Her following confession startled the cowboy, and he was shocked out of words for a moment. Wayne didn’t know how long Hadley had been missing, but if it had been days he would have noticed—and already the woman was worried she had done something to drive him off? He frowned once she looked away, not choosing to speak about that subject for a while yet. It was a little too much for him to try to comfort her right at the moment.
Casual conversation resumed, and although the man wasn’t smiling as much as he was before, he did answer her with a quiet chuckle and nod. Always a bit strange t’ take care of a horse that ain’t mine. I mean, the communal ’uns feel like they belong t’ me, but I do my best t’ make sure every horse is taken care of. Ain’t given Ukaglay any slack on his attitude, not that he’s ever had much of one. He flashed his teeth briefly, leaning back on the steps propped up by his elbows. Luckily, most of the Casa herd was well-behaved and easy to take care of, and he had little worry about them wandering off.
The skinny coydog returned to the subject of Hadley, her voice edged with worry and other emotions sharp underneath. He looked at her with pity; her words dredged up a few memories of his own he’d been able to forget since he’d confessed his love to Dixie-May.
I’ll let ’im know, Wayne began, but his gruff voice took on a more serious quality as he straightened and stared at her. Y’know, just ’cause he’s gone for a while don’t mean it’s your fault. I mean, I understand not feelin’ worth it, but… He frowned, resting his chin on a fist. His speech clearly stopped there, even if he obviously didn’t want it to; his brow furrowed as he glowered out into space, cursing his ineloquence. Others could easily comfort and persuade someone with a few easy words, but he struggled to find them in the meantime.
Her suggestion to ride made him brighten. He nodded quickly and stood, offering a hand to haul her to her feet. I’d love to. Gotta go fetch Fern though. Meet at the fort gate? He smiled hopefully.
.waway b {font-weight:bold; color:#ada077; letter-spacing:1px; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.2em #373019; }
.waway p {text-indent:0px; padding:5px 16px; margin:0px;}
.waway {margin:0 auto; width:450px; background-color:#82735c; background-image:url(http://i.imgur.com/iDlkY.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #0b052c; padding: 210px 0px 7px 0px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size:12px; color:#a49c81; text-shadow: 0.1em 0.1em 0.2em #; letter-spacing:.6px; word-spacing:.9x; line-height:13.3px; text-align:justify;}
.waway p b:before { content: open-quote; }
.waway p b:after {content: close-quote; }
</style>
[/html]