Never Never by Susan Kiernan-Lewis Read Free Book Online

turned away. Twenty minutes later, all the wagons were loaded and headed back down the road. Sarah couldn’t resist a backward glance at the compound, their Ameriland.
    So much had happened there over the years and so much good had been hoped for. And just like everything else, it was gone now too.
----

    M ike did another headcount as he rode from the tail of their wagon train to the lead. Everyone was in good spirits—well, most everyone—and the weather was holding so far, please God. He didn’t have any illusions that they’d make the entire trip without some of it in a downpour but he was grateful that they could start out with adventure in their hearts and dry socks in their boots.
    The road was empty. They hadn’t seen another sign of life since they’d left the convent. Mike looked up at the sky as he realized they had at least four more hours before they’d need to find a place to stop for the night. The wagons were in good shape, the kiddies alternately singing or sleeping, the women all holding up as usual and doing what needed doing.
    Every time he rode by Sarah’s wagon, she made a point of not looking at him. As long as he’d known her he’d never known her to be this mad this long. Not even when he’d gone and got himself engaged to Aideen Malone. In fact, as Mike recalled, they’d very nearly come to blows then but as anybody with sense will tell you, wanting to wring someone’s neck didn’t mean you didn’t care.
    The way Sarah was treating him now—not looking at him, hardly speaking to him—was a thousand times worse than if she’d thrown a frying pan or taken a broom to him.
    Make that a million times worse.
    Mike knew well enough that it wasn’t just leaving John behind that bothered her. And it wasn’t just that the baby screamed every time Sarah touched her. Siobhan’s birth had instilled a fear in Sarah that she hadn’t had before. It was an irrational fear that some things just couldn’t be made safe no matter where you went or how hard you tried.
    â€œMike?” Declan rode up to him, his eyes wide and startled. Mike had worried Declan didn’t have the balance to ride a horse but he hadn’t the heart to tell him to ride in the wagon.
    â€œEverything okay?” Mike asked.
    â€œI’ll catch up with you,” Declan said. “I need to go into the woods for a bit. All right?”
    It killed Mike to hear his friend ask permission to go take a leak in the woods. “Sure, Dec. We can wait. We have time.”
    â€œNay, I won’t be long.” Declan slid off his horse and looked around holding his reins as if unsure what to do with them. Mike held out his hand and Declan handed the reins to him, grinning with embarrassment. He turned and entered the woods.
    Fiona’s wagon pulled up beside Mike.
    â€œWhere’s Declan going?” she asked as she watched her husband’s retreating back.
    â€œGoing to take a piss if that’s all right with his missus,” Mike said with a raised eyebrow.
    â€œOh, go on with the pair of ye,” Fiona said with annoyance and snapped the reins on the back of her horse.
    Mike turned and led Declan’s horse toward the head of the group.
    â€œOy! Gavin!” he called to his son. Gavin turned from the lead where he rode side by side with Tommy and trotted back to his father.
    â€œI need one of ye to take up the rear. I want to get as many kilometers under our belts as we can while we still have daylight.”
    Gavin nodded and trotted to the last wagon. Mike noted it was Sarah’s wagon.
    Fifteen minutes later Declan still hadn’t reappeared. Annoyed with himself for not tying Declan’s horse to a bush back where they’d left him, Mike took Gavin’s place at the back and sent the lad down the road to find his uncle.
    A nervous sensation crept up Mike’s spine as he watched Gavin disappear. Why had he