The sunlight filtering through the window into his eyes woke Roger. The air in the trailer was chilly, but the bed was warm and toasty. He began to roll over and realized that Bethany was sleeping across his chest with her head on his shoulder. His hand moved up to her hair as he lay there wondering where this would lead. He’d never felt what he felt last night. Not with Melanie or any of the other women who had shared his bed. It scared the crap out of him, but he didn’t feel the urge to run, the way he had the first time they kissed outside the cabin. Now, he wanted to be here with her, nowhere else. He worried about what she wanted; would she settle for Riverview? Could he talk her into staying on the ranch indefinitely, until they figured out what they felt for each other? His mind wrestled with those thoughts while his fingers wrapped themselves in her curls.
“Keep that up, and you’re going to be the one to untangle my hair, cowboy,” her sleepy voice said softly to him.
“Did I wake you? I’m sorry. I can’t seem to keep my hands from touching you, and your hair seemed safe.” He carefully untangled his fingers and his hand slid down her shoulder to rest on her arm, his wrist across her breast as she lay on her side.
“What time is it?” she asked, not lifting her head but rolling to allow his arm to rest across her breasts. Her nipples began to peak while his hand left her arm to fondle the soft available flesh. She could see that it was barely light, so her hand moved down his chest to check his readiness for her. She felt him moan and his member seemed to jump into her hand. Ever ready--she smiled at the feel and thought. “I think we can spend some quality time together this morning, I’m up for it, and I can tell you are too.” She gave him a wicked grin as her hand continued to test his readiness.
Their lovemaking was urgent and wild with mutual need; he pounded into her and she met him with every thrust, taking all of him into her. He felt her climax. Her legs held him pinned to her as his climax followed hers and he felt her sheath milking his seed from him through the thin condom. He moaned into her mouth. They lay connected as each came back from the heights of their passion. He finally rolled to her side, where he fell back asleep.
Bethany lay next to Roger. She felt wonderful, fulfilled and sated. She fell asleep with these thoughts. She woke to fear. What if he didn’t care for her as she cared for him? How could she just walk away from him when she knew she was falling deeply in love? She pulled the covers with her as she made her way to the toilet. She had tears in her eyes that she refused to let him see. There was no way she would use sex to hold him if he wasn’t ready for this kind of relationship.
Roger came out of his sated sleep when the covers were thrown off him. He watched her run to the bathroom. What’s with her? He wondered. “Are you okay in there?” he called. “Anything I can do to help?” He realized how stupid that question sounded as soon as it left his mouth. He silently laughed.
“I think you’ve done more than enough.” She managed to keep her voice light. “Or should I say ‘we’ve’ done more than enough. Why don’t you turn on the generator, the heater, and put the coffee on?” She suggested from behind the closed door. “Then you can go out to check on the horses so I can clean up and get dressed.”
“I’d much rather watch you dress than go outside. I’ll stay up here out of the way,” he offered, moving to do as she asked. He started the generator, turned up the thermostat, put on the coffee and turned on the water heater. He noticed it was almost nine in the morning. They’d really slept in. He smiled at the reason why.
The door to the bathroom opened and a naked Bethany moved out into his arms. “I think it would be much safer for us if you go outside.” She looked up at him and smiled. “I would suggest you put your clothes on first. I’ll move up on the bed so you can have some space.” She trailed a kiss on his shoulder as she moved to climb up into the gooseneck. She knew exactly what he was watching so she teased him by moving slowly.
Roger could hardly swallow as her bare bottom was presented to him while she moved up into the bed. He stepped forward and grabbed her hips to hold her while he kissed and nipped it. He just couldn’t resist it.
“Oww!” She squealed and began laughing, lunging forward away from his teeth. She looked back, only to catch a wicked gleam in his eyes as he watched her. “That was rude. Biting isn’t polite,” she scolded him with a grin.
“Then don’t present such an inviting target,” he laughed back. He reached for his boxer briefs and jeans, turned away from her and began to dress. He was hard again, so the going was slow. He couldn’t remember if he had ever been so horny before. This woman did something to him on a very elemental level. He liked it. “The coffee is brewing, the water should be almost warm, and I’m heading out to check the horses. I suggest we head to town for breakfast.
Bethany laughed as she climbed down from the bed, still naked. She moved for a washcloth, put a couple of cups of water into a pan and warmed it over the stove. No sense using up much water; they might need it for the horses later. She cleaned the signs of sex from her body, smiling at the delicious memories and echoes of her orgasms. That man was amazing. All he had to do was look at her and she was on fire for him.
There was a knock at the door. “Hi, are you decent?” The voice was female.
“Just a minute,” Bethany called back. She threw her clothes on quickly over her still-damp body and opened the door. “Good morning,” she smiled as she let the brunette into the trailer.
“I just wanted you to know we have doughnuts over at our rig,” Heather told her. “You’re welcome to help yourself. We’re on our way out to the far trail to do some final cleanup,” she explained.
“Thanks, but Roger and I are headed for Worland. We have a couple of things to get that we forgot to pack.”
“You two haven’t been a couple long, have you?” Heather guessed at Bethany’s flushed face. “I could tell yesterday that you might want some privacy. He seems very nice, not to mention sexy,” she continued, much to Bethany’s embarrassment. “I waited until I saw him leave to come over. I didn’t want to interrupt a ‘morning ride’, if you know what I mean.” She laughed at the joke and the fact that Bethany’s face had gone even redder. “Honey, these trailers bring people together quicker than just about anything other than a cabin on a cruise.” She smiled. “You can’t move without touching, and most of the time, that’s all it takes.”
“Please, Heather. You’re right,” she admitted to the older woman. “I’m still getting used to having him in my life, much less my bed. Cut us some slack, okay?” Bethany pleaded with her.
“Okay, I won’t harass you any more. You two do make a cute couple; congratulations and good luck. It’s hard to keep a relationship these days.” The older woman patted Bethany’s shoulder and moved to the door just as it opened to Roger returning. “See you later. Drive safely,” she called as she stepped out.
“What did she want?” he asked. He saw Bethany’s face was red and worried that they might have disturbed the neighbors the night before. “Don’t tell me we were too noisy last night? I think both of us were a bit vocal, to put it delicately.” He laughed.
“No, she came by to offer doughnuts. However, she did mention that she waited for you to go outside to be certain she would not be ‘interrupting’ anything,” Bethany confessed. “She means well, but is a little outspoken.” She felt herself blushing again.
“She sounds about as subtle as a bulldozer. But at least she was polite enough to wait for one of us to leave the trailer.” He chuckled. “Let’s drink our coffee, unhitch and head to town. It’ll take up some of the day and give us a chance to enjoy the scenery.
Bethany passed him a cup of coffee and poured herself one. She sat at the table, thinking about the past three weeks. Her life had dramatically changed on so many levels, and now she had a lover. If anyone had told her at the Indian Territory Ride that all this would happen, she would have laughed him or her into the next county. Life had a way of dragging you forward, whether you were ready or not.
Roger finished his coffee and took hers. He took her by the hand and led her out to the truck. They had the trailer unhitched and were on the road in less than ten minutes. “You seem lost in thought; can I help solve any of the problems?” he asked. “I hope I’m not one of them.”
“No, I was just musing over how fast life can go forward, no matter what else is happening,” she told him. “Come Monday, we will have known each other a whole two weeks.” She regarded his profile. “That’s not very long, but I feel like you’ve been part of my life for months, if not years.” She smiled.
“I know what you mean. I’m comfortable with you and it’s rare for me to be comfortable with anyone, male or female.” He glanced over at her. He hoped she realized just how important that statement was to him. “I can’t remember when I’ve met anyone and felt so at home in their company.” He reached his hand over and covered hers where they lay in her lap. “You’re special to me.” He wanted to use the L word, but didn’t want to scare her off. He hoped she understood his meaning.
“Yeah, you’re special to me too. No one has ever made me feel the way you do or worried about me, either.” She placed one of her hands on top of his, rubbing his knuckles with her thumb. “I can think of nowhere I’d rather be than with you.”
They arrived in Worland in under an hour. She shopped for a couple more steaks and some sodas while he went to the pharmacy and bought a fresh box of condoms. He expected her to be too tired Saturday night or even Sunday, but having a new box made him feel safer. Rubber aged when it wasn’t kept in a conditioned place. He found Bethany with a shopping cart coming toward him. Her selection included a small Styrofoam cooler and a bag of ice. “What do we need those for?”
“If we’re stopping to eat, I want to keep the steaks from getting too warm. Also, you can use it tomorrow to bring me stuff on the trail,” she said.
They paid for her goods and put perishables in the cooler, along with the bag of ice. They searched for food and opted for a café along the highway that catered to both tourists and locals. The food was delicious, hearty, and expensive.
When they got back to the Ride Camp, Heather was accepting entries from new arrivals. Rigs were pulling in and filling up the field. Bethany had printed out an entry before heading out, so she took it over to Heather.
“Hi. I see you’ve got everything filled in. Where’s your Coggins and Health Certificate?” she asked.
“Oh yeah. Sorry, should have had them out. Here you go.” Bethany handed over the envelope she used for those documents. Heather inspected them and gave the envelope and a blank Vet Card over to her.
“Your number is 752. Bill is riding the 75 tomorrow, too. There should be a couple more riders for that distance,” she told Bethany. “I’ll be surprised if we get a full ten riders. 75 is that strange distance. Most horses that can go that distance are competing more in 100-mile rides. Those horses are moving south for the winter and will compete in the Southwest Region for the remainder of the year,” she complained. “I only offer the distance because Bill always needs the extra points or miles by this time in the Season.”
“Well, he doesn’t need to worry about me. We’re just out for completion this time.” Bethany smiled at her. “Do the fifties use the same trails as the seventy-fives?” She asked.
“The seventy-fives have a thirty-two-mile first loop. The fifties have a twenty-five mile first loop. They go out the same way, then the seventy-fives go straight as the fifties turn a corner and cut across to meet the long trail as it heads back to camp. So they do use some of the same trail. The fifties can see the seventy-fives down in the valley as they cut across along the top of the ridge,” she told her. “I’ll explain it more tonight. If you can keep Bill in sight, he laid out the trail and won’t be getting lost.”
“Thanks.” Bethany went back to the trailer. She spent an hour going over her saddle and trail packs while she waited for the vet to set up his check-in area. She made Coup up a bran mash and added some electrolytes to it so he would be ready for the next morning. If there were water on the trails, then in the morning she would give him a tube of electrolytes too, only after he’d finished his feed; those things can be rough on an empty stomach.
“Hi, there you are.” Roger came out of the trailer. He had seen her go over to the Registration Desk, but he had not seen her come back and was beginning to worry where she was hiding. “Have you checked Harley’s water or feed lately?” he asked.
“Only glanced that direction, they seemed okay. The vet is almost ready. Will you bring Harley over to keep Coup company as we check in?” She asked. “Coup does better if Harley isn’t screaming his head off back at the trailer for him.” She spent a few minutes grooming Coup and at the sounding of a truck horn, she snapped a lead onto his halter. “Let’s go.”
Roger jumped to Harley with a lead rope and snapped it on as he unsnapped the Hi-Tie rope. He and Harley followed Bethany and Coup toward the man with a clipboard and a stethoscope around his neck. Several other riders were moving the same direction. By the time they arrived, there were two horses waiting in line.
Bethany and the vet discussed the distance and the expected speed as he checked Coup for wounds, soreness and lameness. He asked Bethany about the altitude of his most recent stable. He gave the red horse all A’s in all categories. His resting pulse was thirty-two, which was nice, especially at this altitude. Harley stood by Roger, patiently waiting and watching the whole affair. Together they walked back to the trailer, by way of the water tanks to let the horses drink their fill. The horses went back on their respective Hi-Ties, water refilled and hay bags topped off.
Bethany went into the trailer to set up her Pot Luck dish for the dinner tomorrow. She would be riding all day tomorrow and not have time to make anything if she didn’t get it done today. Her three-bean salad was easiest to make. She set Roger to work chopping onions and celery while she worked on the pickles, olives and peppers. Then she tossed it all together, covered it and put it into the fridge. She put a serving spoon with it so Roger wouldn’t need to search. “Okay, if I’m not done by dinner, there’s the Pot Luck dish with spoon. Take it over to the dinner. Get yourself fed, and make a plate up for me. If you don’t, most the food will be gone by the time I get back,” she told him.
“Okay. How long do you expect to take for this distance?” he asked.
“From what I found out, last year the winner crossed in just under seven hours of riding time and the last rider took about thirteen hours--got done just under the allowed time.” She told him. “I would expect it to take Coup and me about ten hours of riding time, maybe less. That puts me in close to dinner time if we start at five a.m.”
“Did you get a map so I can tell where to meet you on trail?” Roger asked.
She pulled out her Entry packet. Inside was a topographical map that showed the trail loops in assorted colors and the roads in a royal blue. “The roads are named and no-name types, and depending on the loop, it looks like I cross them back and forth quite a few times. Most of them are more Jeep trails than actual dirt roads, but there are a couple of named roads.” She showed him. “My longest loop is the first at thirty-two miles, but I won’t need you until the day begins to warm up. You decide, but the first loop may be fine without you meeting me,” she said. She noticed he was making notes and hoped he would be able to read them later.
“The second loop is twenty-five miles and it covers some of the same territory as the first loop, just cut across the high ridge and come back the same way. The crew spot is about ten miles up the dirt road out of camp, where the trail crosses,” she said. “The final loop is only eighteen miles. It stays closer to the named roads and actually uses a couple for several miles. This allows for crewing and allows the riders a chance to make up time at a faster pace. By the time we get to that loop, the heat of the day may be past and the sun be lowering in the sky.”
She looked at him and pointed to a spot on the map. “This will be the most important crew spot. By here, Coup will need the rice bran mixture and electrolytes mixed into it. I’ll be needing protein and electrolytes myself. If all else fails, meet us at that spot, no matter how long you have to wait. I should be able to give you a good estimate of our arrival time before we head out on the loop.” She smiled at him. “Besides taking care of us between loops, you don’t have much to do but look for us on trail. Right?”
Roger looked at her. “If you say so. Do you think there will be other crew members heading out that I can tag along with during the day?” he asked. He didn’t feel too certain about the possibilities of being in the right place at the exact right time, but he was willing to try it. He knew she had managed to ride this distance without a crew before so her reliance on him would not be as critical as it could be.
“Yeah, there are at least two to five other riders at this distance. We can connect with them at the Ride Meeting and you can follow them to the crew spots on the loops,” she assured him. “Maybe even take only one truck if I’m riding with the other crew’s rider. Let’s get dinner cooking; the Ride Meeting should happen in an hour or so. They want to get it over early so those of us who start at five can get to bed early,” she explained.
Roger folded the map and stuck it in his shirt pocket, along with a pen. “What do you need me to do for dinner?” he asked.
“Just sit down. I’m only boiling hot dogs and a can of beans tonight. Lots of calories, fiber, and there’s some cupcakes for dessert and the carb load.” She laughed at his expression. “I never said Endurance Riders eat healthy, I just said we eat a lot.” She moved into the trailer, started the generator, emptied a can of beans into a dish and nuked them while the hot dogs came to a boil on the stove.
Roger set the table with mustard, relish, buns and a bag of chips, along with plates and plastic utensils. No washing dishes tonight. Within fifteen minutes, the food was on the table.
“I’m glad I like hot dogs. Shorty never makes them, but I’ve always loved the flavor and texture of a good dog.” Roger smiled at her as she put the dogs and beans on the table.
“This is the mainstay of camping. Easiest to cook and clean up, not to mention fairly cheap,” she told him. “Of course, a gas remedy either before or after eating is suggested if you are sleeping in close quarters.” She handed him a meltaway as she spoke. “Better to treat and not need it than to discover at midnight you should have had something.” She put one into her mouth. Roger followed her example.
After eating, they were sitting with a beer when a truck horn sounded. “Ride Meeting!” came the call from the registration table. Bethany picked up her chair and headed that direction, followed by Roger doing the same.
Once everyone was seated in a loose circle around the registration table, Heather began talking about the Ride. She began with the information needed by the riders on the seventy-five. There were seven of them. Start time would be five in the morning, before full light. There would be glow bars out marking the trail for the first ten miles; by that time, it should be light enough to see the bright orange with yellow ribbons. She covered vet criteria and hold times.
“Okay, seventy-fives, I want each of you and your crewmembers to stand so that you can see and recognize each other. As soon as I release you, I suggest you all pause just beyond this space to meet, greet and cooperate with each other. It’s going to be a long day, and each of you will benefit from knowing the other riders. After all, finish and you’re top ten.” She smiled at the laughter this remark generated from all present. She mentioned once more the color of the first loop was orange with yellow stripe and asked if anyone had questions. No one did. “Okay, have a good night and be sure to check in tomorrow morning before you go out on trail. If I don’t show you on trail… you never started. No matter how many miles you covered.” With that, she motioned the seventy-fives to move off to their own little meeting. She began to cover the information for the fifties.
Roger and Bethany took their chairs and moved outside the circle to meet up with seven or eight people who were standing talking.
“Hi, I’m Bethany, riding the seventy-five, and this is Roger. Roger is a first-time crew and any help that any of you can offer will be appreciated. Also, we’re not from this area and other than the truck GPS, we don’t know the roads or access points,” she announced to the group.
Several people came forward, and Roger was soon surrounded by other crewmembers. Bethany spent a few minutes talking with the other riders and discovered that no one really knew the speed and expected times of this ride. Each planned on “riding for the trail and the horse,” which was good, except it left her wondering who had a horse that would match well with Coup. She smiled, asked a couple of questions, picked up her chair and headed for the trailer. She expected that Roger would be along after he finished meeting with the other crewmembers. She put up her chair, went indoors, laid out her riding clothes, stripped and climbed into bed. She wanted to stay awake but was asleep as her head touched the pillow. She never heard him come in later.