4. Stella

Chapter 4

Stella

I love to chat and Rake seems to enjoy learning about how I was a teacher of "small humans," and since I can talk about teaching all day and all night, even on holidays, I babble on, until it seems there's nothing left to say.

"I cannot believe how beautiful this planet is," I announce after we've driven for a while, passing rolling fields of green pasture and the occasional pond and stand of swaying trees.

I've finally exhausted myself with stories of my own home planet. I'm comfortable around this red-skinned, black-horned Hyrrokin male who has been so very accepting of me since the moment we met. He's easy to talk to and I like spending time with him.

I feel…safe.

It's easy to forget that I originally arrived against my will and that this man paid for me to marry him. This feels more like a first date than anything else.

And he continues to look unbearably sexy, with his massive, muscular bare chest and those strong, veiny forearms and rough hands on the steering wheel, driving his outdoor vehicle through the lush wildlands of this alien planet. I had no idea a Hyrrokin with a barbed tail and a crooked nose could be so attractive. I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have sex with this guy. And each time this hot visual flashes through my mind, another wave of butterflies swoops through my belly.

The wind catches my hair and lifts it around my face, making me wish I had something to tie it back into a ponytail or a hat to wear. In the future I'll have plan for that if we drive like this again. But it's not annoying enough to ruin the drive. The wind feels nice and cool, not too hot or cold. The weather is so perfect I feel spoiled.

I reach down and tug at my shirt, trying to pluck it out from the rolls in my stomach and smooth it down the front, a nervous gesture I've been doing for years. "Maybe you're used to all of this glorious beauty because you live here," I say, "but to someone like me who's never been here before, this green, lush pastureland all the way out to the horizon and on the opposite side that mountain range, is just amazing."

"I'm happy you like this area. This is a protected location, near the ring of fire. We are allowed to own and farm this land because we use practices that protect the ecology."

Another breeze brushes against my cheek and I begin to wonder what it would be like to stay and build a life here in this amazing location. "You've really lived here your whole life? You've never thought about leaving? You didn't go away to school and then come back?"

"No, I never left. My brothers both went to university and returned but that didn't interest me. I stayed and spent my time under the study of local ranchers and craftsmen. I like working with my hands, with the animals and outside in the elements. I am a steward of this land and I take that job very seriously. My great-great-great grandmother started the town of Fire Creek and I grew up on the main Flagstone Ranch. My new ranch is the farthest out from town and most remote, closest to the edge of the mountains."

"This must've been a wonderful place to grow up."

He glances over at me with surprise. "Yes, it was. Have you ever lived out in the wilderness before?"

"I was born and raised in a large city on New Earth with all the creature comforts, and the community I just left was next to wilderness, but I never went there, I stayed in town. To be truthful I took that teaching job because getting a position in the large town I lived in was highly competitive. I could've gotten a job there, but it would have been a temporary position for many years and paid less. But if I went out to the countryside, they needed teachers more so I could get a permanent contract with my own classroom, more pay and even free housing. I decided to start out in the country and one day work my way back to the town where I was born."

"Sounds like they made you a good offer."

"They did. But even though I lived there, I want to warn you that am concerned I'm not going to be a good fit for this kind of life. I was basically a city girl and then I lived in a small town and managed to always stay in the actual town." I hold out my soft hands and point down at myself for emphasis. "I'm obviously not someone who's used to roughing it and working with animals."

"You can learn. And you won't have to live as rough as you think. You do seem very fragile and weak though, very small, but I have come to learn that humans, despite their fragile appearance are surprisingly tough."

I can't help but laugh. "Small, fragile. Weak? You know, amongst my own kind I'm considered overweight and big. I'm tall for a woman. ‘Big-boned' might be a nice way to describe my appearance."

"What does ‘overweight' mean? I've never heard this term before. There must be no translation in my language."

I blink with surprise. "You don't know what being overweight means?" I open my mouth to explain and then quickly decide there is no need to add that term to this man's vocabulary. "Um, it's nothing."

"Well, here on Tarvos amongst my species you're small. I need to feed you more."

"You need to feed me more? Okay," I giggle. This is lovely. When have I ever been told that I need to eat more? Never.

"I believe you can learn all you need to live here happily. But you need to decide if you want to learn because as I keep saying, it is very remote. We will be very far from civilization and large cities."

"You don't see anybody else?"

"No, we do. I have other employees, ranch hands and a ranch manager who work and live on the ranch, so we won't be out there alone. The main ranch and Thorn's new ranch are both next to mine. Burl, my brother's ranch manager and my friend, has his own property carved out of Thorn's ranch. This means we will see my family and friends often and I believe that you would enjoy them and they can all become your friends too. It takes time to drive to the other ranches because the land is so vast, but we can visit often. Sometimes we even stay the night at each other's domiciles. And the other humans I was referring to will live close."

I clap. "Oh, this is wonderful."

"They're not far away, but there will be long stretches of quiet."

I put a hand on my stomach. Suddenly an important thought flashes through my mind. What will his friends and family think of this pregnancy? "Do you think your friends and family will accept me and the baby as easily as you did?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"Well, maybe they know that you were looking for someone to start a family of your own with and then you end up with me, a woman who's already pregnant, and they might think I'm taking advantage of you. I would think that about me at first, at least until I knew the truth."

He shrugs. "Then tell them the truth."

I blow out a breath. "I hope it will be that easy."

And then he asks a question that surprises me. "Does it disappoint you that I'm so focused on wanting to build a future here on the ranch and nowhere else?"

"No, I understand. Of course you can't move. This isn't like my job where it was a yearly contract and I was hired by the school board and the Principal. This is entirely different. Your family has owned this land for generations. This is where you were born and raised and where your ancestors lived. Your business is here and you're self-employed, you can't move this business elsewhere. And you want to pass this ranch down to your offspring and have them continue running it in the future. You want to stay here your whole life. You're not moving."

He glances over at me. "Exactly."

"See I understand."

"You do."

I look around at the scenery again and repeat what I said earlier because I can't get over the craggy mountains, the lush green fields and the blooming flowers. "This is so different from where I lived. New Earth doesn't rain as much and in fact water is precious to us. There are some areas with more rain, but not much. Seeing land this green with so many flowers and streams and the small ponds we've passed, it's just wonderful."

"This is a special part of Tarvos. The wild lands are protected because this ecosystem is highly important to planetary balance. The Flagstones are allowed a dispensation to cultivate in the great valley because migration paths go around this plain, so it's been a perfect place to ranch. We specialize in breeding riding beasts and the meat from our pryotaurs is the purest on the planet."

"The weather feels perfect. It's not too hot, not too cold. Is it always like this or did I just arrive on a good day?"

"It is usually like that here and only rains a small amount the rest of the year, except one month out of every year is the rainy season."

"Rainy season?" I grimace.

"Yes. It storms hard every single day for an entire moon cycle. This happens only once a year though. We are used to it and the entire planet goes on lockdown to remain safe. We tend to think of it as vacation time mostly. It sounds bad but you do not have to worry, I will keep you safe."

"When is the next rainy season?"

"Six months from now."

My eyes widen. "I think that's my due date."