Page 21 of Tangled Passion

She gasped. “Just because you’re a tree does not make me a midget.”

He laughed and walked away.

She waited for the group to go and then followed. She looked around the yard to see if she had noticed the guys, but they were nowhere to be found.

She should be relieved, and she had to admit she would have liked to see them, but fought the urge.

Maybe she would come up with an answer while she was camping.

Chapter Thirteen

Madelyn kept her eyes on the riders, but it was hard pulling her attention away from the vast wilderness. It was prettier than any picture she’d ever seen, and if she didn’t know any better, she would have said it was fake. She decided nothing could be as beautiful as the ranch.

It took a few hours to make it to the camping spot. They stopped once so people could walk around, get something to drink, and eat the lunch the guide had brought them.

Madelyn couldn’t help but smile at the complaints of soreness. They were only halfway to the camp, so this group would really be complaining then. If a person didn’t ride horses frequently, they felt it in their butts, thighs, and lower back. Although she’d been riding a few times since she came to the ranch, she knew she’d still feel sore, just not to the extent of the people in her group.

Some twelve people rode, so it wasn’t a large group. There was a family of four, and the children were nine and eleven. There were several couples, one being newlyweds. The last two couples were longtime friends who vacationed together every year.

When it was time to move on, she helped whoever needed it to get back on their horses. Madelyn found a stump to help her on her own horse.

She smiled and waved at Johnathon when he gave her a thumbs-up. They rode for another few hours and then stopped in a clearing. She could tell it was the place they were camping at because of the logs situated around a large fire ring. There was also a roped area for the horses with a water trough and a bale of hay.

Madelyn counted two large tents she assumed were for the family of four and the group of friends. There were alsosmaller ones for the newlyweds. There were two more tents, she guessed were her’s and Johnathon’s.

“Madelyn, take the tent closest to the tree line, and I’ll take the small one near the horses in case there are any problems,” Johnathon said.

“Sounds good,” she said and slid from the horse. She had to hang onto the saddle horn for a moment to get steady before she tossed her backpack into the tent and then started to help take care of the horses.

The next few hours went by fast. The group had so much fun making hot dogs over the fire and then s’mores. Everyone was in good spirits but tired.

“I’ll take these to the creek and wash them,” she told Johnathon, showing him her armful of dirty dishes.

“I’ll clean this up. We’ve got a thunderstorm headed this way. It doesn’t look like it’s a big one, but I’d like everyone in their tents before it hits.”

“I’ll hurry.”

Madelyn used sand and environmentally safe soap to scrub the pots. She wiped her hands on her pant-legs and looked up when she heard thunder. The sky was getting dark, and clouds seemed to get bigger and more menacing the longer she stayed and watched.

A cold breeze lifted the hair off her shoulders and made a shiver race down her spine.

She figured she had a few minutes to get back before the storm hit, so she hurriedly picked up the dishes and walked back to camp. Everyone was already in their tents except Johnathon.

“Hey, just put them in the bag. It will keep them from blowing away.”

Madelyn shoved them in and watched Johnathon tie it off and set some heavy rocks on the sack. Their things wouldn’t be going anywhere now.

“Do you need to go to the bathroom?” Johnathon asked. “This might be your only chance.”

“I think I’ll try.”

Johnathon handed her the roll of toilet paper and pointed to an area that had been blocked off for privacy. They’d even had downed trees to use for support. After peeing, she spread the wood chips they had on the side over it to keep the smell down.

The first raindrop hit her shoulder as she was headed back.

“Hurry up, Madelyn.”

She laughed and ran to where Jonathon stood by her tent.

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