Page 32 of Severed Heart (The Ravenhood Legacy #2)

Not long after, my bobber goes under. We spend most of our day fishing, and to my delight, when the fish don’t bite for Tyler, he reports the catfish have turned lazy, preferring the cold water of the bottom, no longer trying for the worm.

To him, I report he’s a terrible, lazy fisherman, which earns me a scowl.

Just after, he takes me on the Ranger to explore some of the orchards.

Our plan is to cast lines again after sundown when it has cooled enough in temperature.

For some of the day, we shoot what guns he could gather, and I surprise him by taking the tops off several plastic bottles he lined up yards away.

“Shit,” he says, “remind me not to piss you off.” He bulges his eyes, which has me laughing before I again take aim and fire.

“It would be good for you to try for marksman certification,” I tell him between shots.

“Are you?” he asks curiously.

“I was never a real soldier, so I never tested.”

“Well, you have a terrifyingly accurate aim.” He swallows in intimidation as I take another top off before shooting holes through the water-filled bottle and blasting it off a fence post. “You’re a fucking headhunter,” he gawks.

“Like riding a bike,” I boast proudly, and he nods in approval of my use of the metaphor.

Just before sundown, Tyler starts a small fire on the top of a grassy hillside.

Kneeling, he adds some of our collected kindling as the sun begins to slowly sink past his shoulder.

Its descent merges the blue sky with a dazzling melody of pink, orange, red, and gold.

The fire chases the slight chill now seeping over the land, the grass cooling under my bare thighs.

I run my palms over my arms at its arrival.

“Cold?” he asks. “I can head down the hill and find a blanket.”

“I’m far too happy to be uncomfortable. This land ... this place has a magic kind of peace. This has been the perfect day, Tyler. Merci,” I whisper, hearing the slight shake in my voice. My spoken happiness clear in my words.

He stills at this briefly before responding. “My pleasure. We can make this a weekly thing if you want.”

I perk at his proposal. “I would be your new fishin’ buddy?”

He nods. “Slot is all yours if you want it.”

“I want it,” I tell him honestly. “For so long, I have wanted—” I stop myself as he tilts his head, his chocolate eyes prodding mine.

“What?”

“This land, this life. Your future was my dream for myself for so long. To soldier and then to settle in a place like your God’s country.

To fish and hunt, to watch the sunset every single day as seasons change.

” I sigh, palming the grass behind me as I inhale deeply.

“I am truly happy for you, Tyler. For you to have this dream to make your future reality.” I feel the weight of his stare and shake my head in slight embarrassment.

“I must seem like a simple woman to you.”

“Simple? Shit,” he chuckles. “That’s not a word to describe you—the opposite of the word to describe you, Delphine. And you loving to fish and hunt. Well, that description is pretty alluring for a lot of the men around here. Trust me.”

“I don’t at all care about that,” I tell him sharply, too sharply. Too brash.

“Sorry.” He shrugs. “I’m just saying you’re not simple, that’s all.”

“I know . . .” I bite my lip, and he tosses some kindling at me.

“Stop pausing,” he scolds gently. “Best friends don’t pause when they talk. That’s a rule.”

I nod. “I say that I don’t care, that is mostly the truth, but I know I make it hard for people to like me.”

“ I like you ,” he says softly, tossing the last of the kindling on the fire. “And fuck anyone who doesn’t. Like I said, you’re misunderstood. That much I know, so if they don’t want to take the time to figure that out about you, it’s their loss.”

I can tell he wants to say more, but I change the subject.

“How will we fish in the dark?”

He grins. “I’ve got us covered. Electric lanterns.”

“Smart,” I give in compliment.

“Yeah, well, some tiny French lady—who gives me a lot of hellacious orders—is always on my ass to stay prepared.”

“It’s good advice,” I boast as the sun starts to slowly disappear between the hills. “Soldier, do you prefer sunrise or sunset?”

“Sunset,” he answers quickly. “ You ?”

“Sunset.” I give him honesty. “Because it means I have made it another day.” A day fighting through the haze and farther from my past.

“I get that,” he tells me.

“You so often understand what I say, Tyler, and there is meaning behind it. Some people simply pretend. Dom is lucky to have you as a friend.”

“I’m your friend, too,” he reminds me.

“Then I am also lucky,” I tell him.

“Me too, General Brash.” He winks, the breeze lifting his dark hair as he glances over at me. It’s then I notice his rich brown eyes are crowded by thick, naturally curled lashes—it is probably why I find them so beautiful.

As the sun sinks a little deeper and the fire begins to glow a little brighter, I perk at the sound that starts to surround us.

“I know that calculating look,” he says, “what’s going on in that beautiful brain?”

“Does your watch have a timer?”

“Yeah”—he angles his head—“why?”

“I want you to time fifteen seconds when I say and count the cricket chirps when you start it.”

“Okay.” He clicks his watch a few times and nods when the allotted time passes. “Done.”

“How many chirps?” I ask.

“Twenty-three,” he replies.

“If the crickets chirp twenty-three times in fifteen seconds, you add forty to that, and it gives the current temperature in American degrees. Or very close to.”

“Huh,” he says, glancing down at his watch and pressing a button to light it to see the screen, which I assume gives him both time and temperature. “Shit, you’re right, it’s close, sixty-two degrees. That’s a pretty cool trick.”

“If you tune into the crickets and remain aware, the absence of chirp can alert you to the presence of predators and help you gauge the direction the danger is coming from.”

“Unreal,” he whispers, staring at me over the low-lit fire.

“What?” I smile.

“Leave it to you to find a teaching moment out of nothing.”

“You knew about crickets’ chirps to tell the temperature,” I confront in a dry tone.

His jaw drops slightly. “How did you know that?”

“I can detect lies, Tyler. I’m very good at it.”

“Then you must teach me this, General Yoda. And I didn’t lie. I just didn’t want to impress you too much,” he jokes.

“Ha, you caught no fish , and if you want to impress me, disappear into the wild with nothing but a knife for two weeks.”

He gapes at me. “Seriously?”

“It’s a true test of man’s abilities, a test you are not yet ready for,” I declare as I stand, scouring the cliffside adjacent to us. “Ah, Tyler, come.”

Without hesitation, he follows me as I walk over to the clay ridge at the side of the mountaintop and stop when I see what I’m looking for.

“You know, I grew up here,” he says, “but I have a feeling you’re about to embarrass the shit out of me.”

“You’re young,” I state, bending to the protruding foliage, urging him closer. “So don’t be so hard on yourself. God may provide, but we still need education from mentors of what to look for. See?” I point to a branch protruding from the cliff rock. “Count the leaves. See the pattern?”

He nods, hovering just behind me. “Yeah.”

I gently pull one of the roots from the rock, making sure to keep it intact. “Smell,” I encourage, lifting the root to him, “take a small bite.”

He does, and the genuine surprise in his face is my reward. “Licorice ... no wait, root beer?”

“Sassafras,” I tell him, dropping the root and wiping my hands, “which does make root beer, but you can make tea with it. It has nutritious value, vitamins, antoxidants, and is used in many medicines.”

He shakes his head in astonishment. “And once again, my general summons a lesson out of nothing.”

“Not nothing, never nothing. God provides,” I say, soaking in the peace surrounding us. “He gave us everything we need. He mapped this earth with hints and clues, colored nutritious food. He marked snakes and other animals for danger. God gave us so much to guide us.”

“Let me guess, Matis taught you that?”

I nod, scanning my sucker scenery view as the last of the sun sinks behind the hills. “My papa ... Matis was so smart, Tyler,” I relay, my whisper strained.

“So is his daughter,” he relays in a rough whisper of his own, gripping my hand and lifting it slowly to his lips.

My chest stutters at the look in his eyes.

A look he maintains as he presses and holds his warm lips to my hand before lowering it, spreading his thumbs across where the kiss lingers as if to push it further into my skin.

Ripping my hand away, I ignore his flinch, playing blind to it as I turn and begin to walk toward the dock. Equally and purposely deafening myself to the “I’m sorry,” which carries on the wind behind me as he quickly snuffs the fire out by kicking dirt over it with his boots.

Not long after, those boots sound on the wood planks of the dock before Tyler slowly takes a seat next to me, lighting the space between us with the soft glow of the lanterns.

We sit for many uncomfortable minutes, casting our lines as my anxiety continues to build from our exchange on the hilltop.

Cursing my stupidity, I turn to him to ask him to take me home when he speaks up.

“I didn’t forget,” he utters softly, opening the cooler before lifting a flask toward me.

Shame fills me at the sight of it, and I bite my lip and nod in silent thank you.

Taking several numbing sips, I mull over the nature of our unconventional friendship, of my influence, and the unfriendly kiss and discomfort now between us because of it.

Disheartened, I’m just about to speak when he nudges me.

“Come on, fishin’ buddy, cast your line. I need to catch at least one before we go home, or my man card might get revoked.”

Nodding, I cast my line before slowly easing back into the peace surrounding us, the cicadas calling loudly on the chilly breeze as night sets in. “Tyler?”

“Hmm?”

“What is man card?”

* * *

General Half-Pint: Tyler is Delphne questn for sodler

I know who it is, General. Sure, what’s your question?

General Half-Pint: Can fish todya

Sorry, I can’t fish today. I’m in class and have errands to run for my mom after. How about tomorrow after class? I get out at noon.

General Half-Pint: Oui m erci pleas e vry muc h want to fish with solder

I want to fish with you again, too, General. I’m looking forward to it.

General Half-Pint: one more queston for solder

Anything.

General Half-Pint: Be honets wiht me

Of course, I’ll be honest. No tap dancing around the truth. Promise.

General Half-Pint: Jean domicn humulate tell me my tex t is so bad d

I will not lie. Your texting is rough. You get letters backward, use space when you shouldn’t, and often misspell by a letter or two. No punctuation either.

General Half-Pint: Merde I knw Jean not li e

General Half-Pint: Merde is shit in French

I know what it means. And you didn’t misspell that. Ha Ha!

General Half-Pint: ha ha funy I resad and wri et so bettr before haze

You read and wrote better before the haze?

General Half-Pint: oui now embarees taks me very logn time to make tetx and read text kyesboard very har d to deciph er Frech esier

I’m sure it is easier. French is your first language, BUT I promise I understand your texts just fine. I promise. I’ll be patient and wait for any text you want to send me.

General Half-Pint: nerci fish bud dy

How about we text every day to practice?

General Half-Pint: merci doo not think I stupd wo man I am not stupd i

I could never think you’re stupid. You’re fucking brilliant.

You speak English fine. More than fine. You just misfire a few verbs here and there and still need a little Americanization and help with metaphors.

Which I can help with. I’m sorry I poke fun at you. I won’t be an asshole about it anymore.

General Half-Pint: non solder k eep poke me asshle

Ha ha, there’s my brash General.

General Half-Pint: Donot want fee sorry for me don want fsel like imbelcile when tex t poeple

You’re anything but an imbecile. Take your time. I’ll wait for every text you send. Don’t feel bad. It’s no big deal. Dom’s a dick for making you feel bad about it.

General Half-Pint: You are go od best frend solider merci ha ve much happy in heart for yuo

I’m happy in my heart about it, too, General. I’ve got your back, always, Delphine.

General Half-Pint: I knw this mea ns

Good, because that’s the truth. I’ll always look out for you. Please don’t let Dom hurt your feelings over this anymore.

General Half-Pint: Oui goodnigt privite

Night, General.