Chapter Nine

They rode above the rust colored ground. Rapunzel cooed to the baby as Eugene steered the horse. He was hoping he really was going the right direction. Everything seemed to look the same to him. The plants, the rocks, the trees. They all painted one big scene that had no beginning or end.

Tired of the quiet and the buzzing in his mind, he decided to start a conversation. "I reckon now that we should keep moving till we find some help."

"I reckon we should stop for the night." Rapunzel said, quickly arguing against him. "The baby's hurt. He's weak and he needs some shelter."

Eugene let out a sigh. "The kid's probably tougher than we are." He said. Rapunzel looked down at him. He was finally asleep in her arms, his head laying against her chest. He was the cutest with his chubby cheeks and blonde hair. She was already falling in love with him.

xxx

The sun began to set and Eugene wanted to set up sow thing before it was too dark to see anything. So, they quickly set up a nice fire and killed some lizards to eat for the night. They were starving.

"That little fellow was eating like his bellybutton been rubbing a blister on his backbone." Eugene said, pointing at the child that was cradled in Rapunzel's arms again.

She gently patted his back, comforting him as his eyelids slowly closed. "Yeah, he was eating, but he needs some milk." She said. She knew how to raise a child. She knew what he needed.

"Well, I don't recall seeing a whole lot of milking cows around here." Eugene said, his voice slightly tense. He wasn't annoyed at Rapunzel for anything. He was just tired from a long day of riding in the sun and the stuff they had been through.

He stood up, realizing he came off wrong. He walked to look outside of their cave. He let out a sigh, rubbing his hands together as he thought. "There should be a town to the southwest." He said.

He paused for a bit, waiting to hear what Rapunzel thought. When nothing was said, he turned around and walked towards her. "I reckon we could make it in a hard day's ride."

Rapunzel shook her head. "We can't make it. He should stay here with him. You could make the ride faster without us."

Eugene began stumbling in his mind. Could he really leave her here alone with a child? Sure, what she had done to Jack Jr. was and accident, but could that happened again? Right now, she was sane and seemed to be Australian Rapunzel. Could she suddenly turn and become the dazed and confused American Rapunzel?

"Well..." He trailed. He went and sat down across from her, looking at his hands.

She quickly noticed his hesitation. Did he not think she was capable? Did he not trust her? "Just leave me the extra rifle and pistol." She pushed.

"You know how to use a shooter?" He asked.

She slightly gasped, her mouth gaping. "I am a native-born Texican."

Eugene tsked his tongue and tossed the idea around in his head. "Well, there's enough water for two days, if I ain't here drinking it." He said. He looked over at her, studying her reaction. "What do you think?"

She continued patting the baby, a smile growing on her face. She laughed, tossing her head back.

"What? What's the matter?" Eugene asked, narrowing his eyes.

She chuckled, a bright smile on her face. "You." She said, shaking her head. "You're the only man on this continent that would ask me what I think."

xxx

"That ought to do ya." Eugene said, throwing down a rope and a boomerang on a rock in the cave.

"Thanks for the lizards." Rapunzel said as he walked just outside the cave beside her. Eugene wiped the sweat from his forehead as the sun began to rise in the east. Rapunzel stared at him, clearly getting annoyed. "You've checked the guns three times. There's plenty of food and water. We're fine." She said, slightly tapping her rifle on the ground.

She held it out to him as the baby, nicknamed Little Bit, gurgled in the cave. "Get going." She smiled. Eugene looked back into the cave, seeing Little Bit pick up the boomerang and hit it against the rock.

He sighed and took the gun. He knew they'd be alright, he was just worried. He walked back to his horse as Rapunzel placed her hands just above her eyebrows to shield her eyes from the sun. As he mounted, a thought came to his head. "If you run into any of his people," he began, "you'll give 'em Little Bit, won't you?" He asked.

Rapunzel bit her lip and turned around to look at him. Could she possibly give him back? She had grown so attached to him already. The thought of losing him too struck a different chord in her heart.

Noticing her hesitation, Eugene pressed on. "You gotta promise me."

Rapunzel let out a sigh and turned around to look at him. "Sure could use something else to wear." She said, changing the subject. She couldn't promise him that she'd give away Little Bit. She just couldn't.

Knowing what she was doing, Eugene kept his stare into her green eyes. "He'd be better off with them. You know that, don't you?"

"If you see any dresses that aren't too costly, red's my favorite color." She said, ignoring him. She walked closer to him, urgency in her voice. "Red or even pink, but red's my favorite."

Eugene sighed, knowing he couldn't get her to promise him anything. Instead of fighting her, he changed the subject as well. "I should be back in two days. If I ain't back in three. . ." He trailed.

"You'll be back." Rapunzel said, grinning at him. She trusted him.

"You bet." Eugene nodded, a smile on his face as well. He clicked the reins on his horse and took off into the desert. Rapunzel watched him leave, knowing he would be back in two days. She had nothing to worry about.

But as she watched him leave, something pounded inside of her. She wished that he wouldn't be gone so long. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she was growing very fond of him. His soft brown eyes and long dark hair. Besides his handsome looks, his gentle and protective personality made her heart beat a bit faster.

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