Bucked

“Love,” she says. “Wait, did you say you loved him back?”

I blush. “Yeah.”

“Wow.” She’s excited now. “You’re in love with a cowboy! This is so exciting!”

“We’ll see, I mean, who knows how it will turn out!”

We get out of the car and head over to the ice cream stand on the side of the road. She orders mint chip, and I get chocolate.

“Sure, we can’t know, but we can be happy for the moment, can’t we?” She hands me the treat, and then clinks mine like a glass. “Cheers, Chastity! To love!”

After a good night’s sleep, a shower, and a decent meal, I’m ready to go back to the hospital. I grab the letter on my way out, and shove it in my purse. If Kanen is feeling better, we’ll talk about it, and if not, I’ll just try to figure out what I should do as I sit with him. I don’t want to leave Texas. I like it here, and I want to see where all this goes. But I shouldn’t have started working if I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to do so, and I don’t want to mess with the border control. It’s so strange to be a Canadian in the US. Everyone treats you like you’re one of them, until they don’t—and that means you’re out on your rear. Plus, if they deport me, I won’t be allowed back in, maybe for ten years. And then I’ll never see Kanen again.

Ugh. But I need to just get back to him, and see him. See if he’s “in his right mind” as Lacey would say. See if he still thinks he loves me or whether that was just some kind of drug-induced illusion.

“Chastity!” Kanen holds out his arms when he sees me. “To what do I owe this honor?” His smile is infectious. He must be feeling better.

“You’re awake!” I smile. Seeing him makes me feel shy. He’s been bathed, and shaved, and he’s looking like himself again, his few wounds just adding to his tough demeanor.

“Sure am. I’m a new man,” he grins. “And happy to see my woman.”

I go over and hug him, but I’m a little torn about giving him a kiss, so I turn my head away.

“What’s going on, babe?” he asks.

“Oh nothing,” I lie. I don’t want to trouble him. “When are you getting out of here? You look like you’re feeling better.”

“Yeah, a bit. Not a hundred percent though, but I am alive, and that’s what counts. On the mend!”

“Definitely.”

He grabs my hand, and winces.

“Still in pain?” I ask.

“Better since seeing you,” he says. “But yeah, I get a twinge every now and then.”

“When are they going to let you out of here?”

“Should be later today, or tomorrow if they don’t give me the go-ahead.”

“That soon?” I ask.

“I guess so.”

“Will you be okay?”

He touches my face. “I guess I was hoping someone would want to look after me a bit,” he says, winking.

“I’d be happy to,” I say, but I can feel the flash of doubt go across my face. I turn my head so he doesn’t see.

“Well there, Canada, you don’t have to if it doesn’t suit you,” he grins. “You know I can always hire someone. But it would be nice to have you around.”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Well what is wrong?” He looks puzzled. “There’s been something off since you walked in here.”

“Kanen,” I say. “I don’t quite know how to tell you this, but...” I pull the letter out of my purse and hand it to him. He scans it slowly.