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"I guess I was absent minded. I had a lot of stuff on my mind," she finally said. He looked at her strangely then nodded and looked back up, remaining silent. After a while, he stood and walked to his horse.
"I think we best get going. The longer we wait, the more daylight we burn and you might end up having to spend another night in this place. That's something I don't think you'd like very much," he said to me and I nodded, then he clenched his teeth and looked around suddenly like he heard something, his hand reaching for the gun in his saddle. I immediately found myself looking around and well then, he looked back at me and shook his head.
"Not something to be worried about," maybe just a bear.
"How is a bear not something to be worried about?" She asked him and he chuckled from somewhere deep in his throat.
"There are a lot of things more dangerous than some bear that just wants to be left alone. Now come now. We have a horse and a way to find," he said and mounted his horse with the fluidity and ease of movement that made her think that he was probably part native. He sat there and looked down at her until she mounted hers, feeling unusually clumsy under his gaze. He said nothing as they continued riding.
CHAPTER TWO
It was evening when Austin bent his head low and peered across some bushes then a smile crossed his face. Lee had been riding all day and she was feeling dirty and angry, wanting nothing more than the comforts of a soft bed and a warm cup of chocolate. The sky was yellowish red, and she didn't notice the smoke on Austin's face until he clicked his throat and she stopped.
"What?" She asked, looking at him. He darted his fingers forward between two trees and that was when she looked and saw the horse. She marveled at the sheer beauty and majestic look of the stallion. It was by far one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen, and she almost felt some of his excitement rub off on her. It stood there grazing on some grass when she saw Austin carefully take off his rope from the saddle then he looked at her and winked.
She watched him gently nudge the horse off from where it would possibly hurt itself if he urged it then it galloped off. She had never seen someone move that fast or ride that well in her entire life and when she saw his roping skills, she wondered how much he must have done to be that perfect at it. It didn't take long before the horse was soothed and walking alongside Austin's horse. He had a big grin on his face and his face was sweaty with effort, but he was so happy in a way that made her smile.
"You're one hell of a cowboy," she said when she rode up to him and he tilted his head to the side.
"Am I? I just…do what I have to when I have the right motivation and that makes it seem like I am good at a lot of things. You understand?" He asked her. She was quiet for a while thinking through what he said, that sounded like nonsense at first but started to make sense the more her mind dwelled on it and she finally nodded with a smile.
"You're smiling," he said. She looked at him and blushed then she looked away.
"I didn't know there was something wrong with that," she said to him and he shook his head.
"Oh, I didn't say there was something wrong. I just said that you're smiling and considering the fact that you haven't smiled even once since we started on this journey, I think that is a rather welcome development. Don't you reckon?" He asked and she looked at him then looked away when he returned the gaze.
"That is a beautiful horse," she said.
"You think? It's the best I've ever seen and let me tell you the truth, I have seen more horses than people in my life," he said.
"You really like them, huh?" She asked.
"Horses?" He asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"More than people. With a horse you know where you stand. Long as a horse Likes you, it won't betray you. People betray youa lot," he said and smiled but she noticed that something about that smile was strange and stunted but she did not want to push it.
"I don't think it is safe to ride in this light. I mean, I'd hate it if this boy here got lame due to some of these holes in the ground. I think it's best if we camp by the river. In the morning, I'll show you to the road and you can be on your way," he said.
Lee started feeling uncomfortable about the entire thing but she remembered that if he wanted to hurt her then he would have done it many times over by now and besides, he seemed like a nice person.
"How tall are you?" She asked him and he got off the horse and started walking around to find firewood.
"That's an odd question," he said.
"Pretty sure you've gotten it many times," she said and he smiled a little then nodded.
"Yeah, people tend to ask that a lot. Especially when I was a lot younger. It was difficult to find a horse that would be able to carry me comfortably. I'm 6 '11 but when u wear shoes, I'm 7-7'1" he said. She stared at him for a time then she shook her head.
"You're a giant," she said, and he laughed.
"Yeah, you're not the only one who seems to think so. I was dropped from the navy just because of that," he said. They made small talk as he started the fire then he sat by it and just stared for a while. She looked at him as he took out another parcel of dried meat.
"Last one," he said, placing it between the both of them and took a piece. Lee looked at it, thinking that she should probably leave it alone then she shrugged and took one, nodding her thanks. He was silent for a while then he sighed deeply.
"Why did you come out riding in these parts? I can accept you not wanting to talk about it but don't lie. You're not a very good liar, you know? He said to her and she shrugged.
