Whispers of the South Wind

Chapter 13

"I'm proud of you," He said with a smile, throwing on the blinker and turning onto the small gravel road that lead up to your house, "I think you'll be good for him," you turned to glare at him, and he quickly held up a hand in mock defeat before giving you a smile.

"As friends. You'll be good for him as a friend."

Thankfully, the conversation ended there as he parked, Keigo pulling in beside you both. The three of you got out of your respective cars, and you couldn't help but notice Keigo's red eyes, your heart twisting at the thought of him finally allowing himself to cry in the car just because he was alone. He shouldn't have to hide his hurt from people, especially not you. You would never judge him like that.

You gave him a small smile, hoping to reassure him, which he happily returned before you led everyone to the small shed beside the barn to grab some shovels. Both horses blinked at you curiously as you passed by the paddock before Loki stomped his feet in agitation as the boys passed by. Anthony turned to glare at him, quickly wrapping his arm around Keigo and pushing him forward past the agitated stallion.

"Loki?" Keigo asked Anthony, who let out a snort and nodded his head.

"Ya guessed it. Damn spawn of the devil, I swear to God. I'll never understand how Luke managed to actually ride the asshole." Anthony said with a sneer and Keigo blinked at him, his curiosity written across his face. You rolled your eyes, opening the door to the shed and grabbed a shovel, handing it out to Anthony who was still talking to Keigo about Luke.

"I mean Luke liked animals as much as the next guy, sure, but I can't think of a single thing he mighta did different than me." Anthony complained loudly, glancing over just long enough to grab the shovel before turning back to Keigo with a sigh. "I mean ya would think the damn idiot would wanna be ridden-"

"Maybe he just doesn't like you specifically? I mean he was always difficult but Abby never told me nothin' about him chargin' like that while he lived at the ranch." You cut in, causing Keigo to let out a small chuckle as Anthony turned his annoyance towards you instead.

"Just me my ass," He retorted as you finally managed to grab the other shovel that had been buried under the wheelbarrow and potting soil. You closed the door, sighing as Anthony shook his head and crossed his arms, a large grin spread across his face. "Guess we will find out when Keigo tries his hand at it,"

"I would love to meet the horses, yes." He said with a smile, glancing back at the paddock with an expression so soft it almost melted your heart. "But we bury Nugget first." You clutched your shovel as his voice cracked slightly on her name before he cleared his throat quickly.

"We got plenty of time to meet the horses and everythin'," You told him softly, before turning back towards Anthony "Why don't ya go get Nugget and I'll take Keigo down to the river so he can pick where he wants to dig?"

Anthony nodded his head in agreement, handing Keigo his shovel before quickly heading back towards his truck. You turned and smiled, motioning for Keigo to follow you down towards the river.

"I normally ride down there, but it ain't that long of a walk." You said with a chuckle as he followed you. "Think ya can handle a bit of a hike?"

He laughed, his amber eyes dancing with amusement as he grinned back at you. "Have I gained that much weight that you think I can not handle a walk? I know I do not work out so much anymore, but I do not think I am that lazy."

You giggled at his response, unable to stop yourself as he smiled back at you before quickly looking away, his face slightly flushed. He really was funny when something crazy or traumatic wasn't happening. It was honestly nice to see him smiling, especially after everything that had just happened. Happiness looked good on him, you hoped you would be able to see it more.