To be Yours

Horse Flesh for Dinner

It seemed the closed Ranza got the camp the more her heart rate picked up. Soon the all-too-familiar dead trees that marked the entrance of camp came into view.

She didn't know who she hoped would be on guard, but she hoped it wouldn't be Javier. Though she knew she needed to face him; she didn't want to in the moment, she was unsure how he would react.

The hopes of it being someone else came to fate, it happened to be Sean. She cursed internally as he loudly welcomed her back to camp, a few heads in the camp looking towards the entrance way as she walked in nonchalantly.

Reining Canción into a stand she got off, glancing around nervously for the man who she came to love. From the look around she didn't quite find him, but she did see the Familiar overo; Boaz, grazing idly next to Brown Jack and The Count. Though he did perk up seeing the familiar horse and rider come into camp.

Loosening the cinch on her saddle she took the saddle bags off the back of him, and gingerly turned around to walk into camp. "Well, look who finally decided to bless us with her presence again." A raspy voice teased sarcastically, she pursed her lips at the scarred man. 

"Shut up." She muttered, his comment certainly not helping the nerves that had ahold of her at the moment. John snickered, "Good luck." He smirked without much context, walking away and leaving her confused. "With what?" She called out to him, only being responded with a lazy shrug.

Her throat dried up a bit more, if that was possible. She turned around and started walking towards the side of camp her's and Javier's was.

Abigail had waved to her, and she'd gotten a mix of reactions as she walked across camp. As her tent came into view she froze, a sheepish expression crossing her face as she looked at the ground.

Javier stood in front of the tent with an unimpressed look, his arms crossed; almost like a bored bodyguard. He raised a eyebrow at her, but Es didn't do much more than start back tracking her steps.

"Esperanza." He called shortly, her muscles tensing again. Javier rarely said her full name, and she knew it wasn't the best news when he did.

She looked abashed as she turned back around, a hesitant moment passed before she looked up at him. He sighed and gestured for her to come to him.

The gait she walked to him wasn't fast, but wasn't slow as she knew he meant business. Her eyes stayed trained on the ground and looked at his boots as she approached him.

He didn't speak for a minute as she looked up at him. She'd dare think there was a concerned look held behind his eyes, though maybe it was just annoyance and she couldn't read expressions.

"Have a good trip?" He said with a bitter  tone, her eyes trailed up and looked into his eyes with shame. Ranza opened her mouth, but no words seemed to come out. Javier eyed her saddle bags for a moment, no doubt wondering what she had found to fill them. "I thought you were dead."

At his comment her lips pursed, her eyes looking back away and out over towards the lake next to the camp. "Sorry..." she murmured, looking back at him smally.

He sighed. "Do I even want to know?" He asked, displeased. Her eyes dulled a bit, thinking he was thinking something not-so-good about her small disappearance. "It wasn't anything bad, if that's what you're thinkin'." She reassured, watching as his eyes desperately looked into hers.

Javier blinked as Uncle passed then nosily, a small eye roll coming from him. He opened the entrance flap of the tent, gesturing for her to go in. Ranza quickly ducked into the tent, sitting down on Javier's side of the bedrolls.

He plunked down next to her, watching as she slid the bag off her good shoulder. One of his hands came up onto her shoulder that got shot, and gently squeezed it.