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Hazel holds him close till she hears the kitchen door open softly then she turns her head and sees Linda standing sadly by the open door. She flicks her head at Hazel to take him inside. Hazel loosens his heavy arms from her waist, "come, baby," she whispers and tugs him. He goes easily. She takes him through the still quiet kitchen, up the stairs, and to the bathroom. She undoes his buttons as he stands silently watching her fingers dance over them, he moves a little when he helps her take off his shirt. Then she undoes his belt buckle and gets on her knees, he watches as she pulls off his muddy boots one at a time and then his pants. She stands and then turns on the shower and removes her own clothes which are also now caked in dirt. Then she takes his hands and pulls him carefully into the spray. She turns and grabs the soap but when she turns back he has turned away from her. His hands are placed on the wall as he leans with his head bowed. She washes him, wishing the dirt that falls and disappears down the drain was his hurt.

She dries him once they are out, he just stands there. His face broken and his thoughts a million miles away. She looks around and sees no clean clothes...their clean skin will just have to do. She takes his hand and opens the door, peeping out. Evelyn's door is still closed and her bedroom light is off. She opens the door wider and then takes Austin to his bedroom. Closing and locking the door behind them. She pulls back the bed covers and gently pushes him in then climbs in beside him. Austin rolls over and slings his arm around her, pulling her close and buring his face in her neck. She lies there quietly as he lets his tears silently fall onto her skin. She listens as his breathing shallows and then eventually he falls asleep. She hears Evelyn bump around softly as she wakes up and then leaves to tend to her heifers and calves before school.

She watches as the sky slowly turns pinker and then eventually orange while Austin's tears slowly dry on her skin. Then she hears Evelyn come back, shower, ready herself, and then leave for school. She watches as the orange sky slowly melts into a light early morning blue, the color of Austin's soft eyes. She understands now, she never thought she would, but she understands now. Austin has the power to make Lightning stay but because he is the man he is he would never betray his friend like that. On the day they met almost twenty years ago, Lightning chose him...trusted him, and he had been right to do so. Austin had the power then and he has the power now to keep Lightning. To break him in and ride him till his legs give out and his raven black mane turns grey with age. But Austin made a promise and no matter the pain he is experiencing now - he will not break it, he will not denounce the bond they share. Austin is the strongest man she knows. She loved him yesterday and the day before that...but today, her love for him knows no bounds. She will die for him.

The sun is already high in the sky when he finally shifts, pulling out of her neck and looking up at her. Her heart pounds in her chest, she will go without any fuss if he asks - but she hopes he doesn't. "You came back," he whispers, his voice strained and cracked. "You needed me," she whispers back, hope starting to run through her veins. Austin watches her as he slips his hand under the covers and slides his hand slowly down, between her breasts, over her belly, and between her thighs, pushing them apart and inserting a finger into her. She gasps quietly and her eyes roll back at his touch. He watches as she whimpers and slowly works up a steady consistent circle with his thumb as he dips his fingers into her. Then suddenly his fingers are gone and he moves, settling himself between her thighs. Lowering his head he sucks on her skin, over her neck, her shoulders, and her breasts, mapping her out. He positions himself after Hazel starts squirming under him, she tries not to but she is desperate for more of him. She clings to him as he slowly starts to push into her, pausing when she whimpers as she tries to get used to the stretch. Hazel feels her eyes roll to the back of her head slightly once he is buried deep inside her. Then softly and slowly he starts thrusting, there is meaning behind every soft thrust as he watches her carefully. She can feel her orgasm start down at her ankles and softly move up a little higher every time he thrusts in and then draws out slowly again. She wills it away, she wants to stay like this forever. But her body betrays her and she rolls her hips slowly along to his thrusts, by the time it reaches her lower belly her whole body is covered in goosebumps, and she vibrates.

Austin builds her orgasm up slow and steady and the way he keeps his eyes locked onto her has her tumbling over the edge, her orgasm exploding as her mouth opens to scream, but he covers it with his and swallows every sound that rumbles out of her mouth. Austin continues to fuck her softly through it and once she has come down and looks at him she finds he has pulled back, looking at her with a soft smile and hooded eyes.

~

Austin lifts his hand and runs it through a beam of sunlight that has filtered in through the window and over the bed.

"Evelyn will be home soon."

"Oh...do...do you want me to go?"

"Where would you go?"

"Salt lake City."

"Why?"

"I...I don't know."

"Neither do I."

"Should...should I just stay home?"

"Yes."

Hazel looks at Austin and then frowns as he lays in bed and looks up at her like the past few weeks never happened. "Austin, we need to talk about this," she says. "I read your letter. There is no more left to be said," he says in that stupid slow Southern drawl of his. She moves into a sitting kneel, bouncing him and the bed as she goes, and then looks at him angrily. He looks back at her, eyebrows raised in surprise at her anger. "You never talk. You speak in half sentences and stupid cowboy sayings and then you get mad when I battle to understand the underlying meaning. It's infuriating!" she says, raising her voice. "Stop your naggin'. I said you could stay," he says, still in that slow drawl. Hazel wants to gauge his eyes out.

"But you didn't! I asked if I should leave. You asked where I would go and then-"

"No need to go repeatin' the conversation darlin'. I was there."

Hazel glares at him and then climbs out of the bed in a huff. She stalks over to the dresser and grabs a set of clothes she had left behind, just in case, and then gets dressed.

"What are you doin'?"

"Getting dressed!"

"Why?"

"Because I am going back to Salt Lake City!"

"Thought you didn't have anythin' to do there."

"Austin!" she shouts and throws the shirt she has been fussing with on the floor and glares at him. "I want to talk! I need to talk! I need to tell you how sorry I am, I need to tell you that I will never lie to you again and will spend the rest of my life making it up to you! I need to tell you that I can't breathe without Evelyn! I need to tell you that I love you, that I will love you till I die! I need to tell you that I know you hate me, but I hate myself more! But most...most of all...I need to hear you say you want me to stay...if that's what you want...I need to hear it or I will doubt it every fucking day, and I am sorry I am shouting and crying and fucking demanding, but..." she shouts, she does not know if he heard the last of her words because she is now crying. Great. Austin watches her for a while, not moving, just watching. Then he gets out of bed and walks over to her. "I want you to stay. I love you, and there ain't no more use in saying sorry, darlin', you are forgiven...this is your home," he says.

And well, that's that.

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