Riding the River Read online

  Cooper’s group was in the river now, about halfway across. The water was moving faster with the wind blowing it and rising fast with all the rain coming down. Matt rode down the bank first to make sure it was still all right to travel. He motioned for Richie, Tess and Sarah to follow. They went down the bank single file, while Matt’s horse cautiously stepped into the water.

  As they moved in deeper, the horses continued to struggle with the water rising on them. Everyone was in the river now and their legs dangled in the water. The horses kept moving…

  Cooper’s group had made it to the other side of the river, when all of a sudden, Tess slipped out of her saddle. Sarah saw her begin to slide and reached over to grab her. Both Tess and Sarah fell into the river… Their horses struggled forward without them.

  Matt had seen them both fall out of their saddles and had grabbed his rope. He started swinging it overhead and lassoed both Tess and Sarah on his first try. Then he tied the rope to the pommel of his saddle. Richie saw the whole thing as well and trudged back to Matt’s horse to steady him. Matt plunged into the water to grab both girls and hold them, as Richie walked Matt’s horse back to shore, the way they came…

  It was slow going with the rising river and its quickening pace. Tess and Sarah’s heads dipped in and out of the water time and again, scaring Matt. The freezing cold river with its loud roar showed no mercy as they all struggled in their long journey.

  Finally, Matt dragged them both onto the shore. Everyone was soaking wet, freezing and looked half drowned. Tess and Sarah were coughing and spitting out water and looking pretty bedraggled – Matt and Richie looked relieved. Richie waved at Cooper on the other side to let him know they’d made it to the bank. Cooper waved back…

  “Okay, Richie. Get that tent out,” yelled Matt as he tied up his horse. Richie nodded and soon they had the tent put together. Luckily, it had a floor to it and the inside was still dry. Matt and Richie got the girls into the tent and Matt yelled for them to strip out of their wet clothes.

  “Get your second set of clothes, Richie.” Both Richie and Matt grabbed their dry shirts and jeans out of their saddlebags and threw them inside the tent for Tess and Sarah to wear. They unhooked their bedrolls and threw them inside the tent as well. Then they waited in the pouring rain while the girls changed and dried off a bit.

  Tess was still crying and Sarah was patting her on the back when the guys opened the tent flap and came in. They dropped their soaking ponchos outside. Matt looked at Sarah wearing his clothes and grinned. She gave him a stern look.

  “What’s so funny? We nearly drowned.”

  “Yes, but you didn’t, and you look cute in my jeans and shirt.”

  “… You’re soaked too,” said Sarah.

  “Yeah, but I’ll just take off my jeans when we go to bed.”

  Richie went over to comfort Tess who was hiccupping now, more than crying. Matt went to Sarah and spread out the bedroll by her feet.

  “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Yes, thanks to you… That was easily the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me.” He saw the uncertainty in her eyes.

  Matt sat on the bedroll and pulled Sarah down by him.

  “Get comfortable. That storm isn’t going to let up for a while.” He glanced over at Richie. “Let’s get some sleep, if we can.”

  Richie nodded and got Tess comfortable in his bedroll on the other side of the tent. Soon they had snuggled up together and were whispering.

  Matt and Sarah looked at one another and started to smile.

  “Let me get in first. I need to get rid of these wet jeans.” So he got in the bedroll and did just that. He threw them in a corner. “Get in, Sarah.”

  She didn’t hesitate a second. Sarah crawled in the bedroll with Matt and they stretched out together. Matt pulled her close.

  “Lay back against my chest – I’ll keep you warm.”

  “I was so afraid, Matt,” she whispered.

  “… Shh, honey. You’re okay now. Just relax against me -- I’ve got you.”

  “… Thank God for that…”

  With his arms wrapped around her, Sarah’s eyes finally began to droop and her body relaxed. Matt kissed her hair and shoulders.

  “You called me Matt,” he whispered, smiling.

  “Yes,” she said as she drifted sleepily. “That’s your name, right?”

  Soon all four of them fell asleep with the steady staccato of the rain beating down on the tent.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Next morning, Tess and Richie woke up first and got out of their bedroll. They glanced over at Matt and Sarah cuddled up together, Sarah wrapped in Matt’s arms, both of them sound asleep.

  “About damn time…” whispered Tess. Richie grinned at her.

  They tiptoed out of the tent leaving Matt and Sarah alone. About ten minutes later, Matt woke up thrilled to find Sarah still in his arms. Neither of them had moved all night.

  He kissed her ear. “Sleepyhead, wake up…”

  Sarah woke and stretched deliciously. She turned around in his arms so they were face-to-face, inches apart.

  “That’s hands down the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.” She smiled at him.

  “With the rain beating a drum on the tent?”

  “Yes…”

  “After a narrow escape from drowning?”

  She nodded.

  “… And me with a wet shirt plastered against you?”

  “It was wonderful.” She grabbed the lapels of his shirt. “Now shut up and kiss me…”

  She didn’t have to tell him twice…

  He closed his eyes and placed his lips on hers. His lips were moist, firm…and brushed her lips again and again. Soon her soft lips parted and the kiss became serious. His warm arm slid around her waist – The heat and comfort of his arms around her felt like a blanket.

  Had she ever been kissed like this? No way… There was no thinking allowed, only raw sensation. Her fingers knotted in his hair as his hands ran freely along her back and sides. She shivered, not with cold, but with desire. Matt broke off the kiss to move her onto her side – His mouth then claimed hers for another hungry kiss. They were ready for the next step when…

  “Knock, knock,” called out Richie. “Hey, you two awake in there?”

  “It stopped raining,” added Tess. “We need to get going.”

  Matt reluctantly lifted his lips off Sarah’s sweet ones. He pulled back from her and grinned. “… Rain check, miss?”

  “Absolutely, cowboy…” she smiled back at him.

  He gave her a last lingering kiss and then sat up. Matt stood and helped Sarah to her feet, then grabbed his still wet jeans to put on. They would have to do. Everything was still wet from that rain last night.

  Richie and Matt took down the tent, folded it and hung it off the back of Richie’s horse. Sarah and Tess had tried to smooth down their bed-smashed hair with little luck. It had dried somewhat while they were sleeping and looked peculiar. Sarah redid her ponytail and was still working on Tess’ hair when Matt called to them.

  “Let’s get going, ladies. We still have that river to cross.”

  Sarah shuddered at the thought and gave Tess a wide-eyed stare. Tess laughed at her.

  “Come on. We’ve made it this far.”

  With that, Matt pulled Sarah up behind him on his horse, while Richie did the same with Tess. Soon both pairs were ready on the horses and started down the riverbank once again.

  Matt kept one hand on the reins to guide the horse and the other he kept on Sarah behind him. Not only did he want to keep her from falling off, he just wanted to touch her – a constant reminder that she was with him. He was long past the point of not wanting to be involved, and she was becoming precious to him. They’d just experienced their first kiss and yet he felt rock-solid about her. Matt knew she felt that way about him too. After all, hadn’t she just said his name at long last? These happy thoughts helped him to carefully guide his horse through the riv
er. He just wanted to be with her, so he held on a little tighter.

  Behind Matt, Sarah had put her arms around his waist and was holding on for dear life. As he would probably say, it wasn’t that big a step to know their relationship had crossed a threshold into intimacy – And apparently, it was consensual, a place they both wanted to go. She was so far from her Baltimore self that she was barely recognizable – What would her father say? Here she was riding on the back of a horse through a river with a cowboy she was falling for… Or had already fallen for… And she loved it… Matt didn’t like big cities -- He was buying a ranch here. Would he ask her to stay with him? Could she live in a remote corner of Nevada after having lived in a busy city all her life? Sarah knew, as well as she knew anything that she would go anywhere Matt wanted to go. She just wanted to be with him, so she held on a little tighter…

  Both Matt and Richie made it safely through the river onto the other side, where Cooper was waiting with Sarah and Tess’ horses.

  “Have a nice ride?” smiled Cooper.

  “Yes, sir,” said Matt. He was unwilling to let go of Sarah behind him.

  “Sarah, we only have a few miles left back to the ranch. Do you want to ride your horse back or stay with Matt?”

  She didn’t hesitate. “… Stay with Matt.”

  He chuckled. “I thought so.” Then he looked over at Richie and Tess. “Tess?”

  She shook her head while Richie grinned.

  “All right, folks. Let’s get back.” He kept their horses tied to his horse and they followed along behind.

  As they rode back together, Cooper told them about Dale.

  “After I got the group back to the ranch, I found Dale to see how he was doing.”

  “How is he?” asked Sarah.

  “Feisty… I told him how well you did with what food we had left and he couldn’t stop going on and on about you.”

  “Well, he’s just being nice.”

  “… No, it’s more than that. Did Dale ask you to be his assistant?”

  Matt twisted around in his saddle to look at Sarah.

  “What’s this? You’re going to work at the ranch?”

  She blushed. “Yeah, I kinda forgot to mention that, didn’t I?”

  Matt turned back around smiling.

  “I can tell you,” said Cooper. “Dale has been badgering her to stay on with us and he talked Mr. Walker into it.”

  Sarah blinked. “Mr. Walker said okay?”

  “That he did. You’ve got yourself an assistant cook position, if you want it… Do you want to leave Baltimore?”

  Four pairs of eyes drilled into Sarah. Matt was looking ahead, but he might as well have been staring at her too. She screwed up her courage, straightened her back and told them how she felt.

  “I’ve wanted to leave Baltimore for a long time. It’s never been a good fit for me and I think this is. I…I want to give it a try.”

  She could feel all the tension leave Matt’s body as she said that. He must have known she meant it for him as well – That she wanted to stay with him. She just hadn’t told him yet and that was a subject for a more private chat.

  Tess looked at her and smiled. “Good for you. That means I’ll have a place to stay when I come back to visit.”

  It was Richie’s turn to twist around in his saddle. “You want to come back to visit?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe. If anyone here wants to see me…” Then she gave him a big smile. “Of course, Phoenix is a good place to visit too.”

  Richie raised an eyebrow and turned back around. Matt looked over to smile at Tess, as did Sarah. Cooper gave her a bland look.

  “If you’re coming to visit, we might have to put you to work too. No free rides, you know.”

  ####

  Seeing the ranch at last was a welcome sight. It had been quite an eventful horse drive… Sarah knew it had been life changing for her and an extraordinary experience – One she’d never, ever forget…

  That first day back was easy with no expectations. She helped Dale out at lunch. They laughed easily about the snakebite – scary though it had been– and discussed recipes for the longest time. They also discussed what her new job would entail. Dale raised his eyebrows when he asked where she was going to live. Sarah just shrugged her shoulders.

  She decided to take off for a ride before dinner. She hadn’t seen much of Matt as he had lots to do in his job since he’d come back. In the barn, she found her faithful horse, Thunder, got Frank to help get him saddled, and took off for that pretty meadow that she loved so much, not far from the ranch house.

  Once she and Thunder got to that same stream, she dismounted to let him drink and graze a bit. Sarah shielded her eyes to look up in the sky. A hawk was gliding easily through the currents, looking here and there for his prey. She thought she recognized the hoot of an owl and listened to the water float lazily down the stream. The hills in the far landscape collided with the mountain range behind them to stretch up into that blue, blue sky. It was a sight she could get used to…

  Sarah yawned, took out her horseshoe from her saddlebag and lay down in the wildflowers by Thunder. She’d have to thank Dan again for that horseshoe because it had definitely brought her luck… Taking off her hat and placing it over her eyes, Sarah felt the downward pull of her eyelids. It was just too delicious…

  And she was out, faster than she could say Gregory Peck.

  Matt had been looking for her and Frank told him she’d taken off on Thunder. He knew just where she was going… He saddled up and rode off toward the meadow. Finding her in the exact spot where he knew she’d be, he rode up, dismounted and let his horse drink by Thunder. Matt quietly sat down by Sarah and just gazed admiringly at her.

  When he’d found her asleep in the meadow the first time, he knew she belonged here. Maybe she hadn’t known it yet, but he had. So much had happened since then… And he was thrilled with how far they’d come.

  Sarah reached inside the cowboy hat to scratch her nose. It fell off her lovely face. Matt picked a blade of grass to tickle her nose. She scratched at it again… He tickled her once more… Her eyes blinked open and she saw him there.

  Sarah’s smile spread wide across her face. “Haven’t we been here before?”

  “Yes, ma’am, but you were mad at me then.”

  “What makes you think I’m not mad at you now?”

  “Because,” he leaned down close with those sexy, dark eyes, “you know I’m going to kiss you…”

  She pouted. “Maybe I don’t want you to…”

  Matt ran a hand through her pretty, blonde hair and stopped to caress her cheek. “… You don’t want me to kiss you?”

  She sighed. “…I do… I really do.” She reached over to bring his face closer and then they were kissing. It was more familiar this time as he wrapped his arms around her. They lay on the soft ground with white and blue wildflowers around them, and it was comfortable, easy. It was where they both wanted to be. He took another step and let his tongue tease hers. She sighed again and pulses began to race. But he pulled back before the next step was a step too far.

  She protested when he broke off their kiss. It had been a mind-blowing one, sending her senses into orbit.

  “Matt?” She looked up him curiously while tenderly touching his face. His breath was as uneven as hers. He grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips for a kiss. “Why did we stop?”

  “… Honey, this isn’t the place for what we have in mind. How about tonight? Will you stay with me in my cabin out back?”

  “Yes,” she smiled.

  “I love it when you say my name.”

  “Yes, Matt…”

  He kissed her longingly again. When she opened her eyes, he was gazing adoringly at her.

  “What did you mean before about being it?”

  “When you said my name?”

  “Yes. You said ‘when I say your name, that’ll be it’.”

  He looked into her beautiful blue eyes. Matt was holding th
e girl he loved and he hadn’t even told her yet.

  “I think you know, don’t you?”

  She blushed. “Maybe we can discuss it tonight, in your cabin.”

  “Okay, although I hadn’t planned on a lot of conversation. I’ll probably be tired and want to go to bed early.”

  “Really? That so?”

  “… Uh-huh…”

  “I’ll probably be tired too. Would it be all right if I slept over?”

  “Yes, please. I might even let you borrow my toothbrush again.”

  Matt kissed her eyes, her nose, cheeks and along her jaw. When he started kissing down her throat, she was breathing unevenly again and pushed him away.

  “Listen, cowboy. If this is going nowhere, we’d best pack it in for now.”

  He laughed. “You’re right.” Matt helped her to her feet. “Later?”

  “…Absolutely.”

  It was too good to pass up… He pulled her into his arms while they were standing there. He held her tight, while she listened to his heartbeat – It seemed rapid, so she guessed he was excited. She smelled that subtle aftershave again and he inhaled the fresh scent of her hair.

  “Damn… This is as wonderful as I dreamed it was going to be.”

  She twisted around to look up into his handsome face. “You dreamed about me?”

  “Yes, honey… And often… I got lots of kidding from Richie.”

  “Richie?”

  “I said your name in my sleep one time when he was around and he wouldn’t let me forget it.”

  She beamed. He bent down to pick up her hat.

  “Here… You’ll need this.” Matt glanced down again and saw the horseshoe. He picked it up too and handed it to her. She stuffed it into her saddlebag.

  “It did bring me luck, you know.”

  “I know it did, for both of us.”

  They stood there staring at each other… ‘I love you’ right there at the tip of their tongues.

  “… We have a lot to discuss…”

  He kissed her again. “I know…”

  She stood there in his welcome arms wondering how life would get any better. He stood there happily holding on tight to the girl of his dreams. Matt didn’t want to let her go…