Free Fireflies in December by Jennifer Erin Valent Page A

removed their robes, and I strained to get a good look at who they were. Unfortunately there were only two, Cole and Walt, the ones I already knew of.
    “I ain’t figurin’ on entertainin’ this early in the mornin’, boys,” Luke said in irritation. “I tend to sleep this time of day.”
    Cole seemed satisfied with Luke’s answer, but Walt craned his neck to look inside the cabin. “You sure you ain’t seen nobody? Cole’s dog done tracked somethin’ to the creek.”
    Luke held his hands out in front of himself and asked, “Do I look like I been runnin’ through creeks?”
    “I ain’t talkin’ about you,” Walt said. “I’m askin’ if you seen anybody.”
    “I just said I ain’t,” Luke argued back.
    Walt looked around the place again and then said, “Then if you ain’t, you won’t care if I take a look around.”
    He started to move into the house, but Luke put his arm across the doorway to stop him. “Funny thing is, I kinda do. Ain’t nothin’ in this here cabin you can’t see from where you are. And besides,” he continued, glancing down at Walt’s feet, “your boots are all muddy.” He flashed Walt a smile that was more a warning than a welcome. “I just mopped my floor yesterday.”
    Every muscle in Luke’s body was primed for action, and Cole stepped away, respectful of the fact that Luke was twenty pounds heavier and ten years younger than him. “That’s okay, Luke. Sorry we woke ya.”
    Walt only stared at Luke. Cole called for him to move along, but even when he did, Walt never stopped staring at Luke. He just backed away like Luke was a king or something, although Walt’s intent wasn’t to show reverence.
    Luke slammed the door and locked it, peeked through the curtains for a couple minutes, and then whispered, “You can come on out, Jessilyn.”
    After I crawled out and straightened my clothes, I sat in a nearby chair.
    He swung around to look at me, his face creased with anger. “What in the sam hill were you doin’ out there? Are you tryin’ to get yourself killed?”
    “I didn’t think I’d come to any trouble, Luke. Honest! I was just comin’ to meet you. I thought it’d save you the trouble . . .”
    “Fact is, Jessilyn, you brought trouble to my door instead. Now, what’d you do to get those boys on your trail?”
    “All I did was see them. That’s it. I was walkin’ past Cole Mundy’s place, and I saw them there, all dressed in them white hoods. There was a whole bunch of them.”
    “And you just had to investigate, is that it? Jessilyn, you beat all. Them men ain’t playin’ around. That ain’t no game. Hear that dog? He’s out huntin’ for spies, not rabbits. Who taught you to sneak around in the dark like that?”
    “I was comin’ to meet you. I wasn’t sneakin’ around.”
    “I didn’t tell you to come meet me, now did I? I told you I’d come get you.” He ran a hand through his hair in a nervous way before saying, “I swear! That was the stupidest thing you could’ve ever done.”
    Luke’s angry words painted a clear picture of the danger I’d been in, and I started to shake all over with the shock of everything, like I did when I had the measles.
    Luke stopped ranting and looked at me with wide eyes.
    “What’s wrong with you?”
    I couldn’t tell him what was wrong with me because I didn’t know myself. I just sat there and shook, and a tear ran down my face without me even knowing I was crying.
    Luke’s face turned pale with anxiety, and he ran to fetch a blanket. After wrapping me up tight, he stoked the fire and got me some coffee from the pot on the stove. “It’s all right,” he said quietly. “It’s all right now, Jessie.” The anger had disappeared from his face, replaced by sympathy. “I ain’t mad. I really ain’t. I was only scared, just like you.”
    I tried nodding, but my neck wouldn’t move. After all, I knew why Luke was so upset. My daddy had acted angry before when he was afraid. “It’s just