WeWriWa: Just Stay Gone . . . RomSusp W.I.P.

Happy almost holiday!! With our lights up and our pantry groaning, I’m feeling the joy of the season. Something I’m currently denying my hero and heroine in my new project. What a Scrooge I am!! Here’s the rest of that opening scene that I’ve been sharing from my West Texas-set contemporary suspense.

Stepping into the welcoming shade of the low building where familiar scents and sounds soothed like the stroke of gentle hand, Willa took a big breath. Blinking back the burn in her eyes, she removed July’s tack, secured a lead rope, and began a leisurely grooming. July stood contentedly as she slipped her hand beneath the strap of the rubber curry comb and began circular motions down long neck and sides to loosen trail dirt, following that path first with the short, brisk strokes of a stiff brush then using one with softer bristles in a follow up to remove any remaining dust. He whickered contentedly as she ran fingers then a wide-toothed comb through his mane and tail to work out any knots, and finally, her emotions calmed.

As she ran her hand down the back of each of his four legs, he obediently lifted his feet. She scraped each hoof from heel to toe to remove any debris, seeing to the handsome animal’s needs as lovingly as she once would have its rider’s after a long day tending to the Great State of Texas. Once, but not now. She leaned against warm hide, finding comfort she could no longer seek from the man inside the house that had never been their home.

“Damn you, Jim.” The curse dragged up from her now jerking throat, the sound as raw as the ache in her chest as she added, “Why didn’t you just stay gone?”

Just when you think there’s no coming back from something . . . hope’s there to tease you. Kinda like those last few warm, sunny days before the winter ick settles in. Here’s hoping my hero and heroine will find a little warmth to sustain them (I’m kind of confident they will!).

How bad was 2020? This was our evening sky on Thursday night! Remind you of any particular movie? 

We had a murmuration of between 500 to 700 blackbirds completely swarming all around our neighborhood for at least an hour. The trees and sky were full of them, cawing and circling in swooping patterns. The cats were freaking and quite honestly, I was kind of nervous stepping outside to take pictures. Hurry up, 2021! I don’t want to say the sky is falling, but . . .

Here’s wishing you all the happiest of holidays, however you celebrate them, and wishing the rest of my family were here.

Happy Writing, fellow Warriors!!

Weekend Writing Warriors is a weekly hop for everyone who loves to write! Share an 8 to 10 sentence snippet of your writing on Sunday. Visit other participants on the list and read, critique, and comment on their 8sunday posts.

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