Page 41 of Alive and Wells

An amused sigh blows from my nose. “Hate to burst your bubble, darlin’. We aren’t usually stopping for picnics.”

“You should. What’s the point in owning all this land if you aren’t taking the time to enjoy it?”

“Well, the point is to feed the cattle.”

“Mmm—but what a waste of a beautiful view. I bet the cows don’t appreciate it enough. Although, for all I know, they do. Actually… I like to think they’re up here living their last days with a stunning view, you know?” She pauses for a second before bursting out in laughter, which echoes down the valley. “Wow, that was avery ‘city girl’ thing for me to say, wasn’t it?”

I chuckle. “It was.”

“Just… I’d eat lunch right here every day if I could. I think this is my new favourite place on Earth.”

“My grandpa’s, too. Not to ruin the mood, but we spread his ashes up here, actually.” When the words spill from my mouth, I realize I hadn’t thought much about that before now.

Does that make this an inappropriate place to bring a girl I like for a picnic?

“That doesn’t ruin the mood. If anything, it makes it more special. Like we’re having lunch with him.”

“If he were here, he’d tell us to quit dilly-dallying and check on the cows. ‘Only need one hand to ride. Eat your damn lunch while you work.’” I do my best impression of his deep, no-nonsense voice, recalling him yelling those words at a young Denny, who was a big proponent of picnicking. “He was a grumpy old man—sometimes hard to get along with. But he’d give you the shirt off his back.”

“Oh, so he was basically you.” She nudges me with her shoulder.

“You’re not the first to say that.” I take a sip from my lukewarm water bottle. “Before you choose this as your favourite spot, let me show you mine.”

“It’s going to be hard to top this, but let’s see what you got.”

She jumps to her feet and brushes the dust from her jeans. Watching her palms swipe across her rear, I’m reminded of how incredible it felt being pressed against her this morning. I wish I’d had the nerve to run my hand over her, along the soft skin where her ass meets her thighs. My obsession with her ass isn’t aided by me assisting her into the saddle. With her left foot in the stirrup, she bounces on the right and springs upward. I hold tight to her upper thigh, giving enough support to help swing her right leg over. And she no longer needs me as she settles into her seat, but my hand lingers.

“Shall we?” She smiles down at me. The rational part of me knows what she means. But that doesn’t stop the flooding of blood in my groin.

The blazing midday sun shines relentlessly, creating visible heat waves on the shale-lined trail. Horse sweat fills my nostrils as the massive animals grunt along the shadeless journey to the lake. But looking back at Cecily, she doesn’t seem to mind any of it. Even when I complain about the heat, or apologize for misremembering how long it would take to get there, she affectionately smiles and says she has nowhere better to be today. We dip into a small valley and the air grows instantly cooler as the horses amble toward the thick, deciduous greenery. Though I’ve seen it more times than I can count, the Caribbean-blue lake still takes my breath away.

“Alright, you might win for the best spot, after all.” Cecily jumps down from her horse like she’s been doing it her whole life, without ever taking her eyes off the clear, shimmering water. “If we can swim in it, I’ll concede that this place is better than the mountaintop.”

“You can.” I start rolling up my pant legs—assuming I’ll only be dipping my feet in—when I look over to see Cecily’s shirt flying over her head. Bronzed skin and blonde hair radiant in the afternoon sun, my eyes rake over her.

“It’s hotter than hell out here. I know you don’t like swimming, but you gotta come with me.” The buckle on her belt pings against a rock as her jeans hit the ground, but I dont follow suit. Noticing my hesitation, she adds, “I’m alreadyextraordinarilywell acquainted with you in your boxers, and my underwear isn’t any more revealing than my bathing suit. Quit being a baby.”

Okay.Fuck it.I follow her lead and strip down to my boxers, suddenly feeling self-conscious about how pale I am next to her perfect, sun-kissed body. Another reason I should’ve accepted more invitations to go to the creek with the boys. We delicately step across the hot, rocky lakeshore until the cold rush of glacier-fed water hits us like a truck. She sucks in a small gasp at the coldness, and the sound goes straight to my cock.

“Jesus fuck. I remember it being cold, but notthisgoddamn cold.” I swear every part of me is blue and my dick might be inside my body now.

“When was the last time you swam here?” she asks.

“Um… probably ten years ago. Or more? This was my mom’s favourite place. We spent lots of summer days here as a kid.”

“From what I’ve heard so far, I would’ve liked your mom. I too enjoy a beautiful lake andHappy Days.” She lowers further into the water until it hits mid-chest. Sunbeams reflect off the glassy lake surface, lighting the small divot in the tanned skin above her collarbone.

Mom would’ve liked Cecily, too.

“Everybody loved her. When we were kids, she made up a ‘cowboy’s club’ for me, my brothers, Red, and his four brothers. Looking back now, I think it was because she needed a way to get us outta her hair. She’d send us on these wild scavenger hunts, and give us chores that would probably have someone calling CPS these days. Like making us collect eggs, but the only way we could get to or from the coop was by riding sheep. I don’t think a single egg made it back intact. All the kids at school were jealous of the adventures she sent us on.”

“She sounds like an incredible mom. It’s no wonder her boys turned out great.”

“Yeah, she was the best.” I gulp. I’m not going to cry in the lake, in my underwear, with a beautiful girl.I am not.

The way she’s quick to move the conversation along makes me think she can tell my eyes are burning. “You didn’t tell me Red grew up with you. His brothers didn’t stick around, though?”

“It’s not my story to tell, but they all left after some issues their dad caused. Red came back. He’s kind of like a stray cat—just keeps comin’ back.”

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