River's Escape (River's End Series, #2) (12 page)

Her eyes stayed on him as he knelt down by her horse. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, one time, Jack and I were stranded up here after all four of our horses broke through our fence at camp, and returned to the trailhead. Meanwhile, we were up here hiking around, and it made for a really long day.”

She clasped a hand to her mouth. “I can’t picture a more sinking feeling than discovering your horse is gone.”

“Yeah. Not so good. So we hobble them now, and always keep at least one tied to the high line back at camp. At least, we have something to ride then, and most horses will stick together. They don’t go off alone, as a general rule.”

She watched him finish and started giggling as the four horses kind of hopped off like bunnies before grazing. Roxy was a pro at it and just shuffled her front feet. Samson, however, could never quite seem to get the hang of it and displayed a strange, three-legged, skipping gait. It was rather amusing to watch them. Hearing her laugh, however, was even better for Ian. Kailynn wasn’t a typically outgoing, bright, fun kind of girl. She rarely erupted in laughter, at least, around him. She was usually quiet and subdued when at the ranch, or working. She showed a little more personality when serving patrons at the café. But this? Her smile was bright and energetic as she pointed before downright giggling at the jumping, shuffling, hobbled horses before her. Ian threw his saddle blanket down and sat on it, leaning back against a tree. She finally quit laughing and perched delicately on the edge of her own blanket.

“So…”

He was starting to doze off when she spoke. Quiet seemed to descend upon them as she marveled at the grazing horses. He cracked his eyes open at her in response.

“Do you think it’s okay if I hiked around a bit? I’d really like to look around some more.”

He fully opened his eyes. “Why would you need to ask me?”

She shrugged. “Just, so, you know… the bears. Do you think it’s safe?”

He slid his butt out, and propped the saddle behind his head for a pillow with his knees in the air. “I think you’ll be fine.”

“Right. Because the horses are so loud with the clanging of their hobbles. No wildlife would stick around for that… right?” It sounded like a sad, timid, but hopeful inquiry.

“I’d assume so. But I can’t say for sure. Do you want to take my gun?”

She shook her head enthusiastically
no
. “Yuck. I can’t handle one of those.”

He nodded towards his horn bag. “There’s a can of bear spray in there. You can use if it you’re not on a horse. It’s like mace for bears.”

She got up and shuffled through some stuff. When she found it, she looked at him eagerly. “I didn’t know you brought this. Thank you.”

“Sure. Have fun.” She nodded as she jumped to her feet. Still a little stiff, her walk looked kind of weird and the way she held her feet. But off she went, walking beside the field that edged the next patch of firs. He saw her silhouetted at the rocky outcrop above them a good half hour later. Her camera kept flashing like a dry lightning storm. If she were faking how much fun she was having, she was a damn fine actress.

Three hours drifted by while Ian napped. Every once in a while, he saw flashes of her clothes and knew she was still kicking around up there. Finally, she returned, flopping onto the ground beside him, a smile of delight still stretching her lips wide.

“You won’t believe the pictures I got. We must be the only ones up here for miles around.”

“You like it then?”

“Breathtaking. I can’t even believe we’re only hours away from my trailer.” Her eyes were staring up at the mountain peaks reaching for the sky. Somehow, Ian knew the trailer represented everything she hated about her life.

He slowly rose to his feet and started grabbing stuff. “Tomorrow, want to go for a ride? I thought you needed a good rest today. There’s a spot you’d probably like to see up that way.” He pointed towards the start of the valley. A small pond was nestled between the edges of the nearest mountain. Hunter’s Creek originated there, but it wasn’t visible from anywhere else until you were almost up on top of it. Ian only knew about it because his dad once showed it to him when he was a kid. That was during one of their annual treks, when his dad took Jack and him along. He hadn’t been back there, however, since his dad died. It was too painful for him to return before. But it was a really unusual spot, and one that a new nature-photographer, such as Kailynn, would surely appreciate. Ian explained they had to take the four horses each day to graze somewhere new, and Kailynn grew excited, anticipating new things to explore and see. Ian never really saw her anticipating much before. She was a totally different girl up there.

“I can’t wait. Of course.”

“Can your sore saddle butt take the ride?”

She dropped her gaze toward the ground. “You noticed that? Yes. It can take it. I’d rather be sore than miss any of this.”

He gathered up the horses, and removed their hobbles before resaddling them. They got back to camp just as evening brought in the cooler air. They settled the horses and cooked dinner. Tonight, it was a roast with vegetables and spices that Ian boiled for hours over the campfire. They fell into silence as they both let the fire’s heat warm them while its flames entranced them. It was pleasant and relaxing there with her. They were quietly tired, but truly satisfied. It had been a long time since he enjoyed such a day, or anyone’s company for that matter, so much. The ease reminded him of being up there when it was only Jack and he.

Tonight, she had gone to bed before dark and was sound asleep by the time he came to bed.

The next morning began the same, but they left the camp much earlier and headed up towards the lake. The lake didn’t have a name, or none that Ian was aware of. There was no trail to it but Ian knew they had to keep moving up and veering toward the right side of the valley. In several spots, they had to turn around. They were tromping through un-groomed forests and avalanche shoots. In some spots, Kailynn had to get off and walk her horse. Ian, meanwhile, was still dragging along Roxy and Samson behind him. He eventually let go of them off, figuring they’d stay close to the other horses. It became just too awkward in some of the tight spots they had to lead them through. The horses merrily frolicked all around them, running ahead and behind them, and crossing their paths, like two children suddenly set free.

Finally, the rocky ledge that hid the lake came into view. They finally made it. Ian was more than a little bit impressed she had ridden there without a word of anxiety or trepidation. Her eyes still shone with excitement and fear. He knew she was always scanning for the bears she felt sure would pop out and snag her.

****

The day grew warmer after the chill of morning mountain air. The horses trudged up the nonexistent trail that Ian seemed to blaze as they went. It was terrifying and thrilling. Detouring here to avoid a newly fallen tree, and stopping there to cut through several branches, they climbed up and up and up, or so it seemed. The trail ended at a wall of rock that loomed before her. There was no water in sight. Where were they going?

“It’s just over that last rise.”

She glanced up to where Ian nodded his head. Up that? A sheer rock wall? How? Mountain-climbing gear? Was he crazy? He had to be. They were on horses. How could a four-legged horse climb up that slippery, gray rock?

She tried to swallow the sudden lump that lodged in her throat. She felt barely adequate in the saddle. He had to be kidding.

“There’s nothing there.”

He flashed a smile, something he so rarely did, before grinning, as if he had a secret joke he was keeping from her, and asked, “Don’t you trust me?”

“Not particularly.” Was he nuts? They had no special relationship. Why should she trust him in something that was clearly a death trap?

“Don’t you want to see what’s up there?”

“I think I should just walk up to it. Let the horse fall to its death without me.”

He shook his head. “How often do you think horses fall to their deaths? In the wild, they go up and down all kinds of terrain without falling. Tommy won’t fall. I promise you that. Just hold on and you’ll get up. Unless you don’t think you can do that. Can you hold on?”

He was baiting her and she knew it. Still, she thought about taking it. “I can hold on.” Could she? She really didn’t know for sure.

He suddenly reined in the horse, and turned in his saddle with a gleam in his eye. He said, “I wouldn’t take you anyplace you weren’t ready for. I’ve watched you ride for three days. You’re definitely ready for this.”

His complete confidence in her pricked her ego and her own self-confidence kicked in and instantly fortified her. “Really? Can I shut my eyes and just hold on?”

“While I appreciate your confidence in my horses, I really don’t think that’s something I would encourage. Keep your eyes open. Breathe regularly, and direct the horse where you want him to go.”

“And hold on.”

“Yeah, and hold on. Okay?”

If it were anyone else, she’d say,
hell no, it wasn’t okay
. But he still made her a little uneasy, and she wasn’t comfortable voicing any “girlie” concerns with him. She didn’t want to bother him. This was all his deal and she had to rely on his leadership. She didn’t want to create a problem for him, so she tried to tone down her fears: of the dark, of bears, and of riding up and down the mountain. And now she was about to go rockclimbing on horseback.

She really wanted to shut her eyes, but didn’t, and faithfully let her horse follow Ian’s. Roxy and Samson were shuffling around them like wayward, playful dogs. Their hooves all started to clatter on the rocks as they started up, which was nerve-shattering. Sweat broke out all over Kailynn’s body. She finally disobeyed Ian and just shut her eyes while clinging to the saddle horn with both hands. When the crazy, slippery movement stopped, she opened her eyes and saw she was again on flat ground.

Glancing up she found Ian grinning at her. She grinned right back.

“You’re pretty damn amazing.” He then swung his horse around and started up towards the small trickle of water up ahead. She stared after him.
She was amazing?
He said it in a reverent tone, as if he meant the compliment to refer to so much more than just riding up the rock. Still, the rush of pride that swept through her made her sit up straighter in her saddle. She really felt amazing. Not something she
ever
felt in her real life.

They approached a small pool of water, and followed the trickling stream up another hundred feet where the small lake filled up. It was beyond description. The needles from the tamarack trees had all turned from green to yellow, appearing like dozens of burning candles surrounding the lake. It was small, shallow and smooth, reflecting the perfect combination of sky, trees, and land around it. Mountains slid down to fields of abundant grass for as far as the eye could see. She started clicking pictures while her horse was still moving and snapped shots of Ian stopping, standing up in his stirrups, and pitching over the side to get off. She had dozens of him doing everything he usually did up there. He seemed unaware of most of the candid shots she took. She found it quite compelling to watch him, almost like watching a cowboy from another century still surviving. He reminded her of the old mountain men and fur trappers. Except he was not all hairy, smelly, and grizzled.

No, Ian was none of those things. He was strong and tall. His hair flashed a burnt auburn in the sunlight. His pale eyes felt like they assessed every danger or potential for danger in mere seconds as he decided the best course of action and then took it. His quiet confidence and competence out there came as a surprise to her. It was kind of hard not to be impressed by him. He was like a rugged, hot cowboy. Hat, jeans, and all. She really hated the cowboy hats the men wore in River’s End, but here? It was like she’d just entered into one of the old time movies of Clint Eastwood.

“Oh my God. This place is…”

“Yeah, thought you might think so. It is.”

She slid off her horse, now proficient enough to know she should loosely tie it to a young tree sapling and unsaddle. She’d quickly gotten with the program. She kept watching and mimicking Ian to avoid standing there, looking useless, while he worked his ass off.

Not that he had much of an ass to work off.

But what was throwing her was he tried to do all the work. He seemed to be trying extra hard to make this special
for her.
It was a really odd dynamic to her. She’d never taken any real vacations in her life. She’d truly gone nowhere and had rarely done anything special or unusual. This trip was like having all those things on steroids. It was, so far, the only real adventure and outdoor experience she’d had. And Ian kept trying to make it even more so for her.

Ian had already walked Commander to a clear, green patch of grass where he pulled out the hobbles and got to work. She led Tommy over there as well. Finally, all of them were happily grazing and she walked back to her saddlebags and tugged her jacket off.

“Do you mind if I…”

He smiled and motioned for her to go ahead. She walked around the entire perimeter of the small lake, stopping to take in each and every view and angle. She climbed up the rock that rose in a gentle slope several hundred feet above the lake, providing a majestic backdrop towards where their camp lay somewhere. She clicked more pictures before scanning the scenery and locating Ian. He was lying down again, leaning his head on the saddle, the saddle blanket under him, with his knees drawn up in the air. His hat was over his face to keep the sun off it, no doubt.