The Return Of David Mckay. Ann Evans
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participating in overnight pack trips may bring items of personal entertainment such as paperback books, personal stereos and games as long as said items do not disrupt the enjoyment of other campers or exceed five pounds per person.”
“Yes, but—”
David rammed the brochure back into his pocket and with the tip of his fingers lifted the computer satchel. “Even with the extra batteries I brought, this weighs only three and a half. I checked.”
He heard O’Dell chuckle behind him. “He’s got you there, Ad,” the man said as he came around them to tie off one of the mule lines.
Addy made a face at the man. “Whose side are you on?”
“The customer is always right.”
I like this guy, David thought. Why can’t he be the one to take Gran out on this trip?
With a frown, Addy yanked on one of the reins tied to the hitching post. “Let’s go. We’re burning daylight.”
They mounted and settled into their saddles with the usual last-minute adjustments for stirrups and reins. And then a strange thing happened. Brandon O’Dell put his hand on Addy’s jeans-clad leg to catch her attention.
“Take it easy out there,” he told her.
She nodded, and he pulled her down to his level for a quick kiss.
Whoa, cowboy. It was almost over before it happened, but David caught it. It confused the heck out of him.
They all turned into the trail that led away from the corral. Day one of a two-week journey into folly. And all David could think was, What kind of ranch hand gets to kiss the trail boss goodbye?
ADDY SET THE PACE ON Sheba and tugged a lazy Bounder behind her by a guide rope tied to her saddle. Geneva, appearing to be a surprisingly capable rider, had fallen in after her on Clover, and David brought up the rear on Injun Joe, leading Little Legs, the second pack mule.
The laptop computer had been slipped into a spare backpack, and, giving her a look that indicated its weight was insignificant, David had fit it onto his shoulders.
We’ll see, she thought. After a few days on the trail, that pack will feel like it’s filled with bricks.
She wondered what kind of trip this would turn out to be. She should have insisted Brandon come along. But he’d said the lodge was too busy right now to be short even one person.
Since they’d added overnight camping trips to the lodge’s amenities, she’d dealt with all kinds of guests—weekend warriors eager to play cowboy, know-it-alls who bored everyone, male chauvinists who didn’t want to take direction from a woman and even an occasional letch who pinched her rear end as she saddled the horses.
But not one of them had ever been an ex-lover. How did you make innocent small talk around the campfire when you shared that kind of history?
Last night Dani had convinced Addy that she could handle whatever happened in the next two weeks. She was tough. Resilient. She didn’t have to worry about being around David McKay. She could take whatever he wanted to dish out.
Swearing Dani to secrecy about the miscarriage, Addy had pulled herself together. This morning she just hoped that her determination could stick.
Under the pretense of checking Bounder’s lead, Addy swung around in the saddle. Geneva sat, brightly observant of everything around her. Behind the old woman, David had coaxed Joe into an easy walk.
She had to admit he still had his riding seat. He didn’t slump or hold the reins high and loose. His extremely broad, masculine chest, with its glimpse of dark hair above the sharply pressed blue shirtfront, remained perfectly still as his hips swayed slightly to match Joe’s gait.
He looked bored. It was hard to tell because the sunglasses were back in place. When he realized that Addy was watching him, he lifted his hand in a wave and smiled a smile too wide for sincerity.
In that moment there was a little trill of sound, like a songbird’s call. In astonishment Addy watched as David pulled a cellular phone out of his shirt pocket and proceeded to carry on a conversation with someone named Rob.
She was speechless.
Geneva had turned in her saddle, as well. Spying the telephone, she said, “Oh, David. I should have known….”
Refusing to allow her own exasperation to show, Addy faced the trail again.
What had she been worried about? This wasn’t a guy she couldn’t resist. This David McKay was someone she didn’t know—an obnoxious, arrogant toad.
The next two weeks were going to be a snap.
CHAPTER FOUR
LIGHTNING RIVER LODGE sat above the town of Broken Yoke, on the edge of the front range. Since its nearest neighbor was at least a mile away, it took surprisingly little time to leave the rest of civilization behind.
By way of well-worn wagon trails and hiking paths, they traveled along the rim of the Arapahoe National Forest and passed only four other people on horseback.
Addy had promised Geneva that she would map out a route to the Devil’s Smile that would replicate the McKays’ original honeymoon trip as closely as possible. With the exception of two spots along the way where progress had encroached on the backcountry and the necessary stops to replenish supplies, it was conceivable they could make the entire journey without seeing any other human beings.
Around noon Addy pulled Sheba and Bounder out of the lineup, indicating to Geneva that she should continue in the lead.
“How are you holding up?” she asked as the other woman rode past.
“Just fine, dear,” Geneva replied.
“How about some lunch? There’s a pretty clearing up ahead where we can stop.”
The sun hat bobbed up and down as Geneva nodded agreement.
As David’s horse came abreast of Addy’s, she swung in beside him. After having to listen to him talk on his cell phone all morning, she was glad to see that, for the moment, he’d put away the earpiece that had seemed welded to his ear. However, she noticed that he was now busy with his PDA, his stylus moving so quickly across the pad that he might have been playing video games.
It was maddening to watch.
“Ready to take a break?” she asked, trying not to let her irritation show. The two weeks ahead of them would go a lot faster if they weren’t constantly at odds with one another.
“You’re the boss,” he replied with a shrug.
“There’s a good spot up ahead to have lunch.” The phone in his shirt pocket rang again, and Addy arched an eyebrow his way. “Or maybe you’d like to call for a pizza delivery.”
He wedged the earpiece back into his ear, listened for a moment or two, then said, “Rob, let me call you back. I’m in the middle of something right now.”
“Don’t stop on my account,” Addy said with an air of indifference as he clicked off the phone and removed his sunglasses.
He watched her with a keen, dark interrogation. “You’re annoyed with me,” he stated.
She hesitated only a moment before she shrugged and said, “Not annoyed. Just a little disappointed.”
“Disappointed?”
“Don’t you remember what this area is like? On this trip we’re going to pass through some of the most beautiful untamed country in Colorado. But you’re not going to see any of it because you’ll be too busy with conference calls or crunching numbers on your computer or sending faxes—”
“I didn’t bring my portable fax attachment,” he cut in. His expressive mouth had gathered into amused lines.
“What