the boys a bit jumpy.

“So where are you all dragging me to again?” she asked after they’d walked about ten minutes.

“The place you’re gonna make us our shine. Today we’ll keep it short. Just make sure you got the equipment and supplies you need,” Bo answered.

“Well you boys clearly went to too much trouble on this little excursion. Last time I did just fine making it right in my own kitchen.” She stumbled over a fallen tree that was half covered by rotted leaves.

“We can’t have you doing this right in your kitchen. That was a fool’s move, girl,” Mr. Johnson said. “And you’re gonna be making a little more than you did then.”

“How much is a little more?” she asked, turning to face him.

“You’ll see.” He spit a wad of tobacco on the ground.

When they got to the bottom of the holler there was a small creek running across their path. It wasn’t very wide but it was enough to get her feet wet. At least she’d had the good sense to put on her old boots. Mr. Johnson crossed first. Emmie looked down the creek to be sure there wasn’t a log draped across the water to cross on but there wasn’t. The boys made quick work of moving through the water. She took her time. It was better to be slow than soaked to the bone.

“Come on, Em.” Bo laughed from the other side.

“Haven’t you people heard of roads?” she asked, keeping her eyes on her feet.

“That would make it easy for folk to get down here. We don’t want it easy,” Mr. Johnson answered.

She heard a splashing near her and looked up to see Bo moving through the creek like he was walking on water. He was beside her in just a few seconds. She frowned at him and continued to find her footing. But that was in vain. Bo picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder and crossed the creek like he did this everyday.

“Bo Johnson.” She tried not to laugh.

“Sorry Emmie. But Walt only gave us two hours and at your pace we never would have made it past that creek.” He plopped her down on the other side.

Mr. Johnson gave Bo an odd look but kept his thoughts to himself. On the other side of the bank Emmie spotted a tree. It was the most unique off-white color. The bark was peeling and the branches were bare but Emmie was struck by its beauty. She wanted to ask about the tree but the men had moved on ahead of her.

Her eyes followed the men’s footsteps. In the distance she could see a tiny cabin with puffs of grey-black smoke coming from the chimney. They reached the cabin in a matter of minutes.

The doorway was so narrow they entered in single file. Bo’s brother-in-law, Steven, was waiting in the cabin for them. Nobody really talked to him other than checking that he had all the supplies organized. Then he just disappeared into the walls. He looked familiar to her but she couldn’t place him.

To say the cabin was small would have been an understatement. It was tiny with one little room, two windows, a small cook stove on the far right wall, a cot, and a large fireplace on the opposite side. There was a small table with two handmade chairs. She didn’t see a single supply but Steven had named a whole list of items they’d secured.

Bo must have guessed her question, telling her everything was in the cellar. He walked over to the cot, pushed it to the side, and revealed a door in the floor. He lit a lantern and motioned for her to follow him. She did not want to follow him down that dark cellar.

“Nah…You can just tell me what’s down there. I trust you,” she said quickly.

“Miss Emmie are you scared?” he asked with a laugh. The men joined in.

She’d known Bo all her life. She did trust him but these other men, she didn’t know from Adam. Her stomach turned as she faked a smile. She wished for the second time that Silas was with her. As she took in her surroundings, the potential danger of the situation settled in. If Bo wasn’t here she would be scared to death. Subconsciously she took a step near him.

“I’m just funning you Emmie. You ain’t gotta go down there.” His face fell and he reached out and grabbed her arm.

“So what all do you have for me?” She forced a smile and rubbed her hands together.

“We need you to do around two hundred jars this time. We figure then we can store ’em and use it up as we need over time.” Mr. Johnson said.

“Okay. Sounds like a plan to me. Get it all made in one trip, use it when you need it,” she said. “You want me to make it just how I did last time?”

“Yeah. That’s what James said sold well. So I think it’s best to stick with that,” Mr. Johnson said. “Well, minus how you decorated up them jars. We don’t decorate our moonshine round here. Just not that kind of outfit.” He spit another wad of chew in an old mason jar. A few of the men snickered at his comment.

Emmie’s stomach churned at the sight but did her best to keep her composure.

“No gingham jar covers. That’ll save me time anyway.” She crossed her arms over her chest, refusing to let them get her rowed up.

Steven went over the supply list of apples, sugar, cinnamon, and spices. They had more than she’d need. She was glad they were supplying everything. It made the whole thing easier. The whole time he was talking Emmie got a sinking feeling in her gut. Something was amiss with this one. She just couldn’t place it.

Bo led her over to the cook stove, showing her the water pump and the cooking pots they had to be sure she had everything she needed. Everything was fine. Did they think she would need some sort of kitchen fit for a king? She thought it weird they would bring her out here for a test run like this.