Grady Hart: The Disappearing Act - Buck & Defiance (Episode 11, Part 2)

The train rattled and swayed as it barreled westward through the vast plains, the engine huffing clouds of steam into the crisp, late-morning air. Buck adjusted his hat as he stood in the livestock car, stroking the neck of his horse, Davy, whose ears twitched with unease. The rhythmic clatter of the rails seemed to mirror the quiet tension hanging between him and Defiance.

She sat on a crate near the car’s edge, oiling her knife with practiced precision. The sound of the blade sliding against the cloth cut through the murmur of the train.

“You’re awfully quiet,” Buck said, leaning on the stall.

“Don’t have much to say,” Defiance replied without looking up.

Buck scratched his chin. “You always got somethin’ to say. Seems like you’re holdin’ back, is all.”

She glanced up, her sharp eyes fixing on him. “Maybe I don’t feel like talkin’, old man.”

Buck raised an eyebrow, chuckling. “Old man? I’m only ten years older than you.”

“That’s old enough,” she shot back, her lips twitching into a smirk.

Before he could reply, the train began to slow, the brakes screeching like an angry beast. The sudden change caught both of them off guard. Davy snorted, stomping his hooves in protest.