CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

After Lisa has her fill of water, she clears her throat, "who is guiding next", she says, as I go to speak, John pipes up, "I am happy to", he says, I look up at him a little annoyed he beat me to it and he looks back at me with a triumphant smirk, "he knows exactly what he did", I think to myself. A smile finds its way to my lips again as we enter a stare battle, "I know what you are doing", I say, he looks around him, faking innocence, "whatever do you mean, Annah", he says, feigning inocense, "I want a turn guiding when it is my turn, okay", I demand, he puts up his hands in mock defence, trying not to smile. I fold my arms trying to appear stern, "okay if I remember to stop the cart before we get there, you can have your turn guiding", John says, his smirk growing, I step up to him so we are touching and pull an innocent smile, "do not fear darling, I will surely remind you", I reply and step back a few inches, John becomes amused by my sass and does a single nod in agreement. Lisa giggles at the antics, "Oh John, I know you want to be a good man to Annah", she says, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder, "but she likes her independence" She continues, "before she met you, she was coming up with different ways to get our parents off her back about marrying Thomas", she finishes and I groan out loud, "Lisa I happily forgot his existence until you brought him up", I say feeling slightly annoyed. John looks between Lisa and I before resting on me, "who is Thomas", he asks, curiously, I let out a long sigh, "a man in his mid-twenties that Lisa and I grew up with", I say, hating being reminded of it, I do not hate Tom by any stretch, just the situation our parents have put us in, "our parents have been trying to marry us together for years, our house even holds a dinner for them once a month, so we can bond", I say, bitterness in my mouth. John thinks for a while nodding his head, "he and his family must be well too", he says a little sadness in his voice, I share a little empathy with him, "That does not affect my life", I state, Lisa chimes in, "Tom is related to king Canoot and is a banker, perfect for our perfect girl", she says in a mocking tone, dad would say this same thing often, I decided to interject so John understands, "dad says those words a real lot", I whisper and we all giggle a little, lifting the heavy mood. After the horses had enough water, we hooked them back up to the cart, I hugged John tight and gazed up at him, he once again pecked me on the forehead and Lisa and I hopped on the back of the cart ready to go, "oh John", I call, as he readies himself in the guiders seat, he turns his head and body slightly to look my way, "remember there is two of us and only one of you", I remark, pointing between Lisa and me, "If I remind you to stop and you refuse, we will ambush you", I finish with one fist in the air, Lisa chimes in with an enthusiastic "yes", doing the same action. The actions of Lisa and I caused John to let out a hearty laugh and he shook his head before whipping the reigns slightly and we were off.

As we moved along, Lisa plumped a bag before laying her head down on it and was soon asleep, I breathed out a sigh and decided I did not want to sit here and not talk for hours, I lifted my body and climbed up and over onto the seat next to John, making him jump in surprise, he held the reigns in one hand and held my arm, as I sat down, with the other. "Annah, you must be careful, your injury", he says with a look of worry, I smiled sheepishly at him and snuggled into his shoulder, he wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to the side of his chest, and after his arm was around me he grabbed the other reign, guiding with both hands again. "so why did you leave Lisa alone", he asks, focused on the road ahead, "she fell asleep as soon as we started moving", I reply watching the trees pass by, I feel John nodding, "well I am a little glad she is asleep", he says, I look up at him and he gazes back at me, "because your now beside me and in my arms, where I wish you could stay forever", he finishes, adoration flashing in his eye, his words turn me into a puddle, I feel so mushy and loved and so so happy, my heart is giddy and my brain is buzzing, I secretly wish for this feeling to never end. Before I can stop myself, I lift my head closer to his and give him a long promising kiss on the cheek, I felt in my heart that I wanted that kiss to be else where but John needed to focus and I am way to nervous to anything more, he looked down at me with a bright smile and cheek tinted red before face the road ahead again. After two hours had passed since we swapped drivers, I nudged John slightly, making him hum in response, "My turn to guide handsome", I said, "Well pretty lady, when you put it that way how can I say no", he says and goes to hand the reigns to me, before taking them I turn and take a quick look at the still sleeping Lisa and turn back, taking the reigns from John, "still sleeping", he asks, I nod and hum a response, "yes she has a sickness that overpower her when she is not the one riding or guiding the horses", I say, not moving my eye from the road, "so when she is a passenger, she forces herself to sleep", I explain, John hums and wraps both arms around me resting his head on mine as we continue down the road.