Itās obvious from the state of him, heās been up to know good and to a keen eye, itās obvious the word outlaw is scribed all over him; more than evident in his tattoos, scrapes and scars. Still, when she looks at him it is not with fear or reservation, no; thereās something else shining in her eyes and Carson canāt help but wonder if heās found the one ranching woman round these parts who is excited by danger, bullets and blood.
When she beckons him to move, he holds his breath in his lungs as he moves to stand and is fully upright before he allows a tensed groan to erupt from deep down in his gut. It hurts; hurts so damn much that Carson can barely stand it, but even as the world starts to spin a little on itās axis, the dizzy spell threatening to send him over, he says nothing. Instead, he steadies himself on her, remaining calm; he aināt no sissy after all and heās been in worst states than this before. Though if he doesnāt get this bullet out soon, the only state heāll be in, is deceased. Still, sheās strong, stronger than she looks and heās glad of it given sheās the only thing keeping him standing right now.
The first attempt to pull himself up onto the saddle is a failure and is met with a frustrated moan from Payne as he grips harder on the reins. The second attempt is more successful, though admittedly he feels like a God damn sack of potatoes, slumped over on her steed like this.
āIf youāre taking me back to a ranch, better keep me away from your husband or your Pa, darlinā, both are likely to turn me in I imagine and Iād put a bullet in them both before I let that happen.ā
Ā Ā Ā The tension in his body told her loads about his state. It was worse than she previously thought as his breath is trapped in his lungs as he used his strength to keep from crying out. She wouldnāt have blamed him and wished she had so some of the strength could have filtered to getting up on his legs and onto her horse. Whiskey flicked his ears back, stomping one of his well manicured hooves as the outlaw struggled to pull himself up onto his saddle. An annoyed snort was his reply as he swung his head toward the direction of the homestead.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āThere we are,ā she let out a breathy sigh of relief. Her blouse had started to cling to her skin, a thin sheen of sweat coating her body from the effort. He was lighter than most men but still heavier than what she was use to hauling around on her own. With him situated, she swiftly mounted the tricolored equine and braced Carson against herself. Itād be better to take it slow but if she didnāt hurry there was a high chance heād bleed to death on her. She gave Whiskey a small nudge with the heels of her boots to get him trotting before speeding it up to a gallop, crashing through the brush until he hit the trail that lead home.
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āWell, thereās some good news for ya,ā she said, looking over at him with a devilish smirk.Ā āI aināt got a husband. Far too wild to be tamed, especially in my younger years. My pa...he passed. Only one youād really have to worry about is my brother but he donāt come around very often.ā Her smile widened.Ā āBut donāt let none of that get to yer head. I aināt some weak willed dame. You try anythinā funny and Iāll have ya hog tied and thrown on the back of my horse so fast itāll make yer head spin.āĀ
Ā Ā Ā Despite her smile and playful tone there was a glint in her eye that almost dared him to try and test her. Glancing away, she looked ahead, guiding her horse to a home in the woods. A wooden one story cabin came into view, chickens pecking around the front yard before retreating back over the wooden fence toward a coop near a sizeable garden that took up the majority of the back yard. A few vegetables could be seen growing ranging from a few corn stalks to tomatoes to squash and carrots. The rest were hidden behind the home. In the far corner was a barn nearly the size of the house for her horse and his needs. She slowed down at the front of the house and slid off before assisting him.Ā
Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā āCome on, weāll getcha inside and iāll get that bullet out of you.āĀ
