The word on Mike Underwood was neither good nor bad yet. Doc Rory was reasonably certain that he’d stopped the bleeding, and the through-and-through nature of the wound meant that he probably didn’t have to mine for fragments, so he did what he called his best cowboy surgery and stopped at stanching the blood flow. To open the boy up now, before he exhibited more specific symptoms of trouble, would only introduce new risks, infection being the most critical. So far, so good, but it might be days or even weeks before Mike Underwood’s future would solidify in a meaningful way.

“Hey, Vicky,” McCrea whispered. “Are you asleep?”

“I don’t think so.”

“We have company.”

Victoria opened her eyes. A group of five people was approaching. If she read the silhouettes properly, Maggie was in the lead, with George Simmons, Joey Abbott, Ben Barnett and Eric Lofland strung out in a ragged line behind her.

“I smell apples,” Victoria said.

“Plus butter and cinnamon,” McCrea added.

“Hi, Vicky,” Maggie said. “I hope we’re not interrupting something important.”

“If that’s what I think it is,” Victoria said, “nothing in the world is ever more important than apple pie.” She stood and held out her hands to receive the offering. “What’s this all about?”

Maggie stepped aside and let George take the lead. “Mrs. Emerson,” he said. “Vicky. You know, in a town like this, people talk.”

“Mostly behind other people’s backs,” Joey added.

“It’s the nature of a small town,” George continued.

“I grew up in one myself,” Victoria said through a growing sense of dread. Were they about to turn on Caleb now?

Ben said, “You know, I didn’t like you very much when we first met.”

“I remember.”

“Well, that’s what we been talkin’ about,” Ben said. “We ain’t been very friendly to you and your family.”

“I couldn’t stand you,” Eric said.

Maggie intervened. “Boys, I don’t think this is coming out the way you wanted it to.”

“Here’s the thing,” George said. “You and your kin might be the craziest, bravest folks I’ve ever run into. You go chargin’ into places you got no business bein’, and then you take over and make shit better. Kinda pisses people off.”

“Then you go and save lives,” Ben said. “You bring order to chaos, and that kinda pisses people off, too.”

“They suck at this,” Maggie said. “We’re here to say we were wrong about you. You’re good people.”

Victoria felt her throat thicken. For the second time in the same day, she couldn’t form words.

Maggie continued, “Vicky, we all know this isn’t where you want to be. You got family you want to join up with, and your boys want to get back together with their brother. We all understand that.”