8. Stranger

Austin begins undoing the knot at the top of your nightdress and your anticipation grows with each movement. Just before the ribbon is pulled free he straightens up and takes a couple of steps back from you. You don't attempt to mask the hurt look that comes over your face but Austin turns away abruptly and walks forward. He let's out a deep breath before saying, "I shouldn't have done that." Still frowning, you move forward, placing a hand on the back of his arm. "You're going to be my husband soon. Well, if you still want to-" Before you can continue Austin quickly turns around to face you and you're surprised to see he's now the one who looks slightly bruised. "What do you mean' if'?" His expression softens slightly when you take a step back and he runs his hand through his hair. "I know I haven't been around as often as I should, but this isn't easy for me." You raise an eyebrow at him skeptically but remain silent for now. He doesn't know it yet but you can be fairly hard headed, unfortunately for you, you're evenly matched. After a moment a silence Austin says it's late and puts the shirt you offered him earlier on before taking a seat by the fire.

"Good night, Sheriff." You don't bother looking at him as you turn and walk towards your bed. To your annoyance he doesn't reply and you turn around the corner to the area that's your "room". There's no door but the half wall that runs between it and the living provides a decent amount of privacy. You spend the rest of the night staring up at your ceiling replaying the previous events in your head. After a while the storm subsides and the sun begins to creep over the horizon. You dress quickly and make sure to be ready before Austin has a chance to head out. He nods at you when you round the corner and for some reason you can't help but feeling slightly sorry for your cold behavior last night. Nonetheless, you remain silent and move to the kitchen where you begin filling a kettle with water. "Will you at least stay for a cup of coffee?" You're still facing away from him and hold your breath waiting for his reply. There's a long pause before you hear him somewhat hesitantly say "You know I wish I could..."

"Okay, then." Despite your best efforts you wince when you hear your voice warble slightly. It sounds like Austin begins to step in your direction but after a pause the footsteps change direction and you hear the front door open. You wait a few moments until you're sure he's out of earshot then curse loudly. Angrily wiping a stray tear from your cheek you finish brewing the pot of coffee and pour yourself a cup. It's likely due to your foul mood, but the coffee tastes sour in your mouth, still you **** yourself to finish the cup. It was a long night and you know you'll need the extra energy to deal with aftermath of the storm. Sure enough, when you step outside you see a variety of new tasks to deal with. Most urgent is the small section of the fence running along the boarder of your property that has been knocked loose. It's John's day off and you don't want to wait a full day for his help so you decide to get to work. The majority of the tools you'll need are stored in the shed, and the animals will need to be fed anyway, so you head in that direction. You can hear the familiar lowing of cattle in the distance and feel yourself relaxing slightly as you approach the barn. Even though being a rancher was never your dream you've always loved this place and the thought of leaving it isn't a pleasant one.

While marrying Austin would solve the majority of your problems there's a tiny part of your brain that wonders what your life would be like if you don't go through with it. Lost in thought you push the large barn doors open and walk into the large area. Years ago each of the eight stalls would have been full of horses but now only is taken up by your mare. She whinnies as you move inside but you pay no mind as you head over to a large pile of hay. Grabbing a large pitch fork you scoop up a pile then bring it over to her stall. When you arrive you slightly snap out of your fog when you notice the horses strange demeanor. Her nostrils flare slightly and her front hooves stamp anxious at the ground before her as if she's wanting to run. Frowning slightly, you wonder if the storm frightened her, and move to open the door to her stall. You raised her from a foal so you're pretty confident you can calm her down once you step inside. However, to your surprise, as soon as the door is pulled up she brays loudly and throws her front hooves in the air. Exclaiming in shock, you quickly take a step back, but feel your heel slip as you do so. Another curse escapes you as you stumble backwards and the world quickly fades to black when the back of your head hits the ground below.

You're not sure how much time has passed before a stinging sensation along your cheek brings you to. Groaning, you rub your hand across your cheek, then along to the back of your sore head. As your eyes begin to focus you quickly sit up when you notice a blurry figure standing over you. "Ah!" You exhale sharply as your head throbs painfully and wince while doubling over. As you're leaning forward you tense up when a warm hand runs across the back of your head. Hesitantly, you raise your head, and your eyes try to center on the individual in front of you. Rays of sunlight shine behind him through the rafters and his dark hat casts a long shadow over his face. Your eyes slowly trail back down and take in his lean but athletically built frame. His clothes seem to be made out of a dark animal hide but are quite faded and covered in the reddish brown dirt that covers this area of land. A larger hand reaches down and you note the strange man's skin is slightly tanner than you're accustomed to seeing. You still can't make out much of his face as you hesitantly take his hand and let him help you to your feet.

Once you're standing up right you're able to get a clearer look at the strange man before you. While he appears to be slightly taller than Austin he's not quite as broad but is still well toned. High cheek bones highlight his angular face, however, it's his striking green eyes that capture your attention. A lock of dark brown hair partially covers one of the eyes and you notice a light scar running horizontally across his left cheek. "Are you okay?" His voice is surprisingly smooth and even toned, unlike the rough, slightly southern drawl you're used to. You nod your head in affirmation, still slightly in a daze, as his mesmerizing eyes stare back at you. His strikingly good looks have left you somewhat speechless and any natural instinct to run are a distant thought in your mind. You finally notice your hand is still in his when he gently pulls you forward and leads you over to one of the small benches nearby. Blushing slightly you quickly remove your hand from his once you are seated and push a stray lock of hair out of your face nervously.

"What are you doing here?" Your throat is dry and your voice cracks slightly when you speak. To your surprise a sly grin slowly spreads across the man's tan face before he mysteriously replies, "Just using a favor." You frown at him and **** your aching body to stand up. The fog in your mind is beginning to subside as a course of adrenaline rushes through your body and you find yourself asking, "Are you the one who's been skulking around my property?" The man seems slightly surprised by your words as he slowly says, "_Your _property?" Standing up a little bit taller you straight into the mans eyes before replying, somewhat haughtily. "Yes, _my _property." The man pauses for a moment before he shrugs and explains, "I just assumed the Law man owned it." You're slightly confused by his words at first before you quickly piece together that he must be referring to the Sheriff. "So, it was you then..." Your words hang in the air and you feel a knot begin to form in your stomach when he doesn't refute your statement.