Word Count → 282 :: Awwwkward!
While Dixie-May greeted him with a wave, her smile wasn’t quite all there, and her usually sunny personality was oddly subdued. It worried him greatly and made him fear, again, that he’d done something wrong—which presented itself with some grouchiness as always, though he did his best to be kind to her. He held his tongue, concentrating instead on the movements of the mare swaying underneath him, her mane hitting his hands with each bounce.
The Samoyed mix apologized for not inviting him along, and Wayne flashed a quick smile. “No problem,” he replied, though he was lying through his teeth. He was still a little stung by her disappearance—and guilty himself, for assuming so much of her now that they were in a new home. He should be more independent, he told himself often, and be able to leave her be for more than ten minutes, but lately…
He blinked at mention of hogs, nodding quickly, his mind already working on the dilemma of how to take one of the wild boars down. He chuckled at her exposed teeth but missed the spark of life behind it. “We can bring home the bacon,” he said, the lame joke shaped by his southern drawl in an attempt to get her to lighten up a little bit more.
Realization that he was trying to get her to lighten up caused a sudden laugh to escape his chest. Wayne shot her a challenging look then smacked Fern lightly on the rump, and the mare quickened her pace. He pulled ahead for fun, even though he very well knew that she was the one who would be able to show him the trail.
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