Love Me, Love Me Not

Tanga flicked her ears forward and back. Reed waited below the ridge with Saile and his pack of damitts. The injured leader sat apart muttering to itself and licking its tattered lips. She ambled to the top of the hill and snorted, clearing her nostrils.


Saile turned and stared, Tanga nodded.


Saile snatched Reed's blaster from his belt; he caught her and pulled her around and across the front of his saddle. The stallion called out and danced under them. Tanga waited until Reed settled the beast and let Saile sit up, clinging to his arms and chest.


Tanga twitched her nostrils and snorted again. He loves you.


"You're a blat-wing!" Saile answered.


"What did she say?" Reed demanded.


"Nothing. She's nothing but a furry blat-wing."


Tanga flicked her ears back and hung her lower lip in protest of Saile's judgment.


Reed whistled up the damitts and sent them toward the ranch house then swung Saile down from the saddle.


She held onto his arm. "No way, Reed. You aren't dumping me now."


He shook his head. "Sorry, Saile, ... business before pleasure."


She held his arm with both hands and he waited. "What's the worst thing you've ever been called?" she asked.


"I'm none of the things you've called me," he said. "No matter what the stakes."


Saile slowly released his arm and stepped back. His eyes seemed so deep, so sincere. Where was that devastating grin?


"You ... you've stolen my ranch," she said. "You set your damitts to steal what llamas you didn't slaughter. You kidnapped me. You blew up a spaceship." She studied his eyes. "Why'd you do that?"


"It's a competitive business." He grinned. "Their security systems were too simplistic, they deserved to be exploded." He held up a hand to stall her protests. "Promise not to shoot me in the back and I'll return your blaster."


"And take me with you to the ranch house."


"Does that mean you'll marry me?"


"No," she said. "It means I won't shoot you in the back."


He pulled her blaster out of his belt but hesitated. "You can't shoot Teffen. We don't know where he's hidden the llamas."


"Just don't get in front of my uncle Jorge."