Chapter 8
Vicky
“Why can’t you get on a horse?”
I glared at Crystal who only busted out laughing.
She saw me come back to my room early this morning.
She saw the mark on my shoulder that my hair was doing shit to cover up.
So, she was smart enough to understand that my thighs and legs, and okay, my cunt, was just a little too sore to sit on a saddle, let alone throw my leg over it and hop on.
She waltzed over to me, resting her arms on the horse’s stall and leveled me with a knowing look.
“Gonna give me any details about how it was?”
“The first, second, third, or fourth round?”
“Why you little hussy,” she said, making me laugh. “That good?”
“I have got to say, Crystal, I’m so glad I waited.
I know I’m young and I know the whole town will be in an uproar over our age gap, but I also can’t tell you how amazing he was last night.
How tentative and careful. I mean, I wanted him to rock my world and told him as such and instead of shutting me up, he did what I wanted.
He wasn’t exactly rough, but yeah, he was perfect. ”
She rolled her eyes at me and all I could do was grin at her.
“Now, help my horrible ass get on this horse because I don’t think my trail tour will enjoy walking it.” I paused, making a face. “I’m not sure walking it is a good idea either.”
She laughed again, pushing me up in the saddle and I groaned.
I would so not recommend climbing on a great big beast after an intense night of love making, especially if it was your first time. That was not a good idea by any means. Although, I wouldn’t trade a single moment of what happened.
“You do the crime, better be ready to do the time.”
I sent her a mock glare as I started walking away, ignoring her laugh. With a shake of my head, I was back on the road, leading another tour through the sandy desert.
Looking at the vast red rocks that were great for rock climbing and the various wildlife and cactus we had out here, my breath was stolen each and every time.
There wasn’t a view that was bad in my opinion.
In fact, in just a little over a week we were supposed to have a big storm watch, with even more people coming into town, and I couldn’t wait to explore about the legends of monsoon and the promises that came with each strike and roll of thunder.
“Vicky,” someone called, pointing out a cactus, “why is it called a Jumping Cholla?”
“The arms of the cactus are very thin, held to the cactus with hardly anything. You can merely brush just a pant leg, or a coat tail across it and it will grab onto it. Hence, a Jumping Cholla. Of course, any cactus is horrible to get out of the skin, but their needles are far worse, and far finer, so please be careful.”
“Have you encountered many poisonous creatures out here?” a lady called, glancing around beneath her.
I strolled over to her, running my hand over the horse’s neck.
“Not many, though they are there. But be mindful. If you’re scared, your horse is going to feel it and it will spook the creature.
You’re fine. I ride these trails every day, both for personal and professional use.
I’ve seen one rattlesnake in all the times I’ve been out here. You’ll hear it far before you see it.”
“That doesn’t make me feel better,” she muttered and I chuckled.
“Trust in the creature you’re on, she’ll tell you when something is wrong before you’ll see it.
Believe me.” I moved away, letting the woman go at her own pace, but I kept my eye on her.
Every group that wanted a trail ride, I had someone freak out about the creatures of the desert.
What was funny, to me, was that most creatures were nocturnal, they hardly came out to bother people during the day.
Not that they couldn’t, it was just rare.
“We’ll stop shortly,” I called to the group, “to eat and rest. Does anyone have any more questions?”
I looked in the direction that a man was pointing and grinned as he asked what that was.
“How many are from the Midwest?” I nodded at the show of hands. “So, a lot of you had your fair share of tornadoes. Well, that, my friends, is our tornadoes. But here we call them dust devils. They’re kicked up by high winds and lots of sand, which we have plenty out here.”
“Are they dangerous?”
“Not like they can relocate your house. But the wind and dirt can pick up debris and pelt you with it if you happen to be standing in one. But they come and go so quickly. A dust storm, on the other hand, is something that I hate getting caught in and it’s far more dangerous.”
Fifteen minutes later, I had the group sit down, having their lunch and resting, letting them talk and take pictures. With a groan, I climbed back on my horse, making a trip around the outer ways, checking to make sure it was safe on the way back.
“What are you doing?”
I jumped in the saddle, turning to see Jose coming up on his horse. Damn, did this man ever not look good. Hat low, jeans tight on his thighs, best damn good looking cowboy around these parts.
“I have a tour. They’re stopping for a bite before we head back.”
“There’s a storm brewing,” he said, nodding his head in the direction that I just came from.
“Yes, saw a couple dust devils already. Though they were pretty far, we know how fast winds and storms can pick up and move around here. What are you doing out this way?”
“I’d love to say working, checking my line and such, but that’s not all too true. I wanted to come and check up on you, see how you were?”
I couldn’t help but blush, images of last night flashing through my mind.
“Sore. Being in a saddle sucks.”
He moved his horse closer, his mouth touching my ear.
“Maybe you should swing by my place tonight so that I can take care of that problem?”
“Jose,” I moaned, not sure if he would actually help or torture me. He laughed, moving his horse away and I did the same. But I was so lost in my own thoughts that I missed the sound of the rattler and the way it lunged at my horse, only to have my horse take off, knocking me off in the process.
“Vicky,” Jose cried, jumping off his own horse to lift me up before the snake could bite.
I groaned, my back screaming at me. “I got you, hon. Let me get you on my horse.” He carefully lifted both of us, letting the people know they’d get a new tour guide, and took off to his house, making me groan with each bump. “You’ll be fine,” he muttered.
“I know. But damn it, it sucks.”
He chuckled, his lips brushed over my head, and I could help but swoon a little. Because if this man hadn’t been there, I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have heard the rattle, nor would I have gotten away in time.