Page 44 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
Pride shone in his eyes. “So did you, Mom.”
A tiny smile tugged at her mouth as she looked my way.
My chest ached.
Both of them stood a little straighter now.
And I, younger than I looked and older than I felt, let myself breathe.
Chapter 14
Holly
“We’re going shopping,” Sel announced the next morning at breakfast. “I planned to go the other day but didn’t have the chance. We will now.”
“We?” I didn’t need to go shopping. While I had some money, that was for emergencies. Sel had a washer. As long as Max and I did laundry every other day, we could get by with what we had. Except… “Is there a thrift store somewhere near where you need to go?” I assumed he had to go to the hardware store or something like that. Pick up things he couldn’t at the general store in Lonesome Creek.
He frowned. “Thrift…” Rising, he took our plates to the sink, where he rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. It was here when we moved in, though he’d confessed he’d never used it. He enjoyed washing dishes. Yet once I’d shown him how to set it up to run, he’d grinned and used it since. Conveniences could make all the difference.
I hadn’t had one in my apartment, though my foster mom had.
“A thrift store is a place where you can buy used things,” I said. “Things in good shape. I thought I could get Max and me a few more outfits.”
Turning, he leaned against the counter. “We could ask at the department store if you don’t find what you need there.”
Or I could look on the clearance racks in the department store. It wasn’t too hard to lift a smile. “That might work as well.”
“We could leave now and be back before we have to open the bakery.”
I nodded to Max. “Get your sneakers on, kiddo. We’re going shopping.”
Max scooted down the hall and soon reappeared, ready to go. By then, I’d put my sneakers on as well, Sel his boots and cowboy hat. Outside, Sel strode over to a shed attached to the barn and slid the double doors open, revealing an older blue pick-up truck parked inside.
“There are three seatbelts,” he said, opening the passenger door and waving for us to get inside.
“You can drive?”
He frowned. “Why wouldn’t I be able to drive?”
“You, um, have your license and all that?”
“I got it not long after we came to the surface. I was the first one.” Pride filled his face. “My brothers were too nervous to take the driver education class at first, but I felt I should. We’ve always ridden sorhoxes. There are no vehicles like this in the orc kingdom.”
“How many of your brothers have ridden with you since you got your license?” I asked, climbing inside to take the middle area of the bench seat.
“None.” He shut the door after Max joined me. While we buckled, he strode around to the driver’s side and climbed inside.
“Are they still nervous about riding in vehicles?” I asked.
He shot me a sly smile. “They don’t like how I drive.”
My breath caught. “Please tell me you don’t go fast enough to get speeding tickets.”
“What are those?” When I blinked at him, his smile widened. He buckled up. “Sorry. I’m teasing. I know what they are. They talked about them in my class. I haven’t gotten any so far.”
I jerked out a nod as he started the vehicle and eased it out of the shed, soon pulling it onto the main road. The bit of tension that had started climbing my spine eased when I saw why he hadn’t gotten a speeding ticket. I wasn’t sure what the limit was in this area, but going twenty-five wasn’t going to draw the attention of any cops.
After stopping into the bakery to leave a note saying we’d be opening a bit later on the door, Sel climbed back inside the truck and guided it onto the road leading to the nearest town with bigger stores.
