Dreamwalker's Bride - Chapter 290

Chapter 290: Laughter
Mia’s mouth fell open as she took in the sound of Ford laughing. Transfixed, she stared as he threw back his head, standing taller than he had since they’d met, and guffawed with abandon.

His face was utterly transformed. It lasted only a moment before Grandpa, soaking wet from a fall into the river, joined him in his mirth. The older man shook off the moisture as he waded to shore, surprise still on his face.

Ford’s laughter faded quickly, but the image lingered in Mia’s heart. She’d barely seen him genuinely smile, though, she admitted, there was more of that recently as Grandpa took the young man under his wing.

To see him laugh like that, loudly and joyfully… it changed his face entirely. Normally his dark eyes and hair, with his serious expressions, gave him a standoffish and detached air. But just now, he’d seemed warm. Inviting. Amiable.

As Anaisa moved past her towards Grandpa, Mia realized her mouth was still hanging slightly open. She snapped it shut and followed her aunt, the cool river water flowing past her ankles.

“A person doesn’t usually bathe and wash their clothes at the same time,” Anaisa quipped, “but I do admire your efficiency, Grandpa.”

“I had help from Ford and his fish,” The old man pointed to a large trout that flopped on the shore. Ford had offered his hand to Grandpa, who swept one arm up to splash the younger man before taking the aid up to depart the water.

“Sorry!” Ford was grinning broadly. “I thought you were prepared to catch it.”

Grandpa laughed again at the joke, and the men retrieved the fish.

“That’s a good one!” Daniel came over and commented.

Ford shot a glance at Mia. She nodded in agreement with her cousin’s assessment.

“We’ll eat well tonight,” She said simply.

“Especially if you can catch a few more!” Anaisa added.

“Now comes the fun part,” Grandpa winked at Mia, who turned a bit green. She could manage preparing chickens and other animals for meals, but there was something about gutting a fish that absolutely turned her stomach.

“I’ll go keep myself elsewhere,” She smiled tightly. “Maybe I’ll take Grandpa’s example and go swimming somewhere downstream.”

“Take your time,” Anaisa encouraged. “You deserve a rest.”

Ford was still watching Mia, but she avoided his looks. Why did he look at her? Was her hair messed up?

Frowning, she focused on finding the most private place nearby to swim, and followed that pull away from the group. Steadfastly, she ignored the growing tug of the secondary draw towards Ford.

If she could figure out a way to keep it at bay, she might stand a better chance of interacting with him normally. He was slowly being absorbed into the family, regardless of her feelings on the matter, and it would serve her well to find a reasonable way of avoiding awkwardness.

Mia sighed as she entered the water, wondering why in the world things were awkward!

Why couldn’t she just act normally? Before the cave, they had been perfectly cordial to each other, working together well… and holding hands while they slept.

So that she didn’t keep him awake with her nightmares, of course!

But it did foster a sort of intimacy, particularly after that night where they huddled for warmth…

Strange that if they’d left a day or two later, the weather would have been warm enough for that not to be needed.

Shivering slightly in the water’s coolness, Mia considered her options. She could, of course, continue ignoring him. Her father seemed to be slowly letting go of his glares and snipes. She could soften a bit as well, couldn’t she?

Perhaps.

But would it be better for the group if she didn’t, at least for now? She knew now that her magic was telling her that if she was looking for a husband, there was one right there. Her magic had a way of drawing her unconsciously, and her feelings would likely follow without active attempts to wall them off.

If she did fall in love with Ford, and he rejected her, that would make everything far worse than it was right now.

The status quo was working, mostly. Why disrupt it?

Maybe a little. A little friendliness wouldn’t hurt.

She stayed in the water long enough to assure herself that any additional fish had probably been gutted and fileted. It was far from her favorite meal, but she would eat it nonetheless. It would be ungrateful and wasteful not to.

Making her way to shore, she dried herself in the sunlight before putting her outer garments back on and heading back towards camp.

As she rounded the bend, she shook out her hair, letting the water droplets fall to the dry earth. Momentarily distracted, she almost tripped over a person sitting and staring out over the water.

“Oh!”

She jumped back, and Ford scrambled to his feet with a wince.

“Sorry!” She cried. “I didn’t expect anyone–”

“I didn’t think you’d gone this way–You said you’d gone downstream!” His eyes were wide and almost horrified as he turned away and covered them. “Seth’s going to murder me.”

That had been her original intention, but her magic had led her to cut back through the grass and up to a different point in the river. Mia gasped at the realization that in Ford’s efforts to stay away, he might have accidentally invaded her privacy…

But no. The way he was afraid to glance at her right now, he clearly had not noticed her while she was swimming in her underthings.

A nervous giggle escaped her lips. “I’m fully dressed, Ford. You needn’t avert your eyes.”

Slowly, Ford turned back around and looked at her, his face burning.

“Just when Seth stopped looking like he was going to tear my entrails out, I had to go and pick this spot to rest in for a while,” He sighed.

Mia suppressed a smile at how forlorn he looked. Her father would never actually kill anyone, let alone someone members of his family liked.

“I won’t tell him,” She shrugged. “I didn’t tell him about… the other things… why would I need to mention this?”