"Smoke ain't so bad." Justus shrugged as he grabbed his pants and shirt. "Better sometimes than a bunkhouse full'a cowboys that've been workin' on brandin' all day."
Chuckling, he pulled on his britches, then his shirt. "'Course, I reckon if it's so bad we could just wash off in th' creek now," he suggested, appearing serious, "get that smell all out."
"Well, I assure you, I have no desire whatsoever to spend even one night...or day in a ranch bunkhouse," Constance grinned as she started the dressing process.
Chuckling, he pulled on his britches, then his shirt. "'Course, I reckon if it's so bad we could just wash off in th' creek now," he suggested, appearing serious, "get that smell all out."
"What? We just got all of these things dry...well, mostly dry. Are you ....what do they say out here? Oh loco?" she gave him a look.
He had to be kidding, right? Hard to tell with him at times. He was a strange one in some ways.
"Oh, right, right...we'd just hafta dry 'em again, an' then we'd hafta dry, an' then they'd smell like smoke again, an' then..." Justus gave her a cheeky grin, then shrugged. "Reckon we'll just hafta take care of it when we get home. An' there really ain't no worry 'bout goin' in th' bunkhouse, mostly ladies aren't much expected, 'cept Mrs. Pike on occasion." He shrugged. "But she's different, bein' th' boss' wife an' all."
He brushed stray dirt off his pants, then squatted to help gather the dishes. "So, ya just wanna go back ta town an' wash out yer clothes, or...dunno, there's a real pretty view of th' mountains." He wasn't sure about Constance, but he wasn't quite ready to be done yet.
He beat a hasty verbal retreat with that let's jump in the water to wash the smoke out of the clothes. Yes, he had been kidding all along. Probably? Anyhow regardless it was time to pack up, they'd finished their lunch and she drank the last dregs from the wine bottle, no point taking that home.
He brushed stray dirt off his pants, then squatted to help gather the dishes. "So, ya just wanna go back ta town an' wash out yer clothes, or...dunno, there's a real pretty view of th' mountains."
"I certainly am not going to wash them out when I get home, I don't do laundry every day. I will throw it in with the rest of my needed laundry and do it my laundry day.....Sunday as the diner is never open that day. Now, I know, I know, Sunday is the Lord's day but it's also the day in my week I have the most free time. So if the good Lord gets upset about it, I'm sorry," she answered.
However he mentioned mountains. Yes, there were mountains, you could see them from where they were. Hard to miss mountains...
"So you mean ride up one of those mountains over there?" she looked at the closest with a bit of trepidation. She was not a very good rider.
"No, not them mountains, would take a few hours ta get up there," Justus explained. "There's a...well, kinda overlook, a ways ahead off th' trail, it's a bit rocky, a little hill ta go up..."
It wasn't the worst trail he could think of, but it wasn't like a wide open, established road. "We can give it a try, an' if it ain't ta yer likin' we can turn back."