Arshi FF - Dusty Haven - [TH#2 Link on Index Pg 1] - Page 41

Answering Post - 2

Color scheme of story

I've decided to stop using GENEVA for the body because it doesn't lend itself well to the accents I want to place on certain words.  So from this point on, the following will be the schemes which I will use as pointers for parts of the story. Hope it helps.

Times New Roman, Italics, Maroon - Prologue 

Times New Roman, Regular, Blue - Current day in Story

Georgia, Italics, Dark Grey - Dreams

Georgia, Italics, Green - Flashback

Times New Roman, Italics, Pink - Poetry

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Chapter 8 and 9 (13/05/2013)

Dimz (Page 59) : BTW for the dresses you describe...where do you go for reference...it's very very descriptive...!

GOF: All in my head, dear. I happen to like that period very much, so have a good memory of what style of dresses were used. So I make them up as I go along. Thank you for liking the descriptions. 

AnnieK (Page 59) : Your entire comment

GOF: Thank you, thank you!! I took it all as a compliment - believe you me. We should exchange notes on our favourite Westerns some day! My fav opening sequence is from 'Once Upon a Time in the West' - Henry Fonda and Charles Bronson. What an outstanding sequence of ten minutes and NO dialogues. Amazing. But that is Sergio Leone for you! and the absolutely haunting harmonica background score by Ennio Morricone. Doesn't get better than that. 

Kishmish: Hope you feel better soon, dear. 

avmcmyd (Page 57): Is there any code in the colour of chapter index and chapters with different colours to be decoded. If so give me a hint please because I am thinking there must be some significance in the usage of colors.

GOF: There's no color coding in the Index. However, the story will have color coding in the text. So far it's been a bit non-standards. So I've included the coding and fonts above to show what I mean. You're right about the Spanish - IF wipes out some of the special characters. Hopefully, I can work around it. 

Eccentrica (Page 54) : I wonder how Khushi didn't catch up on the same.

GOF: Thats 'cuz Khushi was still reeling from what happened earlier. So she wasn't really focusing on Akash and Payal. 

Chapter 10 - 5/15/2013

I found quite a few common questions, and as I said previously, I'll try to address most of them without giving out the plot. 

Why does't Khushi carry a gun?/Khushi should carry a gun!

Khushi carries a rifle. A large bore one that is good for long range targets, but isn't good for a swift draw. But she can use it, she's already done it in Chapter 1, and I have plans for that rifle she carries. And no she doesn't carry a gun, but maybe a knife wouldn't be a bad idea now, would it? So hold on to your hosses. 

Male Chauvinism and Sexism in the mid-late 19th Century - the Wild West.

The essence of the Wild West story is the clear cut definitions between good and evil. Men lived not just by their brains, but by their ability to be physically stronger and faster than their opponents. The lack of sophistication in their life-style made is easier for the primal instincts to come out. Men were chivalrous - like ASR/Akash/Aman or they were  crude, sexists - like Rocky and Manny. It is this chivalrousness in ASR's nature that prompts him to not take up Khushi's request. His gut instinct is to protect his near and dear ones. Fight for them. If need be, die for them. I would never call ASR a sexist by that very token. He is doing what is right for the time and the place.

I struggled a lot about including the piece about 'going', but then I decided to include this as a basic need. For men, its no big deal - hadn't been then and isn't now. But for a woman, privacy during these times is essential - was then and still is now. The fundamental biological differences between men and women dictated behavior during that time. It's as simple as that. The evolution of science helped women to balance the scales a lot in terms of physical inequality. Though till date, how many of you are okay using Portable Potties at outdoor events without worrying about the possibility of infection? 

Why didn't I write this story set in India, in rural India, using the same time period?

Very simply, because I can't think of ASR in that milieu. Men in India during that time were far more sexist, more conservative. During that period, India was going through the aftermath of the Mutiny of 1857 - the need to throw off the yoke of British rule. The same was happening in the US - the Civil war was only a few decades away. I wanted neither to be a backdrop of the story. Besides who doesn't drool over the idea of a horse-riding, gun-toting Arnav Singh Raizada?

PS - Tina is writing one called Desert Heat during that period, and it's an awesome read!

The need to include foreign language names, phrases.

The Spaniards were already in the US during this time. The lines between Mexico and Texas/New Mexico would be drawn much later. But it was already a part of the sub-culture. The Native Americans in that part of the country were sometimes friends and sometimes foes of the locals. The mysticism and nature worship of these people has always fascinated me. More so, because every time I am in that part of the country, I get mistaken either for a Hispanic or a Native American! Also, there are some words in Spanish have more impact (I mean, doesn't Ahora sound better than Now?), hence the usage of Spanish phrases. 

Does Nanny have Native blood in her? 

No, she doesn't. The white men were the real intruders in their world. This was their land, their spirits roamed here, and this was their way of life that was disrupted after the white man came along with his guns and whiskey and diseases. But a lot of white people actually embraced them, understood them, their life, their living. They understood the deep ties that the natives had to Nature. Same with Nanny. She and her husband befriended the Apache, and respected them. In turn, they respected the Raizadas because they did not abuse Mother Earth. She also brought up Arnav, Akash and Anjali with these same values. Arnav even befriended the local Apaches (as you will see in Chapter 11).

A lot of questions about Shyam.

I haven't dwelt on Shyam so far. But of course, in the coming chapters you will see more of him, and hopefully see him in a light that might surprise you all. I cannot answer most of the questions that you raised about him. They would give away his motives, his character, his actions and most importantly, the whole plot. One thing I will clarify is that Shyam also never saw Khushi that night. He followed a girl. He does not know who she was, he never clearly saw her face. She was only 17/18 at the time. 

The Kiss

I honestly did not expect such a range of conflicting opinions on the kiss. Some loved it. Some did not, especially since its her first kiss. How was the poor guy to know? He kissed her because he wanted to. This is the essence of the kiss - WANT. His acknowledgement that he WANTS her, in the most basic way of course. And we know, don't we, that when WANT changes to NEED, attraction has changed to love. It's early days for our couple. They'll get there. 

For those that have followed my other stories (you know who you are) including the non-Arshi ones - Chapter 10 or Chapter 11 invariably has the first kiss. And it's rarely a kiss in love. Its almost always a kiss of exploration, of taking and of want, and mutual attraction expressed.

It's something that I've done unconsciously, and somehow, it turns out that way. How could I not do it with Dusty Haven? This kiss too, was an unplanned one, not just by ASR - but even the author! 

Difference between a wigwam and a tepee?

I know this question will come up so I'm answering ahead of time. The wigwam is an oval shelter and is semi-permanent or permanent in nature. A tepee is the conical tent that you see in movies, and is usually made of skin and is easily portable. In the Apache village, they live in wigwams. 

What do Piishii, Shi'aad and Shikaa mean?

Since many of you have googled it, here it goes. Piishii means Night Hawk, Shi'aad means 'My wife', and Shikaa means Husband in Apache. 

I wanted to have some fun with an almost equivalent of Laad Governor for Khushi - Calling him 'Shikaa' will of course, lead to confusion on some people's part! I used Shi'aad for Arnav's thought - because in IPKKND, Arnav had ALWAYS regarded Khushi as HIS something - he just didn't know what that something was. But his possessiveness was there from day one. I kinda wanted to pay tribute to that. 

What do the dream sequences mean?

The dream sequences are meant to show them the way - guide them. So in the dream they confront each other. A Child signifies INNOCENCE and PURITY. They meet through at the purest level. But it is up to them to take it one step further or not. But do read back about the spirit guides in AP-1

Didn't Shyam visit Circle-R while Khushi is there?

Shyam visits Circle-R at the end of the week. (It'll be upcoming in a following chapter). Khushi goes there at the beginning of the week. So they've never come face to face - so far. Also - Khushi does not know Shyam's name. So even if they spoke about him in front of her, she would not know whom they were referring to.

Chapter 10 - Run for your Life

Khushi rode fast, her heels digging into Red's sides, pushing him like she'd never pushed him before. The wind tore through her hair, her hat hung from it's strap. She couldn't care less about the sun beating down on her back. She rode low in the saddle, urging the horse on, the thundering sound of its hooves, as loud as the beat of her own heart in her chest. She needed to get away! Tears streamed down her cheeks. 

Two years! Two years of not knowing whether the killer had seen her or not. Two years of roaming from place to place, not knowing if he'd show up or not. From Arkansas to Oklahoma to Texas to New Mexico. They were tired. Tired of looking over their shoulders and wondering if he'd come after them. His face had been etched in her memory. She wasn't mistaken and now here he was, right in her own backyard! What were they to do? They couldn't move again. Her whole family was tired, she knew. Just as they were getting a glimpse of stability in their lives. She sobbed as she clung to Red's reins, the horse flying over the dry red sands, leaping over the mesquite bushes, as if he sensed her urgency to reach safe haven.

It slowed down as she finally reached home. She slid down from the saddle and walked wearily into the house. No one was around to see her dusty, tear-streaked face, as she headed into her room, thankfully. A long bath and a good cry later, she felt much better. 

The panic that had her gripped at the throat had died down. In its place was sober contemplation. Something was drifting at the edges of her mind. She couldn't grasp what it was. She came down for dinner, dressed in her night clothes, smudges under her puffy eyes, shadowing them. 

'Khushi? When did you get back?' asked Garima, spotting her as she made her way to the kitchen.

'For some time now, Ma,' she said in a low voice, no sign of the inner battle she'd been through. 

'Come for dinner, child. It's ready,' her mother told her.

They gathered at the table, the Guptas and the Yagos. Nobody commented on Khushi's quiet presence. Something must have happened at the Wild Bull, they thought and left it at that. 

It wasn't until they'd almost finished that she said in soft voice, 'I saw him today.'

All conversation halted. 

Payal and Garima looked at her expectantly, Shashi frowned, Happy and Abeja looked puzzled. 

'Saw who, Khushi?' Abeja asked. 'Who did you see?'

'The killer,' she spoke softly. There was complete silence in the room. She kept her eyes lowered to her plate. 'He came to the Wild Bull today,' her voice broke.

No one spoke. No one moved. 

'So he lives in Yerba?' Happy finally broke the silence, frowning. 'Or was he passing through?'

'I don't know,' she replied, swallowing and finally looking up at her family. Her eyes glittered with unshed tears. 

'Did he ... did he ... reckernize you?' Shashi asked carefully. As if by saying it slower, the answer would be any different. 

'I don't know, Papa,' she frowned. She tried to replay in her head what she'd been seeing when she noticed him. Now that the urgency had passed and she was in the safe bosom of her family, she let that niggling thought fully into her mind. She closed her eyes, seeing that moment in her mind again. 

She looked into his eyes. He looked straight at her, as if he'd never seen her before. There wasn't even a flicker of recognition in them! He didn't know who she was!

'He didn't know who I was!' she sounded dazed as she opened her eyes. 'He didn't recognize me, Papa,' hope sprung like a small desert flower in her chest. She smiled shakily, looking at all the faces around her, the hope in their faces reflecting the one in her heart. 

'You mean ... all these years ... for nothing?' Garima's eyes were filled with tears, her hands and voice shaking. 'We left everything, ran for your life, and he never saw you?'

Khushi shook her head, a small watery smile on her face. 'I don't think so, Mama,' she used her childish name for her mother. 'I just ran. He couldn't have seen me then. I didn't know at that time, but I do now!' she was elated. The weight of the knowledge had bowed her down for years. She felt lighter!

Suddenly she remembered something. Arnav. He knew the killer. So did Jim and the Sheriff. Did they know who he was? 'He was talking to Arnav and Big Jim and the Sheriff, Papa,' she said slowly. Realization was dawning in her head. Either they all knew that he was the killer or they had no knowledge about it. She wanted to believe in the latter, but the cloud of doubt was there in her mind about the former.

Her father looked up sharply. 'What?!' 

She nodded. 'Yes,' she spoke rapidly now. 'He came in and sat with ASR, and the Sheriff and Big Jim. They were all talking. I went up to give them their beers, that's when I noticed him,' she finished rapidly.

'Was Arnav aware that you knew him?' asked her father. 

'I don't know. All I know is that I had to get away from there, as fast as possible. So I left and came home,' she breathed in deeply. 'I don't know what Arnav did after that,' she sounded lost. 

Somehow, his being friends with a killer was not possible, or was it? Was he capable of it? She shook her head. No. He might be rude, and arrogant, and a real jerk almost all the time, but he wasn't capable of taking a life in cold blood. Was he?

'Do you know his name?' asked Happy - ever the logical one. 

She shook her head again. 'I left before anyone could say anything,' she said. 

Shashi leant back in his chair, deep in thought. Payal was frowning at her plate. Garima looked at Shashi as if to say, what is it you're thinking of? He sat up, placing his elbows on the table. He looked around at each of their faces in turn.

'If he really didn't reckernize Khushi, then there's no need to run.' Garima closed her eyes in relief, her shoulders slumping. 'Khushi, don't talk about this to anyone, and I mean anyone!'  He instructed. 'Not even Arnav.'

Her heart skipped a little, slowed down. Sadness stepped forward. Her father doubted Arnav. After all he'd done for them! Hadn't she just been doing the same, though? She nodded to show her father she understood. If nobody spoke, they were all safe. She had to keep the silence.

'Until we know more about this man and his relation to Arnav and the Sheriff, we need to keep this to ourselves. Perhaps he's forgotten 'bout you by now,' trying to be a little optimistic. 

'How'll I go to Circle-R?' Khushi asked in a low voice. 

'You've got to keep doing what you're doing, girl,' her father said. 'No one must know that something's happened. It's for the best,' he was firm. 'No one will know. No one needs to know.'

'Okay, Papa,' Khushi pushed her chair back and stood up. 'I'm tired. I think I'll go to bed.'

They watched her walk away, back straight, head held high. Garima let out the breath she'd been holding.

'My poor baby,' she said softly. 'When will things go right for her?' her eyes filled with tears. 

'It'll be all right, Garima,' Abeja squeezed her hand gently. 'La Virgen Madre cuida de su propia,' she comforted her. (The Virgin Mother looks after her own). 'Khushi is bendita, blessed. Nothing will happen to her.'

'I hope so, Abeja. I really hope so,' she said. 

*****

Nanny Raizada was please with herself. She'd gently prodded Anjali into this arrangement. Khushi in Circle-R in front of Arnav, and Akash in town, hopefully getting some time with Payal. It was as the spirits had told her. However, what she hadn't counted on was Arnav, himself. He'd been busy with roundups and had barely spend any time at the homestead. In fact, she didn't even know how he felt about this arrangement or if he'd even met Khushi here. She shook her head. Roundups would finish soon, but Khushi would still be here. Perhaps then he'd get to see what the spirits had destined for him. 

Of course, the fact that the children absolutely adored Khushi was just an added bonus. She played with them, sang, laughed and danced with them. They listened to her, having been much too used to Mami's less than formal disciplining methods. Arnav tended to spoil them, but Khushi knew the exact mix of tenderness and firmness with which to handle them. She'd make a wonderful mother someday. 

She smiled at these and other such delightful thoughts, as she watched Khushi ride away to her home. 

Khushi was more than pleased that Arnav was away on a roundup. She hadn't seen him the week before, nor this week, and this pleased her mightily. She didn't have to face him. For some reason, the thought of not being able to ask him about that man was eating away at her. Then there was Nanny and Anjali and the twins. Would he deliberately hide the knowledge of the killer in their midst? He couldn't have, could he? And if she asked him, then she'd have to tell him everything. And if he knew... 

At the same time, to be living under his roof and not see him, was somewhat of a disappointment. The house felt emptier without him. Had he planned on it so that he didn't have to face her? Aargh!! It was all so confusing, Khushi thought, as she rode along lost in her thoughts on her way back from Circle-R.

She was only a few miles away from the trail to her home now, when she noticed the two men on horses, blocking her way. They were about two hundred yards away and sitting still atop their horses. It was the same two men from the Wild Bull the other night. She pulled on the reins, bringing Red to a halt. 

'Well, look-y here,' said Rocky. 'What do we have? Little Miss Princess herself,' he sniggered. 

Manny smiled, showing his uneven tobacco-stained teeth. 'Guess what? El Puma ain't here to protect you now, pretty lady,' he chuckled.

Who's El Puma? she thought. 

Their horses started walking slowly towards her. She sat still, looking from one to the other, her heart beat starting to pick up, nausea churning up in her throat, knowing she was in trouble. BIG trouble. She swallowed, but her face stayed blank. 

'Where you comin' from, pretty lady?' Rocky said. 'Wanna spend some time with us?'

'Get out of my way,' she clenched her jaws, her hand inching slowly to the rifle at her side. 

'Uh-uh. I wouldn't do that, lady,' Rocky said. This time, his gun was out, and it was pointed straight at her. 

She breathed deeply, trying to calm the panic starting to run through her veins. Red moved restlessly, the unknown smell of the other horses, disturbing him. He pawed the ground under his feet, as he gave a slight whinny.

The men moved closer and suddenly, she yelled, 'H'yah, Red!' She yanked the reins around, and kicked his side. Red broke straight into a gallop. She heard the other horses start to come after her, as the men laughed out loud, the thrill of the chase echoing the lust in their eyes. 

She closed her eyes for a second, trusting in Red to take her to safety. The ground flashed under his hooves, as they thundered on. She hung on to him, pushing him with her heels to go faster. She looked over her shoulders. They had gained a little bit on her. 'C'mon, Red, good boy,' she murmured against his ears, flattened by the wind. She headed towards the mountains, not realizing that staying on the trail would have taken her back to the Circle-R. She veered the horse again, zigging and zagging through the bushes and sparse trees, leaping over rocks and small cacti, a cloud of red dust allowing them to follow her easily. 

NK twisted in his saddle as he heard the drumming of hoofbeats. His narrowed eyes searched along the horizon. Far in the distance, he could see a small speck of red and the cloud of dust it raised. His eyes trailed back and he saw the second cloud of dust. Someone was being chased! Two horses, chasing one. 

'Max,' he called, breaking into a run, signaling one of the cowhands to follow him. He moved his horse in a course to intercept the red horse. Max followed him, the two horses keeping pace as they came closer to the red one. It took NK all of a minute to recognize the horse. Red! Which meant Khushi! Why were these men chasing Khushi? He urged his horse a little faster, pulling away from Max, drawing his gun as he did so. 

Khushi kept her eyes closed as she heard the hoofbeats coming closer and closer, before she opened them puzzled. More horses? She groaned in fear and turned her head to look to her right. In the fast sinking sunlight, she saw two horses cutting across her path, heading towards her directly. She came closer and then realized that it was NK and another man! She turned Red to move towards them. Thank God! she breathed. She pulled up in front of them.

Both NK and Max had their guns out, eyes firmly fixed on the other two. 

Rocky and Manny skidded to a stop. 

'You're on Circle-R land,' NK said, softly, his light menacing voice carrying clearly in the stillness that now surrounded them, except for the panting and the blowing sound of the horses. 

'She's our'n,' said Rocky, gesturing to Khushi. 

'Git!' said NK. 'Get off this land, now!' he bit out, his gun clearly visible in his hand. 'Before I make you.'

Rocky looked at him, wondering whether to take his chances with NK or not. He exchanged a glance with Manny, and his hand moved slightly towards his gun. The shot hit the ground square between his horse's front feet. It neighed in surprise, rearing up on its back feet, almost unseating him. He fought to bring in under control, the horse still blowing nervously. 

'Don't try that again,' NK warned. 'You're trespassin' and I'd have no problems explainin' to the Sheriff why your'n not alive. Leave.' He gaze stayed fixed on Rocky who scowled at that. 'Ahora!' he yelled.

Khushi jumped at that. He'd spoken more than she'd ever heard him speak. Fury glittered in his eyes and his square jaw was set in tight lines. 

Rocky spat on the ground, before turning his horse away. Manny followed him as they set off towards the mountains. 

'Striking-S scum,' Max finally spoke in his raspy voice.

'You okay, Miss Khushi?' Nk asked. 

She nodded still too shaken with all that had happened. Red had stopped trembling now from the furious chase. 'Thank you,' she whispered.

He nodded at her and then looked towards the sun. It was almost down now. 'Come with us,' he said. 

'I need to get home, Mr. .. ah .. NK,' she said. 

He shook his head. 'You're too far out to go back now, Miss Khushi. Better you come with us,' he said, politely. 

'Okay,' she said, wondering how her parents were going to feel when she didn't turn up. They hadn't known she was returning today, as there was no fixed day for her to return. She turned her horse around and followed the men as they made their way across the flat plains towards the rest of the camp. 

JP clanged on the big plate to announce dinner and the men started gathering around. Arnav gave some last minute instructions to Malone, and then looked around for NK. He didn't see him. Usually, he and NK went over the day's work and planned for the next day right about now, so where was he today? 

Hearing the sound of hooves, he turned around to see him coming into camp followed by two more cowboys. Wait! A red horse? Who rode a red horse? The only red horse hereabouts belonged to Khushi. Khushi?! 

'What the?!' he exclaimed. It was Khushi. What the heck was she doing with NK out here? Why wasn't she back at the homestead? Had she come to meet him? And NK was bringing her in to camp bold as brass? He stood there hands on hips, not even trying to figure out why that last thought made him more than a little pissed off.

'NK,' he drawled when they got close enough. He looked straight at Khushi. 'What's she doing here?'

NK swung himself down and walked over to him. 'Two scumbags from the Striking-S were givin' chase to her. On Circle-R. Was too late to take Miss Khushi home. Brought her here instead.'

Arnav's gaze flicked to her. She looked drawn and pale, as she stood there holding on to Red's reins, but she met his eyes straight on. He shifted his gaze to NK. 'Okay. She's gotta stay here tonight.' He looked back at her. 'Give Red to Malone. He'll take care of him. You'll be sleeping in the chuck wagon,' he said. 'JP can sleep outside.' 

'The chuckwagon?' she squeaked. 'I'm not sleeping there.'

He looked at her steadily. 'I'm not askin' you. I'm tellin' you. Out on the trail, there's only ever one boss. On this trail, I'm the boss. And what I say, goes. Understand?'

She held his eyes steadily for a while, rebellion clearly in hers, while his were dead serious. He wasn't joking. She nodded. 'All right,' she muttered. 

The other hands looked at her curiously as she sat between Arnav and NK eating. NK had finished telling them who was taking which watch. The night in the desert was cool, fast becoming cold. Stars twinkled in the sky, the half-moon throwing pale radiance on the ground, casting shadows of the lone joshua tree under which Arnav laid out his blanket. 

Thirty feet away, Khushi lay in the chuck wagon, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. She really needed to go to the cloakroom, but didn't know where!

Finally unable to lie down any longer, she got up, put on her boots and carefully climbed out of the wagon. She'd barely gone ten steps when she heard a soft voice say, 'going somewhere?'

She gasped and turned around. Arnav stood there, dark and menacing, the light from the fire behind them, throwing his face into complete darkness. 

She sighed. 'I needed to go,' she said. 

'Go where?' he asked as he walked towards her. 

'Go, you know,' she could feel her face heating up as she answered him. 

'Go?' he was puzzled for a moment and then it dawned on him. 'Oh!'

'Yes, Oh!' she said sarcastically.

His lips twitched, wanting to laugh at her predicament. 'Come on,' he said instead. She could hear the laughter in his low tones. 'I'll come with you.'

'With me?' she squeaked. 

'Come on,' he started walking away. She ran to catch up as he walked away a fair distance from the camp, heading towards a tree. There were bushes around, affording her a little privacy. 'Go,' he waved a hand in the general direction. She walked off, as he stood guard, his back to her.

She was finally feeling comfortable and buttoning up her jeans when he called, 'there's rattlers out there, you know. Just be careful.'

With a squeal she ran out of the bushes only to find him silently laughing at her. 'You find it funny?' she poked him in the chest. 

He nodded, trying hard not to chuckle at her annoyed face. She stamped her foot and said, 'You.. .You...' She was so angry she couldn't even get the words out. Tossing her ponytail behind her she headed back to the camp. 

'Khushi,' he called, his voice low. She stopped. He caught up to her and turned her around to face him. For a moment he forgot what he wanted to say. The moonlight shone down on her face, upturned to his. The faint breeze tossed a few tendrils of hair across her face. Her eyes were shadowed, dark and mysterious, her lips parted as she looked at him, curiously. 

He came back to earth as he saw her shiver a little in the chill. It cleared his head of the wayward signals his body was sending his brain. 'Khushi, what were doing out on the trail?'

She frowned puzzled. 'What NK told you. Those men were the same two that were in the bar the other day. The one you drew a gun on,' she told him. 

His eyes narrowed. 'I told you, the saloon is not the place for a ... girl from a decent family,' he said. 'Why d'you think I didn't want you there?'

She frowned remembering what had transpired after that. He hated that. The divide between them had come up again. 'You should leave first thing tomorrow morning,' he said, instead. 'Right after breakfast.'

'Can I ask you something?' she asked. 

He nodded. It was strange tonight, he thought. For the first time, they were talking to each other. Without being at each other's throats. He forgot that neither had moved from where they'd stopped minutes before, making no move to go back to camp.

'Can I get work with you on the range?' she asked. 

He cocked his head at that. Did she just say what she said? 'No,' he said unequivocally. 'No, you can't.'

'Why not?' she asked.

'Because the range is not the place for a woman, Khushi. You'd be a liability here,' he answered evenly. 

'I can ride,and lasso and rope and shoot like a man. So, why can't I work on the range?' she persisted.

'Look at us now, Khushi. This is only one of the reasons why I can't have a woman on the crew,' he said impatiently. His tolerance was dropping with every sentence. So much for talking and not being at each other's throats! 'I can't be looking out for you, when I need to be working,' he dragged a frustrated hand through his hair. 

'You wouldn't have to look out for me,' she started, when he raised a hand. 

'Think about why you're here, Khushi,' his voice was low, angry now at her pushiness. 'NK and Max had to look out for you. That's why you're here. This here's not the place to be distracted by a woman, Khushi. The men don't see women for a long time. To have one around them all the time,' he shook his head. 'I can't take that chance.'

'I can take care of myself,' she pouted. 

He really, really wanted to kiss her then. And so he did. He swooped in, one hand holding her chin tight, his lips imprisoning that pouty lower lip. Tugging it, caressing it with his tongue until she gasped. He slid his tongue into her mouth, finding hers, lightly running the tip of his tongue along hers. Tracing the slight bumps along it. The sweet flavor of coffee in her breath filling his nostrils. Her hands clutched his shoulders and he shoved her away. 

'I c'n see how you take care of yourself, Miss Khushi,' he said sarcastically, before he turned and strode away, not waiting for her to follow. 

For a moment, she stood stunned at what happened, her breathing shallow and hurried. Then she followed him back. How dare he! How dare he?! she thought. Without a word, she clambered back into the chuck wagon, hunkering down into the blankets and closing her eyes. Only to touch her lips with her fingertips, feeling them slightly swollen, and tender. Sensitive to even the smallest brush. She sighed. Her first kiss. In the desert. Under the moonlight. With a man as mysterious as the desert itself.