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He cleared his throat as they made their way through the tall grass, and began the joke. “I’m just glad that we’re coming here in the day,” he said.
“What? Why?”
“Well, it’s just that Nash… ur, my brothers and I, have seen some pretty crazy things out at the waterfall, and so… call me a chicken, but I’m never coming here at night again.”
“Are you kidding me?” She picked her way over a branch. “You, Porter? You’re not scared of anything. I don’t believe you.”
Well, this was a dismal beginning. He smirked. “Oh, I’m scared of a lot of things.” After all, wasn’t that steady gaze in her dark eyes doing strange things to the pit of his stomach? She tripped over a rock in the path, and he extended a hand. “You, for instance.”
She laughed, as if he was teasing, and accepted his hand. “Yeah, you lookreallyscared.”
“I’m terrified,” he said, and then laughed. “Put your hand on my chest and feel how fast my heart’s going right now.”
She hesitated then shook her head, her curls swaying around her straight shoulders. “Nice try, Porter.”
“Ha,nowwho’s scared?” he said.
“Porter!” she called him out. “I know exactly what you’re up to. And you know just as well as I do, that if I go snuggling up to you in the middle of this forest, we’re never getting to this waterfall.”
Really? Was shethataffected by him? He grinned. Now he wanted to try it. He set down the picnic basket. “It’s not like we’re on a schedule.”
She bumped him back with her hip, and he was momentarily distracted by the feel of her dress fluttering up against him. “Tell me what crazy things you’ve seen out here,” she demanded. She pushed the basket into his hands.
Oh, wow. He literally almost forgot what he’d been up to. He silently thanked Angel for the reminder. “I’m sure it was in our heads,” he said. “You know how people let these stories get to them.”
“What?” Her hands went to her hips. “Are you purposely trying to be vague? What stories are you talking about?”
He had her right where he wanted her. “No, no, I can’t pass them on,” he said. “They’re probably not true anyway.”
“If you don’t tell me right now what stories you’ve heard, I’m turning around right now.”
Uh oh, she looked spooked. Maybe he needed to tone it down a little. “All right, okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. It’s just that the stories are kind of… disturbing.”
She moved closer to him; whether that was for protection or she just wanted the excuse to lean into him, he couldn’t say, though he hoped it was both. “‘Disturbing,’ like… I won’t be able to enjoy this place if you tell me or ‘disturbing’ like I won’t be able to sleep tonight?”
“Neither, neither,” he quickly reassured her. She was a tough audience. He licked his lips, trying to figure out the tamest version of the story while he told it, because honestly, he could make it pretty terrifying, and he did when he was around his cockier friends. Angel wouldn’t need that. Her eyes were already as round as saucers. He quickly changed focus. “It’s a love story, actually.”
Oh brother, that was off the cuff. I’ve never taken the “love story” route before. Now I’m going to have to make something up on the spot.
She called him out on it. “How is a love story disturbing?”
“Well, the guy… left her.”
“Say no more, I get it.”
Did she? He hoped that she didn’t. She’d been hurt too much, he decided.
And he had a story to tell. “Don’t worry,” he reassured her. “The woman swore her revenge. These were the first settlers who came to Harvest Ranch. They were full of dreams and hopes. She was a cook from the saloon in Charleston, the town over.”
“A cook, huh?” She didn’t sound like she believed it.
“Yeah.” He smirked. “And well, his name was Henry, and he’d talked her into coming with him with tales of how good life would be here, and uh… that he was going to marry her.”
“Oh… he deserves what he’s going to get.”
Porter tried his best not to burst out laughing. That’s what he enjoyed about Angel. She gave great reactions. “Well, when they got here to Harvest Ranch, there was a company of settlers who came here before them, and Henry set eyes on a little redhead and forgot all about his promise to little… Annie.”
Where had that come from? Little Orphan Annie. Ah yes, all that talk of red hair.
