one that told everyone else what to do. I’m the oldest girl. And... I spent a significant amount of time raising my sisters. That’s the thing. I took care of them. And I’ve been independent for a long time. I use my independence to accomplish things on my own, though. I know a lot of people who would have gone a little wild. Actually, my cousins were kind of like that.”
He sensed that he was missing a big chunk of her story. But he didn’t really want to push for more. Because it would end in conversations he didn’t want to have, and that he was certain of. That it would be far too easy to end up stuck there with Iris. And there was just no point.
“But not me. I used it to make sure that I can take care of myself. That I didn’t need anyone.”
That he understood.
How badly you could need to prove that you didn’t need a person or thing to get by.
To shake your fist at the sky, and declare that you wouldn’t be struck down.
That you could live, however grim it was. That you could go on.
“Anyway. I’ve never had any practice with being... With being a child, I guess. So, you can tell me what I’m supposed to do all you want, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do it. I’m going to do whatever I please.” She frowned. “I never really realized that before. Sometimes I feel so domestic and boring that I think maybe I must be a pushover. But I’m not. I kind of just do whatever I feel like, and now I feel like making a change, so I am.” The entire set of her shoulders changed then. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For telling me that I was strong. So that I could see it.”
He didn’t want her to thank him. And he didn’t know what to think about the warm sensation that spread through his chest. He hadn’t interacted with another person in so long that it was strange to have this now. Strange to have her react to him. To have her act like it meant something to her.
Stranger still, that it managed to touch something inside of him.
Mel would be happy about it.
He didn’t know where that thought had come from. And he didn’t like it, anymore than he liked the warmth in his chest.
“Well. Don’t worry about it.” He headed back over to his horse. “Are you ready to go back?”
“Well. If you are,” she said.
“Yeah. More than ready. I got more work to do.”
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
He wasn’t going to talk about the house. He wasn’t going to talk about anything. Already, things had gotten strange. Already, he had gotten in deeper with her than he had intended to.
There was no point.
Not for her. And certainly not for him.
He couldn’t think of anything to say on the ride back, and Iris seemed determined to fill the silence. A sweet, melodic voice filled the air, as she began to hum.
And it took him only a minute to recognize the tune.
“Could you not do that?”
“Sorry,” she said. “That song has been in my head lately. I don’t know why. We used to go to mass when I was a child, but Ryder was never all that intense about taking us, so I can’t say why I’ve had a steady stream of hymns going through my head the last week.”
“I don’t like them,” he said, his chest going tight.
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” he bit out.
Because he could hear another voice singing that song. “How Great Thou Art.”
For all the good it did you, Mel. For all the good.
But now, he couldn’t shake it out of his own head. And if he needed another reason to hurry Iris along, he’d found it.
“Thanks,” he said, when they got back to the paddock. “I’ll put the horses away and you can head on out.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“You should get the keys today or tomorrow. Feel free to head over. You don’t have to come over here.”
“When do you want me back?”
“How much food did you bring?”
“Enough for the next couple of days.”
“Then come back Saturday.”
“Have you liked anything particularly well?” Her brow creased, as she looked up at him from where she stood on the dusty ground. She looked young, and he didn’t think she was all that much younger than he was, but there was something about her that was fresh, new in a way that he simply would never be able