Page 14 of Country Winds (King Creek Cowboys #9)
E llie was up early to take care of some business she didn’t get to do since she’d been in L.A. from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening, not to mention the previous weekend.
She and Tucker had talked regularly on the phone since the day of the Arabian show. It was always great to hear his voice and talk about their days and what each of them had going on.
Around nine in the morning, she said goodbye to Hailee and headed to Tucker’s home. She made two calls during the drive and ended up chatting with Leeann most of the way.
Ellie’s skin tingled as she parked next to Tucker’s black dually. The Border collies, Piper and Penny, bounded up to greet her as she climbed out of her SUV. She rubbed them behind their ears and gave each of them a hug.
When she got to her feet, she smiled at Tucker, who stood just a few feet away. “Hey there.”
He stepped closer, looking like he wanted to take her into his arms, but was holding himself back. He held her gaze as he settled his hand on her shoulder. His voice was a low rumble when he spoke. “I’m glad you made it.” He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers.
She sighed with pleasure. “Wouldn’t miss our picnic for the world.”
“The horses are saddled, and we’re ready to go.” He nodded to her vehicle. “Do you have all you need?”
“Let me grab my bag.” She retrieved a small canvas bag with a long strap from the passenger seat and slung it over her shoulder. “I brought my camera to take pictures of the scenery and the petroglyphs.”
“You take a lot of pictures.” He started toward the barn, and she fell into step beside him.
“That’s true.” She smiled up at him. “Have you been checking out your social media pages?”
“I have.” He nodded. “I was curious about what you do and what you’re doing for my ranch.” He smiled and shook his head. “I have to be honest—social media isn’t something I’m interested in, but I like what you’ve done.”
She kicked a stone with her boot. “It’s a necessary evil these days. Just be glad I didn’t get you started on TikTok.”
He gave her an inquiring look. “Do I want to know what that is?”
Ellie laughed. “Probably not.”
They went from the sunshine-bright day to the dim interior of the barn. Two saddled Quarter horses waited for them.
“You’ll be riding Sapphire.” Tucker rested one hand on the neck of a dappled gray mare with a silver mane and tail. “Saph’s got a great temperament, but she’d be happy going at a run if allowed. You’re an experienced rider, so I’m confident you can handle her.”
“She’s gorgeous.” Ellie stroked Sapphire’s nose. “We’re going to have a great time together, Saph.”
The mare bobbed her head and snorted in response.
“My mount is Spirit.” Tucker moved to the chestnut gelding that was a deep red with a red mane and tail. “He’s a great ranch horse.” Tucker patted the huge beast. “Don’t know what I’d do without him.”
“They’re both beautiful.” She slid her small pack off her shoulder. “I brought peanut butter cookies and a thermos of lemonade.”
“Great.” Tucker inclined his head toward the saddlebags on Spirit. “I’ve got the sandwiches. Fritos corn chips, and water bottles.”
“I love Fritos.” Ellie tucked her pack into one of Sapphire's saddlebags but pulled out her camera to take pictures on the trail.
Tucker stood beside her on the left side of the mare, and she handed him the camera to hold.
She slipped her left boot into the left stirrup and swung up and into the saddle.
A familiar thrill swept through Ellie as the big horse shifted beneath her. “Riding is in my blood.” She stroked the mare’s silver mane. “Wouldn’t it be great to give you your head, Sapphire, and let you run as fast as you can?”
The horse snorted and tossed her head.
Ellie grinned and looked at Tucker, who wore an amused expression. “I’ve got a training field perfect for running and jumping if you’d like to take Sapphire out sometime.”
“I’d love to.” Ellie beamed at him. “It’s been a good while since I’ve had the opportunity to do that.”
“Then it’s settled.” Tucker handed her the camera and the reins. “Whenever you’re ready, we’ll get you out to the field with Sapphire.”
“Wonderful.” Ellie slipped the camera strap over her head to handle the horse without interference while Tucker mounted Spirit.
The horses trotted up to a gate, the Border Collies joining them. Tucker dismounted, let them through, and closed the gate behind them. They repeated the process at a second gate and then headed along a trail to the Superstition Mountains.
The ride was beautiful, with the scenery changing from the low desert to a higher elevation. It was still early spring, so the weather was mild in the Gold Canyon area but grew cooler the higher they traveled into the mountains.
The dogs chased rabbits and lizards along the way, but kept close.
They reached the Hieroglyphic Trail, a mile and a half long. Ellie stopped to take pictures every now and then.
She looked over her shoulder at Tucker, who followed her on the trail. “Did you ever search for the Lost Dutchman Mine as a kid?”
“My brothers and I did.” Tucker shook his head. “It was a foolhardy thing to do, but then my brothers and I did a lot of dumb things when we were young.”
The Superstitions were home to many legends and myths. The most well-known was the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine, which was so pervasive that some people searching for it had even lost their lives.
“My brothers searched. They never let me tag along when I was young.” Ellie looked ahead. “I think my favorite myth is “The Curse of the Thunder God.”
“A powerful god who guards the Superstitions,” Tucker said. “If you disrespect the spirits of the land, you’ll pay a price.”
“And, of course, there’s the portal to the underworld.” Ellie grinned and looked over her shoulder. “A great place to set paranormal fiction novels.”
Tucker smiled. “We’re close to the petroglyphs.”
They approached a boulder-filled canyon and moved on to the Hohokam settlement, where an ancient Native American tribe had once lived, possibly from 1 CE to 1450 CE. They reached a rocky field where pools were still filled with water from winter rains.
Tucker and Ellie found a place to picnic near the pools below the towering, dark basalt cliffs.
The area was filled with petroglyphs carved into the rocky surface, featuring intricate designs that represented stylized humans.
There were also animals, such as mountain sheep and deer, as well as reptiles. Geometric designs were everywhere.
The dogs trotted down to the pool and lapped the water.
“I’ve worked up a hunger.” Ellie dismounted and took her pack from the saddlebag she’d stuffed it into.
“I’m not much of a cook, but I make a mean ham and cheese sandwich.” Tucker carried a soft-sided cold bag to the rocks they decided to use as seats. He handed her a sandwich in a baggie, and she took it gratefully and thanked him.
She pulled out half a sandwich, bit into it, and chewed. She let out a sigh of satisfaction as she swallowed. “This is the best ham and cheese I’ve ever had.” She pointed to the sandwich. “What do you put on it? I swear I taste something different, like a spice or flavoring.”
He shook his head. “I’ll never tell.”
“I’ll just sit here and enjoy it then.” She happily finished her sandwich as they talked about the petroglyphs. She was anxious to find a book on the Hohokam Native Americans and the meanings of the petroglyphs when she got home.
“Can you imagine an ancient tribe was right here, where we’re sitting, hundreds and hundreds of years ago?
” Ellie shook her head as she thought about it.
She studied a petroglyph resembling a mountain goat on the weathered cliff and gestured to it.
“Someone sat right here and etched this into the rock. He or she may have been telling a story to other tribe members while engraving it.”
Tucker gave a thoughtful nod. “There must be hundreds of stories the Hohokam told in their etchings.”
She pointed out an animal with a long tail. “This could be a dog.” She gestured to a nob on a boulder that looked like a giant wart on the surface. “So interesting that a Hohokam drew a sun around that nob. Resembles a sun, but who knows if it’s that or just a design?”
They continued talking about the designs and making up stories while they relaxed. Tucker devoured two sandwiches in the time it took her to eat one while they ate the Fritos, too. When they finished their meal, she broke out the peanut butter cookies.
Ellie set her cookie on its wrapper and took photos with her camera. She moved from one section of the cliff to another as she tried to record the experience in photos. She turned her camera on Tucker, who was watching her.
“Hold that pose, sexy.” She acted the part of a model photographer. “Come on, strike a pose.”
He looked up to the sky and shook his head as if to say, “Why me?”
Tucker found himself wanting to laugh and smile around Ellie. She made the days brighter and more enjoyable.
Her sun-kissed wheat-blonde hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail that fell over one shoulder. She fired remarks and directions at him in a French accent, throwing in French words he didn’t understand as if she were a high-fashion photographer on a photo shoot.
“Finished.” She jogged over to him and sat on her rock. “It’s a beautiful day. Perfect weather for a shoot.” She looked at the back of her camera as she went through the digital photos. “I have some great shots. I got a few of the horses, too.”
All he could do was watch her, admiring her beauty and presence. He caught her scent of strawberry lip gloss as his gaze took in the curve of her face, tracing her chin, then slid down her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat.
“Tucker.” Ellie caught his attention. He glanced up, and she smiled. “You seemed like you were thinking about something else.”
He opted for the truth. “About how beautiful you are.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Thank you.”