“But that’s wonderful. I’m only sorry my wedding is holding up the works! Not that I’m sorry about the wedding, because I’ve been anticipating that all summer, but the timing sucks for you. Maybe we can figure it out so you can fly to L.A. this week and come home Friday night before the wedding.”
“Nope. I don’t want to mess up the plans we have in place. Besides, it wouldn’t help anything because I’d still want to come back for the shooting of the documentary. Kathryn’s fine postponing my preliminary visit until next Sunday. The only real glitch is Mac.”
“Mac?” Georgie frowned. “If he’s trying to talk you out of—”
“Oh, no. He wants me to take it. He thinks it’s a fabulous opportunity. I’m the problem.” She sighed. “I like him a lot.”
Georgie’s militant expression disappeared. “Aw, sweetie.” She gazed at Anastasia with compassion. “It doesn’t seem fair, does it?”
“No.” Her throat tightened. “I finally find a really nice guy and along comes a chance of a lifetime that will take me away from him. What would you do?”
“That doesn’t matter. This decision is unique to you and you’ll have to make it. I would hate to see you turn away from something so exciting, though. I can tell you think it is, too, from the way you described it to me.”
“I can’t lie. It sounds incredible. Mac says if I stayed because of him I might come to resent him for it.”
Georgie nodded. “Wise words. If you care about someone, you never want to be the reason they don’t grow, even if you don’t mean to hold them back.”
“And he cares about me.” The lump in her throat grew bigger. “We would love to see each other, but we both know it’s unrealistic to think I’ll have time to visit when I’m committed to doing well in the new job.” She swallowed. “Maybe I’m being really selfish to go on this camping trip if I’m planning to leave. Wouldn’t it be easier on Mac if I canceled?”
“No, it wouldn’t.” Mac’s deep voice made both women jump. He glanced at Georgie. “Hi, Georgie.”
“Hi, Mac.”
He turned his attention to Anastasia. “What’s this talk about canceling? I thought going out there was important to you?”
She looked into his dark eyes. The last time his gaze had been this intense, he’d been deep inside her. She shivered in response to the hot memory. “It is important, but so are you.”
“Then you need to know I’d be deeply disappointed if you cancel on me. We’ve both put time and effort into this project and I, for one, want to see it through. The gear’s in the truck. I stopped by early to see if you wanted to take off now and maximize our chances. Vince says the Ghost and his band are out there.”
“They are,” Georgie said. “We had no trouble seeing them. They seemed almost unconcerned about our presence.”
“That’s good to know.” He turned back to Anastasia. “So? Ready to leave?”
“Yes.” She started packing up her sketching materials. “Yes, I am.”
“It’s beautiful in the canyon right now.” Georgie stood. “You’ll love it.”
“I know I will.” She hooked her messenger bag over her shoulder. “Do you need a ride home?”
“Nope. Vince is supposed to meet me here. He gave me a head start because he thought you and I might have some girl talk to get out of the way.”
“Thanks, sis.” She hugged her.
“Anytime. Say hello to the Ghost for me.”
“I will.” As she turned and walked with Mac through the saloon to the outside entrance, she thought about the bond she shared with her sister. Georgie wanted her to go to L.A., but that wouldn’t make it any easier.
Mac reached out a long arm, pushed the door open, and held it for her. “I still can’t believe you were willing to cancel to spare my feelings.”
She stepped onto the sidewalk and turned to face him. “We’re getting close to each other, and this will just bring us closer. That seems unfair to you.”
“It would also be unfair to deprive me of the joy of watching you see the Ghost for the first time. Besides, if you didn’t go out there, you’ve wasted your efforts and mine.”
“You’re angry.”
“Hell, yes, I’m angry. I thought we had an understanding that we’d make the most of our time together before you left. Then I walk into Sadie’s and hear you telling Georgie you should probably cancel our camping trip.”
“Because I was thinking of you!”
“Well, don’t. Think of yourself. That’s what will make me happy. I want you to do what is best for you, and that means riding into the canyon so you can finally catch a glimpse of that stallion.” He took a deep breath. “It also means moving to L.A.”
She thought of what Georgie had said a little while ago, that if someone cared for you, they’d want you to grow. Mac wouldn’t be grateful and happy if she turned down that job offer. He’d be mad as hell. Georgie wouldn’t be mad, but she’d be upset. Staying here wouldn’t make Georgie happy, either.
“Okay, I get it, now.” She met his gaze. “If I do what’s right for me, it’ll be right for the people who care about me.”
“Yes.”
“Then it’s time to saddle up.”
He smiled. “Attagirl.”
That morning she’d packed her suitcase in preparation for returning to her mother’s house, so he detoured past the Victorian so she could drop it off. Then he parked his truck at the stable.
As they tacked up the horses and loaded the saddlebags, excitement fizzed in her veins. The moment she’d dreamed of was close at hand. She tucked her sketch pad in with a light jacket, a change of underwear and a few toiletries. She was willing to be grubby but not that grubby.
She figured Mac was adding condoms to his saddlebag. He was also in charge of the food for dinner and breakfast. Her knowledge of camping could be written on the head of a pin.
He’d promised to bring liners for the sleeping bags, which were already on site. That was standard operating procedure for the trail rides, and this would be similar but more intimate.
Extremely intimate, she thought as they started down the trail with Mac in the lead. The last time she’d ridden into this canyon with him, they hadn’t been lovers. Now she knew every detail of his body and he could say the same about her, although he didn’t have a sketch to prove it.
She knew about the mole that was about two inches above his navel and that he had an innie. She knew that he had knobby knees and strong thigh muscles. She could picture how he looked fully aroused with his cock jutting proudly and his balls drawn in tight.
Now, as she rode behind him on the trail, she could imagine his naked back and buttocks. She knew how his muscles felt when they bunched during a climax and when they relaxed afterward. She loved touching him and refused to think of what her life would be like when she couldn’t do that anymore.
“Coyotes ahead,” he called softly.
Amazing what a difference a few days had made. She trusted Jasper to behave himself as she took her phone out of the drawstring bag she’d hung on the saddle horn. Mac made room for her and Jasper on the trail and she managed to get several shots of the coyotes before the pack disappeared into the underbrush.
She smiled at Mac. “Thank you. Great reference photos.”
“I’ll keep my eyes open.”
“I know you will.” Resting her hands on the saddle horn, she looked around at the russet canyon walls rising above them and the touches of fall color here and there. It wasn’t a spectacular display like the leaves in New England, but she appreciated the subtleties. “Beautiful.”
“Yeah.”
Glancing over, she discovered he was focused on her, not the landscape. The undisguised warmth in his gaze might have caused her to question the wisdom of this trip, except that he’d pretty much told her that he didn’t want to be shut out of
it. She’d honor his wish.
He took a deep breath. “We should get going. I want to reach the box canyon and make camp before dark.”
“Should we trot?”
“Only if you’re up to it.”
“I have that pop tune loaded and ready to go in my brain. Move ’em out, cowboy.”
“Call out if you need a break.” And he was off, trotting his big black horse, Cinder.
She urged Jasper into a trot and started humming. Jasper didn’t need any encouragement. He obviously didn’t like being left in the dust. Amazingly, the trot felt pretty good, and they were covering ground faster. She was as eager to get there as Mac was, so if that meant trotting, so be it.
Then the trail opened up. Mac turned in the saddle. “We could canter here, but I don’t want to push you.”
She remembered the magic of cantering around the corral with him. “Let’s try it.”
“Holler if it isn’t working for you.” And he was off.
A quick nudge of her booted heels and Jasper followed. For one heart-stopping moment she was afraid. And then she wasn’t. She matched Jasper’s fluid movement and rejoiced in the freedom of it.
“You okay back there?” Mack called over his shoulder.
“Yes! This is great!”
“I knew you’d like it!” He rode with such ease, as if he and Cinder were a single unit.
She couldn’t aspire to that. She wasn’t one with Jasper by any stretch, but she felt the power of his stride and managed to stay on as he kept up with Cinder. This was another memory she’d store away to take out when she was sitting in her apartment in L.A.
The canter ended and she was ready for that. She’d done well, but much longer and she might have lost that sense of balance and well-being. Riding was a skill, and she didn’t kid herself that she’d mastered it.
Mac had, though. Watching him on a horse was an experience that bordered on the erotic. Tonight she’d have all that coordination and power with her in a double sleeping bag. She could hardly wait.
The excitement of camping with Mac and sighting the Ghost carried her almost to the meadow. But when they were within a quarter mile of it, she began to fade. She’d never ridden this far before and she realized that expertise wasn’t the same as endurance.
On top of that, Mac had slowed the pace. She struggled to sit upright in the saddle and began to long for the end of the ride. Maybe after a meal and some rest she’d be ready to meet the Ghost, but right now she didn’t feel capable of sketching anything.
Abruptly he stopped. “He’s there. Cinder knows it, and I can vaguely hear them.”
Her fatigue melted away. “The Ghost is in the meadow?”
“I’m pretty sure. I heard some nickers, and Cinder is really alert. The wind’s blowing in our direction, so they might not have smelled us, but they’ll hear us any minute. If we go slowly, we might be able to creep up on them before they bolt.”
Her heart pounded with anticipation. The horse she’d been drawing for the past six months was close by. He’d become a mythic figure to her, but at last she’d have a chance to see for herself that he was flesh and blood. “I’ll follow your lead.”
“Stay close.”
“Yep.” She marveled at the assured way Mac led them forward. His movements were cautious but focused. She realized that she would trust him to lead her anywhere.
Slowly they proceeded down the trail toward the meadow. She’d never seen it before, but plenty of people had described it. When the tall cottonwoods rose above the mesquites, their golden leaves glowing in the late-afternoon sunshine, she knew they were almost there.
Now she could hear the restless movements of the herd—soft thuds of hooves on moist ground, a snort, a muted whinny. Excitement became a steel band around her chest. Gradually the trees gave way and then . . . she saw them. She counted thirteen, mostly in shades of brown. Two were light gray like their father. They all stood poised, heads up, obviously on alert.
Mac’s voice was a low murmur. “To your right.”
She looked over, and there was the Ghost at the edge of the meadow, his nostrils flared, his gaze directed at the spot where they stood in the shadow of the trees. Adrenaline shot through her, enhancing all her senses. “He sees us,” she whispered.
“He does. He may take off any second. Activate that photographic memory.”
“I will.” She concentrated on the stallion. Ah, he was magnificent, more regal than she’d given him credit for. But that kind of presence didn’t show up in a photograph. She’d needed to be here to feel it. Now she knew how she’d draw him, not as a wild renegade on the run, but as a king in full command of his domain.
He snorted and pawed the ground.
A thrill of fear generated by an ancient memory ran through her. But that terrified little girl had learned to put herself in the horse’s place. When the Ghost shivered, she realized he feared for the safety of his band. He might challenge the humans who’d appeared at the edge of the meadow, but only to protect those in his care.
Lifting his head, he issued a command and the horses leaped into action. The ground shook as they raced across the meadow and splashed through the creek. The Ghost followed, his powerful muscles bunching as he ran.
Anastasia watched until they were out of sight in the trees on the far side of the canyon. Then she slowly let out her breath and turned to Mac. “Thank you.”
His grin of triumph was cute as hell. “Pretty cool, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
“I have some idea. I’ve seen that look before and it always means you’re really happy.”
She could guess when he’d last seen her looking this happy. They’d likely been naked at the time. “Will they be back tonight?”
“Maybe, but Georgie and Vince have decided that after a sighting, we need to leave them alone for a while. We don’t want to disturb their pattern too often if we can help it. We’ll walk down from the campsite at dawn and should see them again then.”
“Even if we don’t, I’m ready to start sketching.”
“Then let’s get a move on.” He guided Cinder into the clearing.
She followed on Jasper as they walked the horses to a trail on the other side of the meadow. “Did you take pictures with your phone? I didn’t notice.”
“Didn’t need to this time. You’re here.”
The significance of that comment didn’t register at first. When it did, she blinked in surprise. He hadn’t been taking pictures of the Ghost for his benefit all this time. He’d been doing it for her.
She thought back to all the Sunday afternoons he’d walked down to Sadie’s after the trail ride to show her the pictures on his phone. She’d been eager to see those pictures, but now she could admit she’d been even more excited to see Mac. She had a hunch he’d felt the same. Damn. They’d probably been in love with each other from the get-go.
Leaving him was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever done, but if she didn’t take that job, he’d be disappointed in her. She’d be disappointed in herself, too. In her heart she knew that this was her big chance, a huge turning point in her creative life. But it wouldn’t come without sacrifice.
For now, though, she was still here, riding up a narrow trail to a secluded canyon she’d heard about for so long, the place where Vince and Georgie would be married in less than a week. She’d be foolish to let dread of an impending separation from Mac ruin their brief time together.
Because the trail was so narrow he blocked her view of what lay ahead, but she could hear the waterfall. Not being able to see it only added to her anticipation. At last he reached the end of the path and moved forward into the canyon. Her first glimpse stole her breath.
The russet rock seemed to glow in the fading light of the setting sun, and the backdrop of clear sky had never seemed so blue. Silver ribbons of w
ater cascaded hundreds of feet from the rim to the canyon floor and fed into a rippling brook. To her right, a colorful chuck wagon and a stone fire pit marked a cozy campground. No wonder Vince and Georgie wanted to have their ceremony in this canyon.
“You can see why I wanted to show you this.”
“It’s spectacular.” She turned to look at him, a fantasy cowboy astride a gleaming black horse, the perfect addition to the scene. “This might sound crazy, but I’d like to try cantering across that meadow toward the falls.”
He smiled. “Like you imagined it would be riding Prince?”
“Yes.” She should have expected that he’d understand. “You know what the ground is like. Would it be safe?”
“Should be. Tighten the string on your hat so it’ll stay put. We’ll start out at a trot and go from there.”
“Okay.” Her pulse leaped, but Mac would be beside her. She could do this. She wanted to do this. “I’m ready.” She nudged Jasper forward, and as they began to trot, she was so focused on her surroundings that she forgot to sing. Amazingly, she didn’t bounce.
“Here we go!” Mac called out as he pressed his heels against Cinder’s ribs.
She did the same and for one tiny moment panic engulfed her again when Jasper took off. But then she caught his rhythm and her panic again faded, this time turning to joy. She was doing it! She was flying across a meadow on a beautiful horse exactly the way her six-year-old self had dreamed she would!
When they were close enough to the waterfall that the mist dampened her face, she pulled gradually back on the reins and brought Jasper to a stop.
“Liked that, did you?”
That’s when she realized she was grinning like a fool. “Loved it.” She glanced at him. “Thanks for making my dreams come true.”
“My pleasure.”
“We should move, though, before the moisture starts affecting my sketch pad.” She turned Jasper and started back toward the campground.
Mac laughed as he came along beside her. “Some women I’ve known would be worried about their hair.”
Wild About the Wrangler Page 26