"There was no way I was going to let a charming smile, soft brown eyes, blonde curls, and a soldier's uniform drag me down from my state of independence."
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Josephine
I squinted my eyes as the warm, dusty wind blew in my face. For the first time that day, I looked around at the scenery. It was a beautiful evening, not too hot or cold. The deserted mountains looked dryer, but somehow less unsightly. The tan soil was sprinkled in small shrubs that Diablo carefully stepped around. The sun was low in the sky and I knew it would be dark soon.
All day, Jasper took me for rides on Diablo. While Clementine got her turns earlier in the day, she quickly became bored with it and decided to make paper dolls in the house. Each day, Jasper would leave before dawn to patrol the town. He'd always return to spend time with Clementine and me. These few days were nowhere near as awful as I thought they would be.
Altogether, I got to know more about him in the short amount of time. At sixteen, he'd lied about his age to join the army. He was skilled and quickly rose through the ranks. He said he had a knack for influencing the feelings of those around him and it helped when making commands. He was now nineteen and the youngest major in the Texas Calvary.
It had been a little under a week, and I was only certain of three things: One, Jasper Whitlock was a traveling soldier that had the potential of being killed in the war. Two, there was a part of me that knew this was going too far too fast, but didn't care. Three, I was falling hard for him at a frightening pace that was completely vulnerable to heartbreak.
"I have slept in these past few mornings."
Jasper looked up at me. "You look well rested."
I laughed to myself. "How long are you here?" I asked curiously.
"I was appointed to come here in case we needed to evacuate the town," he explained.
"So you won't be here long."
"Afraid not."
I didn't respond. The thought of him going back to fighting made me sick to my stomach. Though I knew that was his job, I couldn't ignore the sinking feeling within me. At the most, he would only be here a few more days.
"Houston is my hometown. My folks live here, so I always return," he added, probably sensin' my solemnity.
This lifted my spirits slightly, but not completely. He pulled gently on his horse, making it come to a stop. I looked away as he placed his hand on mine.
"I'm sorry about the war, Jo."
"Me too."
In the corner of my eye, I saw him tilt his head slightly. "Can I see those eyes of yours?"
