Page 19 of Tusks & Saddles

Chapter Thirteen

Willamina

“ S o…uh…you and Boone?” Roger spoke up as they both stopped to fill up their canteens.

They were at the last river on the trip and they sat happily on the other side.

It took two days of haste powder, but the cattle would be fine.

Especially since they wouldn’t dust them in the morning, it would just be a normal day, allowing them to relax.

Dusting them again would be dangerous. It was good for two days, but anything more than that could damage their muscles.

The whole point for herding them to the stronghold.

They’d taken a full week off their journey and would be early.

The stronghold never hated getting their meat early.

Unfortunately, in their advance, they’d lost sight of Kaffa.

The compass still pointed to the stronghold, but she couldn’t be certain till they got in the city if she was sold off to someone or worse.

As long as she’s wearing Boone’s saddle, we’re fine.

She’s probably still in it; thieves are naturally lazy creatures.

Picking off the easy stuff and not fussing with much to avoid suspicion.

The thought was the only thing that kept her sane.

That, and Boone himself. It wasn’t like they were hiding it, but she was trying not to bombard Roger with their activities.

Any chance she got to spare the ranch hand from finding his boss with Boone’s hand in her pants or her lip locked with the Paladin, the better. Roger didn’t sign up for a show .

“Yeah,” she flushed, trying not to let her throat close.

“Good,” he hummed with a single nod.

“Yeah?” She arched a brow, glancing at him.

“Boone’s a good guy. Solid. Strong. Generous…and, well, the man’s been in love with you for a while.” Roger shrugged nonchalantly as he tucked away his water.

“Pfft, please,” Will snorted.

“You think I didn’t see him watching you with puppy eyes?

Even with you chewing him out, never seen a man so into it.

” Roger flashed her a big smile full of teeth, eyebrows wiggling suggestively, before he tossed the last beer of their stash back.

The smell of Boone cooking up the last of the boar with potatoes, butter, and herbs filled the air.

Will glanced over her shoulder to see her Paladin hunched over the cauldron pot.

He stirred with one hand, crushing something with the other.

His sleeves rolled up above his elbow, showing off his massive, green forearms with a smattering of rusty hair much like the mop on his head.

They were all sweaty and gross, but it was too late for a bath.

They’d just get one in the morning before they headed out.

But, goddess above, she liked him sweaty. Liked him clean. Liked him smiling, liked him serious… Loved him.

“Roger?” Will broke the silence, glancing to her ranch hand. The minotaur arched a fuzzy brow up on his face as he took another sip of his beer. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, boss,” he chuckled, tipping his beer to her before he headed back to the camp.

Alright, you love him, but can you give in and let him love you back? Or does this relationship die at the end of the push?

Because if he stayed with her… If he came home with her, he’d have to stay.

Jacobus, please fucking gods above, let him forgive me.

She wasn’t sure how it would happen but thinking that far ahead was presumptuous at best. Better not worry about that till I can find this damn horse and get home with money in my pocket.

Willamina spent a few minutes, checking on the cattle. With every sleepy moo that she passed, she felt better. Finally sitting down at the campfire, she took the bowl from Boone and tried to put her wasp nest of a brain to sleep.

“You done twisting yourself up in knots or do I gotta untie you?” Boone snickered softly, sitting next to her.

Will rolled her eyes, glancing at him. “I’m fine.”

“Will,” he sighed, and she folded. Will leaned into him, head against his shoulder. He said nothing else as she stirred up the shredded meat and mash, filling her belly with warmth and something other than worry.

“I need to get that stupid horse back,” she huffed after a long silence. Boone passed her the abandoned beer that she left near him when they first unpacked.

“Don’t let Kaffa hear you say that,” he teased.

“She’ll forgive me. She’s a good horse.” Will shrugged, pushing off his shoulder to finish shoveling food in her mouth.

The sun was already down, and her back was drenched in inky night.

The only light was the flames dancing in front of her and even those were on their way out.

It’s fine, it’s going to be fine, we’ll find that stupid thief riding Kaffa around the stronghold and Boone will get me out of prison after I murder that motherfucker.

“Gracie wouldn’t even be mad at you,” Boone finally added as he took her empty bowl.

Will scowled, knowing damn well her best friend wouldn’t even be a little miffed.

Things happen, Will, plus, we’ll just claw that motherfuckers eyes out later, it’s fine.

She didn’t realize till she played the voice in her head, how much she missed Gracie.

How much she’d spent this whole time trying to be strong and unwavering, because she didn’t have her bubbly, spunky werewolf at her side.

Gracie would be eating up this Boone and I situation.

It was hard not to feel abandoned. Gracie was her right hand.

And Will had no right to feel dejected about it, but there was an evil little worm in the back of her mind.

It spouted nonsense about how could she choose to have a family with him when she has me?

But that was Will’s wounded ego talking.

A woman who lost her father to drinking, her mother to her father’s ghost, and her brother to the man she was now thinking about jumping for warmth.

And I lost the fucking horse. She put her beer aside and hung her head into her lap.

“Alright, none of that, come on.” Boone huffed somewhere in the dark of the night just before he scooped her up in his arms. Their bedroll was a few steps away and she was dumped unceremoniously onto it.

“Fuck you,” she grumbled.

“Nope, for that, you gotta ask nicely.”

Will snapped her head up, glaring at the smug looking orc. His pretty smile curled up behind his tusks glinting in the firelight. He continued with a soft purr, “See? Got you to look at me.”

“You’re a bastard,” she snarled.

“As are you, we’re two peas in a pod. Now, pull your boots off or I’ll take them for you. And you won’t like it if I undress you.”

“Why?” She squinted at him, daring him to test her.

“Cause I won’t be nice about it.”

Will gave him a half-hearted shrug. “Maybe I deserve mean. ”

Boone snorted. “You asked for it. Roger?”

“Hmm?”

“My apologies to your ear drums.”

“Whoa!” Will only got a single word out before her Paladin snatched her by the waist like she was a sack of potatoes and threw her over his lap.

True to his word, he wrangled her out of those boots, her belt, and her jeans with the mercy of a pissed off rattlesnake.

In a moment, she was in just her tank top and leggings, still howling at him and trying to scratch him.

“I warned you. Woman, put the claws away.” He pinned her hands to the bed roll that he so egregiously chucked her into without warning.

Will thrashed left and right, ready to show him some fucking claws for calling her woman.

Then he slid in behind her and pulled her head onto his arm.

His steady heartbeat in her ears, the brush of his breath against the shell of her ear, and the warmth of his body against hers reset her.

Like he smacked an off button, she grew still and quiet.

He kissed the back of her head. “I’m gonna take care of you Willamina Jones.

Fight me all you want, I can take it. Baby, I can handle you… so just let me.”

Willa couldn’t help the broken plea that escaped her lungs. A raspy, choked whisper. “Just don’t leave me.”

“I won’t.”

“Even if he asks you to?” She shifted her head, looking over her shoulder at the massive shadow behind her.

“He won’t.”

She took in a ragged breath. “Even if your goddess asks you to?”

“Will?” He kissed the side of her head. “Get some sleep, Baby. We’ll find Kaffa, get the cattle sold off, and go home where you can focus all that worry on things that need your worryin’. I’m not going anywhere.”

She lay there in his arms, snuggling down into his warmth, trying to ignore the angry, rotten worm at the back of her brain. Boone doesn’t lie, why would he start now? She would just have to wait and see if he was a Paladin of his word. Gods and dragons and stars above, please let me keep this one.

Will fell asleep after much protesting by her wasp nest. Eventually the angry humming quieted down and she was able to close her eyes. The blanket of the night sky was comforting. Eventually their campfire died and there were only the stars illuminating everything.

And it was the first time that Will sensed it coming before anyone else.

Like someone ran a cold fingertip up her spine, she woke with a jerk.

Will snapped up in the bedroll, earning a sleepy huff from Boone.

Her gaze roamed the camp then the cows, searching for the disturbance.

It was Betty that tipped her off. Her horse trotted up to their bedroll, bopping her nose to the side of Will’s head.

Crawling out of Boone’s arm and the bedroll, she quietly pushed her feet into her boots, Betty on her hip.

When her horse pressed her nose to the pile of things Will left near the bedroll, she saw her horse specifically pointing at the crossbow.

Shit. Picking up her weapon, she let Betty guide her.