Caged In

Chapter 26

Sophia has a wide smile on her face as she spins around laughing softly to herself as she watches a squirrel scurry up a nearby tree, twitching its tail as its heart beats rapidly before it leans over the branch and starts to watch us in the safety of the height of the tree. She kicks up the leaves as they litter the forest floor and field mice scatter with squeaks in search of a new hiding place. "Having fun?" chuckling with amusement. She glances at me, covering her mouth as she giggles, "it's been a while since I've gotten to walk through the woods like this."

Raising my brow and crossing my arms as I step closer to her, she reaches out and snatches a leaf as it falls down towards the ground. She has a soft childlike side to her not many get to see. "You walk through the woods all the time at work." Sophia looks at me through a hole in the leaf as she holds it up and the image sticks in my mind as something that would make a great portrait. "That aint the same, Hotshot, that's work. Taking care of things or doing it because I have to. This is fun," she informs as her eyes close and her hand lowers as she inhales deeply, "everything is so fresh here. I'm getting to enjoy it." she tells me softly as her eyes slowly open and she looks up at me. "Can you smell it?"

"I can smell a lot of things, you'll have to be more specific," reaching out and taking the leaf from her hand she hums as she closes her eyes again.

"The leaves and dirt when you disturb them, the trees, the last of the crops being harvested in the farm lands," a smile grows more as she takes in the aroma of Autumn that swirls around us on the breeze as it gusts through, knocking down some of the last straggling leaves that cling to the trees. Soon a blanket of snow will encase them through the winter to wait for spring again.

New life and prosperity.

"At work I don't get the chance to take it in," she whispers softly as her gaze fixates on a chipmunk rooting around in a hole where she disrupted the leaves at the trunk of a tree. "I used to spend all my time outside when I was a kid, going through the fields. Even have my own horse at dads that I have ridden around his ranch since I got her. She's a real pretty mare," she looks back at me as a slight shine starts in her eyes as lightning flashes in them and her voice holds more of that southern twang I heard when we first met. I love the way her voice pitches and sweetens with her passion. I could listen to her read out of a cookbook like it was a classic with her voice like this.

"What's her name?" I ask as I step up closer and my arm wraps around her waist, smiling as I lean down closer for her, I want a taste of that sweetness.

"Roach."

I look twice at her as I stop leaning down towards her and I can feel the way my face cringes with aversion at the name but she only laughs at me, "are you kidding?"

"Nope! That's her name." she grins more and her eyes flash mischievously. "My uncle Nate and Aunt Cilla found her for me, she's a real pain in the ass for everyone."

"Is that why you named her Roach?" I can't keep the sour look off my face and she snorts, shaking her head.

"Conner suggested it actually from a book he liked," she tells me and I stand up straighter, "you let him talk you into naming your horse Roach." I make more of a face and she reaches up pinching my nose.

"Of course I did. As much of an ass as he can be, Conner and me grew up together. I don't hate him all the time, just most of it. Also pissed off my step mom at the time, she ain't into animals, so I thought it was very suitable for me and my situation. You won't be making faces or talkin' negatively about it.'' She gives me a stern look as her eyes brighten more and more and I merely nod my head before taking her hand and lacing it into mine as I tug her with me towards Grams home.