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Turns out Brittany hadn't breathed a word to her father, and for that I was grateful. When she'd returned home she'd gone straight to bed and told her father that Mr Evans had wanted to discuss business with me.
That girl was bright.
Mr Hummel still blushed every time I saw him, and scurried away quickly when I threw him a wink. I find it highly amusing, and somewhat cute because he's surely smitten with the deputy.
I remind myself to have a word with this Karofsky, scare him away from causing any harm to Mr Hummel's heart. The poor man looked like he'd shatter in an instant if any bad occurred to him and his relationship, and I was determined to keep that from happening.
Santana Lopez, Bully Whip, at your service.
Life was looking really good for me here on the ranch, and I was grateful for the friendships I'd forged. I'd been here two weeks now, and I was starting to feel like family. I smile as I walk past the general store, waving to the Changs as they sit behind their counter, idly counting their money. Tina's looking like she's gonna give birth any day now, and I can't wait until that day.
One of the girls in our gang had gotten knocked up six years ago, and Quinn and I had to deliver the baby on our own with nothing but a few dirty rags and a knife to cut the cord.
But I'm sure Mr Hummel could do a cleaner job than that.
I never did know what happened to that kid.
"Miss Lopez," I feel the breath wash over the shell of my ear and smile as I recognise Brittany's voice. "How would you like to escort me to the cliffside on such a fine day?"
"Why, I'd love to Miss Pierce," I smile and hold my arm out, giving her access to loop her own through. "All the chores finished?" Even though the week had gone by since I lost the race, I still help out with Brittany's jobs around the ranch. Anything to have some extra time with her.
"Just finished up," she smiles as we walk over to the cliff where we had such an important conversation previously. "Sirocco's gettin' restless though. I think he needs a good run soon. Fancy another race sometime?"
"Only if you promise to go easy on me this time, Britt," I laugh as we come over the hill to where the cliff ends, rounding the small gathering of trees.
I gasp quietly at the sight before me. Set out neatly on a nice blanket, none of the threadbare ones I'd seen around the ranch before, was a small array of food, freshly cooked or left in cans, with two forks sitting next to them. There's a few bottles of beer and Brittany smiles demurely as I look over at her in shock.
"Brittany…" I whisper, and she cuts me off.
"I know it ain't much," she shuffles nervously on her feet, stubbing the dirt with her toe. "But I figured we could spend some alone time together and well, I thought this'd be nice."
"This is nice, Britt," I smile and take her hand, kissing the back of it gently. "You are too sweet to me."
"You're as honest as a politician, Santana," she shrugs but smiles at me. "But I can tell you ain't that woman anymore. You're a woman that deserves a little sweetness in your life."
"Well, ain't you cute," I kiss her on the cheek, and she looks down and blushes.
Things with Brittany had been a bit terse after I came clean, and she remained silent the whole time we lay on the dusty ground, but she came around that night. I just think she needed time to process it.
And now, we're stronger than ever. Hell, the beaut had just lay us out a picnic as a surprise.
"We should eat," she motions for me to sit down and I take a seat on the left side of the blanket, looking out over the cliff. "Before the coyotes smell the meat and come after us." She sits down on the other side of the blanket, the food lying between us.
"Last time I sat down to eat with such a banquet we got attacked by wolves." I pick up a can and inspect it before setting it back down again. "One of the bastards bit me before we managed to shoot them. Wound took weeks to heal." I roll up my shirt sleeve and show her the scars that were once a gaping bite mark.
My body was almost covered with scars. You don't live a rough life in the wild and expect to come out sparkling clean.
Brittany trails her fingers over the scars and leans over to gently kiss them. I smile at the display of affection and feel a swell in my heart I was unfamiliar with. "You're an old hand with pain, ain't you, San?"
I nod and chew my lip, not wanting the conversation to be anything but light. "Shall we eat? I'm starvin', your father sure ain't let up the workload any."
"Sure," she picks up a large plate and piles a few pieces of meat onto it. "I cooked this all myself, I hope you like it. Took me a while, I ain't never been too good at cookin'." She smiles sadly, "mother always used to do the cookin', and when she died father took over. To feel close to her, I guess." She shrugs and I rub her arm gently, showing my compassion.
"I know how to cook over an open fire, and that's it. That's all I learnt. Got used to meat being burnt on the outside and a little bloody on the inside." I put some of the meat on my own place and take a bite. "This here's delicious, Britt." She flashes me a smile as I cram more into my mouth, moaning deliciously at the taste. "You should cook more often."
"Maybe I will if it draws sounds outta you like that," she smiles cheekily and this time I blush.
We sit there eating in a comfortable silence for some minutes, and I fill myself on beans, eggs and meat until I reach over for a beer. "I got some coffee too, if you prefer," Brittany nods over to a flask on the other side of her. "The good stuff, real sweet."
I ignore the beer and lean over to get some coffee, my face ending up inches away from Brittany's. We grin at each other sheepishly and I lean in, aiming for a chaste kiss, but Brittany's sweet kisses drew me in, and it was a few minutes before I force myself pull back and take a drink of coffee. "You should treat me more often," I wink at her and lean back on my elbows. "Sure is a beautiful view," I whisper, taking in the scenery below us.
"Ain't too bad from where I'm sittin' either," I raise my eyebrow at her and she mirrors me before laughing. "I don't think I've told you this, San," she licks her lips briefly, "but you are truly beautiful."
"Brittany…" I'm not used to being called beautiful, or anything like it. "You're the beautiful one," I say quietly, and her blue eyes light up. "I ain't never seen anyone so beautiful."
"Obviously you ain't never seen your reflection, Santana," she smiles cutely.
"You're so cheesy," we share a laugh and I scoot over, moving the plates and leftover food to the other side of me, to get closer to Brittany. "I like it, though." She's looking down at the ground again, and I slide a finger under her chin, tilting her head up to look at me. "I kinda love it."
Brittany smiles shyly and opens her mouth to speak but an urgent voice cuts her off.
"Miss Pierce! Miss Booker?" Someone calls out to us and I roll my eyes as Brittany sighs and pulls away. "You around here at all?"
I start gathering the leftovers and cleaning up as Brittany stands to round the copse of trees and meet whoever's calling us. There's a hushed conversation and Brittany rushes back towards me, pulling me up by my hand, the food scattering around. "Ignore it," she tells me as she takes the blanket and pulls me back towards the ranch. "We're needed back home."
Home. There was that word again.
"What's goin' on?" Brittany breaks into a run and I follow her, and I notice the guy who was calling us a little in front, but I don't recognise him. "Why're we runnin'?"
"It's the Changs," Brittany tells me around breaths as she runs. "Tina's bleedin'."
They just can't catch a break can they?
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