The Target

by Gerri Hill

  And it wasn’t as if she was ashamed of her body. The hours and hours she spent at the gym and on the jogging trails made sure of that. But still.

  Oh, hell. She was being silly. Just because Jaime Hutchinson was here, there was no need to alter her plans. She’d been looking forward to the hot springs as much as anyone. With that, she pulled off her boots and socks and stripped the T-shirt over her head, then lay back to slide her jeans off. She heard the first splash and squeal of laughter and smiled. Yes, this was good for them. She put thoughts of Jaime Hutchinson from her mind and slipped on the suit.

  Once outside her tent, she walked purposefully to the springs, where all the others, minus Jaime, were already gathered. Even Sandra stood, completely unself-conscious in her swimsuit, anxiously watching the water.

  “What do you think?” Sara asked Abby who was splashing about.

  “This is glorious, Sarge. What the hell are you all waiting for? Hop in.”

  That was all it took as nine other women climbed over the rocks and submerged under the warm water.

  “Oh my. I could sleep in here,” Sandra said as she settled on a rock, the water rising up to her neck.

  “What causes hot springs, Ms. Michaels?” Celia asked.

  Sara smiled. “Sorry. Geology was not my strong suit. Maybe we should ask one of these two college students.”

  “Are you kidding? I was an English major,” Megan said.

  “Music,” Ashley added. “What about you, Lou Ann?”

  “Sorry. Business major.”

  “I bet Jaime knows,” Sandra stated.

  Of course she would, Sara thought sarcastically.

  Jaime watched from a distance, her eyes glued to the buff body of Sara Michaels as she stepped over the rocks and into the water. Wow. She had runner’s legs, long and muscular. She shook her head. It just wasn’t fair, covering that magnificent body with a swimsuit. Then she grinned.

  “Oh, hell. Might as well shake things up a bit.”

  With that, she pulled off her boots and walked barefoot to the springs, still clad in her jeans and shirt.

  “Well, you look like you’re having fun.”

  “We are,” Celia said. “Aren’t you going to join us?”

  Jaime flashed a grin. “Of course I am.”

  She unbuttoned her jeans and let them slip down her legs, stepping out of them in one motion, then pulled her T-shirt over her head and tossed it on the ground. “Move over, Sandra honey, I’m coming in.”

  The older woman laughed as the very naked Jaime splashed down around her.

  “Jesus Christ,” Sara murmured, but her eyes refused to obey her command to turn away. She stared as Jaime dropped her jeans then nearly gasped as she tore her T-shirt off, revealing a tanned torso and two unbelievably perfect breasts unencumbered by a bra. Surely to God she’s not going to . . . strip. But she did, purple panties joined the pile of clothes and a completely naked Jaime Hutchinson splashed into the hot springs full of straight women.

  “Holy shit, but she’s got some body,” Lou Ann whispered.

  Sara only nodded, still unable to take her eyes away from the lithe body that had disappeared under the water.

  “Why are you all wearing suits?” Jaime asked as she emerged from the water, slicking her short hair back. “That’s not allowed in hot springs. We’re out here in nature,” she said. “This is God’s gift, intended to be enjoyed in the most natural way possible.” She raised her arms up and grinned. “In the buff.”

  “I haven’t been skinny dipping in thirty years,” Sandra said.

  “I’ve never been,” Celia added.

  Sara looked up to the sky. Surely they weren’t buying this garbage? But, oh yes, they were. Before long, ten fairly conservative, heterosexual women were shedding their swimsuits and tossing them on the rocks, frolicking naked in the water like children, all at the beckoning of this . . . this stranger.

  “Oh my God! This is fabulous,” Judith shrieked.

  Sara shook her head. Judith, always the quietest of the group, rose out of the water bare-chested and did a belly flop into the springs, splashing everyone around her. Sara stared. She never would have believed this. They were . . . free, exuberant, happy. Laughter rang out as they all splashed and played. Even Sandra, not one bit shy, stood out of the water and raised her arms overhead, her ample breasts swaying, then crashed down into the water, splashing the others.

  Sara finally laughed. She could do nothing else as these grown women were reduced to ten-year-olds. She looked across the water, meeting the laughing eyes of Jaime Hutchinson. She nodded and smiled, sending a silent thank you to her.

  “Sarge? What are you doing? Come join us,” Abby insisted, grabbing Sara’s hand and leading her deeper into the pool.

  “No, no. I’m doing just fine,” she said.

  “Come on, take it off. It’s so wonderful like this,” Lou Ann said as she playfully splashed Sara.

  “I can see that. But, actually, I’m pretty shy,” she lied. She moved to another rock, sinking to her chest. Finally, she ducked under the water, wetting her hair. When she opened her eyes, dark brown ones were staring back at her. She pulled her eyes away, laughing as Sandra did another belly flop into the water.

  For the next hour, they splashed about, enjoying the sunshine and the warm water, content to laugh and play as they’d not done in years. She listened as Jaime explained how the springs were formed—most likely some made-up nonsense about thermal water being forced to the surface through cracks in the earth—and then had them engrossed in a story, telling about another trip she’d taken to these mountains and how she’d been chased from the springs, stark naked, by a bear.

  “Climbed the first tree I came to, scared to death,” she said. “I thought the bear wanted me for dinner and all he wanted was a drink.”

  “They don’t really attack, do they?” Celia asked.

  “Black bears? Not as a rule, no. But if you have food in the tent with you, I’m sure they might want to come in and check it out. You need to remember to put up all the food.”

  Sara nodded. “We actually had a fox in camp with us last night.”

  “A fox? Really?”

  “Yeah. He woke me up about four thirty. I was afraid it was a bear.”

  “Is that something we should worry about?” Beth asked.

  “No. I’m sure eleven snoring women would scare him off,” Jaime teased.

  “I do not snore,” Abby said. Then she turned to Lou Ann. “Do I?”

  Lou Ann laughed. “How would I know? I passed out as soon as my head hit the ground.”

  Sara settled back as the conversation went on around her. It was turning out to be a very good trip. And grudgingly, she admitted Jaime had a lot to do with it. Perhaps it was good, having an outsider with them. It would help though if she didn’t look like a damn model. Maybe that was what was bothering her. She was attractive. In fact, she was one of the cutest women Sara had met in a long, long time. And she was a flirt. And Sara felt a tug of attraction for the other woman. She rolled her eyes. God, did I just think that? But yes, she couldn’t deny it as she watched Jaime rise from the water and sit on a rock, laying out flat and letting the sun dry her. She very nearly groaned as her eyes landed on Jaime’s breasts. She made herself move, dipping under the water again. She wasn’t even sure she liked the woman. How could she possibly be attracted to her? She stood in the middle of the springs, her eyes again landing on the prone body of Jaime Hutchinson. How? Jesus, you’d have to be dead not to notice her. Well, dead or straight. And she was neither.

  Chapter Eleven

  The sun had just sunk below the western mountains but dinner had already been eaten and they were all sitting on the ground, enjoying the coolness of the approaching evening.

  “This was one of the best days I can ever remember,” Ashley said.

  “Me too,” Judith agreed. “It was fun.”

  “Well, we should be able to do it again. The Collegiate Peaks are famous fo
r their hot springs,” Sara told them.

  “Where are those springs you were telling us about, Jaime? The one where the bear chased you,” Sandra asked.

  “Actually, we’ll come across it,” Jaime said. “It’s on the eastern side of Mt. Yale, before we get to Cottonwood Pass.”

  “Is that why it’s called the Collegiate Peaks? You mentioned Mt. Princeton earlier. Now Mt. Yale.”

  “Yeah. There’s Mt. Oxford and Mt. Columbia too. All four-teeners,” she said. “And of course, Mt. Harvard. Actually, the Collegiate Peaks wilderness has the most concentration of four-teeners in the Rockies.”

  “Fourteeners?” Abby asked.

  “Mountain peaks over fourteen thousand feet tall,” Sara supplied.

  “Can we hike them?”

  Sara and Jaime both laughed.

  “Not this group, no.”

  “If you want to hike up a fourteener, Pikes Peak has a trail that starts in Manitou Springs, about seven thousand feet and climbs right up to the top.”

  “Or you could always just drive the road to the top.”

  “But people do it, right?”

  “Oh sure,” Jaime said. “Colorado has fifty-six peaks over fourteen thousand feet. I’ve bagged a few myself. Some are relatively easy, with established trails going right to the top, like Pikes Peak. Others, well, once you get above tree line, you rely on your compass and luck.” She looked at Sara. “What about you?”

  “I’ve bagged a couple. Longs Peak was my first.”

  “Yeah, Longs Peak is popular. My favorite trip was up the Maroon Bells, though. Barely over fourteen thousand but still, the prettiest views I’ve ever seen. It’s almost spiritual up there,” Jaime said quietly.

  Sara nodded, watching the others as they all watched Jaime. She had a presence about her, Sara realized. Tall, attractive, confident. And friendly. The others just seemed to be drawn to her. Like herself.

  “Can we drink the water here?” Abby asked out of the blue. She was looking at Jaime and Sara bristled just a little. She’d already told them they had to purify it first.

  Jaime grinned. “Oh, it’s the best tasting water you’re ever going to put in your mouth. But I wouldn’t,” she added. “It looks crystal clear but there’s this little nasty organism that lives up here. If you get it and you’re up here without a bathroom, trust me, you’re going to want someone to shoot you.”

  “Have you had it?”

  “No. But a lady friend who was hiking with me got it.”

  “Gross.”

  “That it was. Let’s just say when we got back down the mountain, we didn’t see each other again.” She looked across at Sara and winked. “So the lesson is, drop the little iodine tablets in your water just to be safe.”

  “What do you do back in the real world, Jaime?” Abby said. “You’re from Denver, right?”

  Jaime smiled and looked across at Sara. “Actually, I’m a cop,” she said.

  “No kidding? A cop?”

  “Well,” Jaime met Sara’s eyes. “A detective, really.”

  Sara shook her head. A cop? A detective? Next thing you know, she’ll tell them she’s the chief of police. Geez, couldn’t she have made up something a little less far-fetched?

  “That must be exciting,” Lou Ann said.

  Jaime shrugged. “Sometimes. But it’s nothing like TV, trust me.”

  “But still, I bet it’s dangerous,” Sandra said.

  “It can be, yes. But hey, we’re up here now. None of that really matters, right?”

  “Right you are.” Abby stood up. “In fact, because none of that matters and because there is no TV to watch, I’m going to hit the hay. I’m sure the Sarge has a busy day planned for us tomorrow.”

  “Yeah. We’ll have a pretty good hike tomorrow. We’ll go above ten thousand feet,” Sara said.

  Everyone dispersed, leaving Sara and Jaime sitting alone in the darkness, their campfire nearly out. Jaime thought she should be polite and retreat to her own tent but why start now? So instead, she stretched her legs out and leaned back against the rock, watching as Sara Michaels did the same.

  “I can’t believe you got them to strip,” Sara finally said.

  “Well, all but one,” Jaime teased.

  Sara smiled. “I’m not that easy.” She cleared her throat. “A cop? Couldn’t make up something a little less threatening?”

  “Threatening? Well, should I have told them I’m just a boring old CPA? Not much fun in that.”

  “I see. No, we wouldn’t want them to think you’re boring. Although I don’t see how that would be possible, considering the entertainment you provided today.”

  “What about you, Ms. Michaels?”

  Sara frowned. “What about me? And please call me Sara. I don’t know why some of them continue to call me Ms. Michaels.”

  Jaime nodded. “Are you having any fun out here or are you technically working?”

  “Technically? Yes, working. I’m supervisor, tour guide, chaperone, whatever you want to call it.”

  “So you have to continue being a counselor out here. I guess it’s not like you’re just out hiking with a group of friends.”

  “Exactly. They’ve become friends with each other, of course. Good friends, in fact. Abby and Lou Ann are nearly inseparable and that’s something that they’ll carry with them long after I’m forgotten. But up here, this is just the culmination of our sessions. I’m still the Sarge, as they call me.”

  “It must be exhausting . . . and very lonely.”

  Sara stared. She couldn’t believe that this stranger had hit on the truth so quickly. She took a deep breath then let it out slowly. “It’s been,” she smiled. “Yeah, lonely. I spend twelve weeks total with these women, meeting every day, some days two or three hours at a time in sessions. And then there’s the physical activity we do. A spare hour here or there is spent planning the next day’s session.” She leaned forward, holding her hands out to the fire. “Sometimes I feel nearly overwhelmed by it all. So, this two-week trip is my down time, I suppose. It gives me a chance to get away too.”

  “Surely, you’re not the only one running your clinic.”

  “No. We have nutritionists on staff, trainers. We have a trained psychologist who meets with the women once a week.”

  “I thought you did the counseling.”

  “I do. I don’t have a Ph.D. but I have extensive training. But having Dr. McNally on staff is a bonus. And I’ve recently hired three more counselors to take on sessions.”

  “So, you don’t really have a private life?” Jaime guessed.

  “No, not really. But for other reasons than I just don’t have the time.” Sara pulled her knees up and leaned on them. “Have you heard of Senator Michaels?”

  Jaime shrugged. “I’ve heard the name, of course. I’m sorry, but I’m not really into politics. You’re related?” Jaime was thankful it was too dark to see. She never could lie worth a damn.

  “He’s my father and please don’t apologize. I absolutely abhor the profession. And I’ve had more people than I can count pretend to take an interest in me personally just because he is my father.”

  “Using you for what?”

  “You would be surprised how many political groupies are out there and what they hope to gain by getting in good with a senator’s daughter. The fact that I have a thriving business doesn’t seem to hurt.” Sara peered into the darkness trying to see Jaime’s face. “For as long as I can remember, my father’s been in politics. I grew up in Colorado Springs. He was on the city council. Then mayor. Then elected to the state legislature. And he’s been a two-term senator.” She let out a heavy breath. “Now, he’s decided to run for president.”

  “Wow,” Jaime murmured.

  “I hated being a senator’s daughter. I can’t imagine being the president’s daughter.”

  “Well, what are his chances of being elected?”

  “Realistically, I’d like to say none. He’s extremely conservative and has the backing of m
ost of the major religious groups. But he’s so far to the right, I can’t imagine him being elected. On the other hand, he’s never lost before.”

  “So I take it you don’t work the campaign trail,” Jaime said.

  Sara laughed. “When Mayor Michaels became State Representative Michaels, I was camping out on Barr Trail on my way to the top of Pikes Peak. He sent one of his aides up to get me. We were going to go as a family to Denver. He found me in a tent with another girl.” Sara laughed again. “We weren’t sleeping.”

  Jaime laughed too. “Shook his conservative image?”

  “Had it gotten out, sure. I mean, you’ve heard of the Family Values Association? They practically paid for every one of his campaigns. They’re also, still to this day, the most outspoken opponent of gay rights. They would have hung him out to dry.”

  “So you’re . . . in the closet?”

  “Oh, God no. I would never allow my father to do that to me. I owe him nothing. I put myself through college.” She smiled affectionately. “Well, with help from my grandmother and my mother. He refused. He wanted me to go to a religious university. He still insisted I was pretending to be gay to get back at him for some reason and if I went to a school of God, I’d come to my senses.” She shook her head. “No. My father and I don’t speak. We don’t really have a relationship at all anymore. Most people probably don’t even know that he has a daughter, which is fine with me. I like my privacy and I like my separation from him. But I don’t know how he intends to pull this off. When you’re a presidential candidate, everything about your life is scrutinized and everything is open for public debate. I doubt that he can hide the fact that he’s got a gay daughter.”

  “You said you’re not close to your father. What about your mother?”

  “Oh, I love her to death. We have lunch whenever she’s in Denver and when she’s in Washington we talk several times a month.”

  “And how does she feel about you?”

  Sara smiled. “You mean my being gay? My mother’s been nothing but supportive. She loves me, regardless of how my father feels. And her political views don’t necessarily mirror his. She’s actually terrified he’s going to get elected.”