When we entered, I led the way straight to the kitchen. I’m sure Steele only let me because he had already scanned the house.
Inside, there were mouse droppings on the kitchen counter. The loaf of bread and some cheese I’d left there were gone. Funny, I remembered that. I was probably planning to have that for dinner with some fresh greens I picked almost daily in the spring. Most of my dry goods were kept in sealed containers to keep the mice and bugs out of them. Those were still intact.
“Well, it’s not as bad as I feared. It still needs a good cleaning before I prepare food here.”
“I can help you with that. I will get the cleaning supplies from the load outside.”
“Can you bring the dog food as well? Bruno is so thin he needs to eat,” I asked.
Steele nodded. “I will move all of the supplies for the house by the door until we decide where they all should go.”
Meanwhile, I went from room to room, checking for evidence that anything had been disturbed. I didn’t notice anything out of place. It would have been easy because I kept the house neat and clean. I was glad no windows were open because it was still fairly cool outside when I was taken.
I went to the bedroom to get some rags for cleaning, picked up several, and then returned to the kitchen. I got a pot from the cupboard and went to the sink to fill it with water.
Setting it on top of my wood cook stove, I took some kindling from the small wood bin beside it. Adding a small wad of dried grass, I used a flint striker fire starter to light it. As the kindling started to burn, I added a couple of logs to heat the water.
By then, Steele had returned with a plastic box of cleaning supplies. “I have the dog food on the porch. I’ll bring it inside so wild animals don’t steal it.”
“Oh, good. Bruno’s food pan is by the kitchen door.” I headed in that direction, with Steele following.
He went out onto the back porch, got the huge bag of dog food, and carried it inside. I showed him the pan, and he filled it from the bag. Then I called Bruno to come in and eat. He apparently found it palatable because he happily started eating it immediately.
As we went back to the kitchen, Steele said, “I notice that you have solar panels on the roof, but you said you have no power.”
“I don’t. As far as I know, the panels have never worked since I was alive. I remember somebody saying the batteries were worn out. I am just happy to have running water, thanks to the windmill outside. It provides water to the house and the barn.”
Steele put the box of cleaning supplies on the kitchen table opening it. “I will look at the solar panels to see how they’reconnected. It may be possible to retrofit your windmill to provide power to your home in addition to pumping water.”
With Steele’s enthusiastic help, we finished cleaning the kitchen in just a couple of hours. Afterward, we ate two of the prepared meals from the supplies Steele had ordered.
Chapter Six
Zaya
After supper, we washed up the trays from the food and left them to dry. Steele asked, “Do you still have the com-tablet the cyborg Dagger brought you?”
“I do. I keep it in a bedroom drawer. I used to read stories on it at night when it was too dark to do anything else.”
“It can do a lot more than that. You can communicate with the outside world and get news and all kinds of information. You can educate yourself on almost any subject.”
“I don’t know anyone else to call with it, but I used it a lot over the winter. I checked every day or so at first to see if they found my mate.” I paused and smiled at him. “You. I finally decided to wait for the call.”
“And you never got it,” he said contritely.
I’m sure he saw the memory of disappointment on my face.
“No. You came to me instead.” I smiled, touching his arm. “Just like one of my stories.”
Steele took me into his arms and held me close. “I should have come sooner before they could take you.”
“You couldn’t know.” I laid my cheek against his chest and slid my arms around him. “And I’m glad you are here now.”
As he held me, I was starkly aware of every inch of his body pressed against mine. I could feel his hard cock pressed against my belly, making my core flutter and my nipples taut and achy. He wanted me, and I wanted him, but I couldn’t say the words I knew he needed to hear.
I sighed and pulled away. “It’s getting dark. I should get the animals settled in.”
Steele let me go, though he seemed reluctant. “I’ll come out with you and see if there is room in the barn for the rest of the supplies.”
