Page 51 of Buck Wild Orc Cowboy
“I'm going to bed,” Max said, rising from his chair. He crossed the room to give Holly a kiss on the cheek, and my heart warmed even more for the youngling male. He was caring and protective of his mother, as a youngling should be.
I'd be proud to call him a son.
That thought made my breath still in my lungs, and while it was followed by a surge of pain for the loss of my daughter, the sharp edges had started to smooth. I couldn't have loved her any more than I did, and I'd adored her mother equally.
But they were gone, and my life had continued.
I'd never thought I'd love anyone else again, but I hadn't thought I'd ever meet my fated one.
It hurt to think that Holly and I might only ever be friends.
After Max went to bed, I tried to focus on my book, but the letters blurred. Across from me, Holly shifted in her seat. She turned a page, then flipped it back. Her fingers tapped on the armrest.
Finally, she let out a soft breath and set her book down on the low table between us. “I think I want to take a walk. I feel restless. Would you like to go with me?”
I froze. That wasn't what I thought she'd say. Most nights, after Max went to bed, we stayed quiet, reading or doing small chores. She'd go to her room not long after he did. I hadn't expected her to stay up later or want my company.
Maybe she was reaching out. Or maybe she didn’t feel safe outside alone. After what she’d been through, who could blame her?
“Of course I’ll go with you.”
She stood and left the living room, walking down the hall. “Max, I’m going outside for a bit with Sel. If you need anything, just come out or call.”
His muffled “Okay” came from his room.
We stepped out into the night. The air had cooled, the heat from earlier gone. The grass still clung to the warmth, but now the scent was different, a mix of damp earth and dew.
Our feet crunched on the gravel as we walked side-by-side past the barn. Cricket chirps filled the air with their steadychorus, and a few birds called now and then from the trees peppering the open plain on all sides.
We passed the barn and stopped at the sorhox fence line. I leaned against the rail and watched the sorhoxes move around the pasture. She did the same. Her arm brushed mine, and she didn’t move away.
Some of the animals stood and grazed, while others lay in the grass, resting for the night.
“I forgot how bright the stars are away from the city,” she said. “It was hard to see even the Big Dipper in Boston. Lights blur everything.”
“There aren’t any stars underground, but iridescent insects speckle the high cavern ceilings, and they provide natural light. During the insect's daylight hours, they seek mates and rub their legs together, generating a hum orcs can't hear but the insects’ potential mates can. This rubbing generates light, and we call that time day. At night, they stop rubbing and rest, and it gets dark other than for a few insects who can't seem to tell day from night. They're the orc kingdom's stars, but they're nothing like what I've found here on the surface. This—” I waved to the indigo sky overhead with so many stars I wouldn't be able to count them even if I lay on the ground and counted for the rest of my life. “This is stunning. I'd heard about the surface's sky, but words can't express the beauty. Day is as pretty, though the sun was so bright at first it made my eyes water all the time.” I tapped the brim of my cowboy hat. “This is why I wear this whenever I'm outside.”
“No sunglasses?” She gazed up at me with what I wished was admiration but was probably just regular old respect.
“My brother, Ostor, has some. He got them in Mexico.”
Her eyes widened. “What was he doing there?”
“Rosey invited him to be her fake date at her sister’s destination wedding. While there, she bought him sunglasses.He looks good in them. I should get some too.” My lips curled into a rueful smile. “It might help me look more attractive.”
“You're gorgeous already, though I imagine you'd be dangerous in sunglasses.”
Again, I was stunned. She thought I was gorgeous? I’d been called many things in my time, most of them said with gritted tusks in the heat of a sparring match, but never that. Not by someone who saw me when I wasn’t trying to be strong. “Why dangerous?”
“There's something sexy about a guy wearing sunglasses.”
Then I needed to get some. Did we stock orc-sized ones at the general store? I'd look tomorrow and wear them whenever Holly was around.
“I assume the fake date turned into something real for Ostor and Rosey.”
“Yes,” I said. “Only one bed.”
Holly's laugh rang out. “Someone's been reading romance novels.”
