by D. J. Wilson
“Enough pics?” I asked Gio and Candi, while Mile, mesmerized by the bull, could not take her eyes off it. Grabbing her arm, I met up with determined resistance. She totally did not want to leave.
“Deer, let’s go find mule deer,” I offered, puzzling her all the more. “Tell her Candi, we’re going to find more big deer for her to see.”
“By the way, did I tell you, we’re going to Chico Hot Springs for dinner? We can even stay there tonight if they have rooms. And if you’re real lucky, I might be able to snag us up a horseback ride in the morning.”
Realizing much of what I’d said went right over our Italian friend’s heads, I asked Candi to translate. I could sense the excitement in her voice, as she sold them on the horseback ride immediately, without telling them it was conditional if we couldn’t get a room.
“Why did you tell them it was a sure thing Candi?”
“Because I have you, 'good guide,' as Gio says, and you will make it happen. Won't you?”
That being said, I called Chico and found they had one, two bedroom log cabin left. “Candi, it’s your call.”
“That’s fine, it might be fun.”
It’s the might part, that I’m not sure about; I thought while I confirmed the cabin and made our dinner reservations.
We rode north, up through Paradise Valley, where multitudes of mule deer were grazing in many of the irrigated fields along the Yellowstone River. Gio was in his element, filming the mulies, then us, then the deer again. I’m thinking he could make a feature movie by the time he gets home with all the video he has captured on this trip.
Our entourage made it to Chico by 6 p.m., and as we checked in, Mile was overjoyed when she realized we would be sharing a cabin.
“We sleep together?” Mile asked Candi excitedly.
“Don’t break her heart, baby. Just tell her yes. Two more things,” I continued, “dinner is at eight tonight and we can have a cowboy breakfast at nine in the morning after a one-hour horseback ride. Is that good with everyone?” I asked, before confirming with the front desk. Nods from all around confirmed we were good.
The cabin featured two bedrooms and a great room. “Is this okay with you and Mile?” I asked Gio.
“Yes D, good for us.”
“Candi, how about you, will this suffice?”
“It’s great, baby. Look at the mountain views out the back. They’re spectacular.”
Unpacked, I walked out the front door to find a doe, lounging on the porch. “Mile,” I motioned, “come here quietly,” putting my finger to my lips. She eased out the door to discover a mule deer doe, up close and personal.
I think it made her day, because she proceeded to give me a hug and a long lingering kiss on the lips, while our companions, staring out the window, surprisingly, looked on.
“If Mile will do that for a deer, I wonder what she will do for a moose? Woo-hoo,” I whispered to Candi.
“She didn’t do it for the deer, baby. She did it because she has the ‘hots’ for you,” Candi interjected adamantly.
“I’ve haven’t done anything to encourage it, I promise.”
“Yes you have, it began when you loaned Gio ‘my toy’ and you encouraged him to use it.”
“Are you jealous of Mile, Candice? You are. Aren’t you?” I chuckled, while watching her cheeks flush red.
Meanwhile Gio was busy trying to get the TV on CNN, while Mile, to my pleasant surprise, disrobed right before our eyes.
“Bath,” she announced, as she paraded, la natural, through the den and into the bathroom.
“Are you sure you’re not related to her, too?” I gleefully asked Candi, as steam erupted from her ears. “You said this might be fun. At this moment, I’m oh so inclined to agree.”
“Stop looking at her that way, D. You can roll your tongue back in, while you’re at it. Can’t you see that’s what she wants you to do, lust?”
“She’s succeeding! Tie me up and blindfold me, and I won’t look at her again like that, I promise. By the way, Gio doesn’t seem to mind.”
“Of course he doesn’t, he sees her naked all the time.”
“Why are you arguing with me?”
“I’m not, no I am. I really just wanted to see how much I mean to you right now.”
“Are you satisfied?” Candi asked sternly.
“I am, thank you very much. Oh, by the way, Candice, are we having fun yet?”
Dinner was excellent. We talked about Bozeman and whether Gio and Mile were going south to Jackson Hole or riding on to Glacier. I have yet to tell Gio we’re going through Glacier also, waiting for the right time to discuss it with Candi. We walked along the landscaped paths and ventured into the hot springs pools area where indoor and outdoor springs are readily available to relax in.
“Would you ladies like to bath in the hot springs?” I asked, with both nodding an affirmative yes. “We’ll leave you to it. Gio, if you please … to the bar.”
Ordering two local craft brews, Gio made a statement that caught me off guard. Mile, he began, “she want you. I mean you sleep with her, okay? I not tell Candi, you not tell Candi. I say okay, what you say?”
“I say thank you, but how you say in Italian, no way, nada.”
“I share with you, you not like her?”
“I do like her, Gio, but not enough to share her with Candi.”
“I not ask you to share Candi.”
Where is my interpreter when I need her? I’m thinking, trying to figure out where this is leading and why. “Gio, Stop! Enough! Thank you, but no thank you.”
“Let’s join the girls,” I paused, before getting up, grabbing my beer and walking out mid sentence, before he could continue the argument. What is it with these Italians and their unbridled sex drive? I thought I was adventurous, but I can’t hold a candle to them. Making my way to the outdoor pool, I found Candi and Mile in total relaxation mode on opposite ends of the pool.
“Where is Gio?” Asked Candi.
“I left him in the bar, finishing a beer, totally frustrated, because I wouldn’t consider a romantic interlude with Mile.”
“My cousin just asked you to bang his girlfriend? Just wait till I get hold of him? I might just rip off his balls!”
“I’d rather you not … at least for the moment. I’m thinking he has an ulterior motive and I’d like to find out what it is before you make a bloody scene. Rip off his balls, you are a cold one, what would he use to play with then?”
“She is pretty,” Candi continued, while dangling the carrot before my eyes, “I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to.”
“Mile has been the farthest thing from my mind. She doesn’t hold a candle to you. Besides I’m kind of fond of you, especially your woo-hoo. No worries, baby.”
“Let’s go back to the room,” I sported, reaching for Candi’s hand, as I lifted her from the pool. “We have yet to have dessert tonight.”
Satisfying our mutual sweet tooth over the next hour or so, we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms, completely oblivious to the fact that we were now sharing a cabin with two very frustrated Italians; albeit for totally different reasons.
My early ritual of walking took on new meaning this particular morning as I exited our bedroom to find Mile dressed in a very small tube top and the shortest spandex shorts I had ever had the pleasure of observing on a woman.
“We walk,” announced Mile.
“We walk,” I replied. Few words were exchanged between us as we walked to the main entrance and up the gravel road into the canyon, east of Chico. Only when we stopped to rest, did I visualize her pronounced camel toe, defined in the crevasse of her shorts.
“You like?” asked Mile, when she caught my drooling man stare.
“I do very much. You are very beautiful Mile, and you’re taken.”
“You take me,” instructed Mile, seemingly excited by my lust filled gaze.
“No, not ever, you are Giovanna’s girl. Candi is my girl. Let’s go,” I demanded, realizing th
is was not the place to be, alone with a beautiful young filly with horny wild beasts and illusive camel toes on my mind.
“Look, Mile, mule deer!” pointing to a doe and fawn on top of the closest rise.
“Bambino,” Mile exclaimed, thankfully focusing her new found excitement on them, no longer on me.
We returned to a still quiet cabin and both Gio and Mile were asleep in their respective beds. Why would I even think otherwise, they’re cousins, suddenly remembering an attractive fourth or was it a fifth cousin I had no problem acquainting myself with.
Woo-hoo strikes again, again, and again and it’s only 6:30. It’s bound to be a very long day.
“Wake up, wake up everyone,” I shouted, beating a large wooden spoon to a ancient aluminum kettle. “Wakey-wakey it’s time to get the show on the road. We’re going horseback riding in an hour.”
Thankfully, Chico has an espresso bar, where I managed to snag two coffees and two black teas on the trek back. The Italians took the coffees, the Americans the teas. Thinking back, there has to be something wrong with this picture.
“What do I wear on my first horseback ride, D?” Candi asked, thoroughly excited.
“Chaps and a red thong works for me.”
“Works,” I heard Gio exclaim from the other room.
“You’re not right, D. Just what goes with a horse?”
“Dress to ride, baby; jeans and thong, less the chaps. You’ll be fine.”
Making our way to the stables, the girls were extremely giddy, Gio much quieter than usual. The horses were saddled and ready to go. Our trail guide, Michael, announced novice riders to the front, experienced riders to the back.
“Candi, Mile you’re first, Gio and I will bring up the rear.” After a few minutes of instruction about the do’s and don’ts of horseback riding, we were off.
“D,” Gio began, “I make you mad last night. In my country, if you can trust a man with your wife, you can trust a man with your life. I tell you something quiet; Candi and I are, how you say, famiglia.”
“Family,” I replied.
“Yes, we are family. Her momma and papa, mia zia e lo zio.
“Your aunt and uncle?” I guessed, knowing the story already, and Gio nodded yes.
“They ask me to watch her about you. They say you Texan. I like Texas.”
“I understand, I think,” while my mind struggled with Texas, my former home.
“You are, how you say, good people, D. I tell them A-okay. You not take Mile. You get mad when I ask. I trust you be good for Candi.”
“Thank you, Gio. And you came from Milan just to check on her? “
“We come to Sioux City, not Memphis. Was going to see Elvis, then Sturgis. They la mia famiglia.”
“Family first, Gio, I understand. So we’re good?”
“We’re good, D, we’re good,” Gio replied, as if somewhat relieved.
Arriving at a small lake at the mouth of the canyon, I was surprised to see breakfast was ready. Joining Candi, I asked if she enjoyed her first ride. “
“Very much, D, I could get into this.”
“That’s great, baby. When we get back to Tennessee, I’ll book us an overnight horseback trip through the Big South Fork.”
“Where is that, D, somewhere close to home?”
“An hour’s drive from Dale Hollow. It’s 120,000 acres of wilderness where you can ride to your heart’s content.”
“What were Gio and you talking about the whole way up here? “
“Believe it or not, he was confessing that he wanted to see if he could tempt me with Mile. He said something like if I could be trusted with his girl, he could trust me with his life. I guess I passed. “
“I’m glad you did too, D. Now, maybe he’ll leave us alone and more importantly, Mile will leave you alone.”
“We will find out soon enough, especially when we get to Bozeman.”
On the ride back to Chico, at a slow and steady gait, I rode beside Candi to see the joy in her face from the saddle. As beautiful as the mountains were that surrounded us, they could not compare to the happiness, radiating from Candi as she relished her first horseback ride. I couldn’t help but think, Moments like these are priceless, forever etched in our minds.
Chapter 20
Packed up and riding north on U.S. Hwy 89, we followed the Yellowstone River all the way to Livingston, MT. This working ranch town I fondly once called home has always reminded me it's the epicenter of the West. It’s small enough to say you’ve gone to town and big enough to stay for the day. Pulling in to the North Pacific Cafe, beside the old train depot, I assumed everyone was ready for a break. “We can eat lunch here, we can walk around town, or we can ride on to Bozeman. It’s your call.” I learned, within a few seconds, Mile and Candi were hungry, while Gio was just thirsty.
“Let’s eat here,” announced Candi.
“This place brings back many fond memories. I’ve had many a great breakfast here over the years.” With everyone now looking at me attentively, I continued. “I had family here for the longest time, before they followed me to Texas.”
“Sì,” said Gio, “you are from Texas.”
“I was from here first, and then Texas,” I confessed,” now I’m from Tennessee.”
“Really, D?” exclaimed Candi. “Where did you live, when did you leave, why did you leave?” Question after question continued to roll out of Candi’s mouth.
“I left Texas soon after the financial crash of 08, with nothing but ashes, having lost everything I spent 20 plus years creating. When you’re forced into financial ruin, everyone for the most part abandons you. It’s like you’ve contracted some sort of fatal disease and no one wants anything more to do with you. I learned the hard way that many of my “so called” friends were only friends, because of what I could do for them. And I did lots. Sadly, our society has turned to an instant rewards mentality, as in ‘I cannot remember what you have done for me in the past, what I want to know before I help you is what can you do for me now?’ Had it not been for a few special people who continued to believe in me, I would not be here right now. I was humbled, broken, beat up, chewed and spit out by the very best. Circumstances far beyond my control, affected me, along with many others. Greed would best be described as the ultimate culprit. That’s more than enough about me, let’s eat,” trying to move quickly beyond the demons rearing their ugly heads from my oh, so sordid past.
Candi reached out and gave me a hug, while whispering in my ear that she too believed in me. Gio got up and patted me on the shoulder. Mile, well, Mile did what Mile does, she just looked at me longingly and smiled.
With lunch behind us, Gio and I talked about Bozeman, MT and where he was bound for after that. Would he go south to Jackson Hole or ride northwest to Glacier? Little was determined and nothing was finalized, except the fact it was getting late and I wanted to make it to the hotel before 5 p.m. I had picked out a new B&B for Candi, and hoped to approve or disprove it, before all the other good ones were taken.
Since I had clothes to pick up and packages to drop off in the morning, we all agreed to meet up tomorrow for lunch and confirm our destinations. Heading east on I-90, I realized this is the first time we had been on an interstate during our ride. Thankfully, it was just a 30-minute journey. With no cameras rolling and no crazy highway antics from Gio, Candi and I arrived at our B&B by 4:30, while the Italians rode past us, into the sunset and who knows where.
* * *
“This will do, baby,” announced Candi, as we checked into the River Lodge. “It’s just you and me tonight. We are alone at last. The first thing I want to do is jump in the shower with you and wrestle you into submission before dinner.”
“I’m all for that, baby. Especially after my afternoon of true confessions, I’m ready for a comforting hug with the whole ‘benefit’ package thrown in.”
Our room was nicely apportioned, offering us a plush king size bed and more importantly, a two person shower. Dropping our clothes imm
ediately to the floor, Candi and I soaped, lathered, scrubbed and rubbed each other just enough to warrant a quick exit from the shower to the bed.
We kissed passionately, while groping and touching and feeling every inch of our bodies. Dropping my guard earlier, somehow allowed me to experience Candi in a way that I had not shared with her before. She was making love to me, in spite of my failures, in spite of my past; she was very absorbed in me. And I was totally absorbed in her, trying to outdo one another using her LTO techniques. Changing positions, Candi climbed on top of me and presented her beautiful, warm silky breasts to my lips as one, while she pressed me deep inside her, rocking rhythmically to the spa channel on Sirrus radio, playing through the TV.
“I wish this would last for hours,” I whispered, as I pressed my lips to hers. Our tongues were continuously exploring, darting, enveloping one another’s, while my hands pulled and pushed her harder and deeper into me. With a subdued whimper, I knew she was on the verge, whereby I exited and gently rolled her over, bringing her to a shuttering conclusion with my LTO technique.
“Your turn, baby,” Candi said softly. Digging her nails into my back, Candi nonverbally told me she had reached the next level. Just as an enormous wave of pleasure swept across her body, I released what seemed like an eternity of anxiety. Totally spent, neither one of us surreally daring the other to move, we remained entwined, wrapped in each other’s arms until the sun faded from the sky.
Rising at five, with my morning walk well underway, I found the wherewithal to turn on the phone and check messages. There were seven total voice mails, five of which were work related, while the other two were from Vic, thanking me repeatedly for believing in her enough to help her establish her own practice.
Moving on to my emails, I discovered a plethora of them from the powers that be, wanting to know why I hadn’t checked in; and one specifically from a Victoria R. Lawson, Attorney at Law. Stopping my walk long enough to read her email, I concluded, she was truly as gifted and talented as I had hoped.