Part 11:
Katie woke up slowly, blinking and looking around her. She was moving, and there was a warm, solid body behind her. She sat up straight as it all came back to her.
"Good, you’re awake. We’re almost there."
She craned her neck and looked at Justin. His face was shadowed by his hat. The sun beat down on them, forcing her to look down. Cookie slowed to a stop in front of a small shack. It didn’t look all that wonderful, but it was after all an outlaw’s hideout. A large dog came bounding out from under the porch, wagging its tail. Justin hopped down then reached up to help Katie. When she was steady on her feet, he turned around and greeted his energetic pet. Katie actually smiled as the dog knocked Justin’s hat off with his nose, then knocked him to the ground. Justin wrestled with the dog for a few minutes. The dog won, sitting down and resting his front paws on Justin’s chest and barking in triumph. Katie decided he was smiling.
Hearing Katie laugh, Justin looked up at her and grinned. "Sugar, this is Outlaw. He’s showing off for you. I can take him any day." Outlaw let out a whiny growl and shook his head.
"What kind of dog is he?"
"Husky. It’s really too warm for him ‘round here, but he won’t leave. He’s part wolf, too." Justin paused and sat up, scratching Outlaw’s ears. "Hey boy, where’s Bandit?" Outlaw barked and his tail thumped on the ground. Another Husky trotted up behind Justin, knocking him down before ramming Outlaw to the ground as well. Bandit walked happily up to Katie, sniffing her hand and giving her fingers a lick. "And that’s Bandit," Justin said. "She thinks she’s in charge around here." Bandit looked at Justin and snorted before going over to the porch, climbing the stairs, and lying down. Katie laughed.
Justin stood up. "I’m hungry, are you?"
Katie realized she was and nodded.
"I don’t have much to offer but I know there’s a little food inside. Come on, we’ll see what we can find."
"OK," Katie said as she followed him inside.
Heather had found her husband in the store room and told him what she had seen. Bill listened to her story and decided to go see Josh before doing anything. He came back in less than fifteen minutes, taking Heather and baby Lizza to the mayor’s house. They placed the sleeping baby on one of the beds and Heather sat in the kitchen with Sarah. Sarah’s eyes were red rimmed and swollen, and she cried off and on all morning as she told Heather the whole horrible story. When she was finished, Heather took a deep breath. She patted Sarah’s back as she became lost in her own thoughts.
*FLASHBACK*
"Heather, I never thought I’d feel this way again after Callie died," Bill said, staring deeply into her eyes. "You mean so much to me. I love you, and I hope you’ll do me the honor of being my wife."
"But Bill . . . I just told you--"
"Sh . . . I don’t care about that," he said, placing his fingers over her lips. "No one will ever have to know. I love you. I don’t care. In fact, I think it’s my duty to marry you."
"But you aren’t--"
"I know. But I can be, if you’ll let me." Heather was crying as she accepted. They were married within the week. Lizza was born seven months later. Bill never found out that Justin was her father, though he had his suspicions. He loved his wife, and he knew she loved him. They didn’t ever speak of their secret. And they never thought that their friends, especially Josh and Sarah, would ever be in a similar situation.
Heather shook her head, clearing it of the thoughts. She had to wonder if someday, Lizza would run away from them after finding out the truth.
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