I could not feel more out of place if Raylan were taking me to Morocco. Iโve never had a pair of cowboy boots on my feet in my life. Iโve
never eaten at a diner. And Iโve sure as hell never ridden a horse, let alone visited a ranch.
I almost think heโs taking me here just to torture me. Thereโs a lot of other places we could go that are less . . . foreign.
On the other hand, I definitely feel a million miles away from Chicago. And that does make me feel safe, in a strange way.
Before we leave the motel, Raylan calls Dante and lets him know where weโre going. My phone and laptop burned up with everything else in my apartment, so I donโt have any way of contacting anybody.
โItโs better that way,โ Raylan tells me seriously. โDante will tell Cal. But I donโt think anybody else should know. The whole point of taking you here is to keep you completely off-grid. Hopefully your brother and Dante can figure out what the fuck is going on, sooner than later. But in the meantime, I donโt want to risk this guy being able to track you.โ
I donโt really like the idea of running and hiding, disconnected from my family and especially my work. But that fire scared me. More than the near- drowning. It felt like an escalationโlike a mark of this guyโs desperation to get at me, no matter how safe and protected I might think Iโve made myself.
โI do need to call Dean,โ I tell Raylan. โIf I just disappear, and Iโm not answering any calls or texts, he might call the cops. Bare minimum, heโll come to my apartment. And probably notice the hole in the side of the building.โ
Raylan considers this.
โFine,โ he says, at last. โCall him too, from the motel phone. You have the number memorized?โ
I nod. โYeah, I know it.โ
I always remember numbersโaddresses, phone numbers, birthdays. And the numbers in legal files. I donโt know why they stick in my brain. I could tell you case file numbers from years back. Itโs useless information most of the timeโIโd rather keep the brain space for something else. But thatโs the way my mind works.
Raylan frowns, like heโs annoyed that I know Deanโs number. Like he thinks it means something.
โCan I get a little privacy?โ I say.
โFine,โ he says. โBut donโt tell Dean where you are. Donโt tell him where youโre going.โ
โI know.ย I wonโt,โ I promise.
Raylan goes out to wait for me in the car. He doesnโt have to carry any bags out, because of course we donโt have any bags. We threw the remains of our old smoke-stained clothing in the trash.
I pick up the phone sitting on the nightstand and hit the button for an outside line. I canโt remember the last time I made a phone call on a landline. It feels weird holding a receiver instead of a cellphone. Weird to stay connected to the base of the phone by a long, spiraling cord, instead of being free to wander around during the call.
Itโs so funny how things change so fast. One minute a piece of technology is a novelty, and before youโve even noticed, itโs the most normal and natural thing in the world. And the old way seems like a distant dream.
I can hear the phone ringing. Iโm planning to leave a message if Dean doesnโt pick up.
Instead, I hear his grumpy and sleepy, โYeah?โ on the other end of the line. โDean, itโs me,โ I say.
โRiona?โ His voice is husky and confused. โWhat number are you calling from?โ
โIโm at a hotel,โ I say. I remember Raylanโs injunction against specifying our location.
โWhy are you at a hotel?โ Dean says. His voice contains equal parts bewilderment and annoyance.
โMy apartment, uh, burned down last night.โ โWHAT!?โ
โYeah. Iโm gonna be staying somewhere else for . . . a while,โ I say.
โWhere are you?โ And then, after a secondโs hesitation, โYou can stay at my place, you know.โ
โThanks, but Iโm still with . . . I still have Raylan watching me,โ I say. โHeโs with you now?โ Dean says. Thereโs an edge to his tone.
โNot right next to me. But yes, heโs at the hotel.โ I say โhotelโ instead of โmotelโ to try to make it sound less sordid.
โAre you staying in the same room?โ
โWeโre not . . . we didnโt sleep here last night. We just used the shower. Not at the same time,โ I hasten to clarify.
โSo youโre sharing showers and hotel rooms with him now,โ Dean says. His jealousy is obvious. And itโs obvious heโs trying to pick a fight.
โHeโs a bodyguard,โ I say, not even trying to hide my annoyance. โQuit trying to make it sound like something itโs not.โ
But even as Iโm saying the words, Iโm remembering that kiss in the gym. I tried to shove it down to the very bottom of my brain. Tried not to think about it again. It was just a moment of insanity on Raylanโs partโwe were both hopped up from the race. Annoyed at each other for our own stupid reasons. It was impulsive and irrational. It didnโt mean anything.
Still, the memory steals the ring of truth from my statement. It makes me sound petulant instead of certain. It leaves a hint of doubt for Dean to hear.
โIโm not okay with this,โ he says. โIโm not okay with any of this. Somebodyโs stalking you and trying to kill you and Iโm just supposed to act like thatโs normal? Youโve got some bodyguard with you twenty-four- seven, like youโre the president? This is fucking weird, Riona.โ
โIโm so sorry that someone trying to KILL ME is an inconvenience for you,โ I say acidly.
โThis is fucking crazy! Youโre with this guy andโโ
All of a sudden, I feel very tired. Itโs been a long night, and a strange morning, after one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. Deanโs not going to understand that. He was never going to understand any of this.
I cut him off mid-rant. โYouโre right, Dean.โ
โI . . . what?โ Thatโs the last thing he expected me to say in the middle of an argument.
โYouโre right,โ I repeat. โYou shouldnโt have to deal with any of this. Letโs take a break, and maybe when Iโm not in the middle of running for my life, we can pick things back up again.โ
Thereโs silence on the other end of the line. Then Dean says, โYouโre
breaking up with me?โ
โYes,โ I say flatly. โI think so.โ
โUn-fucking-believable,โ Dean says. I hear a click and then dead air.
He hung up the phone.
I set down the receiver, my heart thudding.
I kind of said it on impulse. But I donโt think I regret it. When I examine what I feel, itโs a lot closer to relief, actually. Iโve got too much to deal with without having to baby Deanโs feelings, too. This is for the best.
I leave the motel room, joining Raylan in the car. โSo?โ he says, putting the Escalade into drive. โSo, what?โ
Raylan hesitates, like heโs wondering if he should push for details. โEverything okay?โ he says, at last.
โYeah,โ I say, looking out the window. โEverythingโs great.โ
I donโt know why I donโt just tell Raylan that Dean and I broke up. I guess itโs because it seems embarrassing in some way. And also maybe because Iโd prefer to keep that barrier between us, for now.
I know Raylan is as aware as I am that thereโs no relationship between the two of us. Heโs been hired to do a job, which is to protect me. Weโre not friends. And weโre definitely not lovers. We can barely stand each other, half the time.
Still, there is that weird energy that arises every now and then.
Like that moment in the gym. Or even our conversation last night.
I donโt want to have to deal with any more of that. So I think itโs better if Raylan believes Iโm in a relationship with somebody else. Itโs safer that way. For both of us.
We drive the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Mostly in silence. Raylan puts the radio on, and we go in and out of local stations. I hear an endless stream of country songs, punctuated by the occasional rock or pop song, and some oldies.
I canโt deny that Tennessee is surprisingly beautiful. I didnโt realize it was so green. The fields are green, and the smaller mountains, that are really more like hills. Beyond that, I spy the deep blue peaks of the Smokies.
Thereโs so much open space between towns. Raylan is rightโI really donโt get out of the city much. I canโt believe in one day we could drive to a place that looks so different in every way.
As we drive down into a valley between two tall green hills, the radio crackles and a new song comes on, bright and clear. Itโs โPlease Mr. Postmanโ by The Marvelettes.
โPlease Mr. PostmanโโThe Marvelettesย (Spotify)ย โPlease Mr. PostmanโโThe Marvelettesย (Apple)
My mom used to play that song. She loves itโI have no idea why. She loves a lot of Motown and early rock and blues.
โMr. Postmanโ is so cute and catchy that it was a favorite of Nessaโs, and mine, too. Mom would play it, and weโd jump up on the couches and dance and sing along to it, pretending we were holding microphones. Pretending we had beehives and sparkly dresses, and we were an old-school trio. Nessa, ever concerned with choreography even at a young age, would try to make us coordinate, and shimmy in a period-appropriate manner.
I canโt help tapping my fingers against the car door, nodding along to the song.
Raylan looks over at me, thick black eyebrow cocked. He reaches over and twists the knob to turn up the volume.
Thatโs another thing nobody does anymoreโno one waits for a letter from the Postman. But the cheerful, wistful tone of the song is as relatable as ever. And the upbeat piano riff. It makes me want to shimmy my shoulders like Nessa and I used to do. Especially as Raylan turns the music up even louder and drums along to the beat on the steering wheel.
I canโt help smiling. I sing along for a couple bars, not caring that Iโm shit at carrying a tune. Raylan laughs and turns the music up more. He doesnโt know the lyrics, but he does the โWa-oooโ accompaniment, like heโs my backup singer.
It only lasts for two minutes. Those old Motown songs are short. The song switches over to something else I donโt recognize, and Raylan turns the volume down again.
Weโre driving in silence once more. But weโre both smiling.
WE GETย to Silver Run just before dinner time, having driven almost the whole day long with only a brief stop in Lexington to pee and buy some snacks. Neither one of us needed a real lunch, not after the massive breakfast we ate at the diner.
I can tell when we get close, because thereโs a new tension in Raylanโs shoulders. He sits up a little straighter, looking around at fields and forest that he obviously recognizes in a very intimate way. I know without asking that this is where he grew up. This is his home.
โHow close are we?โ I say anyway, just to be sure.
โThis is it,โ Raylan says. โ228 acres all around us. This road only goes one place.โ
We pass through an open gate with an iron arch at the top. Recessed letters spell the name โBirch Haven.โ I guess thatโs fittingโthatโs exactly what Raylan and I are looking for. A safe haven.
Weโre driving steadily upward on the winding road. The slope is small and gradual, but soon a view unspools below us. The ranch house was built at the highest point for miles around.
I see several large barns and stables on either side, but the winding road takes us directly up to the ranch house itself. The house is three stories tall, with a high peaked roof and large plate-glass windows across the front to take advantage of its aerie-like positioning. Itโs built of deep reddish-brown boards that arenโt much different from the ones on the side of the barn. Yet the house is much grander in shape and scale, with tall doorways, those
expansive windows giving views on all sides, and generous verandas encircling the house on all three levels.
Large, leafy trees shade the windows and the decks. A pretty old-fashioned swing hangs from the ancient oak closest to the front door.
I didnโt hear Raylanโs conversation with his familyโI assume he called them while I was in the shower. But he promised that he warned them we were coming.
In a way, thatโs worse. As we pull up to the house, I can see several other cars parked in the drive, like theyโve all gathered for dinner. I know they must be excited to have Raylan home. He told me he hasnโt been back to visit in over three years.
I feel like I shouldnโt be here for this reunion. This is too personal, too intimate.
Too late now, though. The door flies open and a short, deeply-tanned woman in jeans and a button-up shirt very like the one Iโm wearingโ though much more fadedโcomes hurrying out of the house. Sheโs limping, one foot in a walking boot, but thatโs not really slowing her down that much.
She throws her arms around Raylan and squeezes him tight. She only comes up to his chest in height, but she looks strong and fit, her graying hair pulled back in a sensible low ponytail. Her nails are cut short and unpolished, and her small hands look highly capable as she grabs Raylanโs arms and pulls back to look up in his face. I can see that her eyes are just as bright a blue as her sonโs.
โYou look skinny,โ she says, and she laughs.
Raylan isnโt skinny in the slightest. Heโs broad-shouldered and muscular. But as his brother comes out of the house, I can see how Raylan would be considered skinny by comparison. His brother looks like a bear that learned to walk on its hind legs. He has a massive black beard and shoulder-length hair, and heโs three inches taller than Raylan and much broader. I can see the muscle in his arms and shoulders beneath his flannel shirt, but his bulk also includes a generous belly.
โRAYLAN!โ he roars.
He throws his arms around both Raylan and his mom, squeezing them tight until his mother shouts, โAlright, donโt break my back, let me out of this hug!โ
โOh, sorry.โ He grins, letting her go. โI didnโt even see you there, Ma.โ
It is unbelievable that Raylan and his brother came out of this much smaller lady. Hard to imagine either of these men being little enough that she could hold them in her arms.
โYou must be Riona,โ Celia says, coming over to shake my hand.
Just as I expected, her grip is firm and competent. I can feel the calluses on her palm.
โThank you for letting us come stay with you,โ I say politely. โThis is Raylanโs home,โ she says. โHeโs never a visitor here.โ Thereโs no rebuke in her tone. Just a simple statement of fact. โAnd youโre equally welcome,โ she says to me kindly.
Grady isnโt content with a handshake. He pulls me against his broad chest for a hug. I usually would hate thisโbut despite his wild appearance, Grady smells nice, like soap and woodsmoke. And his grin shows slightly pointed incisors very like Raylanโs. I find myself liking him immediately, despite the fact that heโs loud and overly familiar, things I usually hate.
Raylanโs sister is the only one who hangs back in the entryway, watching us all silently.
She has thick, long, black hair like her brothers. But her complexion is darkerโeven more deep than her motherโs. Her eyes are brown, not Raylanโs blue. And she has none of her brothersโ laid-back charm. If anything, she looks fierce and a little bit wild. Like she doesnโt really want to be inside a house at all.
Raylan introduces us. โRiona, this is my little sister Bo.โ
She watches me, unsmiling. Not holding out her hand to shake, her arms crossed firmly in front of her.
โNice to meet you,โ I say anyway, giving her a respectful nod.
Iโm not offended when people arenโt friendly. Actually, it just mirrors how I feel inside myself. So Iโm quite comfortable with it. Neither of us has to pretend.
โCome on in,โ Celia tells us. โDinnerโs all ready.โ
The interior of the ranch house is open and airy, not crowded and cozy as I expected. All the furniture is arranged to focus on those massive windows, and the sprawling view of the Boonesโ land.
Everything is made of natural materials. The bare wooden boards of the walls and ceiling, and the worn floorboards. It all looks weathered and natural, though perfectly clean. The furniture likewise looks like someone made it by hand, including the huge farmhouse table on which Raylanโs mother has spread out enough food to feed an army.
Gradyโs wife Shelby is already seated at the table with their two sons, who look to be about five and seven years of age.
โHi!โ she cries, as we come in. Sheโs pretty and petite, with her blonde hair in a plait, and freckles across her cheeks. Her boys are likewise freckled, though they both have the same black hair as the Boone children. Theyโre staring hungrily at the food, impatient for the adults to sit down so they can eat.
โSorry I didnโt get up,โ Shelby says, pointing to her heavily pregnant belly. โItโs a lot of effort to stand these days.โ
โStay right where you are, and stay comfy,โ Raylan says, bending down to kiss her on the cheek.
She throws an arm around his neck and kisses him back with friendly affection.
โYou almost missed your first niece!โ she accuses him.
โI might still,โ Raylan says. โI donโt know how long weโre staying . . . โ
Everyone at the table turns their eyes on me, like itโs my decision. I should inform them that Raylan practically kidnapped me, driving me halfway here while I was sleeping. But I donโt want to tell anyone my personal business. Least of all why we came in the first place.
โI donโt know either,โ I say.
โDonโt worry,โ Celia says, shaking her head. โWe know that nobody can tell Raylan what to do. Least of all us.โ
There is a note of reproach now. I glance over at Raylan. Itโs clear that everybody at this table adores him. Yet he spends most of his time on the other side of the world. Why is that, exactly?
Iโm not usually interested in peopleโs family drama. But Iโm curious, in this particular instance. Thereโs a lot more to Raylan than meets the eye. I want to know more about him, while simultaneously feeling that I really shouldnโt get close to him in any way, shape or form. It can only lead to trouble for both of us.