by Claire Adams
“Now you’re getting close to an hour where I’d rather just stay awake all night than get up that early,” he laughed. “Talk to your father and then we can make our plans. I don’t think he will agree that I should go with you.”
“I know, it is early, but I need photos of the sunrise and want to have time to set up and be ready.”
“You get your father’s permission for us to go and I’ll go with you.”
That was all I needed to hear, I hugged Garrett briefly and turned to go find my father. It wasn’t until I was a few steps away from him that I realized how great having his arms around me felt. My legs wobbled slightly as I regained my composure and tried to pretend as if I wasn’t totally shaken by the electric feeling of Garrett’s arms as they briefly wrapped around my body.
My mother saw me hug Garrett and I smiled at her as I made my way toward father’s office. She followed me and joined me just before I opened the door. I hadn’t realized she was watching me, but my embarrassment wasn’t long lived because I wanted to take Garrett on a riding trip out to the river.
The pictures did need to be taken, but I could have had one of the guys drive me out that way if I had to. Driving was rough on the trucks since that area was still so remote, but we would have gotten there eventually. The beautiful of riding over the hill that sat between our ranch and the river was hard to avoid when you rode horses over there though, and that was what I wanted Garrett to experience.
“Dad, I need to get some photos from up by the river and I thought sunset and sunrise would make the best photos. Are you all right with that?”
My mother looked at me with a smile on her face as she waited for me to drop the next question. She knew what it was that I really wanted and seemed amused in anticipation of me asking my father. I had added the sunset option to give my father something to say no to. He could simply say no to one option and yes to the other. That way I ended up getting what I wanted in the end.
“No, you can’t go out to the river over night by yourself. Just get some photos in the morning, that’s fine. Forest can drive you up there or you can take the four-by-four Jeep out tomorrow.”
“Dad, I was right about selling off those bulls, wasn’t I? You made a huge profit. I also don’t think you’re asking enough for the land. If you decide to sell it, at least let me help you with some listing photos and see if we can get some better offers. There’s no reason to sell it at a discount. The property is worth much more than old man Joe is offering you. I’d like to ride and get some photos from the top of the mountain nearby also.”
I was adding more and more in an effort to get him to say yes. I really didn’t need any photos from the mountain, they wouldn’t be all that mesmerizing until the sky was incredibly clear. But I just wanted him to agree that I could go.
“Joe and I have been friends since we were boys. I’m not going to gouge him on the price.”
“But he’s low-balling you and taking advantage of your friendship,” my mother chimed in. “This is our livelihood. Let Sarah try to get more money for the property; please, Sid.”
I had hit a nerve for both of them. My father hadn’t wanted to sell the property at all and now that he had finally come to terms with it, my mother thought he was selling too low. And I knew he was selling it too low. The property was over 100 acres of prime, riverfront land. It was worth millions of dollars if my father would listen to me. But if he didn’t, he was going to sell it to our neighbor for $500,000 and a handshake. I just couldn’t let that happen.
“Fine, if you want to take pictures, go take pictures, but I’m not agreeing to sell it to anyone without meeting them first. I don’t want some big corporate company as our neighbor.”
“One last thing, who should I take up there with me for the night? I need to catch the sunset and sunrise. I can bring a couple tents and we will be back in the morning.”
My mother watched me as I weaved my web for my father. She knew what was going on and just smiled as my father thought about the best options for the trip. I knew, and my mother knew, there was only one other horse that could make it out to the river and back. We also knew there was only one other man besides my father that horse would allow to ride him. The trick to getting my way with my father was to allow him to think everything was his idea. I had laid the ground work, and now it was time to let my father come to the conclusion I wanted him to come to.
“Well I guess you’ll have to take Garrett. But he’s not going to do you any good if a mountain lion shows up out there. Make sure and bring the shotgun with you.”
“Okay, I guess that will work,” I said with a flat face.
I couldn’t show my excitement and tried my hardest to keep a straight face as my father looked at my mother. I urgently looked at her in hopes that she wouldn’t ruin my plans. Because she wanted the property sold at a much higher rate than my father was looking to sell it for, I thought she would be on my side. She knew I loved taking photos and she was smart enough to understand that father’s friend wasn’t the best person we could sell our property to.
My eyes stayed locked on my mother and father as I desperately waited to see what decision they would finally come to. I couldn’t wait to get away from the ranch for a night. I also couldn’t wait to get Garrett alone and see if he opened up to me a little bit and told me more about how he ended up with us. There was so much more to that story, I felt it every time we talked.
“Does that sound all right to you?” he asked.
“Sure, I think Garrett would enjoy the ride. He needs more practice anyways,” she laughed.
“Okay, so it’s settled. I’ll go see if he’s up for it and we will leave in an hour so we have time to get up there before sunset.”
“Please be home before lunch tomorrow so your father doesn’t worry about you,” my mother said as she hugged me. “And you behave yourself,” she whispered quietly in my ear so my father couldn’t hear her.
“Thanks, mom. Thanks, father.”
I quickly walked back over to Garrett and stood a respectable distance away from him as I told him the good news. I knew my mother and father had stepped out onto the small front porch of his office and were watching me, so I needed to put on a little show for them.
“Get ready, we are heading out to the river in an hour,” I said with a smile on my face.
It was a good thing my back was to my parents. Garrett looked at me and then over my shoulder at my father who shook his head in agreement.
“Wow, you’re good. Now follow me into the barn and give me that kiss you promised me.”
Garrett raised his hand and waved at my father and mother all while keeping a totally straight face and talking to me.
“He’s a reasonable man. Go get yourself ready and gather a couple gallons of water. Talk with Forest and he’ll help you. I’ll get the tents and rest of our things ready.”
“So let me get this straight, your father agreed to let me come out to the river with you and sleep in a tent with you?” Garrett said in bewilderment.
“I’m bringing two tents. You’ll have your personal space.”
Garrett raised his hand up to my mother and father and waived at them again as he leaned toward me and whispered again.
“Barn… now… kiss…”
“My parents are watching us,” I said in total shock but I refused to turn around and look at them.
“I’m heading to the barn to check on Buckjoy; can you help me choose the saddle?” Garrett said loudly.
“Oh my God; you’re being so obvious,” I mumbled under my breath and then followed him.
I was barely inside the barn when he grabbed me and lifted me up off the ground. He placed me on a stack of hay that was near one of the horse stalls. His hands held onto my ass and he pressed himself up against me as I laughed.
“Are you serious?” I said through my giggles. “You’re just going to lift me up like that?”
“Oh, I’m very serious,” he said.
&n
bsp; His hands held onto my cheeks and he gently lifted my face up so I was forced to look him in the eyes. Suddenly I felt like a teenager hiding in the barn with my boyfriend. It was invigorating as I sat in anticipation of his kiss.
My lips felt dry and I licked them in preparation for his kiss. I felt my breathing as it quickened and I tried to calm myself down before his lips made it to mine.
Garrett moved slowly and intensely as he let his lips barely touch mine. There was electricity between us and I felt it buzz through my body without warning as his lips continued their gently soft touching of mine.
“Mmmm,” I moaned out unconsciously.
“What if I don’t want my personal space?” he said. “What if I want to share a tent with you?”
His breath was close to my neck and I felt the warmth of his body as he stood close to me. I knew I should keep my distance though. Our little trip was for business and getting my father a good sales price for the land. It would be fun to hang out with Garrett, but that was it and nothing else, or so I tried to tell myself. I wasn’t taking him with me because I wanted to screw the guy, I simply wanted to get to know him more.
“Two tents,” I said firmly as I gently pressed him away from me and jumped down from the haystack I was sitting on.
“You drive a hard bargain.”
“Get ready; I don’t want to miss the sunset,” I ordered as I smiled at him.
“Oh, yes, ma’am,” he teased me.
I hurried off to get the rest of the things we would need for the evening. We had to have some food, sleeping bags, fire starters, and varies other items to make the evening enjoyable. I also had to make sure the horses would have enough food and water for the trip. It was exciting to run around and gather everything we needed though. I actually felt like I was doing something useful and that motivated me.
For the months I had been at the ranch I knew my parents appreciated having me there, but I hadn’t really felt like I was all that much help. I had an MBA from Harvard; I should be able to figure out some way for my parents to be successful in their ranch. Financial issues were my specialty and bringing in money was what I did best. But my father still wanted to run the ranch the way he always had, and for every ten suggestions I made to him, he thought only one was a decent idea. It had become difficult for me to gather the courage to even offer new ideas to him.
I knew that there were changes that could be made to help the ranch be more successful though. We had cattle roaming all over the land and my father didn’t sell them off at all. He insisted that he was growing his heard to sell someday, but it had been ten years and he hadn’t sold it at all. Well, I finally convinced him to sell one of his bulls; he was shocked at the price we brought in. It was a small victory, but enough that I thought my father might actually consider listening to my ideas more often.
“I’m ready to ride,” Garrett said as he came up behind me.
His tight t-shirt and jeans seemed to hug every muscular curve that he had and I had to check to make sure I didn’t have my mouth open as I stared at him. He was freshly showered with his hair still wet and his face clean shaven. Instantly, he made me want to change, too. I was sweaty and gross from working all day and I wasn’t about to spend the evening sitting next to him and having him think I smelled disgusting.
“Okay, load up the horses with Forest and I’ll be right out.”
I hurried back to the house and ran into the bathroom. Quickly, I turned the water on and jumped in before it had even had a chance to warm up. I washed my hair, shaved my legs, and made sure to apply some body wash as I cleaned myself up. It wasn’t that I was planning on doing anything naughty with Garrett; I was just planning on flirting. I wanted Garrett to want me; to desire me; to feel totally distracted by wanting me.
It was probably one of the fastest showers of my life and I quickly got dressed in some clean clothes and braided my hair into two braids to keep it from soaking my t-shirt. I set a sweatshirt on my bed and pulled on a cute pair of boots when my mother knocked on the door.
“Everyone’s ready,” she said as she walked in. “You look nice.”
“I just didn’t want to stink,” I answered as I saw the look in her eyes.
She was judging me and I felt it. I’m sure she thought I was taking Garrett out to the river so we could screw each other. Even if I had those desires toward Garrett, we were hardly talking. All I wanted to do was flirt, spent some time, laugh, and enjoy an evening away from the ranch. And of course, I wanted to get my father the pictures he needed to sell off the land.
“Have fun.”
I waited for her to give me some sort of lecture about how I didn’t know Garrett and should be leery of him, but the lecture never came. Certainly, she had some feeling about me riding off for an overnight with one of the ranch hands? She wasn’t just going to be fine with it, I waited in anticipation for what I just knew was coming next.
“It’s just work, mom; I’ll get the photos and be back tomorrow morning. By the way, what changed your mind? Why were you okay with me bringing Garrett?”
“He told you he wouldn’t go unless your father agreed, didn’t he?”
“Yes, that was why I went to see father.”
“I knew he was a good man at that moment. You know I understand that you’re a grownup, now right?” She said with a huge smile. “I’ll let you make your own decisions about who is a good guy and not. You’re not a naive teenager anymore; I don’t have to make those choices for you.”
“So you think Garrett is a good guy?”
“I really don’t know him that well. But your father likes him, so that is a positive sign. Although, I don’t know how much your father would like Garrett if he knew you two were sleeping together.”
“Mom!” I exclaimed. “We aren’t sleeping together. Oh, my God.”
“I’m teasing you. Just be safe and go get some beautiful pictures. I don’t want to have to sell the land for less than it’s worth.”
“Thanks, mom; I’ll see you in the morning,” I said as I hugged her and jogged out to meet Garrett and Forest who were standing by the horses.
Chapter 7
Garrett
“I think my father likes you,” Sarah said as we rode out toward the river.
“Why do you say that?”
“He wouldn’t have let me take any other man out to the river. I honestly didn’t think he was going to say yes.”
“Maybe he just knows that I’ll be able to keep you safe,” I responded, not even believing my own statement. “Or maybe you’ve got him wrapped around your little finger?” I laughed.
The truth was, Sarah was probably much tougher than I ever could be in the wilderness. Although I had started to really enjoy working outdoors and being at the Miller ranch, it had been Sarah’s home growing up. She knew more about horses and the wilderness than I could have hoped for. I constantly felt like I was fumbling around and doing everything horribly.
“I’ve got my gun, don’t worry I’ll keep you safe,” she said without turning to look at me.
She seemed to have softened up to me and I wasn’t going to complain at all. I wasn’t exactly sure why Sid and Meredith were agreeable to me going out to the river with Sarah, but I wasn’t going to refuse the offer. Except for one quick trip into the city, I had been stuck at that ranch for months. I just needed a different view.
My body had adjusted to the long hours and difficult work, but I was excited to get the rest of the day and the next morning away from physical labor. Gone were the days of spending a Sunday morning curled up on my couch with the newspaper. I hadn’t spent a single morning sleeping in since I had arrived at the ranch.
“How far away is the river?”
“It’s about a two-hour ride, we basically need to go up over that mountain right there.”
“What? We are going over that? Oh, shit.”
It was an actual mountain. Not a small hill or even a large hill; the land structure that Sarah pointed out was a
n actual mountain. It was starting to make sense why only the two youngest and strongest horses could make the trek and why Forest had gone over with me the importance of staying in control of Buckjoy while I rode. The path looked extremely dangerous and I felt very undereducated in my riding skills to be taking on such a big and dangerous path.
“We couldn’t drive there?”
“Not to get to the part of the land where the river is the most beautiful. It’s actually easier to ride than drive since there’s no roads.”
“I feel like I’m being punk’d right now. You’re not messing with me, are you? One time Forest told me the only way to bale the hay was for me to physically roll it. I spent three hours trying to roll that son of a bitch before Forest came over with the baler and did it in two minutes.”
“Oh, my God. I can’t believe I missed that,” she laughed. “So you’re telling me you’re gullible?”
“Well, I’m glad you did miss it. It wasn’t a very masculine moment.”
“You seriously thought you had to hand bale the hay? Oh, man, you really have never worked on a ranch before, have you? I’m surprised you’ve lasted this long.”
“I’m more of an office job guy,” I said mistakenly. “But I need the money and I need the job, so I’m more than willing to learn what has to be done,” I said as I tried to cover up my mistaken comment.
For a brief moment, I had forgotten that I was on Sarah’s ranch for protection and I wasn’t the man she thought I was. My FBI back-story never had me working in an office. Instead, I was a farmer’s son who lost his parents and was heading to a new job in the northwest. I quietly hoped that Sarah wouldn’t catch my mistake.
We rode in silence as we followed a winding path up and over the mountain. I wasn’t deliberately being quiet, but I felt like it took all my concentration to work with the horse and stay on the path. Luckily, Forest had been showing me the tips and tricks to riding and occasionally Sarah would tell me to pull my feet in tighter or hold the reigns tighter. When we finally reached the peak of the mountain, Sarah stopped the horses and we let them take a break.