Taming Adam_Burlap and Barbed Wire

by Shirley Penick

  Adam and Beau shuddered.

  The waitress brought some large to go containers so Alyssa and Rachel started divvying up the food. One container per truck. Beau watched the proceedings and corrected them on the brothers’ preferences while Adam paid the bill.

  They left the restaurant and headed into the park.

  Adam drove on auto pilot, he was still thinking about what he would say as the best man. How could he give a toast when he still wasn’t sure Beau was making the right decision? Yes, he seemed happy with Alyssa and she with him, but was it really going to last? He supposed it could. They did have a lot in common. Similar families and values, lifestyle and careers. When they worked together as vets it was like they read each other’s mind. He’d watched Alyssa anticipate Beau and hand him things before he even asked.

  Maybe they truly were a match made in heaven. He wished he could be as care free as Beau was. Beau didn’t analyze everything to death like he did. Beau took life by the horns and hung on for the ride. Adam wasn’t sure he could ever be that way. He thought about everything, and how every decision would affect everyone else. Maybe he should take a lesson from his younger brother.

  As far as the toast went, he could talk about how compatible they were. That would be easy. He’d need to think about that more. He should put it away for this drive over Trail Ridge, it could be a treacherous road and he needed to be paying attention. He saw Beau pull to the side in an overlook area and followed him, so Rachel could take pictures. Alyssa seemed to know what Rachel would want to take pictures of before Rachel could say anything to him. Almost like sisters.

  He stopped, and Rachel swapped out her telephoto lens for her wide angle and started snapping pictures. They were still near the base of the mountains and he knew the girls would both be in awe, up higher where the tree growth stopped, and the views went on and on for miles.

  Beau must have been thinking the same thing. He said, “This is just the beginning, trust me you’ll want more time up higher.”

  Rachel looked at Beau and then at Adam who nodded. She said, “Well let’s get moving then. I don’t want to miss the best part.”

  She took a few more pictures and then hurried back to the truck. She jumped in the truck and fastened her seat belt. “So, what’s so cool up higher, isn’t it the same?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all, we’ll hit timberline and then it will all change.”

  “What do you mean by timberline?”

  “Trees can’t grow above a certain altitude. When we hit that it will look like a ruler was drawn along the mountains and they will be bare of all growth above that line, except for the sturdiest brush and grasses. It might be too early for the flowers that grow in all colors. You’ll see, it’s quite interesting.”

  She looked skeptical. “I’ll have to take your word for that, it sounds rather odd to me.”

  “It is odd, but once we hit that elevation, which if I remember correctly is a bit over eleven thousand feet, you can see for miles. No trees or anything to block the view. At the very top you can see across the whole mountain range. It’s spectacular.”

  “Cool.”

  Adam said, “You might want to take another day and really explore the park while you’re here. This drive takes you through the park but there are lots of trails to walk on. There’s also the Old Fall River Road that’s about nine miles long. It’s one way because it so narrow, but you might like going on that, too. You could easily spend a whole day exploring and not venture too far into the park.”

  “I’m not sure I’ll have time for any of that. I think Alyssa is going to be keeping me busy with wedding preparations.” She sighed. “Speaking of which, there is one other thing that you and I need to do.”

  Something else? He hoped it was something simple. “What’s that?”

  “Decorate whatever vehicle their driving to the airport.”

  Adam guffawed. “Like soap the windows and tie cans to the back of the car.”

  She nodded. “Something like that, but it needs to be done so they can see to drive to the airport, and also be festive enough to draw attention.”

  “I see what you mean. I don’t think anyone would appreciate cans and shoes bumping along the road on I-70. They might go flying off and hit the car behind them.” He could imagine a shoe or can winging into someone’s windshield at sixty miles an hour, startling the driver and causing an accident, maybe even breaking a windshield.

  “Exactly, but a big Just Married sign securely fastened to the tail gate would be fun.”

  “Okay, let me give it some thought. They’re pulling off at another overlook.” He pulled in next to them.

  Rachel hopped out of the car and shivered. “It’s colder here.”

  Beau nodded. “It’ll be even colder up higher and there is often a breeze. There can be a thirty-degree difference from town to the summit, without the wind chill.”

  Rachel frowned and shivered again. “I didn’t bring a coat, it never occurred to me I would need one.”

  Adam walked up and handed her a jacket. “I keep a couple in the truck for times like these. It will be too big on you, but it will keep you warm.”

  “Thanks.”

  Alyssa came around the front of Beau’s truck also in a coat too big for her. Rachel at least had more height to carry it off, Alyssa looked like a little kid in Beau’s jacket. “Well don’t we look like fashionistas?” Rachel laughed.

  Alyssa grinned. “Better than being frozen.”

  Beau said. “Let’s get to picture taking ladies, we’ve still got forty miles of road to cover.”

  Alyssa rolled her eyes. “And three hours to do it in. We could probably walk in that length of time.”

  “But you wouldn’t have any time for picture taking,” Beau said gravely. “And there isn’t a lot of oxygen at this altitude, so you’d be huffing and puffing.”

  “I was being sarcastic,” Alyssa said.

  Beau nodded. “I’m aware.”

  Adam crossed his arms. “But there is something to be said for expedience, this park is amazing and I’m sure Rachel could spend three hours taking pictures before we even reached the summit, let alone the continental divide.”

  “Yeah, you’re probably right, Adam. She does like to take lots of pictures. But they do turn out beautiful.” Alyssa shrugged like that’s all that mattered.

  Adam agreed that she took great pictures, but there was a lot to explore and he didn’t want to be on the road after dark. That would be dangerous, many of the stretches had no guard rails. “I’m sure they do. But we don’t want her to miss anything because it gets dark. This isn’t a fun road to drive at night.”

  Alyssa frowned. “I can see that. Rachel, let’s get a move on.”

  Chapter 16

  “One last shot.” Rachel switched out her wide-angle lens for one that could take closeups. There was the cutest little plant popping out of the ground. She focused in on it and took half a dozen pictures at each shutter speed and focus point. When she was finished she stood up and noticed the three of them looking at her. “What?”

  Adam said, “Did you seriously just take a hundred pictures of that tiny bud, that’s not even out of the ground yet?”

  “Not quite that many, but yes, I did. And when you see what I do with them, I will expect the praise it will be due.”

  Adam looked back down at the speck of green and then looked back at her. “If you insist.”

  Alyssa and Beau looked at the tiny plant then back at each other, shrugged and started walking back to the trucks.

  She looked back at the little bud and said, “I’ll show them, you’ll be a star. Now grow strong my little friend.”

  Adam shook his head at her. “You’re crazy. You do know that, right?”

  “Crazy like a fox, Adam.”

  She started toward the truck and heard him mutter something under his breath that might have been. “Fox my ass, loon is closer.” She just grinned, the man would be eating his words when
she finished with those pictures.

  The rest of the drive was similar, they would stop at some point and she would take a bunch of pictures while they waited. Up above timberline it was as spectacular as Adam had said it would be. She literally could spend a whole day or two at that elevation. There were even some very brave animals popping their heads out of their burrows. Oh yes, at least two days.

  When they got back into the truck after their stop at the continental divide she couldn’t contain her excitement. “You are right it’s amazing up here. To stand on the continental divide and realize all the rivers on your right flow into the Pacific Ocean and all the rivers on your left flow into the Atlantic Ocean, is kind of a cool thought.” She continued, “It’s so different from anything I’ve ever seen. And all those tiny plants and even some animals living up so high, it’s amazing. Thank you so much for bringing me up.”

  He looked at her and a slow grin slid across his face. “It’s been my pleasure to watch you. It’s caused me to see things through your eyes. I’ll be interested to see your finished pictures.”

  That smile changed his features from the stark expression he normally wore. He hardly looked like the same man and boy did she like what she saw. The smile softened his features and lit a spark in his eyes. Her fingers itched to take a picture of him, but she knew he wouldn’t be appreciative of that idea, so she kept still. “It will be my pleasure to show them to you.”

  “Sounds good. We’ve got a couple more stops to make. We’ll be coming upon the Colorado river soon. It runs fairly close to the road, but it doesn’t look like much at this elevation, especially this year with the dry winter we had.”

  “But there’s still plenty of snow,” she said glancing around at all the snow on the ground.

  “Not really, we can get thirty feet up here. Which is why the road is normally closed for another couple of weeks. These little piles you see are nothing.”

  “Wow that’s a lot of snow.” She’d never seen that much snow. About every five years they got dumped on for Christmas, but it was still only about three feet. Thirty feet was as tall as a house. That would be crazy to see.

  “Yes, it is. Some years it doesn’t open on Memorial Day because of the snowy road conditions. And there are occasions of freak storms in the summer that can cause the road to shut down until the snowplows can get it cleared and reopened. We don’t drive it much… unless we have guests that want to see it.”

  She knew he was referring to her and Alyssa and it made her feel special that they had taken the time to drive them over the road. She leaned over the console and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She whispered, “Thanks.”

  His voice was gruff when he said, “You’re welcome.”

  She’d just meant it as a thank you, but that little kiss on the cheek had sent fire racing through his blood. It was ridiculous if he thought about it, but his body didn’t give a damn what his head had to say about it. He didn’t know what to say or how to react, so he just kept driving.

  What he wanted to do was stop the truck, drag her into his arms and kiss the living daylights out of her. Then if she was on board, strip her naked and bury himself in her. That’s what he wanted to do, but it wasn’t an option, so he just kept driving.

  He cleared his throat. “There are a couple more turnouts left before we’re off the mountain. There’s still plenty of daylight to get out of the park, but we should probably finish up our exploration fairly soon. There might be deer or elk in the meadow just outside the park entrance in an hour or so as dusk settles. It’s a popular place to see them in early morning or just before the sunset. It’s not a huge herd like in Estes Park, but these won’t be quite so domesticated either. And most of the time it’s deer or even a moose on occasion.”

  “Oh, a moose would be fun to see.”

  “Yes, but they aren’t sighted real often. Mainly it’s a small herd of deer,” Adam said.

  “That would be fun, too. I’m not picky.”

  He laughed. “I noticed that when you took a bazillion pictures of the chipmunks.”

  “Chipmunks are cute.”

  “And the butterfly,” he said dryly.

  “Butterflies are beautiful.”

  He glanced at her. “It was a little white one.”

  “Still I liked it.”

  “And the lichen?”

  She giggled. “Fine, you’ve made your point.”

  That giggle tore him up. “Anyway, the point being you need to be quick at the last couple stops if you want to see the deer.” His voice had come out gruffer than he intended, and he saw her flinch. Dammit.

  She said, “I’ll keep that in mind.” Then she turned to look out the window.

  Now he’d pissed her off or hurt her feelings. He didn’t know what to say so he said nothing and just drove. What an idiot he was.

  When they got to the next turnout, she said, “No need to get out. I’ll make it quick.”

  “Rachel, I didn’t mean…”

  “No, it’s fine. I know I drew this trip out much longer than was necessary. You probably just want to get home and away from all of this. I’ll be quick.”

  Now he’d ruined the trip for her and she felt bad. All because her giggle had set him on fire, with a lust he didn’t want to feel for her. He sat in the truck thinking about how to fix it. Beau knocked on the window which startled him out of his thoughts. He powered the window down.

  Beau said, “What’s up? Rachel looks upset.”

  “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just mentioned she might want to hurry if she wants to see the deer that hang out in the meadow after we exit the park.”

  “That makes sense, why would that upset her?”

  Adam didn’t want to admit he was abrupt with her because of his reaction to her laugh. “I think she took it as I’m tired of driving her around. It wasn’t what I intended.”

  Beau’s eyebrows lifted. “Of course not, you’ve always been a fan of driving. Since you were sixteen and got your first license.”

  “She doesn’t know that.”

  Beau shrugged. “Tell her, dumbass.”

  “I’ll try.”

  “What’s this try shit. Do I need to start quoting Yoda at you?”

  Adam rolled his eyes, and saw Rachel hurrying back to the truck. “I can handle it, asshole. Go back to your truck.”

  Rachel clambered in the cab and said tightly, “I hurried.”

  He sighed and didn’t start the truck. He turned toward her. “Rachel, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad or self-conscious. I don’t mind driving you around. In fact, driving is something I enjoy. I just wanted you to be aware of the possibility of some pictures down lower. I didn’t mean to sound gruff about it. Please don’t let my attitude ruin your trip and photography.”

  “You’re not sick of me and all my silly picture taking?”

  He shook his head. “Not at all. I was attempting to tease you about that.”

  “It did sound like teasing at first. But then it changed.”

  He ran his hand behind his neck and looked up to see that Beau and Alyssa had left. Time to come clean. “It was your laugh.”

  “What’s wrong with my laugh?”

  “Nothing’s wrong with it.”

  “Then what…”

  In for a penny, in for a pound. “It made me want to stop in the middle of the road, drag you over the console and kiss the breath out of you. Then strip you naked and bury myself in you until next week.”

  “Oh…my… I had no idea.”

  He turned to start the truck. “Yeah, so I was a little agitated.”

  “Adam?”

  “What?”

  “I think I’d like that. Not in the middle of the road or where Beau and Alyssa would come to see where we were, but... All the rest sounds like a superior idea.”

  “It does?” He looked at her wondering if she really meant it.

  “Yes, it does.”

  “I thought you didn’t like me?”

 
She shrugged. “I don’t always like you, in fact I rarely do.” She shrugged again. “But what’s that got to do with a good screw. Might relieve some tension.”

  He chuckled, she had to be the craziest woman he’d ever met.

  She looked out the window. “But if we don’t want Beau and Alyssa coming back to see if we killed each other, we should probably drive.”

  He sighed dramatically. “If we must.”

  She giggled again, then gasped. “You didn’t tell Beau that, while I was taking pictures, did you?”

  “Hell no. And stop giggling.” He put the truck in gear.

  She giggled again. “I’ll try.”

  “Woman.” He growled. Which sent her into peals of laughter, that made him grin despite himself and his inflamed body.

  Chapter 17

  Rachel undressed for bed and thought back over the day. Had Adam really meant what he’d said? She couldn’t be sure because the rest of the drive had been spent companionably with no more mention of kissing or sex, which if she was honest was a little disappointing. They’d stopped a couple more times and though she didn’t exactly hurry she didn’t dawdle either. She was rewarded by seeing a half dozen mule deer feeding in the meadow, like Adam had mentioned, just outside the park entrance.

  When they got back to the ranch Adam had helped her carry all the equipment to her room and then left. Which sucked because she’d been thinking maybe he would hang out and carry out some of the ideas he’d put in her head. Men were very strange.

  She left her camera equipment packed. She didn’t have the energy to look through the two memory cards she’d filled that day. She didn’t feel like socializing with the family, even though it was only nine o’clock, so she stripped out of her clothes and put on her sleep shorts and long t-shirt. Maybe she would curl up in bed and read on her phone for a while.

  When someone tapped on her door she figured it was Alyssa wanting to see her graduation pictures. She wasn’t in the mood, so she would tell her they could look at them tomorrow. But when she opened the door it wasn’t Alyssa at all, it was Adam, freshly shaved and showered, his hair still damp. He had on jeans and a T-shirt but his feet were bare.