The sound of bustling life filled the formerly quiet clearing. Conversation, horses, someone chopping wood - the natural camp noise had returned. There was something soothing about them after all of the gunshots and screams of yesterday. Arthur was out on a fishing trip, he had already been gone when I woke up. I had slept in. I wasn't an early bird by any means, but usually I was up by 10 am. Today no one had bothered to wake me up.
Dutch had sent me to sleep pretty early yesterday, much to the dismay of Miss Grimshaw, who wanted to set up the new place as quickly as possible. The leader had justified it by listing all of the work me and Arthur had done that day. The shooting in Valentine, the search for the new camp, the rescue of the German man, which Arthur had told him about.
I hadn't noticed how tired I was until I sat down on my bed. I only took off my gunbelt and my hat and was out cold as soon as my head touched my pillow. I slept until noon the next day with Cat curled up by my feet.
Now I sat at the small table in the middle of the camp and tried to put the rest of the day to use by practicing my reading with the book about herbs Arthur had given me. I was only tree pages in, as there hadn't been much time to practice.
Squinting my eyes, I tried to decipher the name of another plant when Mary-Beth interrupted my focus. „Hey (Y/n)! I didn't know that you were into reading." She sat down next to me and tried to catch a glimpse of the open pages. „What is this?"
„Oh, nothin', really. Just lookin' up some herbs." I closed the book and stuffed it back into my bag. Mary-Beth and I had never really talked, except for an occasional greeting or a question. Her sudden interest made me suspicious.
„So, uhm... You've been spending a lot of time with Arthur, right?", she asked, her hands fiddling with the hem of her blouse.
„Sure?" I narrowed my eyes slightly. She squirmed under my gaze.
„I've been thinking... You aren't gonna tell him, are you?"
„Tell him what?", I inquired.
„Okay..." The young woman took a deep breath. „I thought you could maybe tell me if I got a chance with him?"
A long, heavy silence followed her words. I stared at her.
„He borrowed that book from me. A romance book.", she rambled on. „I thought that could be a sign?" Her eyes met mine, full of hope.
I didn't have the heart to tell her why he had borrowed that book in the first place. „Listen, Mary-Beth, I really don't know if he's... You know."
But there was a little voice in the back of my head, ordering me to tell her that he had gotten that book for me, how he had pressed me against the wall of Seamus cousins (by marriage) house, how he had kissed me back on that starry night in Horseshoe Overlook. I pushed it away, disgusted by it. I hadn't wanted any of these things. „He never said anything 'bout it.", I finished lamely.
„Do you think you could get him to meet me? Maybe for a ride or a walk? I know it's a little much to ask, we have barely talked at all, but you're the only one who's that close to him, I feel." He eyed were fixed to the ground while she talked, afraid to meet mine.
NO! , the voice in my head yelled. „Maybe.", I said slowly. „You might want to overthink this, though."
She sighed, a dreamy smile found her lips. „He's just so handsome, and friendly. Brave, intelligent. How could one not fall in love with him."
Heat rose to my cheek, a slimy, cold feeling crept into my heart. I didn't want her to talk about him like this. He was my friend, my partner in crime. If he had a girlfriend, he would leave me on my own once again, I justified myself.
Mary-Beth had spotted the grim look of my face, worriedly she asked: „What is it?"
„Nothing. I just don't want you makin' a wrong decision."
„So you are gonna ask him?" Her eyes lit up once again.
„I'll try.", I sighed.
„You're the best!", she smiled.
I didn't feel like the best while I walked through the camp towards the horses, the jealousy still weighing heavily in my chest. Smith looked up when he saw me and greeted me with a low neigh. The corners of my mouth rose, but it did little to lighten my mood. I tacked him up quickly, desperate to get away from the camp. I needed to clear my mind.
When I returned, the sun was already lowering. I untacked Smith, took the two turkeys I had hunted with me and left him to graze with the other horses. While I walked through the camp towards Pearsons wagon, I looked for Arthur. He had to be back by now.
The cool greeted me friendly when I dropped the dead animals on the counter. „Ah, Miss (Y/n). Was about time that someone got some decent meat. Are Mister Morgan and Miss Adler back yet?"I noticed how he clenched his jaw at the mention of the woman.
„I didn't know they were gone. What happened?", I asked.
„That woman is unbearable, I tell ya.", he snorted while he picked the two turkeys up to prepare them for the stew. „Threatened to stab me, that hag. Arthur took her to get the mail or somethin'."
„Well, that certainly sounds... interestin'.", I muttered.
„I recon they'll be back soon, been a while since they they left." He rummaged through a drawer until he found a knive. „I left some bones in the bucket over there, for the dog."
I smiled and thanked him. Then I picked the bones up and returned to my tent to wait for Arthur.
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-1021 words
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The wild, wild West (Arthur Morgan x f!reader)
Fanfiction(Y/n) (L/n) left Colm O'Driscoll three years ago. She is an outlaw, now dependent on nobody but herself. But when she ends up lost somewhere in the Grizzlies in an attempt to hide from the law, she has to accept the help of an old acquaintance, Dutc...
