Page 72 of Daddy, Take Me Away
Instead of explaining, her Daddy took her hand. “I’m saying we are going to mix pink and blue and find ourselves some purple bushes. How does that sound?”
“Like you’re a genius,” Micah said, meaning every word. She really did need to pee but wouldn’t have been able to even consider pulling her pants down behind some bush without her Daddy right beside her.
Afterward, she felt a lot better. Instead of immediately rejoining the others, they hiked around a bit, and when her Daddy crouched and pulled her down beside him, she followed his finger to where a stone of a different color lay slightly buried beneath other rocks.
“Wow, is that a real arrowhead?”
“Yes. I’m sure many native Americans have crossed these mountains,” Stone said.
Micah stared at the arrowhead and then really looked around her. She could easily picture the thousands of feet that had traveled these paths, the camps they’d made. She imagined she could smell the smoke from their campfires and hear the sounds of children at play. A sense of peace settled over her and made her feel slightly ridiculous for her earlier behavior. If mothers carried infants on their backs and small children climbed up and over these mountains on foot, she had no excuse for acting like a baby.
“I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said, slipping her hand into his. “I shouldn’t have acted so silly.”
“Micah, there is nothing to apologize for. You can’t help how you feel and you certainly don’t need to hide those feelings. Not from me. Ever.”
She leaned against his side, soaking up his words and his comfort. “I know, but still, I should have remembered you would never put me in a situation you didn’t feel was safe. I mean, you are always thinking of ways to make sure I’m okay. Like purpling with me.”
When he chuckled, she smiled. “And if you’re a really good boy, I would be very happy to purple with you tonight. I’ve never done it in a tent.”
A bark of laughter had her giggle. “Babygirl, I’m going to be the best boy in the whole wide world. Starting with getting you a snack. After all, I seem to recall that coloring requires energy.”
“That it does,” she agreed, giving the arrowhead another look but leaving it where it had lain for the last few centuries.
Stone squeezed her hand before rising and pulling her up with him.
Micah was far more relaxed for the rest of the ride. After eating a snack consisting of a bag of trail mix, apple slices, two huge chocolate chip cookies, and a bottle of water, she spent some time chatting with some of the other riders. It pleased her to learn she hadn’t been the only one at least a bit leery about the ascent and descent on the mountain.
When they were ready to resume the journey, she asked Cody if it would be okay to share some of her apple slices with Jed.
“I’m sure he’d love some,” Cody said with a smile. “Do you know how to offer them to him?”
“Yes, I remember from Girl Scouts,” she said, flattening her palm and placing a slice she’d saved onto it.
“And here I thought Girl Scouts only sold cookies,” Cody teased and she smiled. “Seriously, I’m glad you’re feeling better. I really hope you enjoy the trip.”
“I am, and this time I’m not even fibbing,” she said, leaving him laughing.
She fed Jed the apples and smiled when he huffed after she’d given him the last slice. “Sorry, buddy. I’ll try to slip you some more later.”
Stone helped her into her saddle and once she’d settled, she watched him running his fingers through Jed’s thick mane before rubbing his palm over the smooth leather of the pommel she’d been recently clinging to.
Micah shook her head, getting the reference without the need for words. Pubic hair. Good grief, she couldn’t believe she’d tried that trick or worse, confessed doing so to her Daddy.
“You’re not going to let me forget are you?” she asked as he gave her a grin that caused her heart to skip a beat.
“Not a chance, babygirl, not a chance.” He pulled her down for a kiss before moving to mount his own horse. They rode for another couple of hours and when Micah realized they were going to have to descend to reach the valley, she leaned forward and patted Jed’s neck. “I’m trusting you, buddy. Get me down safe and I promise, there will be more apples even if I have to walk to the store and buy them myself.”
At his huff, she grinned and instead of bracing herself, she relaxed and looked around, finally trusting the horse beneath her.
“Way to cowgirl up,” Stone said, causing her to roll her eyes. If Cody and Randall had used that phrase once, they’d used it a hundred times over the past several hours.
“What happened to being a good boy?” she teased.
“Oh, believe me, babygirl, I plan on being a very, very, very good boy tonight.”
A shudder ran through her that had nothing to do with fear. Her nipples pebbled beneath her shirt and her thighs would have clenched together if there hadn’t been a large horse between them.
“Don’t make promises you won’t keep, cowboy,” she said as he lifted her out of the saddle and slid her slowly down his body, letting her hand cup the bulge that suddenly bloomed beneath his jeans.
