His Lady in White - Ace Merrill

A bride

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Chapter 2 - A bride
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"Is it out yet?"

"No."

"Is it out yet?"

"No."

"Is it-"

"You ask me one more time and I'm going to make you a one-footed bride."

"Shutting up."

Ace finished taking the splinter out of the base of Cora's foot before he closed down his switchblade and took his cigarette from his mouth, flicking the ash away before taking another toke.

"There, was that so difficult?" Ace asked rhetorically as he stood up, brushing himself down. "You might wanna wash your feet though, for a bride you sure got dirty feet."

"I've been walking barefoot, obviously they'll be dirty." Cora tried to exclaim as she went to stand up, wanting to take a few steps to the stream so she could wash her feet. "And I'm not a bride."

"I ain't been married before or been to a wedding before but you sure are looking like a bride to me." Ace mumbled, tilting his head slightly as he looked her up and down.

Cora grumbled as she stood up, carefully walking over to the stream as she held up her dress. She soon felt the cold, fresh spring water over her feet as she let out a small gasp at the coldness of it.

"So are you a bride?" Ace asked, pushing the topic.

"Yes- no- maybe- it's complicated." Cora mumbled all the answers possible as she sat down on the bank of the stream, letting her feet remain in the water.

Ace blinked a few times before taking a final drag of a cigarette, letting it fall to the floor as he squashed it out with his shoe. "I mean sure, that's one answer."

"What does it matter to you if I'm a bride or not?" She directed her question up at him.

He shrugged and came to sit beside her. "Figured I could hold you hostage, tie you up and keep you in the boot of my truck and make your new husband pay me a load of money to get you back."

Cora turned her head to look at Ace sat beside her as he rested his arms on his knees.

"That don't frighten you?" He asked with a small laugh as he looked at her.

Cora thought for a moment as she looked back down at the stream. She'd pulled her dress up so she could see her feet lightly splashing about in the water.

"What if I have to pee?" She finally asked as she looked up at him.

Ace took a deep breath. "I reckon I could let you out for wiz breaks."

Cora nodded as the pair seemed to fall into a surprisingly comfortable silence.

"You gonna feed me to?"

"Bloody hell woman you don't want much do yah?" Ace scoffed out as he shuffled on the spot slightly. "Besides I was always told it's a woman's job to make the food."