Strange Country (37 page)

Hallie’s father came inside and drank a cup of coffee, then put on his coat and went back outside, where he tuned up the tractor, fed and watered the horses, then left without saying good-bye, though Hallie was sure he thought he had.

Sally Mazzolo spent an hour in the side yard, throwing a stick for the Australian shepherd. The dog would have carried on for at least another hour and possibly forever, but when Hallie went outside and offered her a cup of coffee, Sally said, “I’m on duty at four, so I’ve got to go.” She nodded at the Aussie, who had flopped to the ground and was happily chewing on the end of the stick. “She’s an awesome dog. Lots of energy.”

“She’s looking for a home,” Hallie said.

“You’re not keeping her?” Mazzolo looked surprised.

“She doesn’t get along with my other dog.”

Yesterday, the Aussie had spent the entire morning sitting at the edge of the hex ring barking at Maker, who lay quietly a few feet beyond, looking doggishly amused. Hallie’d been glad—relieved—to see that Maker was still around. She’d asked it about the crack between the worlds, whether it was still open, since she, Hallie, was still in the world. Maker had looked at her, like the answer was obvious. “No more unmakers” was all it said, and for now she figured she’d be satisfied with that.

“I’ll think about it,” Mazzolo said now, looking at the Aussie with something approaching affection. Hallie was pretty sure she meant yes.

The pit bull followed Boyd from room to room, followed him when he went out to his SUV to get the paper plates and napkins he’d stopped for on the way. It ignored Maker as if the harbinger didn’t even exist. When it lay in the living room so it could see Boyd in the kitchen, letting people step over it or go around, Hallie laughed and said, “That’s your dog.”

“I don’t need a dog,” Boyd said. But when he put his coat on and went outside to talk to Ole, he whistled up the dog and took her with him.

The Jack Russell yanked a pillow off the couch, moved it to a spot by the heating vent, and settled in. Two days ago, he’d gone outside, trotted over the hex ring and straight up to Maker so the two of them were nose to nose. He was the oldest of the three dogs, and Hallie wondered if that was why, if he had no fear of death or harbingers, either one. In any case, she thought it was pretty clear, he intended to stay right where he was.

Boyd returned, trailed by the pit bull and the Aussie and a swirl of snow. “It’s starting to come down,” he said, stamping his boots on the mat by the door. He blew on his hands to warm them. “I told Ole I was taking three days off.”

“To work on your house?”

“No.” He’d bent over to pet the dogs and he looked up at her now. “I think there’s going to be a blizzard. I think I’m going to be stuck here.”

Hallie laughed. “You think the world will leave us alone?”

He put his arms around her and she felt a chill up her spine that had nothing to do with ghosts or black dogs or anything except that he was close and she wanted him close. She wasn’t going to think about tomorrow or the future or anything but this.

“I think it better,” he said, and kissed her.

ALSO BY DEBORAH COATES

Deep Down

Wide Open

What Makes a River
(e-original)

About the Author

DEBORAH COATES lives in Ames, Iowa. Her short fiction has appeared in
Asimov’s
and
Strange Horizons,
as well as
Year’s Best Fantasy 6,
Best Paranormal Romance,
and
Best American Fantasy
.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

STRANGE COUNTRY

Copyright © 2014 by Deborah Coates

All rights reserved.

Cover art by Trevillion Images

A Tor Book

Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC

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®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].

The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.

ISBN 978-0-7653-2902-8 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-4299-4847-0 (e-book)

e-ISBN 9781429948470

First Edition: May 2014