Page 48 of A Wanderer's Redemption
I gather up my skirts, happy that I am once again wearing pants underneath, before sitting down next to him, the crickets and whippoorwills the only sounds besides an occasional snort or whinny from the horses.
“Quite the culture shock, isn’t it?”
“What?”
“The quiet.”
“Oh yeah, I swear even the sunsets look different. I don’t know what I was expecting, but my head can’t seem to turn quickly enough as we travel, to take in all the new sights around us.”
“Jess, I was that way when I traveled out for the first time. I can’t tell you how many times I got off the trail and almost got lost because something caught my eye. One day, there were huge valleys and the next, I was climbing majestic mountains, looking out over hundreds of miles. But the closer we get to Grant’s, well, God got really creative with the rock formations. I don’t know what it is, but my soul was at rest out here. It’s the only place I felt held the things I’ve been trying to find all my life.”
This entire time, I’ve been watching him, and I do believe it’s the first time I have seen him genuinely relax. He always held himself in a certain way while on the train, even more so considering who we were around. There were times when I couldtell his smiles were forced, as he had seldom laughed before, something he has done quite a bit today. I lean back, looking up at the stars.
“I think I am still trying to switch gears. My life has been one change after another, and it seems that just as soon as I have a plan or get comfortable, the rug is swept out from under me again, and I need to start all over. Last week I was trying to figure out how I was going to survive now that I had lost my job. This week, I lived a life only told in fairy tales, and today, I’ve experienced a whole other reality. At this point, I’m just along for the ride. Interested in what’s next instead of dreading it.”
Reggie doesn’t say anything, just sits there, and I can tell he is deep in thought. When my yawns start, and I feel the exhaustion of the day set in, I look back, and I can tell he has spread out the bedrolls, but they look awfully close to one another.
“I’ve given this day all I’ve got, so I’m gonna turn in. Was Zeus alright when you checked on him?”
“He was, but I can’t help but laugh every time he stomps toward Colby. He really does not like that man and I think it’s made us kindred spirits.”
“I’ve known Colby since we were kids in school, not that either of us was able to go for long, but he was always nice to me. It just seemed that as we got older, we kept crossing paths. There are times he bosses me around, taking that casual acquaintance a little too far, but if not for him, I would not be here right now. Ever since I started with Mr. Hayes, he has taken it upon himself to look after me.”
“I think it was slightly more than that Jess, and you either didn’t encourage him to act on it any further or are simply too innocent to notice how smitten the boy is with you.”
“Colby was like that with all the girls, so I never took his attention personally. I was focused on my own career and future; having a man was not part of that. It’s too easy for them to walk away when they are needed most, and my heart would never recover if I allowed myself to care for another and he left me.”
“Not all men leave Jess.”
I don’t say anything, no need to argue about something we will never agree on. Instead, I turn toward the bedrolls.
“We ought to turn in for the night.”
I crawl under the wagon, finding it a little closer to the ground than I thought it would be, only to find that instead of two separate beds, he has made one large one.
“Reggie?”
“You will sleep with me, Jess. If you are next to me, I know you’re safe. You are just the right size to be a nice snack for a mountain lion or a bear. If you are two feet away, I’ll only keep reaching for you all night, so humor me.”
Slipping my boots off, I almost keep my main dress on but decide I don’t want the clean blankets to be covered on the inside with more dirt. So, I wrangle out of it, only to shiver when the cool air blows through the shift I have on. At the last minute, I decide to leave my pants on so I will still be decent if I need to get up through the night, and then I wiggle my way under the thick wool blankets.
Settling in place, I am shocked at how soft the ground is under me, only to realize there is some sort of pad under the blankets. I watch Reggie pull his boots off, laying them next to the bed before placing his hat on top of them. He unbuckles his pants, and I turn on my side when I realize he is going to take them off as well, only to glance back and see that he has long johns underneath. Before I can say a word about how inappropriate this is, he is sliding his large arms under me, pulling me closer as he curls up behind me.
“Damn Jess, your skin is like ice. You should have told me you were cold.”
I snuggle closer, soaking up his heat and putting my cold feet on his legs.
“Heavens, woman, it’s not even winter and you’re half frozen.”
“And you are sooo warm … I am going to push away the fact that we should not be lying together like this and simply enjoy it.”
“You are exactly where you’re supposed to be. How are those butt cheeks feeling?”
“Even though you should never ask a woman anything that inappropriate, I know they’re there if you must to have an answer.”
Before I can say another word, Reggie has maneuvered me to where I am lying on my belly, and I find his large hand covering my backside.
“Reggie, what in the world are you doing?”
