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It was a very rustic set-up in a stall built onto the house, but the water was warm enough, at least. Fallon had engineered a sort of fire-bucket-pump-hose situation that, while nothing like the fancy bathroom I’d had on Terratribe II, I appreciated all the same, especially since it hadn’t been there before and he’d only made it for me. Apparently, Cherry had told him all about a human woman’s need for warm water to bathe in, and Silar had given him some weird, ominous warning about frostbite I hadn’t quite understood. Either way, we had the semblance of a shower and were happy to use it.
“Of course!” Magnolia chirruped happily, operating the pump so I could rinse suds from my eyes. I took over the pump, and she scrubbed under her arms. “It works out perfectly! Garrek has to take his herd that way, anyway. So he can escort me to Oaken. And then, if it turns out Oaken is in really bad shape, Garrek can help him get back on his feet a little bit so I’m not alone trying to care for him and manage his farm.”
I didn’t want to pop Magnolia’s bubble of excitement, so I left the other part unsaid. That if Oaken was dead, Garrek could look after her and then bring her back.
“Apparently they know each other,” she said, taking over the pump for me once more.
“I’m sure most of them know each other around here,” I said with shrug.
“No, I mean, from before,” she clarified.
“You mean before they became murderers and got sentenced to live the yee-haw, howdy partner life?” I asked wryly.
“Well… Yes,” she said. “I’m sure they had good reasons for… you know… killing somebody.”
That reminded me. I hadn’t even had a chance to ask more about that lovely little detail in Fallon’s history. Shockingly – and maybe even scarily – I’d grown not just to like him, but to trust him without even finding out more information. I’d sucked the man’s dick this morning, for Christ’s sake! And it wasn’t just because that was what had been drilled into me as a good wife’s duty! I’d wanted to.
There is something seriously wrong with me…
“Anyway, without Garrek,” Magnolia went on, “who knows how long I’d have to wait to meet my husband!”
“Yeah,” I said noncommittally. I was happy she was happy, but selfishly, I didn’t want to lose her. I also just didn’t understand what her hurry was. She was younger than I was – only twenty-five – and the way I saw it there was no rush to get married, was there? But then again, Magnolia had read a certified metric fuckton of romance novels – her words, not mine – and on the whole just seemed way more into all the lovey dovey stuff than me.
And so, after we were fresh and clean and dressed, we’d headed outside to wait for Garrek and hadn’t really come back in.
One of the first things I did out there was check on Sora. Luckily, I didn’t have to wander around the beautiful, sunlit property for long before she bounded up to me, barking and tail-wagging up a storm.
“Well, you seem like you’re no worse for wear!” I said, bending to give her lots of good ear scratchies. I exhaled fully for what felt like the first time since last night, now that I could see she was doing fine. I hoped the calf was doing well, too, but I didn’t think it’d be the best idea to wander into the pasture where the herd was grazing. They didn’t know me yet, and I wanted to avoid a bull-kick to the ribs if I could help it.
I resolved to ask Fallon about the calf next time I caught up with him. After I’d talked with Magnolia this morning, he’d gotten washed and dressed and headed out in a hurry, already behind on his morning chores.
I felt a little bad I’d put him behind schedule, but he hadn’t uttered a word of complaint about it, so I supposed it was alright. Now that I was settling in, I could learn more about what needed to be done on the ranch and lessen his load.
“Where’s your daddy, Sora?” I asked, ruffling her warm, black fur. “What’s he up to? Where’s Fallon?”
She barked excitedly at Fallon’s name, then began loping away, only to run back at full speed, coming to a clumsy stop. When she started running away again, I followed.
I found Fallon in the same place I’d found him last night. Only now, there was fresh, bright daylight shining down on us, with none of the rain and the thunder.
Without the wind and rain to hinder his hearing, Fallon turned towards Sora and me when we were still a good hundred metres down the fence line. I waved, and he lifted a big, bare arm, instantly mirroring the motion. Though, he did it in such a big, awkward, over-dramatic fashion that I had to imagine he’d never actually waved at someone before.
As I got closer to him, Sora yipping and yapping enthusiastically, I felt an odd, nervous flutter low in my belly. My cheeks warmed, and I felt incredibly stupid admitting it, but it very much seemed like I may have developed a bit of a crush on my husband.
Go fucking figure.
Fallon had his off-white, broad-brimmed hat on, fresh trousers, and his usual non-existent shirt. I watched the bulk of his body ripple beneath his orange hide as he finished repairing the gate he’d been working on last night.
“All finished? And how’s the calf?” I asked, coming to a stop behind him. I suddenly felt very awkward about my hands. Like I should have had a spot to put them, but couldn’t find one. I settled on putting them onto my hips.
“Yes, finished! And the calf is well,” Fallon said, turning towards me. He had a gigantic hammer, a tool so big I doubted most human men would have been able to lift it one-handed, let alone grip it with such ease as Fallon did. He hefted the hammer and pointed it at the gate, then at me.
“Don’t go out there again like that, Darcy.” His voice was uncharacteristically serious.
“Sorry. I know you had to come rescue my ass. But we almost made it out of the creek!”
“It is not the creek which I am most worried about,” he said. His maple-warm eyes crackled with a brief flash of white. “There are predators out there. Genka. Ardu. You don’t go beyond the fences without me.”
I swallowed. A proud part of me wanted to scoff at his warning. Another part, a part that was growing rapidly to respect Fallon despite his odd, dopey alien moments, knew that I should heed his words.
