Slow Hand (Hot Cowboy Nights, #1)(32)

“Why can’t I go?” Nikki protested.

“We’re not talking a vacation chalet,” Dirk said.

“He’s right, Nikki,” Wade agreed. “It’s just a rough shelter with a couple of cots. It keeps the bears and wolves out, but that’s about it.”

“Bears and wolves?” she repeated, wondering if he was pulling her leg.

Dirk smirked. “You ain’t in Georgia anymore, Peaches.”

Wade gave his brother a warning look, and then explained to Nikki, “It’s also going to be pretty cold up there tonight. I doubt you’d enjoy it very much.”

“But I’ve camped out before,” she protested. “I’d really like to ride up that mountain with you. You said yourself that I should see some of the sights while I’m here.”

“It’s gonna be rough going,” Wade cautioned.

She jutted her chin. “I haven’t slowed you down yet, have I?”

*

Wade regarded her for a long, thoughtful moment. In truth, she really hadn’t slowed him that much, which had actually surprised him. They’d left the ranch at a good clip. He’d pushed a bit harder than he maybe should have, given she wasn’t used to it, but after two hours of hard riding, she hadn’t complained. She had a halfway decent seat on the horse, too. He’d enjoyed making that observation.

Although common sense should have told him to leave her behind, Wade couldn’t deny the temptation of having her alone for the night. The ride up the mountain would be slower going and treacherous in places, but Redman was as surefooted as a bighorn sheep.

“Got overnight gear?” he asked Dirk.

Dirk inclined his head to the packs in the bed of the ATV. “Everything we need, but we’ll have to take a pack horse to get it all up there.” He jerked his head toward the mountain.

“You really think you can rough it?” Wade asked Nikki. “Once we set out there’s no turning back.”

“Yes, I can,” she insisted. “I’ve camped out before and can even cook over a fire. I make a mean pancake breakfast.”

“Using my stomach against me is mighty close to blackmail,” Wade drawled.

“Whatever it takes.” She shrugged and grinned back at him.

“Just listen to this shit,” Dirk mumbled to his father.

Wade ignored the remark. “All right, just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the cold, the spiders, and the lack of amenities.”

“I can handle it,” she insisted.

“Three’s a damned bit crowded for me,” Dirk interjected.

“That’s just fine, big brother,” Wade retorted with a big smile. “’Cause I don’t recall inviting you.”





Chapter 9


Nikki didn’t know what had possessed her to ride into the mountains alone with Wade. Was it a moment of madness? She told herself from the moment they’d met that she’d sworn off cowboys, but now she was going to spend the night alone in a cabin with one. Had she lost her mind?

Perhaps she was just intoxicated by the sheer beauty of her surroundings. She hadn’t recalled ever feeling so at peace with nature. The white-capped peaks to the northwest, and the sweeping grassy vista below, broken only by the snaking and shimmering Ruby River, were nearly as stirring to her senses as her cowboy companion. The going was treacherous in places on the narrow cow path, but the horse never faltered and Wade stayed close.

By the time they arrived at the cabin the sun was already dipping like a red-gold ball of fire below the blue-tinged mountain peaks on the western horizon. The experience was almost enough to make her forget her raw backside—at least until she dismounted. Her legs protested as well, turning suddenly to rubber, and nearly giving out when her feet touched down. She cast a critical eye over the crude structure that was little more than a shed. “Is this the camp you were talking about?”

“I warned you it would be rough,” Wade replied without apology. “It was put up for cattle gathering and hunting, not for recreation. There’s two cots and a small wood stove. That’s about it.” Wade pointed to a place higher up the mountain where the cattle appeared as no more than black dots to Nikki’s eyes. “It’s too late to do anything about them now,” he said. “So we might as well just get settled for the night and bring them down at sunrise.”

Decision made, they unloaded and picketed the horses.

“What about water for cooking and washing?” Nikki asked.

“You’ll find an artesian fissure spring in the back—the main reason we chose this location. If you need to bring water inside, there should be a few bottles and buckets. I’ll carry these in.” He untied their saddlebags, and then slung them over his shoulder. “If you want to unpack whatever’s good to eat, I’ll see about gathering some wood to put your cooking boast to the test.”

Their exchange was interrupted by a long and eerie echoing cry that sent a shiver rippling down Nikki’s spine. It was high-pitched and sounded like a cross between a shriek and horn blast.

“What the heck was that?” she exclaimed.

Wade smirked. “That was the mating call of a bull elk. The sound is called bugling and means that rutting season has officially begun.” He withdrew the rifle from his saddle holster. “Know how to use one of these?”