Page 29 of The Outlaw and the Heir

The same gesture I made as I nodded. “Alright, there it is."

He gave me a strange look. “What, don't like water?"

Never in his or my lifetime would I admit that his genuine confusion was more than refreshing in the face of his normal annoyed confusion. It was actually endearing. It took the scowl that normally lived on his face and made him almost look like a little boy asking a question. I wouldn't tell him because, yes, he would hate the idea that anything he did made me happy, but because those moments of authenticity had the effect of softening me a bit. Enough, it seemed, to convince me to givehim a real answer, rather than the lies and evasion I used when dealing with someone who had as much power over me as he did.

"It...doesn't smell right to me," I admitted with a sheepish shrug. "The water smells different here."

"Huh," he said, turning the horse to trot in another direction. "Guess you really ain't from here."

"No," I said, following to keep up with him as the horses continued trotting. "I'm used to a lot more green. A lot more water. A lot more...life everywhere. Being here has been an adjustment."

"Green and wet, huh?" he asked after a moment, face scrunching. "Can't say that sounds too pleasant."

I laughed a little. “Really? Is brown, dry, and hot that much better?"

"Green and wet just sounds like slop you'd put on a plate to make a kid eat."

"Brown, dry, and hot sounds like a turd left out in the sun."

He blinked at that and then snorted. “You've described it that way...both times."

"I said green with a lot more water. You're the one that jumped immediately to green and wet."

"It's the same thing."

"Maybe, but it's not like...wet all the time. Just means there's water for things to grow. The ground can be hard and craggy like it is here, but not because the sun baked whatever moisture it could out of the earth. Instead, it's just...verdant."

"Now you're sounding like my Sunday School lessons about the Garden of Eden."

"Well, I saw my share of naked people running around at times, but not the good Lord or his angels coming down to say not to touch a particular tree," I said with a soft laugh. "But compared to being here? It was like what they said the Gardenwas like. At least there, you could lie down in the grass and not worry about burning the skin off your bones. I mean, the ticks and mosquitos were fierce, and half the year, snow and ice could be brutal?—"

"You're...not really convincing me it's better. I hope you weren't trying," he said with a shake of his head as he navigated a patch of rocks. "Sounds like it's worse wherever you're from."

"Okay, maybe I'm doing a bad job," I admitted with a snort. "I just...I grew up there. Born and raised, so I-I miss it sometimes. There's something magical about it, even if it just seems that way because that's where home was. Being able to walk among the trees, feel the wind on your face, the rain on your skin. Everywhere there's life, from the trees, the grass, the flowers, even the scraggly weeds that liked to take over the garden. Or the animals everywhere, from the squirrels and rabbits you had to chase out of the garden, the birds in the morning, or the foxes and wolves you had to keep an eye out for, the first for your chickens and the second for yourselves. And yeah, winter could be brutal. Sometimes, the snow came down so much overnight you practically had to swim through it to get out of your yard. And the cold could bite so deep you'd feel like you couldn't move your limbs if you were out too long. But there's something wonderful about walking around after decent snow, hearing how quiet it makes everything, and how the moon and starlight sparkle, turning everything into diamonds as the soft crunch of snow came from your steps."

I stopped abruptly when I realized I’d gone beyond rambling and into blathering territory. It was a good thing the desert sun had already warmed my face because I didn't have to feel it get even warmer. Embarrassment, like I hadn't felt in ages, ripped through me, and I quickly took a deep breath and looked away before he figured out how much I'd caught myself off guard.

"Don't," I said when I heard him suck in a breath, probably to say something I didn't want to hear. I didn't need another reason to snap back at him after I still hadn't apologized for the first time. "Just?—"

"I'm not going to shame a man for missing his home. We all start from somewhere, and it sounds like you miss it," he said, his tone giving away nothing but compassion I desperately did not need to hear. "Though I have to wonder why you're all the way out here when?—"

"Because this is where I ended up," I told him, getting my face and emotions back under control before facing him again. "We rarely plan for our lives to go the way they do. The best we can do is make the best of what we have and work it out so the future gets better. That's all."

"Huh," he grunted as we made our way along the path. "That's?—"

"What?" I asked, not caring if I sounded wary. I had every right to be cautious of anything he had to say as far as I was concerned.

"I don't know. Can't figure out if that's surprising because it sounded practical...or hopeful," he said.

"You know, this might sound amazing to you, considering your surprise, but a person can be practical and still hold onto some hope," I said with a snort. The path opened up, and I heard the sound of running water bouncing off the rocks around us. The smell might have been off to me, but something in me uncoiled slightly at the sound. It wasn't a sound I heard often outside civilization, and it was more than welcome, considering how hot the day already was.

"Well, sure. You just...don't seem the type," he said slowly as he came to a stop with a light but firm pull of the reins.

"Is this going to be another one of your comments about me being an outlaw?" I asked, not caring much if I sounded wearyof the whole thing. Honestly, after weeks, the constant use of my status as an outlaw to mistrust, dismiss, and dislike me was wearing thinner with every passing day.

"I was gonna say that, up to today, you've had nothing but smart comments and ways of making people idiots. Not exactly the talk you hear from someone who sits around dreamin' of things."

"You sure about that?"

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