Page 9 of Roping the Alien Cowboy

Vala’s electric blue eyes flicked to me suspiciously. “Who’s this off-worlder you’ve taken in?”

“This is Kate. Her ship crashed in the Badlands. We’re helping her get back on her feet.”

I stood up and extended a hand. “Nice to meet you, Vala.”

She hesitated before shaking my hand briskly.

“Alya’s told me a lot about you,” I said with a friendly smile. “You’re one of the best sirocco riders in the village, right?”

“I get by,” Vala replied gruffly, though she looked somewhat pleased by the compliment.

“Kate’s a quick learner. She’s already helping me tan hides and gather herbs,” Alya added.

Vala crossed her arms. “We don’t need more mouths to feed. Especially not aliens who know nothing of our ways.”

I felt my smile falter but took a breath and persisted. “I know I have so much to learn. But I’ll work as hard as I can to pull my weight around here. You have my word.”

Vala studied me for a long moment before grunting noncommittally.

Alya stepped in. “Why don’t we head down to the river? I wanted to check my traplines.”

The three of us set off on foot, Alya making pleasant small talk while Vala walked in silence. I asked them about the various plants we passed, trying to commit their Surlon names to memory.

When we reached the river, Alya showed me how to rebait and reset the simple snares she had laid. “The pelts make good blankets for the cold months,” she explained.

Vala wandered off, scanning the muddy banks intently. Suddenly, she pounced, plunging her hands into the water. When she stood, she held a fat, wriggling fish triumphantly.

“Nice catch!” I said.

She smirked, seeming to relax slightly. “Want to give it a try?”

I rolled up my pant legs and waded in. The water swirled around my knees. I watched the darts of silver flashing beneath the surface, waiting for one to stray close. Just as a fish swam by, I lunged down. But I was too slow, grasping only silt.

Vala laughed. “You’ll get it. Took me weeks of falling on my face before I got the hang of it.”

I spent the next hour practicing, while Vala easily snatched up fish after fish. Finally, I managed to grab a small one, holding it aloft excitedly.

Vala nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips. “Not bad, off-worlder.”

Chapter 3

Kian

I strode into the village center, my boots kicking up dust with each step. The twin suns beat down from above, their harsh light glinting off the clay and wood buildings around me. As sheriff, it was my duty to oversee everything that happened here in Dust Gulch, and that now included dealing with our unexpected visitor - the human woman called Kate.

She’d crashed here just days before in a blaze of fire and smoke, her ship streaking out of the sky like a falling star. I’d been wary when we pulled her from the wreckage, an alien on our world. But she’d been helpless and injured, and I wouldn’t abandon someone in need, even a stranger.

My people had cared for her, seen to her wounds. She was recovering in Alya’s home for now. By all accounts, Kate had been grateful, if understandably confused and overwhelmed to find herself among us Surlons. Still, I had assigned Lance and Wyatt to keep a close watch on her. We knew nothing about this outsider, after all. She could be a threat.

I reached the large town hall used for village gatherings and meetings. Stepping inside, I saw several of our elders had already arrived, including Turok. His wrinkled face creased further with displeasure when he spotted me entering. I knew why I’d been summoned here.

“Kian,” Turok greeted in our native tongue, his voice like gravel. He gestured to the open spot at the table.

I settled beside him, facing the other elders gathered around.

“I’ve received troubling reports,” Turok continued, “that you allowed this alien, this Kate, to remain in our village. That you intend to let her live freely among us.”

I met Turok’s gaze steadily. “She crashed here through misfortune, not malice. The woman was injured. Would you have had me leave her to die in the wreckage?”

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