Apocalypse Cowboy: Futuristic Romance with Zombies by Eve Langlais Page B

the zombies we’ve seen roaming?”
    Her uncle snorted. “Unless they’ve learned to pick locks and open doors, I figure I’m safe enough. I’ll just pick them off from an upstairs window. I actually wouldn’t mind a bit of excitement. I’d worry more about the pair of you and that idiot sister of yours. You’re the ones heading into the unknown and danger. You be careful.” His voice grew gruff, and Brody saw the bright gleam of moisture in his eyes before Hannah flew into his arms. She hugged the old man’s frail body, their love for each other so evident.
    Even he didn’t remain unaffected—that or there was a lot of dust in the air. He sure as hell hoped they all came back. Fred would be all right for a few weeks on his own, but despite his assertion, Brody knew that any longer would prove a chore on the man.
    “Let me just pack a few things.” Hannah bustled into the house.
    Once he ascertained she was out of sight, Brody looked at Fred. “Are you sure about this, Fred?”
    “Very. And not just because of Bethie. Hannah needs to see the world outside of this town. She needs to let go of the past and follow the future. Beth is right about one thing. This town is dead. If we’re going to rebuild, we need to be around people. This Amish village might be what Hannah needs, what we all need. A fresh start. If things look good, then come back and get me.”
    “We’ll be back,” Brody promised.
    “Of course you will.”
    “I wish Hannah believed I was serious about staying.”
    “She’ll come around. You hurt her when you left. But sometimes a man’s got to explore before he knows what he wants in life.”
    “I want a life with Hannah.”
    “And it will come. That girl’s suffered a lot of loss and had to deal with so many responsibilities. Soon she’ll realize she doesn’t have to shoulder the burden alone. But enough of this emotional crap. You’ve got protection I assume?”
    For a second, Brody misunderstood and just about blushed, thinking Fred referred to condoms—an item that apparently had expiration dates, not that he wanted to use any. He couldn’t deny a part of him would love to see Hannah pregnant with his babe.
    But Fred meant another kind of protection. “Always armed with backup. I’ve got the revolver I keep on me, spare ammo, and another pair of pistols.” Brody patted his saddlebags. “And then there’s no-brainer.” His nickname for his aluminum bat.
    Fred snorted. “Ah to be young and stupid again. Hopefully you don’t run into any zombies close enough you need to whack some sense into them.”
    They fell silent as Hannah came back out of the house, a knapsack dangling from her hand. Hannah kissed her uncle and admonished him not to overdo it—a speech during which Fred rolled his eyes and mouthed “women!” over her shoulder.
    Instructions given, she approached Brody and held out her bag, which he stowed in a saddlebag.
    Straddling the bike, he looked at her and waited, wondering if the lip she gnawed meant she’d changed her mind. With a creased face, she looked at her uncle then at the only home she’d ever known. He could see the trepidation on her face.
    “I’ll bring you back, I swear,” Brody promised.
    Taking a deep breath, she clambered behind him on the passenger pillion and wrapped her arms around his waist.
    “Let’s go find my sister,” she said bravely, but Brody could hear the worry and fear underlying her words.
    With a roar, he sped off on the bike without looking back, unable to shake the feeling that nothing would be the same again.

Chapter Nineteen
    Hannah clung to Brody as he weaved them a path down the debris-strewn road. Beth had hours on them, and as Hannah watched the streaming landscape, she really had to wonder if they’d find her. How could they know if Beth had gone in this direction? What if Beth veered from her course? Locating her could prove harder than searching for a needle in a haystack.
    Brody’s assertion the roads