SrCuervo
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🕑 Added 2024-12-14 04:15:49 +0000 UTCWind in the Smoke
Chapter 50 - Just Another Morning
Wrapped in a cozy handwoven blanket, Dante watched the sun rise over the mountain, not far from where his room was.
With an oversized steaming cup of coffee in his hands, he curled up in the wicker chair and tried to shake off the drowsiness.
He thought he wouldn't have any trouble sleeping, as he'd been quite relaxed lately, but as soon as the clock hit six in the morning, his eyes snapped open.
Obviously, no alarm had been set.
Reluctantly, he lay in bed with his eyes closed, unable to fall back asleep, until boredom and anxiety drove him to get up.
His body ached, he was still tired, and dark circles loomed under his eyes.
He seriously doubted he'd ever be able to sleep in again, not with the pressure of protecting someone being hunted by killers.
Early that morning, it was time for Scud to seek him out to play.
The little dog smartly rounded the hallway corner at a run, dashed up the stairs, and dropped a saliva-soaked tennis ball onto Dante's lap.
He sat beside him, tongue out, trembling with excitement, and stared intently at the ball.
Dante sighed softly, picked up the tennis ball, and tossed it out the window.
A few seconds later, Scud came back wagging his tail, slid to the other side, and gently nudged the ball toward Dante's feet.
Straightening his back, Dante looked up and saw Beth walking toward him with a curious expression. He threw the ball again in her direction.
The ball flew out the window, and as soon as Scud realized his target had vanished, he bolted off to fetch it.
"I didn’t expect you to be up this early," Dante said, taking a sip of coffee, recalling that the lights in her cabin had been on the previous night. "Or is it that you haven’t gone to bed yet?"
"I’ve got work to do, little brother—something you wouldn’t understand since you’ve decided to stay on this ranch, which I always begged you to leave." Beth didn’t want Dante stuck in this place, especially since he was the one with the least emotional baggage.
A sense of belonging played an important role, and Beth hoped Dante wouldn’t cling to it.
"I like it here," Dante replied, standing up.
"If that’s the case, I can only assume your dark circles are from a hangover after drinking wine most of the night. If that’s your idea of enjoyment, I’m disappointed."
"Are you sure that’s what you want?" Dante asked, throwing Beth off guard.
"I don’t know…"
"Well, I’ve always known what I want, and that’s to protect this family from harm, even if it means taking the bullets myself. But you’ve always known that, haven’t you?"
Beth nodded slightly, remaining silent.
Dante walked over to his sister and kissed her forehead. "Then I’ll get to work first."
"Take care." Beth watched her brother leave the room before heading back to hers to continue working.
…
Dante went to the back of the cabin first to inspect the land, hoping to get some ideas for the greenhouses.
The first thing that caught his attention was a darn crow staring at him from a distance.
After a moment, it continued digging its beak into the soil in search of food.
The clever bird pecked until it found something it seemed to like.
"Those are Lee’s potatoes…" Realizing the bird was already eyeing its next target, as if ready to enjoy a buffet on his land, Dante grew anxious. He grabbed a wooden stick and ran forward, trying to chase off the potato thief.
Startled by his shouts, the crow flew away in a panic, its black figure tracing an arc against the blue sky.
Dante stopped chasing it, looked up, and watched as the crow cawed above his head before landing on the branch of a nearby poplar tree.
Its glossy black feathers gleamed, and it stayed quiet, tilting its head and twisting its neck as it stared at him. Its bright, sharp eyes, like obsidian, seemed to wonder why a foolish human was chasing it away.
Dante didn’t want to keep fussing over it, so he quickly inspected the disturbed land.
"I really do love crows." Dante walked away after catching the attention of cowboys working in the distance.
Even Lloyd had approached, shotgun in hand, thinking something serious had happened.
Comments
Nato J
Does Dante still keep in contact with his fiancé Susie in England?
