Page 46 of A Wanderer's Redemption
“Well, no, it’s not been a hardship at all, but I don’t like lying, and I … well, I tend to get attached. I am trying my best not to when it comes to you.”
“Get attached, Jessica, because I’m not discarding you anytime soon, no matter what you think. When we get to Grant’s and settled, you and I will figure out our path forward. Deal?”
“Deal.”
He rides off before I can say anything else. “Well, Zeus, what do you think? Is he going to break my heart?”
He stomps his foot hard and slings his head, and I reach up to pet his long neck. “Glad you are looking out for me, big guy.”
By the time Reggie yells for the wagons to circle up, I am ready for my feet to be on the ground. My eyes feel like they are full of sand, and my mouth tastes like I have been chewing on rocks all day. Sitting sideways on Zeus’ saddle, I contemplate sliding down, but I have a feeling I would just end up on my butt, so I sit there and wait for Reggie to come get me. The moment thewagons were fully stopped and parked slightly off the path, I see him heading toward me.
“Are you stuck, pretty lady?”
“I could probably get down, but I don’t think it would be very graceful, and I didn’t feel like crawling around on the ground until my legs regain their feeling.”
He dismounts Bells, and I look away quickly when he catches me staring. Reggie grabs my ankle, tugging on it lightly before holding up his arms.
“Come on, you are gonna have to slide down some.”
Just as I lean down, Zeus shifts and I fall against Reggie’s chest. Grasping his large shoulders while my legs dangle off the ground, he pulls me closer, and I can’t help but smile as you can plainly see the mischief all over his face. Startled, I can’t help but laugh.
“Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
“I am not complaining because you can throw yourself in my arms anytime.”
“Reggie, you are incorrigible. Now put me down.”
He swings me around, and I wrap a leg around his hip, trying to hold on while both of our laughter can be heard across the valley.
“REGGIE, stop! We are both gonna be drunk as monkeys.”
“I’m just trying to get the feelings back into your legs.”
“Uh-huh, sure you are.”
He doesn’t let go of me when he lowers me down his body, and when my feet touch the ground, I sway back and forth for a second.
“First day was a hoot, huh?”
“It wasn’t too bad. Honestly, it will probably prove to be one of the better days in the long run. Are we going to follow this trial the entire way?”
“For the most part, but we will split off the last ten miles or so. There are several small settlements along the way, and there is a stagecoach that runs this route as well.”
A large head leans over my shoulder, and I reach up to pet Zeus lovingly. “My little man here was a gentleman the entire way. He even grabbed a few limbs for Coco, so she could have a snack too.”
“Jess, you and I need to have a class on the differences between little and large; that damn horse acts like a puppy around you.”
“Well, so long as he doesn’t try to get in my lap, I am alright with that. A girl could do worse when it comes to a protector.”
“Very true. Well, let’s warm up what we can from the diner and then settle in for the evening. We will be up early in the morning. Colby and Deven are out gathering wood, and Jacob is already unhooking the oxen so we can tie them out for the night. You grab the big guy here, and I’ll get Coco and Bells. I had Colby get some ropes so that we can make a picket line and let them graze on the other side of the path where the grass is the tallest.”
“Where did you put the luggage Victoria gave me?”
“All of our stuff is in the last wagon along with the food. If you need help getting things organized, just yell. I am going to makesure all the furniture is still strapped down in the wagons while we still have daylight.”
“You go on, I’ll get the horses tethered and then help warm our supper up.”
I thought for sure Reggie would argue with me, but instead, he hands me all three reins, and the horses follow me without the slightest problem until Zeus sees Colby, who is securing the picket rope to an iron pin. He immediately tries to push his way in front of me. “Zeus be good.”
