“You’re in charge Garrett. Don’t let him be in charge.”
Sarah’s words and the words of her father from a few weeks earlier were both in my head as I sat up straight and took a deep breath. I pressed my legs into the horse and pulled the reins back firmly to signal that he needed to slow down. I didn’t let up, I continued to grip his body with my legs and hold the reins firmly to show that we needed to go the pace that I set for him. Soon Buckjoy slowed to a gallop and then to a walk. Relief ran through my body and my hands started to shake from the adrenaline that had been rushing through me.
I tried to hide my shaking hands from Sarah as she caught up to me, but I knew she saw them. Our eyes met and she nodded her head in agreement that things were better. I certainly would have wished that I could handle such an event without even the slightest bit of fear on my face, but I couldn’t. I had genuinely been scared for my life.
“That was scary,” I said.
“Yes it was. But he’s listening to you now. Stay in control and we’ll be to the rive
r shortly. See it over there?” she pointed to what looked like miles and miles away.
“Oh, God,” I moaned.
“You’re going to sleep good tonight,” she teased me.
“I sleep better here than I ever have my entire life. There’s something to be said for working your body to exhaustion. It has no other choice but to sleep.”
“I know. Isn’t it funny? I think it also has something to do with being outside all day. Our bodies were meant to work with the sun and the second the sun goes down; all I want to do is sleep. Yet, back in the city, I would stay up until one or two in the morning almost every single night.”
“Yeah, me too. I would work all day and then feel exhausted, but the second I got home I couldn’t sleep.”
“Well you also didn’t need to get up at four o’clock for breakfast,” she laughed.
It was true. Back home, I hardly ever ate real breakfast and when I did I had the luxury of eating it whenever I felt like it. I couldn’t remember a time where I had ever woken up before five o’clock in the morning and even on those days it was because I had a plane to catch.
We continued down the mountain and I breathed a huge sigh of relief when we finally got to the flat land at the bottom. Sarah stayed in front of me through the second half of the downward trail. She was probably afraid I was going to lose control of the horse again, but then again, so was I.
In my normal life, I was one hundred percent the alpha male in every situation, but on the ranch, I certainly wasn’t able to have that position. Sid Miller, Forest, and even Sarah held more clout on the ranch than I did. They knew more about running the business, caring for the animals, and surviving in that environment. It was humbling to have a new perspective and I was enjoying letting others take the control for a little bit; even if I felt cooped up sometimes.
Sarah rode ahead of me and my eyes were glued onto her ass. The gallop of the horse had her round ass moving up and down in a rhythmic motion and my body throbbed just thinking about what she would look like naked. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes and thought about the touch of her naked ass against my hands and how delightful it would feel. I remembered the gentle touch of her lips against mine, and how much I had wanted to continue that moment once I knew what she tasted like.
When we finally arrived at the river, it was nearly time for the sun to set. We quickly secured the horses and Sarah got started on taking photos. She looked like she was in her natural element as she analyzed each angle and took several photos. When she moved near to the river, I paid close attention because she was walking out on some rocks that seemed very slippery to me. I moved close to her and stood next to the river as I waited to help her back to the shore when she was done with her photos.
“Careful,” I said, almost under my breath as I walked over to where she was standing.
“I just need one with the water and the sunset. I’ve got to get just the right angle.”
Just as she said that, Sarah’s foot slipped and she started to fall. I quickly jumped into the water and grabbed her before she went all the way in. Only one foot of hers was wet, but I was soaked all the way up to my waist.
“Well, that wasn’t a smart move,” she joked as I held her up on the rock and she looked down at me halfway in the water.
I helped her to the side of the river and she held her hand out for me as I climbed out of the water. It was cold and I started to shiver almost instantly when the cool air hit my skin.
“Some would say it was a brilliant move. I saved you from getting wet and looked like a total hero doing it,” I joked.
“But now you’re soaking wet and it’s going to get cold tonight. We better get a fire going and get you out of those clothes.”
“The words I’ve been waiting to hear for months,” I joked. “Yes, let’s get me out of these clothes. Perhaps you should get out of yours also, you know, just to make me feel better.”
Although I was very much joking, I had fantasized about Sarah wanting me. I had fantasized so much about her that I thought she could read my thoughts when I looked at her. Some mornings I would even avoid eye contact with her all together because I was sure she would see the dirty thoughts that were going through my mind.
“You’re still sleeping in your own tent. I don’t care how many times you save me.”
“You’re such a stickler for the rules.”
“Can you start a fire?” Sarah asked as we both finally made it to dry land.
She wasn’t asking me to actually start the fire, but simply wondering if I had the skills necessary to start a fire. Oh, how I wished I could have surprised her and told her I knew exactly how to get a fire going from the middle of nowhere without a lighter. In that moment, I wanted those backwoods skills that would have totally impressed her, but alas, I didn’t have such skills.