Sunshine Valley

The dream

Evie woke to the sight of Dillon’s side. She was on the air mattress and he was laying in the floor. The darkness was gone. There was enough light in the room for her to see his boots, belt, gun, wallet, watch, hat and 2 cellphones were lying in a neat row next to the wall.

Her eyes settled on his face. He seemed to be sleeping so soundly. She wanted to caress his face. Rub her fingers through his hair but she didn’t. His hands were lying close to his face. She was able to pick up his left hand, holding it in hers, softly examining it. It was almost double the size of her’s. The random callouses she felt surprised her. But then, he does own a farm. She wrapped his hand with hers, placing it under her chin before drifting back to sleep.

When she woke the second time, he was gone. But his belongings were still against the wall. The smell of food filled her nose causing her stomach to growl. She found him in the kitchen heating up breakfast.

“Breakfast for supper?” He smiled.

“It smells divine.” He motioned her over to the counter. She got a little of everything. “Thanks for sharing.”

“You are welcome. I think because I’m a single man that lives alone, Della thinks I’m going to starve. She’s always sending food home with me. Stopped trying years ago to pay her.”

They sat in the floor. “But I know you, you do something.”

“Yeah, I’ll stop at road side vendors or farmers markets and pick up stuff to just give her.”

As Evie nibbled, she sighed, “Della is such a good cook. Always has been.” Dillon just watched her. She gave a heavy sigh. “I had a nightmare.”

His voice was a whisper, “you don’t have to tell me.”

“I think I should.” She sat her plate on the floor. But found it impossible to look at Dillon. “In my dream, Doug was out of jail. He had stolen your truck. I was strapped to the tailgate looking over the road. Watching you. You were hog tied in the middle of a gravel road.” She paused, “didn’t recognize where we were. It was agonizing watching the truck move away from you.” She pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly. “I saw the rope and started screaming at you. You needed to wake up. You needed to get up. The rope was tied around you and the tow hitch. Faster and faster he drove. You bounced like a pop can tied back there. I thought if I could scream loud enough, you would get up. The gravels were tearing the fabric of your clothes away from your skin. Road dust covered you. I couldn’t stop screaming. But no matter how much I screamed, you never got up.”

He scooted across the floor and hugged her up. She was shaking again. “I’m here now.”

“Dillon, being near me is hazardous to your health. Doug is dangerous. The fact that you’re a cop only makes it worse.”

“We will cross that bridge when we get there.” He reassured her.