Part 43 (1/2)
”It's hard to know.”
”In my world a man would act sure of himself, even if...”
”Even if he were blowing smoke out his a.s.s.”
She gave a bark of a laugh. ”I never heard that. But I know what it means.”
”Yeah.”
”Why do you have the gun?” she asked.
”Because we're out here in the woods. And I want to be prepared. I had it in the tent. Then I moved it to the car when I went out for a run.”
”Oh.”
”I'll give you shooting lessons after we get home.”
”You'd trust me with that thing?”
”Of course. But we should leave. I want to get the plants back home before they dry out.”
She leaned back in the seat.
”Fasten your seat belt.”
”What is it, and how do I do it?”
”It's to...” He stopped and laughed. ”I was about to tell you it's to keep you safe in case I crash the car. But I guess that doesn't sound very rea.s.suring.”
”No.”
”A crash is unlikely. But a seat belt is a good safety precaution.”
He pulled out a strap from some hidden compartment and showed her how to make the two parts click together. Then he showed her how to open it again.
After she hooked the belt, he inserted a key in a metal slot. The car gave a roar that made her grab the handle next to her.
”It's okay,” he soothed.
”I don't like it.”
He turned toward her, his face serious. ”I know it's all strange and new.”
When she reached for the door handle, he lifted her hand away. ”Don't pull that. It will open the door, and you don't want to do that while we're moving.”
She swallowed. ”Okay.”
”You can put your hand here... or here.” He showed her several places where it was okay to hold on.
He must have caught the worried expression on her face because he said, ”You'll get used to it.”