"Anytime, Cowgirl." : Arthur Morgan X OC

Chapter 3

She hummed. "Well, that's good, I guess. Loans and debts are a dirty business."

"Oh, I know. The whole damn ranch was accusing me of assault, so I had to get out of there fast, before any lawmen showed up and shot me dead." While he was telling the story, he looked to her.

Her messy hair was pulled back into a bun, and the front of her shirt and skirt were wet with soapy water and sweat. Her cheeks were rosy from the heat, and a few loose strands of hair framed her face. Her eyes seemed to shine in the sun. Specks of gold were visible, something he had not noticed before.

"So, are we going?" She asked, rubbing her hands together.

"Yeah, we'll take my horse." They crossed camp, and he helped her up after getting on.

She gripped his shoulders, but he laughed and corrected her. "Woman, do you know how to ride a horse?"

She bit her lip. "Um, I've rode on with my cousin when I was kid, but no."

He chucked and got off the horse. "Here, scoot up, onto the saddle. It's time for a quick riding lesson."

He hopped up on the horse behind her. He slipped his arms around her middle, so he wouldn't fall off. She grabbed the reins nervously.

"Okay, good now, just pulled the reins which way you want to go, which is right."

She did as he said, and the horse moved.

"Alright," he said. "now, to speed up, hit her sides with your legs. Don't kick her, just a little pat."

Jane also did that. It sped up to a trot. She couldn't keep a smile back as she lead the horse along the path.

"There you go, Jane. Now, since we're not in the forest, you can speed up. And don't worry, this is a smart horse. Even if you lead it into a rock, she'll go around it."

She hit Maple's side again, with a little more gusto this time. They sped up to a gallop.

Jane let out a breath. She had never felt more free in her life. The books really weren't exaggerating when they described the feeling of the wind in her face, and nothing but land in front of her.

Arthur couldn't help but smile. He'd never seen someone so thrilled by riding a horse before. Of course, he had been excited when he had first rode a horse, but he had been a young boy.

"Hey, you're a natural," Arthur said.

Jane laughed. "I don't know about that. You're just saying that because we haven't wiped out yet."

"You're not wrong," Arthur teased. "But it does seem like you've been riding for years."

"Well, thank you."

"Here, turn left here. Then just ride the trail into town." Arthur tightened his grip on her as they turned. He didn't feel like falling off right now.

The afternoon sun warmed then up as rode into town. "Now, to slow down," Arthur instructed, "Just pull back on the reins."

She did- and hard. They both almost went forwards off the horse.

"Jeez, not that much. Just a tug." Arthur said, sitting back up.

Embarrassed, she apologized. "Oh, Arthur. I just thought about this. I don't have any money. I mean, I have about twenty, but that's not enough to buy a decent horse."

He waved his hand. "Don't worry about that. We'll use some of the money from the train hold-up yesterday. Seems fitting."

She glanced back at him, almost running over a man in the process.