HERS |Tris Morgan x Jack Marston |Book III of HIS

"Soften"

Tris's hands had worked double speed to saddle up. The silence had stretched out across the barn as her Father cinched Linc's girth into place. She kept stealing glances, hoping to understand what this was about but he kept his back to her as he led his horse from the barn. His tense shoulders however were a dead giveaway that something was coming.

When Jack had stormed after her Father, she had been torn between following them or staying behind. But the intensity in their exchange, the raw emotions that radiated off them, had convinced her that she needed to give them space.

Now, as she headed out to meet her father, she could see him and Jack standing a few yards apart, beside him, you were engaged in a heated conversation. Your voice is low and intense, carried away by the wind. Tris couldn't make out the words, but the concern on your face spoke volumes.

She approached cautiously, unsure of what she was walking into. The tension in the air was suffocating, as if the very atmosphere held its breath, waiting for a resolution. Tris glances from her Father to Jack, trying to gauge their expressions for any clue.

Arthur's face was set in a stern, determined expression, his eyes fixed on Jack. His grip on the reins of his horse was tight, and his whole demeanor exuded an air of authority and resolve. Jack, on the other hand, seemed conflicted, his brows furrowed and his shoulders tense.

As Tris draws closer, Arthur's voice rises slightly, though his words were still muffled by the distance between them. Your response was softer, your tone tinged with both frustration and worry. Tris strains to catch any fragment of your conversation, her heart pounds heavily in her chest.

Just as Tris is about to call out to them, her Father abruptly turns away, his jaw clenches tightly. He walks towards her, his steps are heavy with purpose. Tris holds her breath, unsure of what was going to happen next.

"Tris," Arthur says, his voice gruff but with a hint of tenderness. "We're going for a ride."

Confusion swirls inside her, but she nods, "Okay."

Arthur's gaze softens, and he reaches out to squeeze her hand briefly before letting go. "Mount up, we've got a long ride."

Tris complies, mounting her horse with practiced ease. As she settles into the saddle, she steals a glance at Jack, who is standing a few paces away. Their eyes meet briefly, and Tris can see the confusion mirrored in his own face.

With a heavy sigh, Arthur swings himself onto his horse, his gaze fixed on the horizon as he spurs Linc onward signaling for her to follow.

An hour or so later...

Tris squirmed in her saddle, the persistent swaying of Rufus's gait caused an ache to radiate through her backside. The entire ride, her father hadn't uttered a word to her. She had fixated on his back, obediently following his lead as they carved a path westward across the rugged terrain of the East Grizzlies. She knew the trail well since it was the route they took to visit her Uncle Charles and Aunt Tiio and she began to wonder if that was where they were headed.

Unable to endure the stifling silence and the growing discomfort any longer, Tris calls out ahead.

"Pa!"

Arthur seems to snap out of a trance, his head jerks back as if he had momentarily forgotten she was with him. "Where are we going?"

"It's just a little further." he sighs turning back around.

Her father was a fearsome man. She'd heard the stories of his past as the gang's infamous enforcer. Some days she'd found it hard to believe. Her own memories of the past had somewhat faded and since they had found their peace she had seen nothing but a giant teddy bear that was her 'Papa', even recent events hadn't truly shaken her image of him. But right now, his quietness was scaring her more than anything she'd ever seen from him before.