Page 34

Beth

I woke to the sound of birds chirping, blending with the breeze rustling the canvas and the crisp morning air filtering through the tent flap.

My body was warm beneath the blankets, but something was missing.

I reached out before my eyes even opened, instinctively searching for Ruugar, only to find nothing but empty space.

We’d barely spoken after sharing that stolen moment with the whiskey, after his eyes—so dark, so intent—had made me lose my breath. Then Joel interrupted us, and just like that, the moment was gone.

And now, Ruugar was too.

He was busy. We had lots to do here. I wasn’t going to let this get to me.

I pushed myself upright, shoving tangled hair from my face and exhaling, pushing out the breath. These past few days had been more than I'd ever expected, more than I'd dreamed. Yet the closer we got to the end of this journey, the heavier the uncertainty sat in my chest.

Would we still have this when we returned to Lonesome Creek? It was normal to be concerned. We hadn’t spoken of feelings, of a future. But he cared. I knew this in my heart. I was going to trust in that.

I had questions, but I didn’t have answers, and overthinking would only tie me in knots. Instead, I dressed in fresh clothes, washed my face at the small bathroom near the cabins, and headed toward the cooking gazebo, where I already knew Ruugar would be.

He stood by the stove, sliding eggs onto a platter as the others sat at the table, drinking coffee and chatting.

“Morning,” I called out.

“Morning,” he said gruffly, finally glancing at me, his gaze slipping over my face like he was taking stock.

Something flickered between us, last night's leftover tension, charged and unresolved. But before I could say anything about it, Mary clapped her hands.

“Alright, alright,” she called out, grinning. “After breakfast, who’s up for a little competition?”

The group perked up. Pete and Carol exchanged knowing looks, another inside joke between married folks. Even Joel rubbed his hands together eagerly.

Ruugar quirked a brow at Mary. “What kind of competition?”

She grinned. “Slingshots. Old-fashioned targets and new-fangled prizes.” She sent a smirk my way. “I bet anything Ben here has quick hands. Think they’re fast enough to keep up with you, Ruugar? ”

A deep chuckle rumbled up Ruugar’s throat, and the sound did something dangerous to me.

I lifted my chin, crossing my arms on my chest. “Oh, I think I can hold my own fine.”

The group laughed, and the energy shifted. Beth-the-runaway-bride with her tangled emotions faded away, replaced by someone fun.

A playful challenge between me and my orc cowboy?

Bring it on.

After breakfast had been eaten and the cooking gazebo put back to order, we set up the target at the edge of camp, a board propped against a thick tree trunk with a bullseye in the middle.

The slingshots were simple Y-shaped branches with sturdy elastic bands and leather sleeves the guys hurriedly put together.

Joel showed everyone how to aim properly.

Said he'd done this all the time when he was a kid.

I was going to get skunked.

I took my place beside Ruugar, rolling my shoulders, already determined to win.

Yeah, sure. Joel was going to scoop up the prize—a gold-colored nugget Ruugar presented, something that had to be fool's gold. No one carried the real thing around in their pocket. He surely locked up the few he’d offered me in a safe at his ranch. Or took them into town for safekeeping.

As we took our first shots, a few things became obvious.

Joel was crushing us all. Carol and Pete saw this right away and gave up after their first shots went off into the woods, scaring every squirrel in the vicinity.

Mary opted to play judge and not compete at all.

That left me, Joel, and Ruugar competing for the prize.

Joel soon dropped out, saying he didn’t think it was fair for him to compete when he’d played with slingshots so much as a kid. He would’ve won for sure.

Ruugar and I sized each other up and kept competing.

I could soon see that Ruugar was letting me beat him. His shots went a little to the left. A little too low. Every time I came even close to the target, he grunted, nodding approvingly, but his smirk? It gave him away.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “You’re losing on purpose.”

He looked at me innocently. “Me?”

“You don't fool me,” I scoffed, jabbing my slingshot his way. My heart was singing because this was fun, and he seemed to enjoy being with me. “You’re throwing the shots.”

Laughter rippled through the group who must’ve already seen what was happening.

Carol let out an exaggerated sigh. “Oh dear. Ruugar, honey, that’s…adorable.”

Pete chuckled. “Letting your Ben win, are ya?”

Ruugar shifted his weight, and he held my gaze. Daring me.

I planted my feet, gripping the slingshot tighter. “You don’t have to let me win, you know.”

Ruugar’s smirk deepened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he lifted his slingshot, loaded another smooth stone, and let it fly. The rock struck dead center.

Carol let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her chest. “Would you look at that? Our Ruugar’s a regular old heart surgeon.”

Pete chuckled. “Guess he finally decided to stop pretending.”

Ruugar’s gaze stayed on me, amusement in his expression, satisfaction lurking somewhere deeper. “Didn’t want you thinking you could actually beat me.” If his eyes weren’t sparkling, I’d feel like kicking him. Instead, I just found his smirk cute.

But heat flared in my chest. He was asking for it now.

I gripped my slingshot tighter, reloaded, and took my shot, which, for me, was actually pretty good.

Joel wasn't the only kid who'd played with slingshots when he was young.

I grew up alone. Bored. I only had limited internet, but I was crafty.

I also felt I should make some weapons. Just in case.

My stone hit just outside the bullseye. Close but not close enough.

“Not bad.” Ruugar stepped a little nearer to me, his presence messing with my mojo.

The air charged between us again, different from before. Less playful. More intense.

Mary, watching, rocked on her heels. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say we’ve got some unresolved tension brewing.”

Joel barked out a laugh. “Unresolved? Please. They bicker like an old married couple.”

I froze. Ruugar’s brow twitched. Pete nudged Carol, who was wiggling her eyebrows. They only made it worse.

My face overheated.

“Do that long enough, Ruugar,” Joel said, “and a person would have you married by sundown.”

Carol grinned. “I’ll volunteer to officiate. I'm licensed and everything. I married my niece.”

Laughter rippled through the group. Ruugar didn’t move.

Neither did I.

His throat bobbed, his eyes flicking over my face, lingering on my mouth before he spoke. “Guess I’d better make my last shot count.” He picked up another stone, pulled the band back, and fired in one smooth motion. A touch outside the bullseye.

“I’d say it’s a draw,” Joel said. “Shoot again, you two.”

I lined up to shoot, but Ruugar moved with me. Close. Too close. It was all I could do to focus.

His voice dipped to just above a rumble. “Still think you can beat me, Breela?”

Breathing was suddenly a challenge. Heat built in my limbs, and my knees had turned to Jell-O. How did he always do this to me?

Before I could answer, Mary sidled up beside me wearing a knowing smirk. She didn’t say a word, but as I glanced at her, she lifted a single brow and winked. A strange flutter danced in my belly. What did she know that I didn’t?

I shot, hitting the outer edge of the bullseye. Jumping around, I laughed to the cheers. “Beat that,” I said, blowing the “smoke” off the tip of my slingshot.

With a chip of his head, Ruugar frowned at the target. Aimed. And let his stone fly free.

“Miss,” Joel gasped, his pleased gaze falling on me. “Looks like we have a winner!”

Everyone cheered.

I glanced up at Ruugar, who shook his head.

“I didn’t…” He swallowed and held out the maybe gold nugget. “This is yours. You won it fairly.”

With a big grin on my face, I took it and slid it into my pocket.

The group split after that, the others going to their cabins to change and go for a swim in the lake. When the space around us had emptied, Ruugar exhaled and broke our stare.

I needed to do something to shift the energy between us before it swallowed me whole. “I guess we should go get dinner started, huh?”

His gaze stayed on me a moment longer before he nodded, following me toward the cooking gazebo.

After their swim, the others sat together by the firepit, chatting and laughing, relaxed in a way that made everything feel normal again.

Ruugar sliced cheese to have with crackers while I stirred the ashenbird stew—a special dish in the orc kingdom.

Our movements were in sync like they had been every other night, and that warm feeling started to settle into my bones again.

Things were going to be okay between us.

I welcomed the heady feelings surging through me.

The warmth of his presence. The nearness of his body.

Acceptance curled around me like a second skin.

My heart ached at the thought of leaving all this behind, but I might not have to.

It was too easy to dream of staying in Lonesome Creek, running trail rides with Ruugar, and sharing the tent each night because we wanted to. Not because we had to.

In between rides, we'd snuggle inside our cozy ranch house. We'd laugh and have fun and live a long life together.

Silly me was dreaming of romance when I probably should be thinking of practical things.

Like how I was going to survive if he said goodbye when we returned to town.