[[ wheelsy, south carolina // saturday night, henenlotter's saddle lounge ]]

[justdidntseeit]

[ "we can't cancel, can we?" ]

She threads her fingers with Bill's as she takes his proffered hand.

(Convincing him had been easy; a simple, "It's your last weekend as a free man -- let's go out on Saturday" had gotten an immediate smile and a nod of agreement. The hard part was assuring him they should stay in town instead of driving to Columbia for a night out.)

Gravel crunches beneath her heels as she slides from the cab of the truck.

"S'pretty crowded tonight," he says with a glance around the parking lot.

"Let's hope there's not another rodeo on," she teases, squeezing his hand. She ignores the tight feeling in the pit of her stomach and doesn't let herself double-check for June's car as they cross the gravel lot.

Bill holds the door for her and she ducks inside; the four-piece band stops warming up and the lodge buzzes with the hushed hum of nearly a hundred people.

When Bill steps in beside her, the house lights flash.

"SURPRISE!"

Resisting the urge to bite the inside of her cheek (and stifling a laugh at the hand-painted Welcome Back Sherr Sheriff!! banner), Kate turns to give him a hopeful smile.

Comments

[justdidntseeit]

Watching him fall fast asleep, her fingers still a few minutes later.

She eases the sheet and comforter higher on his torso, her eyes carefully avoiding the scarring on his side -- it's been a good day (a great day), and she doesn't want to think about what happened inside that gas station last summer.

Clicking off the light, she settles beside him and listens to his deep, even breathing; it's not long before she slips into sleep.