The next morning, Jesse was up before dawn, helping Charlie finish his last-minute packing. (He always forgot something, whether it was a toothbrush or his wallet.) She briefly considered blurting out her news while the two of them were waiting for Louis to pull up, but she decided not to. It wouldn't have been a happy announcement at the time; she was too stressed. And she didn't want to ruin such great news by delivering it in a bad mood.

Her mood wasn't just sour because of what had happened last night, though. There was a strange sense of foreboding burdening her heart, an unreasonable hint of unease she couldn't push away. She tried to tell herself she was being silly. She was probably just spooked at the thought of being alone on the ranch while Charlie and Louis were gone. But they weren't going to be gone long. And it's not like anything dangerous could happen. They were in the middle of nowhere.

Still, as Jesse heard the familiar roar of Louis' Jeep, the feeling suddenly grew so intense that she almost begged Charlie not to leave.

"Charlie—" she started, grabbing his sleeve as he was about to go out the door. Don't be stupid, she scolded herself. So she forced a smile and said, "Call me when you get there, okay?"

Charlie might not have been the most perceptive man, but even he noticed something was off about his wife. "Hey, what is it?" he asked, turning back to her. "You look worried."

"I'm not," Jesse insisted, forcing her voice to sound far more lighthearted than she felt. "I just—it's a long drive."

Charlie grinned. "That's what Louis is for. He'll keep me awake."

As if on cue, there was an ear-splitting honk from outside. Jesse let herself laugh. "That's for sure."

She followed her husband out the door, waiting as he packed his bags into the trunk. Louis was leaning against the steering wheel, waiting. "What's taking so long, Charlie?" he asked. "We've got to hit the open road, man!"

"Jesse was worried about the drive," Charlie explained, slamming the back door shut.

"Hey, Jesse, don't worry your pretty head," Louis said stoutly. "I know this place can be scary without two strong men around, but everything will be fine." Inspiration struck him, and he started taking off his red jacket. "Here! Take my lucky jacket. That'll make you feel better."

"Louis, I can't take your—" Jesse tried to protest, but Louis was already thrusting it into her arms. He leaned across Charlie to throw it at her, smacking Charlie in the mouth with his elbow.

"Sorry, buddy, my bad," Louis apologized as Charlie grabbed his mouth with a yelp.

Jesse shook her head with a smile, pulling the jacket on over her tank top. "You guys be careful, please," she said one last time.

"Hey, we'll be fine," Charlie promised. "If Louis doesn't kill me. But we'd better be going." He grabbed her for a last kiss. "We'll be back before you know it."

Jesse watched as the Jeep pulled away (Louis almost took out the bilbie enclosure again but missed it—barely) and headed down the gravel driveway. She waved until it was out of sight.

When Jesse got back into the house, the clock read 7:05 a.m. She could have gone back to sleep if she wanted, but she was already awake by now. So instead, she made a quick breakfast and headed outside to take care of her bilbies.

Thankfully, the poor things had settled after their adventure the night before. Cooing at them affectionately, Jesse refilled their food and water containers. Then she walked the fence as she always did, just to make sure there were no weak spots where the bilbies might escape. As she approached the farthest corner away from the building, she thought she heard a vehicle approaching.

What did Charlie forget this time? she wondered in amusement, rolling her eyes.

She didn't bother hurrying back, since she knew he would tell her before leaving again. Instead, she finished her fence survey. When she was finished, she ended up back at the main building, though she couldn't see her house because she was approaching from the other side. This is where she kept the cages for wounded bilbies, so they could safely heal. There was only one wounded bilbie right now, a youngster that had cut its leg on some wire. But after three days, he was good to go.

Jesse scooped the bilbie out of the cage and gently deposited it on the ground, picking up the cage afterwards so that she could clean it out. As she did, she heard footsteps behind her. Here he comes.

"What'd you forget this time?" she laughed, turning around.

But the man behind her wasn't Charlie. It was a man she had hoped to never see again.

Mr. Smith leaned against the doorway, a wicked smile stretching across his face. "Hello, darlin'," he drawled. "Did you miss me?"