𝘊𝘖𝘕 𝘖𝘍 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘕𝘎𝘌 | ᴘʀᴇ ʀᴅʀ2

Chapter Seven

The group rode into town, John clutching Rosalie with an iron grip. If he squeezed any tighter, she might have popped, his fear of being on a horse preventing him from loosening his hold on her. All the bashfulness of being near a girl vanished when he was faced with the fear of being thrown off the galloping stallion.

Hosea and Dutch sent Arthur, Rosalie, and John to the store while they poked around, seeing if they could find any work or pick up on any leads. Rosalie suspected they were also going to discuss what they were to do with John. She didn't think they would send him away. It was obvious he needed their help, his malnourished and dingy appearance making her stomach churn. Rosalie had half the nerve to send John to a nearby inn for a bath, the grimy boy smelling as though he hadn't cleaned himself in weeks, which he probably hadn't.

Arthur hitched his horse near the general store and shot Rosalie a sideways glance to where she was perched on her saddle, John clinging to her from behind. "I'm gonna head to the gunsmith n' stock up on ammunition. You good to grab the rest of the supplies with...? Uh—?" he paused, realizing he hadn't caught the kid's name.

"John." Muttered the boy sourly, giving Arthur a not-so-nice look for his sideways expression.

"...with John." finished Arthur, now that he was supplied with the mangy boy's name. He quirked an eyebrow at the dirty boy for his attitude, and for the fact he still hadn't let go of Rosalie even though they were no longer moving, so he wasn't in danger of being bucked off.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Rosalie waved him off. She patted John's arm, signaling for him to let go. The boy didn't move though, his arms wrapped tightly around her center. Suppressing a chuckle, she simply blinked in surprise at the fact he was still holding onto her. "Uh... John, you have to let go now." She said, trying to conceal her amusement.

The boy made a noise of embarrassment and released her. "Ah–! Sorry! I knew that!"

Arthur snorted and walked away, shaking his head as he made his way in the direction of the gunsmith. He couldn't believe that Rosalie was doting on this kid. He didn't seem to have a clue about what was going on around him.

John hopped off the saddle with a bit of a struggle, but he landed in the dirt beside Blitz, looking around at the town. He fidgeted with the bottom half of his dirty shirt as Rosalie jumped down beside him. She turned to face Blitz, grabbing his reins to tie him up.

"Alright, why don't you head over to the general store n' see what they got? I'll meet you there in a minute. Don't cause any trouble." Rosalie tugged on the reins of the black stallion, hitching it to the post beside Arthur's horse.

John looked around through the dirty hair in his eyes, scanning the signs hanging over each building. "Uh... which one is that?" He asked, the embarrassment evident in his voice.

Rosalie paused and stopped tending to her horse, looking over her shoulder under the brim of her hat. Noting the tension in his shoulders and the way he ducked his head, she could tell he felt embarrassed. He continued to play with the bottom of his shirt as his eyes darted to and from each sign.

Rosalie considered her words carefully.

"John, do you know how to read?" she asked gently.

John's face twisted, turning red from the question. "No ma'am, I don't."

Rosalie finished tying up her horse, before coming over to John and patting him on the arm. "Don't worry about it. I'm finished, so I'll just walk you over."

John's cheeks flushed pink, but he nodded his head, thankful as Rosalie began walking up the steps of the store they were hitched outside of. His face turned an even darker shade of pink as it dawned on him that he had been standing in front of the correct store the entire time.