“You’re what?” Freya had to force herself to breathe.

“Engaged. It ain't formal, or nothing. No ring,” Kaylee said quickly. “Only … I said I’d marry him.”

“Who?”

“Dray.”

“And who the hell is Dray?”

“Drayton Buchanan.”

“Nope. Still none the wiser.”

Kaylee pulled out a stool from under the workbench and sat down, ignoring the dust on it. “His daddy used to work with my daddy, and we were always around each other, playing in my house or his. Got caught once when we were twelve, playing doctors and nurses, but it was worth the whupping.”

“Was he your first?” Freya asked gently.

“Hell, no!” Kaylee laughed. “We ain't never been to bed together, no matter what my Pa used to think.” The humour died a little in her eyes. “But maybe that’s the point. If’n we’d rolled it out in the sack, maybe I wouldn’t still be feeling like I’d got an obligation to him.”

“What happened?”

“It was the day the Cap’n found me and Bester in the engine room, and he offered me a job …”

“Kaylee?” Dray poked his head around her bedroom door.

“Dray!” She dropped the t-shirt she was holding into the bag on the bed and grinned excitedly. “Did ya hear? I got me a job!”

“Yeah, your Pa just told me.” He stepped inside, pulling the door closed. “Why’re you leaving?”

“Didn’t you hear what I just said? I got a job!” Kaylee turned to the small open chest next to the bed and pulled a pair of coveralls from it, twisting them over and around until she could squash them into the bag as well.

“So?” Dray put his hand on her arm. “I thought you and me … we was going to be together.”

She looked at him. “It’s just a job, Dray. Don’t mean like I'm going to be away forever.”

“But it’s on a ship. Taking you off into the black. That’s almost forever.”

“I’ll be home. Regular, I bet. And we can write.”

“You know I ain't no good at putting my feelings down in words.” He looked so sad that Kaylee felt sorry for him.

She took him by the arms and sat him down on the bed. “Dray, we’