Six Shots Deep

A New Start

I woke up the next morning alone in my tent. As I rolled over to my side, I blinked my eyes, trying to figure out if what happened last night was all just a dream. I sat up on my elbows, looking around my empty tent. I yawned and stretched out my stiff body before stepping out of my tent into the bright morning sun.

Arthur was standing by the horses, feeding them apples. He looked over to me as I sat down by the fire, a boyish grin across his face.

"Good morning." He said with a smile, "both horses are fed and ready to go once we pack up."

I nodded, leaning back on my arms. He came and sat down next to me, laying his head on my lap. I ran my fingers through the thick, sandy brown hair.

"Did last night really happen?" I asked quietly.

He nodded his head against my thigh, and I felt my cheeks burn red. I rubbed my face. "Goddammit," I mumbled.

He chuckled. "No need to be embarrassed, darlin."

I let out a sigh. "So what does that mean for us, now?"

He looked up at me, flipping onto his back. "Well, I was gonna leave that up to you. I know what I want. Just depends if you want the same thing."

"I want you, Arthur."

"Is that right?" He sat up, matching my level.

I nodded. "Just you."

He smirked and kissed me softly. "Lucky for you, Miss Louis, I want the same thing."

We sat in the grass by the fire, taking in each other. He finally pulled away, leaning his head against mine as we took in long deep breaths.

"We should probably head back to camp," he mumbled, "don't want the others worrying."

I nodded. "Before we go back though, I want to stop somewhere while we're in the area."

He cocked his head, giving me a confused look.

I let out a sigh and leaned my head against his shoulder blade. "My Ma, she's taken ill. Just recently, too. I left home when I was eighteen searching for Colm and I haven't been back since. I wanna stop and see her."

"You sure you wanna be introducing me to your mother?" He raised an eyebrow.

"It's now or never."

He chuckled. "Fair enough," he stood, holding out his hand to help me stand, "come on then, cowgirl."

*****

We came outside Rhodes to a small cabin. I let out a sigh as I got down from Whiskey, leaving him near the entrance. It felt weird being back in the home that I was raised in. I walked up the steps and knocked slightly. I heard slow footsteps shuffle through the house until they stopped. Several locks were undone before the door opened slightly.

An older woman, who was definitely Ma, stood before me. She sized me up before throwing her hand to her mouth, her eyes flooding with tears.

"Rose?" She reached up to touch my face.

I let out a breath of relief. "Hi, Ma." I hugged her tightly. She wrapped her arms around my neck, running her fingers through my hair. "He's dead."

"Rose," she pulled away from me, stroking my cheek, "I'm just happy that you're okay." She glanced behind me, noticing Arthur tending to the horses. Her face twitched into a scowl. She then pulled me in front of her, staring me in the eyes. "What is he doing here?"