"Forget you?" Eric gives Stacy a sheepish grin as he shakes his head. "I can do a lot of things, but forgetting about you just ain't one of 'em." He slowly moves his hand from her face, to cup her own palm between both of his. And raising it to his lips, he gives her fingers a tender kiss. "Thank you..." It was a thanks for not being upset with him. For supporting him. For believing in him.
"Two weeks is gonna seem like an awfully long time, ya know that?" He grins again, his cheeks gaining a little color. It was strange, feeling like this. Like he didn't want to leave. Like two weeks was suddenly an eternity. Like there was more for him here at the ranch than there had been before. Like all of a sudden, he didn't want to be alone on the road. But he knew he had to do it. He needed the money. The ranch needed the money. And somewhere deep down, he also needed to prove to himself that he could drive again and not have it remind him of Dana. But that reason would go unvoiced.
"I'm gonna take Ashlee out on a ride this afternoon and I'll let her know then. She's got enough to do around here that she probably won't even notice I'm gone."
Clay keeps his eyes on the orange instead of Misty as she speaks. He always felt twinges of guilt when people talked about God, probably because he'd had that faith once. Now though, it was just hard for him to believe any of that anymore. Or was it that he simply didn't want to?
Finding the atmosphere silent, he realizes Misty had finished speaking. Finished peeling the orange, he pries apart a slice and pops it in his mouth, savoring the juicy flavor. He wasn't sure when he'd had an orange last, but it sure tasted good today.
Glancing up again, he finally shrugs his response. "Maybe. We'll see."
Preferring to change the subject, his eyes roam the infirmary. "So what do you do here? I mean, your guys aren't out getting shot up and beat up all the time, are they?"
Stepping up onto the porch, Chance shifted his sunglasses to the top
of his head. His eyes held a weary look...tired... worn. But there was
life there also. Hope. Hope that perhaps the past would remain as such
and that the future would hold something different. Something better.
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