Page 97 of The Outsider
And he kissed me until I was breathless—until all loneliness was banished by the simple pleasure of his lips on mine.
Chapter 26
John
The next day, after morning chores, Claire and I mounted Ghost and rode toward the McNeils’, where I’d already let Danny know we’d be coming.
“I thought we were going to the Post?”
“We are,” I answered, stroking her thigh. “Just have to make a stop first.”
Danny met us at the gate to Whitewater, the McNeil ranch.
“I got her saddled up,” he said, with a nod toward Claire, who gave him a confused look.
He led us toward the massive stables on the ranch, where a couple dozen horses lived.
“They’re the horse breeders in the Valley,” I explained to Claire. “I thought you might like to ride on your own, and since Kimmy needs Bella today, I asked Danny if we could borrow you a mount.”
Claire’s expression instantly changed from confusion to excitement. “Really? You think I’m ready?”
“Sure you are,” Danny answered for me, winking. “If even I can manage to keep myself upright on a horse after a drink or two, so can you, Claire.”
“‘Adrink or two,’” I sneered. “Try four. It was also two o’clock in the morning, andsomeonehad to follow him to make sure he didn’t fall and break his fucking neck.”
“Hey, in my defence, my girlfriend just dumped me,” Danny replied, holding up his hands with a grin.
“Girlfriend? You saw her twice at the Post, and you didn’t even kiss her.”
Claire giggled, and Danny retorted, “The heart wants what it wants, Johnny. Maybe I should tell Claire some ofyourstories.”
“I already told her everything,” I said, shooting him a look. “Now shut up.”
“Once, John got high smoking the hemp his granny grew for medicine, and he ate an entire blueberry patch. When she asked him what happened to the hemp, he puked blueberry vomit all over her.”
Claire burst into laughter. “When was that?”
“I was only sixteen,” I cut in, but I couldn’t help but smile at the sound of her laugh. “And I got extra chores for a month.”
“We’ve spent so much time wondering if our people will accept Claire,” Danny said with a chuckle, “yet we’ve never asked the most important question: cansheacceptus?”
We reached the stable, where a beautiful, red Clydesdale horse waited.
“This is Poppy,” Danny said to Claire. “She’s a younger horse, but fully trained. Real sweet temperament—good for a beginner. I think you two will get along.”
I helped Claire mount Poppy, but she otherwise needed no assistance. We let her ride a little around the paddock, getting a feel for the horse, and for riding by herself. She looked fucking giddy, which warmed my heart.
We left for the Post, and Claire handled Poppy incredibly well for a beginner rider. She steered and maintained control easily, and her form had really improved. I was proud of her.
After a couple hours on horseback, we spotted the ruins of the city in the distance, along with the fenced-in portion that made up the Post.
“It’s in the city?” Claire asked with a frown.
“Kind of,” I answered. “It’s only a few streets at the very edge, and they’re fenced-off from the rest of the city. That’s called the Red Zone, because the only people who live there aren’t people you’d want to meet. It’s mostly abandoned, though, and there’s enough security at the Post to keep those few at bay.”
“How many people live there?”
“Not that many,” I replied as I turned Ghost towards the stable, which was a short walk from the Post. “Maybe a hundred full-time residents. Everyone else either lives nearby, or—more likely—is nomadic, and they come and go whenever they like.”
