“You’ll get used to it,” he said. “If you walk around a little, your muscles will loosen and some of the stiffness will ease.”
He walked off to help Betty and Alice, but they had been riding in the arena next to the barn every day. Libby had been sure she could talk Sam into letting her stay back at the ranch. Now she was paying the price.
Eventually, the ache in her legs and behind began to fade. She took one of the sack lunches and sat down on a log next to Jenny, a cool breeze ruffling Jenny’s light brown hair.
“Where are the kids?” Libby asked.
“Caleb took them for a walk. The two weeks we spend up here is like heaven for him.” She sighed. “If he hadn’t married me, his life would have been completely different. Sometimes I feel bad about that.”
“Caleb loves you and the kids. You can see it every time he looks at you. Maybe someday you’ll find a way to give him his dream, and both of youwill be happy.”
Jenny smiled. “We’re saving for a weekend home in the mountains. We’ve almost got enough.”
“That’s wonderful.”
They chatted as they each ate one of the thick ham-and-Swiss sandwiches Clara had packed, along with an apple, a carton of orange juice, and a chocolate granola bar.
Sam walked up when they’d finished. “If you need to make a pit stop, there’s an outhouse on the other side of the clearing. I’ll see you back here in fifteen minutes.”
“We better go,” Jenny said, rising. “We might not get another chance till we get to camp.”
Libby reluctantly followed, thinking how much easier it was for men out here in the middle of nowhere. She and Jenny joined the other women in front of the wooden outhouse door. When her turn came, she held her breath and fought downher gag reflex.
“Not exactly the Ritz,” she grumbled as she walkedback outside.
Next in line, Betty laughed and disappeared into the wooden shed.
As she started back toward the horses, Libby spotted Vince on the other side of the clearing. He was looking over his shoulder at her as he urinated in the grass behind a tree. He turned so she could see that his fly was open, his dick in his hand.
Heat rushed into her face. Libby turned away and kept walking. She thought about telling Sam. He’d be furious, she was sure, but if Sam confronted Vince, anything could happen, and she didn’t want to ruin the trip foreveryone else.
Besides, she’d known Vince was a dick. Seeing it just proved the point. She grinned. In her line of work, men often made fools of themselves. No way was she letting an asshat like Vince Nolan get to her.
Besides, she wasn’t really afraid of him. Uncle Marty had insisted she take a self-defense class in Manhattan. She wasn’t particularly good at it, but she’d passed the course. If Vince pressed her again, maybe she’d get a chance to use what she had learned.
She smiled at the slim possibility the moves she’d learned wouldactually work.
Making her way back to the horses, she pulled out the half of an apple she had saved for Sunshine, held her hand out flat, and let the horse pick it up.
Sunshine chewed the treat and gave a soft whiffle of thanks. Libby swung up in the saddle, ignoring a twinge of pain. She ached in places that had never ached before, and once they got to camp, there would be chores.
And it was only day one. Libby groaned as Sam settled into the saddle of the big sorrel in front of her, and they headed up the trail. She wanted to curse Uncle Marty.
Then they reached a turn in the trail, and she looked down at the lush green valley below and the tiny speck that was the ranch house and found herself smiling instead.
Chapter Nine
Night had settled in. The steaks Sam had grilled on an iron grate over the cooking fire had beena big success.
Bridger Camp was a permanent fixture in a clearing just above Wolf Lake. Besides the cooking fire, there was a portable stove that had been packed in earlierand assembled.
The tents had also been set up days ago, each furnished with a pair of cots. There was an outhouse in the forest not far away and a solar shower that could be filled with waterfrom the lake.
The most popular spot was the fire pit, where the flames were currently blazing into the clear night sky. It was surrounded by a circle of logs that made the perfect spot for everyone to gatherafter the meal.
Sam smiled. As campsites went, it definitely wasn’t five-star, but it wasn’t completely primitive either.
Big John and Caleb had unpacked the mules and tended the horses; then Big John had wandered off somewhere, ashe liked to do.
