Grady Hart: Business in San Antonio (Episode 4, Part 4)

The sun had barely crept above the Texas horizon when Grady Hart, Sam Rawlins, and the girl they had taken to calling the girl—since she’d yet to offer her name—rode toward San Antonio. She kept to herself on the trail, saying little and casting sidelong glances their way. Her defiance was her armor, as thick as any iron, but Grady and Sam weren’t the types to pry, at least not more than she was willing to let on.

“So, San Antonio,” Sam muttered, spitting into the dust. “You sure that’s where you’re from, Miss?”

She tightened her grip on the reins, her jaw setting. “Sure as I can be,” she replied. But something in her tone made Grady’s eyes narrow.

Grady gave her a long, steady look but didn’t press. He’d dealt with enough drifters and lost souls to know the look in her eyes—a look that knew both hurt and how to hide it. He also knew better than to dig too deep; sometimes, people only spilled what they had to when cornered. And Grady figured her story would come out in its own time, maybe in a way she hadn’t planned.