Chapter 1 #2
Derek wasn’t a small man by any definition, but when he sat forward, he blocked out even the slim view past him that David had. The position also required David to lift his gaze slightly to meet the Ranch owner’s eyes. Still, David couldn’t find it within himself to back off so much as an inch.
“Every soul on this Ranch weighs on me and hearing your concerns makes me even more confident that I’ve asked the right man to help with the camp.
By ‘whatever you’d like’ I didn’t mean a permission slip.
I mean whatever prerequisites you require for any activity a camper wishes to partake in.
If it helps to ensure everyone returns from camp with nothing more than memories of a fabulous time, I don’t care if they have to pass Master David’s Boot Camp to claim a spot.
I’ve already received assurances from Quincy and Beverly that they can cover any medical needs here while you’re gone so that’s not an issue.
All I need to know is if you’re interested and what you need me to provide to make your job easier. ”
Upon reflection, David had realized he should have known Derek would never have even considered offering such a camp if he’d had the slightest doubt he could do everything within his power to keep his family safe.
Because that is what everyone who drove through the wrought-iron gates of Rawhide instantly became—family.
The two had spent the rest of that breakfast going over some basics and had several additional meetings where Travis had joined them.
They’d come up with a curriculum as well as a series of skill tests that campers would have to pass in order to do more than roast marshmallows as was often done when gathering around one of the Ranch’s bonfires.
David now had a binder full of completed questionnaires that had nothing to do with kink limits but covered far more banal but necessary questions about skills and medical histories.
He’d passed off the finalized list of campers who’d qualified for ARK to Derek at the beginning of the week.
When he’d started to apologize for nixing a couple of hopefuls, Derek had lifted his hand and cut him off.
“Don’t apologize for doing exactly what I’d hoped you’d do. I’ll make sure those who aren’t ready know that if they wish to join in next summer, they need to hone their skills. I’ll have Erika inform those who qualified and go from there.”
Tomorrow, David would meet up with his campers. Until then, he had the rest of the afternoon to enjoy his solitude.
By the time he’d reached the shade of a stand of huge spruce trees on the river’s bank, he was more than ready to cool off.
He shrugged off his pack and stripped out of his clothes.
Standing near the edge of the overhang, he lifted his face to the sun and shed its heat by diving into the deep pool provided by this bend in the river’s course through the mountains.
Dozens of shades of blue and green surrounded him as he swam along the bottom of the river over rocks smoothed by thousands of gallons of water skimming across their surfaces for millions of years.
Time might march ever forward, but as David rose to breathe the pureness of mountain air while treading water, he knew that as long as the world existed, it would present humanity with a gift beyond measure.
Flipping onto his back, David closed his eyes against the sunlight and floated, the briefest flutter of his fingers beneath the surface keeping him from traveling too far downstream.
As the water rinsed the dust from his body, he let his thoughts drift, just soaking up the sounds of the water’s rush, the occasional splash of a fish doing a somersault before disappearing into the depths again, and the chirp of birds and chatter of squirrels.
He wasn’t sure what caused his feet to drop or his eyes to open, it was just a feeling.
Looking around, he saw nothing that caused alarm, but still, his gut was telling him something had disturbed the solitude he’d been enjoying.
If there was something David never failed to listen to, it was his inner voice.
He didn’t call out. Only idiots in ridiculously stupid movies meant to scare the bejesus out of people would actually shout to ask who’s there.
Instead of speaking, he smoothly changed positions and using strong pulls of his hands, sluiced silently through the water back toward where he’d left his belongings.
Just as he wasn’t stupid enough to give voice to his presence, he wasn’t about to face whatever had alerted him while wearing nothing but his birthday suit.
He’d dressed and was reaching for his last shoe when he felt a waft of air across the nape of his neck.
The fact that the air was hot had his inner alarm bell ringing again as he froze in place.
Facts about the animals who called the forest and mountain home ran through his mind, but as quickly as one species presented itself, he dismissed it based on several criteria that fired across the synapses of his brain.
He wasn’t sitting below any rock or beneath any low-hanging branch of a tree that would allow an animal to perch.
The waft of air was too expansive to be from any small creature such as a squirrel or chipmunk.
Besides, those animals were known for their constant chatter and this breath had been accompanied by a huffing sound.
Wait, a huff? What animals huffed?
Cats snarled, bears chuffed, mountain goats…
let’s face it, they were annoying as they bleated when wanting attention.
This was a gentle sound, almost like a muffled chuckle.
When teeth didn’t wrap around his throat, David decided to take a chance.
He began to stand only to feel his back nudged with a force that had him breaking his silence.
Stealth be damned, he shouted, “Hey!” as he attempted to straighten and turn to face his uninvited companion.
His indignation turned into a gasp as his arms windmilled and his foot found nothing but air behind him as he heard another huffing chuckle.
He didn’t even have time for his brain to send the message of what he’d seen before David found himself going for another swim.
It didn’t make any sense but David was pretty sure he’d just been shoved into the river… by a horse.