Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Micah

Though a bit leery to accept a mug after watching Cody dump a ton of grounds into a pot, fill it with water and set it on a rack over the fire to boil, she discovered that "cowboy" coffee was actually very good. Or maybe it was because she really needed the jolt to wake up. Not that she minded the lack of sleep. They'd spent the night making love again and again, each time better than the previous. When she'd finally slipped into sleep, she'd felt like she was boneless, just floating up with the stars.

However, when her Daddy woke her up with another kiss, still working toward that ridiculous google whatever, every muscle ached.

"I am so not made for camping," she'd groaned.

"Says the woman who kept insisting she needed to save a horse and ride her cowboy," her Daddy had teased.

Thinking about his response made her smile. Her knees still ached, but she figured that was because she'd spent the previous day pressing her heels against stirrups to keep herself balanced on Jed's back and not because she'd ridden Stone's cock while he lay on his.

"Would you like a refill?" Cody asked, holding the huge enamel pot.

"Definitely, perhaps you can give it to me intravenously?"

"Having a hard time waking up?" Cody gave her a look that told her perhaps their tent hadn't been quite far enough away from the others.

Not about to answer that question, she brought her mug to her lips and blew across the dark liquid.

"Don't worry, I'm sure your blood will begin running when we get going," he said, moving on to offer refills to the others.

Micah learned what he meant an hour later after breakfast was finished and they'd all gathered in a group down by the river.

"Do you think we're going back in those canoes?" she asked.

"What tipped you off, the oars?" Stone teased.

"What a funny man you are," she said, trying to decide what the chances were on hitching a ride back with the horses. Seeing the trailer pulling out, she sighed. Evidently, they were a big fat zero.

"Don't worry, you can relax while I paddle," Stone assured her.

"Sounds good to me," she said though she picked up a paddle once Cody assigned each pair a canoe. Despite her trepidation, she found it rather amazing to learn that they were taking off from America and yet only a few feet away on the opposite bank was a totally different country.

Her strokes joined her Daddy's as they paddled down the Rio Grande, her heart racing as they ran a short span of rapids.

"This is fun!" she shouted, turning to look back at her Daddy.

"It is," he agreed and then lifted his oar to point toward her. "Look, baby."

Turning back around, she saw horses, crossing the river, but not those she'd seen the day before. "Wow, I had no idea wild mustangs still existed."

The entire flotilla stilled as the canoers paused in paddling to watch the herd of horses cross, many of them flinging their heads after dipping to drink from the river. It was a magnificent sight that was over far too soon. As the last horse climbed the bank and entered Mexico, Micah moaned.

"I didn't take any pictures!"

"Don't worry, I've got a few," Stone said, lifting his phone.

"Let me see!" she said, reaching for it.

"Not on your life. You can wait until we're off the water. Don't think I forgot how you dropped the oar, not once but twice."

Having no defense, Micah sighed and nodded. It turned out she didn't have all that long to wait as Cody soon directed them to beach their canoes on the right side of the river.

"I thought it might be fun to enjoy lunch in Mexico," he said as he helped pull each canoe higher onto the shoreline.

"Will we get in trouble?" Micah asked.

"Not at all. We actually have a contract with the family who owns this ranch. You can get out and stretch your legs if you want."

About to do just that, Micah paused and turned back. "Are there any bulls on this ranch?"

Cody gave her a quizzical look. "I suppose so. And horses too, but I promise they won't be in this section."

Still a bit doubtful, she was ready to stay by the canoes when her Daddy took her hand. "I've got you, baby. Let's go explore a bit."

When she hesitated, he bent closer. "I think I can find us some purple bushes if you need."

Great. She hadn't needed that until he mentioned it. "Okay, but at the first sight of a bull, I'm going to wet my pants."

"Let's try to avoid that then as we've got a long way to go until we are reunited with our bags."

They hiked and did indeed find their "purple" bush where her Daddy stood guard while she relieved herself. Standing, she was pulling up her jeans when something caught her eye. Grinning, she fastened her pants and pried the object from beneath its bed of soil.

"Look what I found," she said, holding up her prize.

"That's definitely not an arrowhead," Stone said, taking it from her. "And that will definitely come in handy if we see any bulls."

"What are you thinking! You can't throw that at a poor animal. It might hit him in the head."

"Bull. Horns out to here?" her Daddy reminded, spreading his arms out wide.

"He didn't hurt us though," she said, taking the horseshoe back. "Besides, I want to hang this up in our house for good luck. That's if it's legal of course. I don't want to go to jail for a horseshoe."

Cody assured her it was fine to take the souvenir home with them. "Just be sure you hang it up the right way." He demonstrated by turning the shoe over so that the opening was across the top. "This way luck will flow into your life and not out of it."

"We definitely don't want that," Stone said, assuring their guide he'd take care of it.

They enjoyed a picnic sitting in a field of grass in Mexico and later toured an old western town on the American side of the Rio, created as a set for movies to film. After climbing back into their canoes, Micah's heart was saddened when she realized their trip was coming to an end, but her aching muscles were practically jumping with joy.

It was with genuine pleasure as she hugged both Cody and Randall goodbye and thanked them for all their hard work. Though they accepted both her hugs and returned her smile, she was pretty sure it was the tip she saw her Daddy slipping them that had them waving vigorously and stating they hoped the couple would come back again.

"We will," Micah assured them. "After all, we've got a thousand years to fill up with memories."

"Huh?" The two cowboys looked at each other as Micah just giggled and squealed in delight as her Daddy scooped her up into his arms and carried her all the way up the steep river bank to the van that would take them back to the Jeep.