Page 5 of The Outlaw's Code

“Don’t—Okay,maybe we should—Hold on?—”

Shane was back in my cabin, watching me take my first wobbly step. It’d been a few days since I’d been on bedrest, and I was ready to test my legs.

Or at least, I thought I was ready. Shane already had his hands out, like I was bound to fall over any second.

“I’ve got it… I’ve got it…” I held up a hand as I planted my feet on the ground. “Shit. Okay. I think we’re good.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.”

Shane let out a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good.”

“Hey, can I shadow you today?”

“What?”

“You know, follow you around. See what you’re up to,” I continued. “I know I’m not supposed to be doing too much physical stuff. But I’d like to leave the cabin, get outside a little bit. And it’s not like I know anyone else here, so…”

“You sure?” Shane hesitated. “I don’t have the most exciting day planned.”

“You said I used to work on the ranch, right?” I reminded him. “If you’re doing work around here, it’d probably be pretty interesting to me, whatever it is. And who knows? Maybe it’ll shake something loose out of my memory, too.”

“Good point.” Shane nodded. “All right, then. Sure. Just promise that you’ll tell me if you need to sit down. Or lie down. Or pass out.”

“I’ll definitely tell you if I need to do one of those things. Or maybe all three at the same time.”

“Uh-huh.” Shane’s face stayed stoic and still.

A few minutes later and we were outside the cabin, the fresh air hitting my grateful skin. Shane started up a UTV, with me slipping into the passenger seat. Shane had a confidence that permeated through everything he did, even the little things, like maneuvering his vehicle around turns on the ranch. It was obvious that he’d been a cowboy for a long time, his comfort hinting at things coming second nature to him.

Eventually, we arrived at a barn with several hay bales outside of it. Shane parked the UTV and motioned for me to follow behind him. When I was standing next to him, he nodded up at the barn. “I’m going to move some hay bales into the barn for safekeeping?—”

“We’regoing to move some hay bales into the barn for safekeeping.”

“I thought you said you wanted to shadow me, Calder.” Shane raised an eyebrow. “Since when do shadows move hay bales?”

“Come on. It might jog some memories, remember?” I said, already moving towards a stack of hay bales, grabbing it on either side. “This’ll go faster with two people, anyway.”

Shane kept a watchful eye on me, as we completed the task, one hay bale at a time. As we moved the bales, it felt like my body knew exactly what to do, even if I couldn’t remember why. It was like my muscles had a memory all of their own, snapping into action in ways I couldn’t comprehend. My body knew that it was comfortable here, comfortable working next to Shane, comfortable in the barn.

“What’s next?” I asked, as we headed back to the UTV, already sitting down in the passenger seat.

“I was going to go check on the horses,” Shane replied. “Are you still feeling okay?”

“Never felt better.”

“You’ve never felt better than post-concussion?”

“If I had ever felt better, would I even remember it?” I joked.

Shane cracked the slightest of smiles. It felt like winning something, making Shane smile. I had a feeling he wasn’t the biggest fan of things like smiling or letting loose, so it was like the tiniest bit of sunlight shining through.

When we got to one of the horse stables, Shane casually walked the premises. I followed behind him, the steps feeling familiar to me, too. I watched as he looked over the horses, each of them seeming so comfortable with his presence.

“Is this something you do often?” I asked as we walked together.

“Whenever I can,” he answered. “It’s one of my favorite parts of ranch life, I think, working with the animals. They… sort of keep me calm.”

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