Garrett laughed. “Well, it’s good to know that my embarrassment cost you something.” Then he leaned in close to her ear and whispered. “Too bad we’re not alone, I’m sure I could make you forget about your sore rear end.”
Her heart skipped a beat, and desire spread through her, that familiar tingle down low beginning to burn. “I’m not sure I could handle your attentions tonight, even if we were alone, Mr. Terrell. It might just be that you’re responsible for some of my sore muscles, not just the horse.”
“Is that so? Well, just keep in mind that the only way to work out sore muscles is to use them. Would you like me to help you with that?” He said, with an evil grin.
“I think I’ll pass for now, Mr. Terrell. I have some pain relievers in my bag, if that doesn’t work, then we’ll talk.” She said. “But for now, I’m off to bed. I think some sleep would go a long way toward healing my sore muscles.”
“I’ll walk you to your tent, but we’re taking the long way.” He said.
She said her goodnights, then they headed toward the tents, but once they were out of sight, Garrett pulled her into the woods. “I just want to steal a kiss, before bed.” He said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her thoroughly.
“You keep doing that, and I’ll have to take you up on that earlier offer.” She said, her body beginning to hum with desire.
“That was my plan.” He said, capturing her mouth again.
Finally, she managed to untangle herself from him, took his hand and headed toward the tents. Once they were there, she gave him a chaste kiss on the mouth then said, “I’ll be dreaming about you tonight.” Then slipped into the tent without another word. She was asleep almost immediately, not even waking when Denise came to bed.
The next morning Sabrina woke, sore in many places, but well rested. She’d thought sleeping on the ground might be difficult, but she’d been so tired she could have slept on a rock and not known. Still, she was looking forward to the day, they would start to really climb today. She had already fallen in love with the Rocky Mountains which were so much more dramatic than the mountain’s back in Kentucky.
Garrett found her saddling Stormy, who was munching on a carrot and letting Sabrina do whatever she wanted. “What did you do to that horse? I can’t believe she’s the same trouble maker I’d all but given up on.” He said, riding up on Hercules.
“She and I understand each other.” Sabrina said, mounting Stormy. “Don’t we girl?”
“You ready? We’re taking point first today.”
“Lead the way, I’m just going to ride behind you and cry until my muscles stop screaming at me.” She said, wincing when Stormy took the first step.
Garrett looked over his shoulder, satisfied that everyone was loaded and ready to go, he signaled that they were ready, and the group started forward, a long day ahead of them.
“The ride’s going to get harder today. Are you going to be able to make it?” He asked, both teasing and concerned.
“Oh yeah. Just give me a few miles and the stiffness will go away. I’m just not as young as I used to be.” She said, with a shake of her head.
“So, tell me how you ended up in Colorado, it’s a long way from Kentucky.” He asked.
“Well, after my divorce, there really wasn’t much left for me there. Marie and I needed a fresh start and we’d visited Colorado and liked it, so here we are.”
“No family left?”
“No, my parents are gone and they were both only children. I have some distant family around, but we’ve never been close.”
“It’s hard for me to imagine not having any family, there’s always someone underfoot around here. When my parents moved out of the cabin and I moved in, everyone said that I’d be rattling around in that big place by myself, but that hasn’t happened yet. I seem to have house guests more often than not.”
“It can be hard, I miss my folks, but we’ve grown to love it here. Marie has made a lot of friends and I like my job, although if we’re not careful, I might not have one after this trip.”
“Don’t worry about your job, they won’t fire you for having a romance with a student’s parent. It’s happened before.” He said, sounding sure of himself.
He still hadn’t told Sabrina that he’d changed Scott’s classroom assignment, eliminating any possibility that she’d get in trouble. He liked the fact that even though her job might be in jeopardy, she was still willing to get involved with him.
“Okay, if you say so, but I hope you’re right.”
They rode in silence for a while, enjoying the beautiful landscape. It was a comfortable silence, but eventually, Garrett began to feel guilty about not telling her about changing Scott’s classroom assignment. “Um, I have to tell you something and it might make you mad. We can have our first fight.”
“What have you done?” She asked, suddenly nervous. They’d only been involved for a few days, and he was already telling her he’d done something to make her mad.
“Well, after that first night on the porch, I called the school and took Scott out of your class.” He said, not meeting her eyes.
She thought about it for a while, then asked. “Why?”
“Because I knew I wanted to be with you.” He said. “This way we haven’t done anything wrong.”
“But what about Scott. How does he feel about this?” She was still a little shocked, he’d done this, but it wasn’t as bad as some of the things she’d imagined.
“He wasn’t happy at first, but when I explained that you would be spending more time with us away from school, he was okay with it.”
“I’m trying to decide if I’m angry or not. You certainly assumed a lot after just that one night.” She said.
“Was I wrong? Because, I thought we’d found something pretty good here.” He said, finally looking at her.
“No you weren’t wrong, but I don’t know where all this is going. Before I met you, the last thing I had on my mind was romance. We both have kids, baggage, all that.” She started to get a little panicky when she thought about all that could go wrong.
“How about we take it one day at time? Get to know each other better. I wasn’t looking for this either, but here we are. I’m not going to walk away from this. Are you?”
“No.” She said.
“Good. Now come here.” He said, stopping their horses and leaning across to kiss her.
Chapter 6
The second day of the trip went much as the first had, but the third day would prove to be the most challenging. They would have not only much rougher, steeper terrain, but two water crossings. Neither would be terrible, since water levels were low this time of year. But there was always a risk when crossing the high mountain streams. The water was icy cold and since the temperatures at this altitude this time of year were chilly, a dunking could be very dangerous. Luckily there hadn’t been any rain, so flash flooding wasn’t an issue.
The crossings were pretty close together and Garrett had explained that during the spring runoff, it wasn’t uncommon for there to be just a little island between the two. “It looks nothing like it does now. The water isn’t just high, it’s rushing, dragging debris with it. I’ve actually seen thousand pound rocks moved by water like that.”
“How do you get across in the spring?” She asked.
“Well, spring at this elevation comes much later, usually the water is down before we bring the cattle this high. We start them low, in the spring and move up as it gets warmer.”
“And you stay with them the whole time?”
“Someone does, Hank and Stan are up with the herd now. We take turns staying up for two weeks, unless there’s a reason for more to be around. We have to watch for predators, especially in the fall.”
She shivered, hoping they weren’t going to meet a bear or a mountain lion. Garrett seeing her reaction said. “Don’t worry, this time of year the bears are full and slow, unless it’s a momma with cubs, nothing to worry about. The cats are a different stor
y, but we haven’t had any problems this year, so I wouldn’t worry about them either.”
“That’s good. I’m not sure I’m ready for a wildlife experience yet.”
They reached the first water crossing at lunch time, right on schedule. Sabrina was relieved to see that the water was really little more than a trickle in places. There would be no problem getting the kids across, they might even be able to wade across if they wanted.
Naturally, the kids thought that was a great idea, so amid much squealing and screaming they crossed first one then the other stream with no problem. They were in cow camp by midafternoon, the kids thrilled because there were actual cows hanging out right there in the meadow.
Sabrina was awestruck by the scene, there were almost at tree line, and the still barren peaks were brilliant against the blue sky. The meadow was green and lush, the result of a recent wet spell, there were late summer flowers, and the aspen trees had turned brilliant shades of red and orange.
Garrett came up and stood directly behind her, then leaned closer and said. “If we were surrounded by a crowd, this is where I would take you in my arms and kiss you.”
“Hmm, don’t tease me. This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I can see why you love it up here so much.”
They stood in silence, happy to just be close for a few minutes. But eventually, they had to return to the group, there was work to do and Sabrina’s group had KP duty tonight. She had potatoes to peel and desert to make. The kids weren’t expected to cook, but the adults had been pitching in on the cooking as well as clean up.
After dinner and the kids were asleep, the adults met around the fire to discuss the next step of the roundup. Garrett explained that the wranglers would go out and bring all of the herd in from the surrounding area. It would take a couple of days, so the kids could go hiking, fishing, or just hang out in camp. Daphne would be in charge of keeping the kids entertained and happy, with the help of the chaperones, it should be easy.
Garrett wanted her to ride with him, but she felt like her place was with the kids, keeping them entertained. They brought the argument to Daphne and Denise. “I just think it wouldn’t be fair to leave you with the kids and go off looking for cows.” Sabrina said.
“I think you would be more useful riding with the hands. The faster we get them rounded up and on the way, the better. We won’t have to push as hard on the way home. It’s better for everybody, accidents happen when you hurry.”
Daphne and Denise went off and whispered back and forth for a few minutes, knowing that there was no question they were going to send Sabrina with Garrett. They were both cheering for Sabrina and Garrett and were happy to help.
“You can have her, Garrett, but you owe us a day at the spa.” Daphne said, giving him a look only he must have understood.
“Yes, ma'am. A day at the spa it is.”
For the next two days, Sabrina learned how to round up the cattle, loving every minute of it. She’d long ago gotten accustomed to being in the saddle for hours at a time, and there was no more beautiful place than right where they were. The air was crisp, the days warm, but at night it got just chilly enough to make her appreciate her sleeping bag. The weather had been perfect and she hoped it would last.
Her hopes were dashed the next morning when she emerged from the tent to find the predawn air full of humidity. There was fog in the lowest parts of the meadow and she couldn’t see a single star in the sky. She’d started getting up a little early each morning so she could spend a few minutes with Marie before her group got up.
She’d sneak into the tent and wake her quietly, then they’d snuggle up together by the fire, Sabrina drinking coffee and Marie hot coco. But this morning she decided to let Marie sleep, it would be a long day, made even longer if the weather turned nasty.
She found Garrett getting coffee and helped herself to some. “What’s up with the weather?” She asked, snuggling deeper into her coat.
“Cold front came down out of Canada and its meeting a warm front from the south, looks like we’re in for some rain.” He said, putting his arm around her and guiding her to the fire.
“How much rain?” She asked, suddenly concerned.
“Well, it’s hard to say for sure, but it could be bad. Depends on when it starts raining, the longer it holds off the worse it’s going to be.” He said.
“Okay, so we pray for rain sooner than later.”
“That about sums it up.” He said, pulling her down on his lap.
“Garrett. We shouldn’t.” She said, trying to get up.
“Everyone is still asleep. I’ll behave myself I promise.” He said, putting his arms around her and pulling her back against his chest.
They sat in silence for a long time, watching the fire, content to be close. But, eventually Sabrina could hear the kids stirring in the tents and she had to go help get her group ready for the day. Rain gear would be at the top of the list of things they would need right away. She stopped and picked up a cup of coffee for Denise, another one of her morning rituals.
“We’ve got rain on the way, everyone’s going to need to get their rain gear out and have it ready.” She told Denise, beginning to gently wake the girls in her group up.
“How much?” Denise asked, getting out of her sleeping bag, being careful not to spill her coffee.
“Well, it all depends on how long it holds off, the longer it takes the more we’ll get, seems to be the group prediction.” Sabrina reported.
“The heat of the day adds moisture to the atmosphere, it can get pretty ugly, especially up here this time of year.” Denise said, finishing her coffee in only a few swallows, already looking ready to face the day.
“Sounds like you’ve been there before.” Sabrina and Denise now had most of the girls out of their sleeping bags and they were sleepily looking for clothes in their packs.
“I’ve been on a few wild trips. It’s the hail that gets you, worse than rain or even snow, because it hits hard and heavy. The wind is usually blowing too, not the best weather to be out in. We won’t see any hail, it’s too cold.”
“So, we’ll all just be really wet?”
“Yep.” Denise said. “I got this. Do you know what the plan for the morning is?” She was dressed and ready to go, rain slicker in hand.
“Breakfast first, then break camp and load up. The wranglers are going to get started as soon as they can, we’ll follow after them. Garrett’s going to give the kids some instructions about riding with the herd as well as how to spot strays.”
“Okay sounds good. I think you should stick with Garrett, the sooner we get the cattle over those water crossings the better off we’ll be.” Denise said, handing her some rain gear. “I’ll get your stuff packed.”
“Thanks, Denise. You’ve been awesome on this trip.”
“Are you kidding, this has been the trip of a life time. How many people can say they’ve been on a cattle drive? This trip was worth every bit of the work.”
“Let’s see if you still feel this way tonight when we’re all wet and cold.” Sabrina said, on her way out of the tent. She could hear Denise laughing as she walked away.
She found Stormy in the coral, saddled her and went to find Garrett. He was just finishing his breakfast, so she grabbed a plate and another cup of coffee and joined him by the fire. “Denise said I could stick with you today. She seems to think it would be wise if we got across the water crossings as soon as possible.”
“Smart woman, she’s right. It doesn’t take much to flood those creeks to the point where it might not be safe to cross, and if that happens it could be days before we could get out of here. I’d just as soon not have to spend two of three days slopping around in the mud. It could even get cold enough up here to snow. That’s happened to us before.”
“Well, then let’s get this show on the road. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.” She said, finishing her breakfast.
They headed for the horses and as everyone gathered, Garrett split th
em up in teams to work the cattle. Naturally, he kept her by his side, which was a relief because she was a little nervous about the day ahead. Between the threat of rain and the water crossing, there would be a lot of new experiences today.
The rest of the group would be an hour or so behind them, but would catch up quickly, what had been a two hour ride from the water crossing would take twice as long with the cattle. They had only been on the trial for about a half an hour when a gentle rain began to fall.
She looked to Garrett, but he didn’t seem to be very concerned and she had to admit the rain didn’t amount to much. They were making good time, and Sabrina was really getting the hang of moving cows. She chased down several who had wandered off into the trees by herself and she could tell that Garrett was impressed.
They were still a long way from the water crossing and it had begun to rain harder. Garret still seemed unconcerned, so she tried to relax. She really didn’t know how much it would have to rain before they needed to become concerned. Finally, she couldn’t stand it any longer, she was soaked through and it just continued to rain.
“How long before we should start worrying about this rain and the crossings?” She asked, worry clear in her voice.
“We should still be fine. We’re moving at a good pace, and it’s not raining that hard. The water will be higher, but it takes a while for the water to make it down the mountain.” He reassured her.
They continued on for a few minutes, but then they heard shouting from behind them. One of the hands, Kevin, came riding up almost at a full gallop. “One of the wagons got bogged down in the mud, we need help getting it out.”
Garrett, Sabrina and several of the wranglers followed him back to the wagons, while the rest of the crew continued on with the cattle. They would have to move a slower place, but Garrett still seemed to think they would be fine.
The wagon was stuck deep in the mud, it took nearly an hour to get it out. They’d had to use just about every trick in the book to get the wagon out and by the time they were done everyone was soaked to the skin and covered in mud. The kids were hanging in there, still having fun, even though they were wet and cold.
You Complete Me: A BWWM Single Parent Older Couple Romance (Brothers From Money Book 1) Page 6
