by Claire Adams
“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 an 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.
She grabbed her camera and took a few pictures while I stood and held onto the horses. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing, but I knew enough to hold the horses and prevent them from getting away from us.
“Grab that pop up bowl in my satchel and I’ll fill it with water for the horses,” she said.
“Sure thing,” I said, just happy to feel like I was being of some use.
“You’re doing a pretty good job riding; I can see you’re a quick study.”
“Yeah, more like a lucky study. I swear I forget everything until I get my hands in there and do it myself.”
“I’m the same way. I’d much rather learn by doing something than by having someone tell me what to do. You can imagine how hard that made business school for me,” she laughed.
Again, with that laugh, I couldn’t turn away and stopped walking mid-step to watch her. Sarah’s entire face lit up when she laughed; it was like a sneak-peek into the real her on the other side of the giant wall she tried to keep up most of the time. I loved it. I wanted to see it more and more and found myself trying to think of something else that would make her laugh. But I also liked actually talking to her, getting to know her, and learning what made her tick.
“So, what did your father say when you asked to bring me out here with you? He probably didn’t like the idea all that much.”
“He’s not as unreasonable as you might think. And I did promise him separate tents. Plus, if he wants to sell off this land and get a decent price for it he’s going to have to show just how damn beautiful it gets out here.”
“Then separate tents it will be. I am truly grateful to your father and wouldn’t do anything to go against his wishes.”
“Nothing?” Sarah said with a mischievous smile.
“Well, almost nothing,” I said.
The look on her face was so mischievous that I couldn’t help but think that she was thinking about something naughty. I could only hope. And yes, if Sarah made a move on me, I would have to forget about Sid Miller and just enjoy the moment with Sarah. But I wouldn’t make a move on her. Of course, I couldn’t help teasing and flirting, but if we were going to take it further than that, Sarah would be the instigator and not me.
She continued to take care of the horses and went around to check each of their hooves while they drank their water. It was mesmerizing to watch her work with the horses, even with Buckjoy; they loved her and seemed more than willing to comply with anything she asked of them. It was clear that Sarah had the confidence that animals needed in order to trust her. Even though Buckjoy wouldn’t let Sarah ride him, he allowed her to look at his body and check how he was holding up on our journey so far.
“So teach me more about taking care of the horses. Why are you looking at their shoes?”
“Come here,” she smiled.
I got up and tried to hold back the moan that my body felt. Riding for an hour had used different muscles in my body than I was used to and I was already feeling extremely sore. I did my best to straighten up and walk normally as I made my way to Buckjoy and Sarah.
“Okay, stand right next to his body and let your hands slide down to his hoof. You want to give him a warning of what you’re doing and then gently lift it up so we can look at it. Move slowly so he doesn’t feel threatened by you.”
Sarah stood next to me and allowed me to lift Buckjoy’s right front hoof up. I looked at it and didn’t see anything that seemed unusual. He was calm and balanced on his other three legs while I took my time looking around to make sure he was all right. I didn’t really know what I was looking for though and I didn’t want to tell Sarah I had no idea what to keep my eye for.
“Okay,” I said as I started to put it back down.
“Wait, look right there,” she said as she pointed to a small needle looking thorn that was poking into the middle of his foot. “We need to remove that before it gets pushing in any further.”
She had her body pressed up against mine as she looked at the animal and all I could think about was how delicious she smelled. I wasn’t sure if it was her hair shampoo or some sort of lotion on her body, but either way, she smelled so distracting that I thought I had misheard her.
“Um, remove?”
“Yes, it’s long enough. Just gently grab it and pull firmly and see if it will come out on its own. Go slow so you don’t scare him. It will hurt, so I’ll hold onto his reigns to prevent him from running off. But be ready in case he tries to kick you.”
I felt my body tense up at the idea of inflicting any sort of pain on Buckjoy. I had come to love that horse and knew he was still a wild animal. I was afraid. It wasn’t the same kind of fear I had for the men who might try to kill me because of my testimony, but I was afraid I would cause harm to this horse that I cared about. Then Buckjoy would be angry with me and try and cause me harm.
“Um, just grab it? Won’t he get angry?”
“Trust me. He’ll be angrier if that thing gets pushed into his hoof any further. Do you want me to do it?”
“No. I can.”
I already felt like Sarah was better at every task there was around the ranch, I couldn’t show her that I was weak in this area as well. I needed to touch it out and just do it. I held my breath and grabbed a hold of the thorn then pulled it out quickly. Buckjoy moved a little as I pulled the thorn out, but otherwise he stood relatively still and didn’t seem to be in pain at all.
“See, he’ll trust you even more now because he’s not going to be in pain later.”
“Does he know that I was helping him and not hurting him?”
“I think so. He was probably feeling that thorn in his hoof a bit and now he knows it’s gone. That’s how you build trust in animals. Take care of them and make their lives easier and they’ll appreciate it.”
“Have you always loved animals?” I asked as we finished checking Buckjoy and then sat down.
She paused for a moment before answering. I watched her face as she seemed to go through several emotions before deciding exactly what she wanted to share with me. The time she took in answering a question was one of the things I liked about Sarah. She didn’t just give the first answer that came to her mind, instead, she took the time to think about what she wanted to say. I wish I was more like that.
“There was a time when I hated it here. All I could talk about was going off to college and then never returning. But as soon as I got to college, all I could think about was getting back home.”
“How did you end up in New York?”
&
nbsp; “Really it was all my father. He didn’t want me just returning home after getting my fancy degree. He kept saying he wanted me to do something with myself. But I think it was just because I had been such a rotten teenager.”
We both laughed. I couldn’t imagine Sarah being rotten. She was kind to her parents and kind to all the men that worked on the ranch. Even when she was slightly annoyed with me, I could tell she was still kind under it all. She didn’t strike me as the kind of girl who had been wild at any point of her life.
“Well, I bet your family is glad to have you home now.”
“I’m not so sure about that. They are having financial troubles with the ranch and the more I try to help, the more he pulls away. My father doesn’t want to show me his books or let me really help him. He just wants to do it all himself.”
“I would think with your background you probably have some great ideas for how to make the ranch more financially successful.”
“You’re just trying to butter me up because you’re stuck with me all night,” she teased.
I wasn’t just trying to butter her up. It was clear that she had a vision for the ranch that was bigger than what was going on at the moment. With her background in business and marketing, I would have hired her in a second to help me with my firm. Her father could certainly use her skills with his ranch as well.
“I think my father still sees me as a little girl. Every now and then, I see a look in his eyes that shows me he understands I’m all grown up, but most of the time I feel like he sees me as a teenager. One who is all about flirting with the boys and not at all interested in farming or ranching.”
“Well, you certainly aren’t a little girl,” I said.
My eyes scanned over her body and lingered on all the parts that proved she was very much an adult. The curve of her hips, her perky breasts and pouty lips — all had my body wanting her. Craving the thoughts of her that came at night and enjoying the ones I was having at that very moment it was distracting to me to even allow my thoughts to linger on her.