Taking A Trip With An Outlaw

Chapter 8 - Stopping off Home

Chapter Eight – Stopping Off Home

As Liam packed the stuff together the next morning he thought of the evening before when he saw Grace standing before the mountain lion dead on the floor and the rattler hanging from her neck. Everything inside him went crazy at the image. She was everything that he had ever dreamed for and more.

Grace stirred in her sleep and mumbled names and places that Liam couldn’t make out until she sighed and whispered “Liam”

Liam turned towards her to see her still sleeping soundly. Why had she spoken his name? Was she truly dreaming of him? As Liam began to walk closer to Grace, ironically she stirred in her sleep and began to wake.

Grace opened her eyes and smiled “you already packed everything away Liam” she laughed “if you’d me I could have helped!”

“That’s alright love, it took me minutes. It was better that you stayed resting.”

Grace looked into Liam’s eyes and smiled a smile that almost stopped his heart. Almost.

“We’re going to be stopping off in the town of Griftley before we continue on to Longly” Liam stated and paused as he saw Grace grow pale “what’s wrong Grace, you don’t look too good?”

“Griftley is my home town” Grace gulped as Liam saw her become increasingly distressed

“We can skip the town and ride back to the previous one, it’s not too far. If you like?”

Grace stared out across the barren land as she slowly turned to Liam “I’ll try and go home. If we go through the town then I’ll have to go back to the house. I haven’t been back there in a while anfd I had to leave in a hurry, so if we go through the town then promise me you’ll come with me to my home?” Grace’s eyes pierced into his own and Liam saw the fear and pain there, he leant towards her and grabbed her hand.

“I’m always here for you Grace, let’s get off before you change your mind” Liam helped her get onto Much as he attached the last remaining saddlebags to Bessie and stomped out the fire. He mounted Bessie and stuck close by Muck and Grace as they rode towards the little town.

As they got closer Liam saw the empty streets with the bordered windows but as he looked at Grace she was staring ahead. They continued before seeing a little shop that had an open sign outside. They stopped whilst Liam flung off of Bessie handing the reins to Grace and going inside the shop to stock up on supplies.

As he entered the shop he gathered the supplies and paid with no conversation. The whole place was eerie and depressing.

Liam glided outside and placed the supplies in the saddlebags, splitting the food and water between the two of them. As Liam remounted Bessie he turned to Grace once more.

“Where to?” he saw a flash of emotion in her eyes but couldn’t decipher it.

“Follow me” Grace muttered as she led the way down a long, dusty road.

Shortly in the distance Liam could see a home that very much resembled his own home that he’d had with Freya, the yellow shutters and the white fence were uncannily alike.

Grace stopped and dismounted Muck before walking the remaining distance to the house; Liam quickly did the same after tying the horses to a nearby tree. He quickly caught up with Grace and slid hi hand into her own. She squeezed his hand gratefully and Liam wondered if that tingles that travelled down his arm were being caused in her own.

Slowly, together they opened the door as Liam evaluated the scene before him, it looked like a regular home, and the pot was still over the fire which had long since gone out. The curtains remained opened and the dead flowers were still in the vase that was located on a small table.

Suddenly Grace fell to her knees as Liam gently placed himself next to her in the room and cradled her in his arms.

“I’m home” she cried “I promised my Pa I’d make Longly pay with blood, and I’m home”

Grace cried in Liam’s arms as he held her tightly determined to never let her go. The house that looked like it had stopped in time tugged at his own memories as he continued to sooth Grace. He imagined her family all seated round the table and couldn’t help but wonder if he and Freya could have had that, if he could still have that.

The image of Grace and their family etched its way into his mind before he had a chance to change it.

Stopping off home had brought him closer to Grace and one thing was for certain he didn’t like to see her in pain, so once again Longly had hurt another person that he held dear.

Longly was definitely going to die by his hand.