#Chapter 20: A Ride In The Woods

“Put your arms around my shoulders,” Miles says. When I comply, he wraps his arms around me and lifts me. He begins carrying me back the way he came. Over his shoulder, I glance once more at the dead boar that so nearly killed me. And at Miles’s weapon that he left sitting in the dirt. “Your gun…” I say. “It’s served its purpose,” Miles replies. “But…” “I’ll send someone back for it. Later. Once we’ve had you checked out by a doctor.” I curl into his chest, chasing the warmth of his body. Now that the adrenaline has all but worn off, I feel so cold. “I’m fine…” “You could have internal bleeding.” There’s no arguing with him, it seems. His mind is made up that I will see a doctor, then that’s what I’m going to do. We continue through the brush until we reach a small clearing where Miles’s horse grazes on the tall grasses. He lifts me up onto the back of his horse. Once I’m settled, he hops up behind me. His thighs cradle the curve of my backside. He slides his arms