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Austin listened quietly then bit his lower lip, turning the thought and the feeling over in his mind.
"I have never loved a woman before. How can you feel safe giving someone that much power over you? How do you know they won't misuse it? That they won't harm you?" He asked.
"I think that is where trust comes in. You'll have to trust them and hope that you're right," he said.
"But what if you aren't? What I'd you aren't right, and they stab you in the back? What if you end up being hurt in the worst way possible? What do you do then?" He asked.
Hayden saw that there was a strange look in the man's eyes and it seemed like he was struggling hard with something; then he hitched up his trousers.
"I see," Austin finally said.
"What is the matter? Is there a woman you like?" He asked, and the man shook his head.
"I have liked many women. The trick is in getting them to like me back, and that is a trick that I have never seemed to master. There is a woman I like, and there is a chance that she likes me back. That is unfamiliar to me, do you understand?" Austin asked and shrugged like it didn't matter anyway.
"Tomorrow… do we still go together?" Hayden asked.
"Why would we do that?" Austin asked with a soft smile on his face. Hayden chuckled.
"Well then, the best rider will win, then?" He asked. Austin seemed to consider this.
"Do you remember the time that thing happened back at the ranch? I remember I was about to leave, and you'd just returned for Thanksgiving. Do you remember what happened then?" Austin asked.
"We don't talk about that," Hayden said.
"It's only the both of us here. Sure, there are cameras, but they aren't audio enabled," he said.
"Why would you even talk about that? It's not something…we all agreed that it was best left forgotten," he said.
"That so? If that's the case then it would be good to leave it forgotten then," he said. He remembered the same scant that came from the roasting meat and his face hardened. The sun was hot on his back, and he stood there and watched, unable to say anything, instructed by his father not even to breathe a word of it. He frowned and spat against the dust.
"May the best rider win," he muttered.
†
Lenanee was unable to keep her eyes away from her tablet, her legs were tapping against the ground as she watched and she bit her lower lip, anxiety rattling through her. Shewatched him with Austin, and though she liked it that they seemed to be getting along well, she would have preferred it that they got along in reality and not in the race, but then again, she couldn't complain. The mere fact that they were getting along was good enough for her.
Ike was sitting opposite her then, he nodded toward the tablet she was holding.
"You know what's happening?" He asked.
"Yeah. He's fine, but I think you should actually watch it," she said, and he shook his head.
"There is no point to it. I am here to wait for him to come out on the other side and we can go home. This is a foolish thing, and I won't watch it," he said.
"You don't believe he'll win, do you?" She asked, and he smiled a little and shook his head.
"It doesn't make a difference," he said.
"It does to him. It makes a great difference to him if he wins or not and if he doesn't then…" she stopped, looking at the uniformed men who were walking to where they were sitting then she looked at Ike who followed her curious eyes to the police officers.
"Good afternoon, my name is Peter Salt, SWPD, are you Ike McClenny?" The man asked, and Ike nodded.
"That would be me," he said.
"Sir, you are under arrest for the murder of Jonathan Blackwell. You have the right to remain…." Their voices trailed off in Lenannee's mind, and she understood.
Lenanee stood.
