The Blue Mountain Affair

Sharing

“Are you saying I’m soft Lanie?” Joe asked while dusting himself down. 

Still laughing, herself, Lane replied.  “No of course not Joe you know what I mean!”  They both stilled at the sound of a whistle.  Joe looked over to Lane, the smile on his face disappearing.

“Come on lets get on with this before Peter has a fit.”  What! Lane thought as she looked up in he dorection to the their little hide out on the hill.  Of course the brothers would have secret signals too, she couldn’t help but smile.  Joe watched Lane as she inched her way closer to the remains of her once home.  He wasn’t sure what to do or say. He knew she needed a bit of time so he would give it to her before he pressed her for the place he needed to start digging.  He knew his brother would be watching and probably working himself up into a tither of impatience.  Joe knew as well as Peter that if it wasn’t the boys still hanging around, it would be a patrol out to hunt them.  With this thought in mind, and hating to rush her, he walked up behind Lane and lightly tapped her on the shoulder.  She flinched a little at his touch.

“Lanie we need to get a move on honey, I’m sorry to press you.”  She turned around, Joe wished she hadn’t as she threw her arms around his neck and cried.  Joe hesitantly wrapped his arms around the girl, and awkwardly patted her back. He looked back up to the bushes on the hill and hoped like heck that Peter could see his scowl.  Joe had actually been thinking while they were scouting out the place that he might encounter this.  He spent the whole time building himself up to a place he would be able to help her out if he needed to.  Well, he wasn’t doing too badly he thought.  What else does a girl want than to be comforted, and don’t they like hugs?  “There, there honey.  I’m sorry there're gone, honestly I am.” This wasn’t so bad he thought as Lanes crying died.  Now he might push her again to tell him where to start digging.

“It's almost as though Pa knew this would happen.”  Lane said between sniffs and ragged breaths.  There goes that thought Joe mused, he would give her another minute.  “He would always talk as though they wouldn’t be around forever.”

“It might not be that he knew honey, it might be that he was following a natural instinct.”  Lane pulled away from him and looked Joe right in the eyes.  Joe placed his weight onto one hip still holding Lane.  This closeness was making him feel uncomfortable.  He pulled his gaze away, only to have Lane move her head to find it again.  They looked at each other, not moving for a long time.  He noted the depth of colour in her eyes, they were a deep brown and her lashes framed them thick and long.  He could see there was more to her by simply looking past the prettiness of them; they gave him a glimpse of who she was.  He shifted again and this made her blink breaking the spell she held him by.

“I think you might be right there Joe.”  She looked back up to him and gave him a shy smile.  Joe loosened his hold and Lane took this queue to pull herself together by inhaling a deep breath and stepped out of his embrace.  Joe cleared his throat and placed his hands on his hips.

“I’m ready to dig when you’re ready Lane.”  He knew it might have been prematurely said but time was ticking on.

“Yes, yes your right.  There is no point in trying to figure something out when I have no way of changing it right?!” She was trying to hide her grief.  Joe had immediate admiration for her, she was a tough one, tougher than he had expected.  Once he retrieved the supplies he would take her back up to Peter and he could deal with the emotions she was suppressing.  Joe followed her past the burnt cabin and stable to the base of the hill near the side him and Peter went up.  She stopped, turned and pointed to the ground.  “Right here Joe but this rock is in the way, I know this is the spot but I don’t remember that being there.  Maybe someone knew about it and has already taken Pa’s stuff.”  Joe walked over to the place she was pointing to and looked back and forth from rock, to the side of the hill.  The rock looked more than twice the size of a human head but not too large that it couldn’t be removed easily, however, if he was correct about something, well, Joe could only be amazed at the thought.