Blaze: Chapter 39

Blaze convinces Hazard that she is tired of being on the run non-stop and wants to sleep in a bed in [insert name of what I will assume is a mid-west town here]. Hazard hems and haws but eventually agrees after seeing how TIRED AND FRAIL AND FULL OF FETUS Blaze is. Blaze squeals and rushes Hazard, hugging him. Hazard has VERY MIXED FEELINGS because he has been avoiding physical contact with Blaze and here she is, all pressed up on him and all he can think about is BONING HER SENSELESS. More conflicted feelings blah blah blah life in the balance boner boner boner whatever. He gently pushes Blaze away and says he knows where they can go.

Hazard packs Blaze into a stage coach and they head towards the outskirts of town. Blaze cries for awhile (with "silently splashing" tears (wha?)), realizing that Hazard really might not come back to her and how will she ever pierce his heart when he BELIEVES THINGS THAT JUST STRAIGHT UP DON'T MAKE SENSE. They stop at a farm house way outside of town and we are introduced to Lydia Bailey. She tsks at Hazard for his obvious rough treatment of the girl, takes Blaze and bundles her into bed. Hazard frets silently until he is permitted to see Blaze. He apologizes for pushing her so hard and she says she's fine and she thinks the baby is doing well, but she doesn't really know cause, ya know, she's never been knocked up before. Hazard REALIZES HE IS TALKING TO THE SAME BLAZE AS THE BLAZE HE MARRIED (Pah! She's wet blanket Blaze now. No more blaze in that Blaze there...) and feels CONFLICTED. It was so easy to think of her just as the woman raising his beh-bay when she was TWO THOUSAND MILES AWAY but now that she's HERE its much harder to dismiss her. They tip toe around each others feelings for a bit before Hazard admits he's scared of Blaze and the power she holds over him. Hazard leaves to tend to the horses and Blaze sleeps like a log.

Hazard sits on the porch with Lydia, and tells her about Yancy, Mummy and why they're chasing them. Lydia informs him that Blaze loves him and she has had 8 beh-bays and knows a thing or two about relationships and if you want to make it work, you can make it work. So there. They chit chat on the porch for awhile until Blaze wakes and joins them. She ogles Hazard from the doorway for a bit before joining them on the porch. Lydia removes herself from the porch and Blaze asks if Hazard remembers the good times (i'm paraphrasing). Hazard INTENSELY REMEMBERS THE GOOD TIMES and is having trouble keeping his feelings in check wherever Blaze is involved. Blaze asks Hazard why they can't be together and Hazard says BECAUSE WE JUST CREATE PROBLEMS BEING TOGETHER I'M GOING FOR A WALK STOP LOOKING AT ME. Hazard jumps the railing and saunters off. I wish I could just walk away from conversations I don't want to have. Then my life can be as simple and exciting as Jon Hazard Black's!!