Author's notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter three of "Not an Afterthought." This chapter introduces Louis and Sarah. There is some Sarah/OC as well. I felt it was important to have the couple in the fic as Sarah stated she was getting married at the end of 'Stolen Women: Captured Hearts.' It would not have made sense if she showed up without him. Stay tuned for chapter four.
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Chapter 3: Around a Campfire
A Cooper's hawk flew above another part of the plains. It flapped its wings on occasion. It emitted a series of squawks. It saw a wagon coming into view. The wagon seemed to have smoke rising from the side of it. It went past that, revealing twenty-eight-year-old Louis and Sarah sitting around a campfire. Four slices of bacon and four eggs were cooking in an iron skillet on a stand. Two Morgan stallions named Piper and Raphael grazed nearby.
Louis tapped his hands on his legs. He was Caucasian and happened to be rather tall. His skin was rather pale. He had blue eyes and short blond hair that had a shagginess to it. His frame was lean, yet it contained some muscle. Two scars could be seen on the backs of his hands. His cheeks contained many freckles. A line went across his forehead.
Piper moved his ears forward before swiveling his tail. He emitted a soft snort. He was the bigger of the two stallions. He was dark brown all over with the exception of a black mane, a black tail, and a white spot in between his blue eyes. His cheeks had scars starting from the front and going back. A tiny white spot could be seen on the tip of his nose.
Raphael looked up with a loud snort. He licked his lips before shaking his head. He was dark brown everywhere, except for a white line extending from his forehead to his nose and white sock markings stopping just under his knees. His mane and tail were shorter than that of most Morgans. The middle of his back contained a small scar. He heard whistling and looked toward Louis, who had just overturned the bacon with a fork.
"The bacon is looking very good," he said warmly.
"I am so glad. I am feeling very hungry," she responded with a giggle.
"If only the horses could eat some bacon like us," Louis joked and glanced at Piper and Raphael along with her.
"They seem fine just eating grass," Sarah replied as they turned to each other. She smiled in a warm way. "Besides, I do not think they'd like the taste."
"The taste is just fine to us," Louis said as she scooted over to him. "You can get so many different cuts of meat from pigs."
"My favorite is bacon. It is the easiest to cook," Sarah said while raising her eyebrows.
"Mine too," Louis agreed and put his arm around her. "The only thing I do not like is burning myself when I touch it."
Louis hugged his wife, who put her arms around his waist. He rubbed her arm so gently that it seemed he was not even doing that. They released their hold on each other. They inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly before forming big smiles on their faces.
"I love all this wide open space. It seems to go on forever," Sarah said, sighing contently.
"Yes, it does," Louis agreed while cupping his chin in his hand. "Of course, we will encounter some trees at some point."
"I remember climbing the occasional tree when I was a little girl. It was so much fun. Father encouraged it, but Mother worried about me falling. He suffered a broken arm from falling out of a tree when he was a boy. That never stopped him," Sarah explained.
"I went frogging all the time when I was a boy. Then my family and I moved to St. Louis. I couldn't do that unless we went camping out on the plains. That was a rare thing," Louis commented honestly. "There are not many places to play in a city."
"You can play games in the street, but it is not the same as doing it in the open," Sarah whispered sadly.
He frowned. "No, it is not."
"At least this summer has been rather balmy. It made for the perfect time to head out here," Sarah commented, happiness radiating from her face.
"Summer is the typical season for storms. They often pop up without warning," Louis responded seriously.
"It is sunny one minute. It is pouring down rain the next minute," Sarah said, chuckling. "It is crazy."
"Twisters are not unheard of either," Louis added and smacked his lips. "Those bastards can do so much damage. I have seen houses reduced to nothing after they passed through."
She shuddered. "Let's hope we never see one while we are out here."
Louis and Sarah heard screeching. They glanced upward to see a red-tailed hawk flying overhead. They watched it until it vanished beyond the horizon. They looked at each other with smiles on their faces. She grabbed a curl and twirled it around her finger.
"Hawks are such amazing birds. The red-tailed hawk is my favorite one. I love how every part of its body is brown and white, except for its tail. The feathers are bright red," Sarah said, giggling to herself.
"It's my favorite too," Louis agreed. "There are no trees for perching out here, but that does not stop hawks from hunting for food."
"You can find buffalo out here too. You may not see them for days before a huge herd shows up. The Indians use just about every part of them," Sarah commented.
"Come to think of it. We are actually in Indian territory right now," Louis pointed out matter-of-factly.
"We should not have anything to worry about. We have plenty of ammo," Sarah said, folding her hands and laying them in her lap. "It is important we never shoot unless we are attacked first."
"Of course," Louis said with a nod. "However, that does not apply to hunting for food."
Sarah scratched her chin. "I tried pronghorn during my captivity. It tasted good. Of course, it'll never be my favorite dish."
"I tried it once. I didn't like it," Louis said, shuddering disgustingly.
"No two people have the same taste for things," Sarah commented.
Louis nodded in agreement. "Right."
Louis grabbed the fork and lifted each piece of bacon. He found none of them were done. He set it aside before running his hand over his face twice. He bent his knee and laid his arm on top of it. He tapped his fingers against his calf while clicking his tongue.
"I may not be fond of Indians, but I do hope Anna is living a good life with Tokalah. I miss her a lot," Sarah said, sniffling and feeling a tear fall down her cheek. "Despite being irritated she committed adultery with him, I could tell she was in love with him. I realized you couldn't control who you fall in love with, even if you were married."
"I do not blame you for getting scared when Daniel grabbed you after you accidentally let it slip you encouraged Anna to leave him," Louis said, growling angrily.
"I never thought he would act like that. Even if I had not said it to him, someone would have likely found out by overhearing me talk about it. They would have told him. He would have confronted me at some point," Sarah said, feeling her body shake a bit.
"If I had been there, I would have defended you with everything I have," Louis said, taking her hand into his.
"I said it before. I will say it again. I am glad Anna left that bastard. He never deserved her as a wife. Stewart feels the same way," Sarah responded in great determination. "Tokalah is more of a man than he ever was."
"Do you think Daniel is looking for Anna right now?" Louis wondered.
"I believe so," Sarah admitted, her heart skipping two beats. "It took a year for Anna and me to be found. I would say the tribe is being a bit more careful this time. If he does find her, I have no doubt Tokalah will protect her with his life. He cares for her that much."
"I hope Stewart and Ian are having the time of their lives exploring the plains," Louis said, setting his leg down and putting his arm around her.
"Me too, darling," Sarah said as she leaned into her husband's embrace. She sighed in much content. "Me too."
Louis kissed Sarah's temple while rubbing her arm lightly. He released his hold on her. He laid his hand on his leg. He patted his hand on it and whistled twice. She couldn't help but giggle.
"You are a good whistler," she complimented.
"Thank you," he replied and tickled her chin. "I can't help but wonder if Tokalah and Anna have had a baby. I bet their child would be a perfect mixture of both parents."
"It is possible they have," Sarah agreed. "I wouldn't mind having a child of our own someday." She touched his arm. "Children bring joy to the world. They are our future. They could be anything if they are willing to try."
"I would love to have a child with you," Louis said and rubbed noses with her. He flicked it twice. "I think it would look just like you, especially with your curly hair."
"I think it would look just like you, especially with your eyes," Sarah said and grabbed his nose. She moved his head from side to side. She let go of it before flicking his chin. "Oh, yes."
Louis kissed Sarah on the lips twice. She started talking about the time Ope played a prank on her.
