Landmine - Post Malone

48

They leave the hospital and head into town. She is itching to get back to the ranch but frowns when Austin slows down and parks in front of what looks like a clothing store.

"What are we doing here?" she asks, grabbing the door handle. But Austin leans over, taking her wrist and pulling her hand away.

"You ain't got nowhere to be, little lady. Sit your ass in this truck."

"But..." she starts but lets her voice die off when one of Austin's eyebrows arches. He is in no mood to negotiate with her. He is also taking her home, so she won her battle and knows better than to start a second one on the same day. No one has the stamina for that.

"Alright, rancher," she says, kissing his cheek. He looks shocked for a second at how easily she gave up but doesn't linger and hops out of the truck, presumably before she changes her mind.

He isn't gone long. He comes out of the clothing store carrying a box ten minutes later. Curious, she sits up a little straighter and focuses on the box. It's brown and bigger than a shoe box, square, and has no markings on it.

"What's in the box?" she asks when he opens the back door and places the box on his back seat.

"Ain't your business, darlin'," Austin says, securing the box and climbing back into the driver's seat.

"Rude," she says, peeking over her shoulder at the box as he pulls out of the parking bay and heads toward the ranch. He chuckles but says nothing. She tries to ignore the box, but her curiosity is eating at her, so her eyes keep wandering over to the back seat. What the hell is in that box, and why is he tight-lipped about it?

They pull into the ranch, and at first glance, everything looks fine. But as they travel up the ranch road, Dillon can see the fields have been slightly neglected, no progress has been made on the fence, and a few cattle are wandering around in places they aren't supposed to be. She peeks over at Austin and sees his jawline is tight, and his eyes are flicking around all over the place. He doesn't look happy. She chooses to keep quiet and not point out what she sees, especially after his brow creases when two men run across the ranch road, chasing a rogue heifer and its calf.

When they pull into the ranch house road, she sees a group of men standing around Louis, who is clearly going through a list of things that need to be done. Austin sighs and climbs out of the truck. Dillon watches him walk around the truck to her side, his shoulders heavy. She knows that even though the men have tried to run the ranch in Austin and Louis' absence, they've struggled. She knows Austin is probably desperate to get back to working his ranch and getting it back under control, but his focus remains on her.

"No," she says, shaking her head when he opens her door and reaches out his hand for her to take.

"Dillon, I ain't in the mood."

"I am sure you are not. This ranch looks like shit. What would people say if they knew you had your wife living in this hellhole?" she asks, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at him. She watches as Austin sucks his lips into his mouth, using all the willpower he has not to explode. He is very sensitive about his ranch. He says nothing as he continues to stare at her.

"Mhmm. That's what I thought. Silence. You have nothing to say. Leave me be and go tend to this mess," she says. But he shakes his head. She is his central focus. The stubborn ass.

"Baby. I can get myself to the door and the couch. I will be fine. Please. Go tend to your ranch."

"I..."

"Please. I promise I won't move from the couch. It's just for the afternoon, and you will be back by dinner time."

Austin sighs and looks over to the men who all look extremely stressed as Louis continues to read through the list. There's so much to do; it's been piling up for almost a month.