Page 77 of Tattered and Torn

John chuckles. “You’ll get used to it if you watch them enough. Maya and Travis know what they’re doing.”

I shake my head. “You’ll never get me up there.” I shudder. “No thanks.”

Maya finally makes it to the ground. “That kid is an idiot. He’s lucky he didn’t break his freaking neck.” She slaps Travis on the back. “This calls for drinks tonight at Ruth’s. What do you say?”

Travis nods. “Sounds good to me.”

“You guys should join us,” Maya says to me and John. Then she winks at us. “I heard the news,” she whispers, although we’re all standing right there and can hear everything she says.

I look to John, not wanting to commit him to something he’s not ready for.

But he just shrugs. “Sure. If you want to,” he tells me.

“How will you and Travis get back to the lodge?” I ask.

Travis shrugs. “The old-fashioned way. We’ll hike down.”

While John saddles our mounts, I fetch and carry for him to speed up the process. Travis and Maya pack up their gear, drink some water and eat protein bars, and then start hiking down the trail.

“It’s a shame they have to walk so far,” I say as John gives me a lift up onto Odin’s saddle.

“Don’t worry about them.” He makes sure my feet are securely placed in the stirrups. “They’ll beat us to the lodge.”

“Really? That’s a three-hour trip on horseback.”

“Yes, really. Those two move fast, trust me.” He pats my thigh. “All set? Are you comfortable?”

“Yes.”

He brings one of my hands to his mouth and kisses it. “You did well on your first camping trip. I’m proud of you.”

I lean down, and he meets me halfway for a kiss. “I’m proud of you, too. You saved the horses from a bobcat, and you saved that kid. You knew he’d fall.”

“Thanks. As for the kid falling, that was a foregone conclusion. That’s a tough rock to climb under the best of circumstances, and he’s clearly inexperienced and overly-confident.”

John mounts Zeus and picks up Sal’s lead. And with that, we’re off on our three-hour long trek back to the lodge. It seems like we have a date this evening, with Maya and Travis. I’m looking forward to it. It’ll be the first time John and I are out in public together, as a couple.

Chapter 25 – John

It’s five o’clock by the time we arrive at the lodge. I got Gabrielle back later than I’d promised Hannah. I help Gabrielle dismount Odin. She groans when her feet touch the ground.

“Are you sore?” I ask.

She nods as she rubs her backside. “My thighs and butt hurt.”

“Sorry about that.” I cup her face and gaze down at her. “I’m proud of you. You handled everything well—the bobcat, camping rough for the first time, and the climbing incident.”

“It certainly was an adventure.” She glances toward the lodge. “I guess I’d better get cleaned up and get to work.”

“I’ll come find you as soon as I take care of the horses and the tack. How about I meet you for dinner in an hour?”

She lights up at that. “Yes. I’d like that.” She sighs. She surprises the daylights out of me when she cups my left cheek and goes up on her toes to kiss me. “I’ll see you in a bit, cowboy.”

I watch her until she disappears inside the lodge.

“So, how was it?” Nora asks me. She’s leaning against a wooden fence post, her arms crossed over her chest.

“It wasn’t boring,” I say with a laugh. “Had to chase a bobcat off in the middle of the night, and then we dealt with a rescue and medical evac.”

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