Page 33

Maverick

S ummer heat has officially arrived. Sweat pours off my forehead as we move the last bit of cattle. My ass is numb from sitting in the saddle all day. I look over to Weston and Rhett and see they’re in the same boat. Weston removes his ball cap and wipes the sweat off his brow.

“I think we earned a little riverside swim tonight, boys,” Weston says as he puts his cap back on. This July has been hotter than Hades, and we’re only a couple weeks in. Doesn’t help that I’ve been go-go-go between rides and trying to help the guys around here.

With all that being away, if I have a chance to get Ava in a bikini, then I’m going to do it. “I’m sure Ava and Aspen would be down.”

“Let’s meet at the river in an hour. Bring some snacks and some brews?”

We all hop in our trucks and head to our own little cabins.

Each of us has a place on this chunk of land about a quarter mile or so from each other, except for Weston’s place.

His is farther on the east side. The beauty of how wide this property sprawls out is that we get to keep our privacy.

Pulling my truck up to the front of the house, I close the door and head inside.

Ava stands at the kitchen sink, putting away dishes from the breakfast she made us this morning. “Hey, cowboy. How was your day? ”

Kicking off my boots, I hurry to the kitchen, desperate to get my hands on her. Wrapping my arms around her middle, I pull her back into my chest. “It’s about to get a whole lot better,” I whisper into her ear, causing little goosebumps to break out across her skin.

“Oh?” She sets down the dishrag in her hand and turns around, propping herself up against the sink.

“We’re headed for the river to go for a swim. Go change into your swimsuit, and then we can head out.”

“Who is we?”

“All of us. Rhett, Aspen, and Weston. It’s basically a summer tradition.” I’m pretty sure we’ll be swimming there until one of us breaks a hip.

“Well, that sounds fun,” she says. Not knowing that over the years, we’ve decked out our little spot.

Hammocks are up, and we have a little rope swing for the spots that are deeper.

Summer brings out the kids in all of us.

Some of my favorite memories growing up here were times spent there cooling off.

And now I get to show Ava a little piece of a country summer.

Ava digs through her small dresser in her closet, while I head to the bathroom to clean up a little. I know we’re about to cool off, but sweating my balls off for the last few hours has me smelling a little too nasty, even for myself.

Within the hour, we make it up to the river. This little spot was always the best; the water doesn’t move as fast here, so you don’t have to be worried about ending up in the Pacific Ocean if you aren’t paying enough attention.

The sound of moving water and birds chirping is the first thing I hear, immediately followed by Weston yelling at someone. “Asshole. ”

We walk up, me in boots and Ava in sandals. “I can’t believe you don’t own a single pair of sandals or even slippers.”

“Hey, these boots have never led me wrong.”

“Whatever you say.” We step over wildflowers and grass until we clear through the trees and get to our little cove. Rocks line most of the area, with enough cleared dirt to make for a decent beach spot. The sun pokes through the aspen trees, leaving it warm, but not as hot.

“Hey, guys!” Aspen says. Her hair is already wet, and little droplets run down the end. Weston is already wet as well, still in a shirt. There’s a good chance she’s the reason he was cursing earlier. Those two have always been thick as thieves and a complete menace to each other.

“Who wants to be the first to jump off the rope swing?”

“I’ll take that challenge.” I’ve always loved living on the edge and pushing it. I was the first one on the swing when we built it. Only we mismeasured and I landed ass first on a giant rock. It now swings well over the water, and it feels like tradition that I get to hop off first.

Pulling my shirt over my head, I catch Ava staring. When her eyes meet mine, I expect to be met with a blush, like she usually does, only this time she smirks as if edging me on. A dangerous game to play with someone who has no fear.

Grabbing on to the rope, I look up to make sure it hasn’t yet been frayed to complete shit.

Grabbing on with both hands, I take off in a run and jump off the rock, letting go as I do a flip and land in a cannonball.

Cold water rushes around me and immediately shakes the heat that was deep in my bones.

Swimming up to the shore, I hop out of the water and shake my hair off on Ava.

Usually, I keep it short, but it’s gotten a little long.

She laughs before looking at me. “You’re a bit of a showoff, you know that? ”

“You’re just jealous you can’t do better,” I say to her, grabbing a towel from the pile and laying it down on a rock,

Weston comes around, hearing the challenge. “Oh, it seems like Mav needs to be knocked down a level or two. I bet I can top that.”

“You’ve been trying to outdo me for years, and if I remember right, you’ve failed.”

“You know what, fucker? This is the year. I bet I can land a double.” He points and then turns on his heels to make his way to the rope.

“If I have to take you to the ER, I swear to god, West,” Aspen says, hands on her hips, shaking her head. I laugh, and she turns her head to me. “If he goes to the ER, you’re the one who’ll have to tell Mom why, so I don’t know why you’re laughing, dumbass.” At that, Ava bursts out in laughter.

“Aspen, have I told you lately how glad I am that we’re friends?” Ava says as she plops down next to me like she didn’t just side with the enemy.

“Yes, but it doesn’t hurt to hear it more often.” She goes and sits down on her raggedy towel to watch the show. Rhett leans against a tree and shakes his head, a laugh already shaking his chest.

Weston takes off in a run and grips the rope a little higher than I did. He pushes off the edge of the grey rock and flips backward. He nails the first one but doesn’t quite make it around for the double. Instead, he lands flat on his face.

Standing up, I give a round of applause because it takes heart and commitment to make that big of an ass of yourself in front of all your friends. His head pokes up above water, and his middle finger pokes up not even a couple seconds later .

“Fuck you, Mav,” Weston says as he pulls himself up. His usually white chest is now looking a very angry shade of red. He must have hit that water even harder than I thought.

“Alright, sweetheart. I think it’s your turn.” I turn to Ava, whose eyes go wide. Maybe having her go after Weston is a bad idea. “Don’t worry, Weston is the only one who lands on his face. The rest of us have all landed toes first.”

“Here, I’ll show her how it’s done,” Aspen says, pulling off her towel and heading to the rope. Ava gets up, and Aspen walks her through it before she demonstrates. She runs, jumps, and lands with a splash, causing the water to ripple.

“Have you never swung off a rope before?” Rhett asks, a crinkle in his brow like he is surprised by this.

“Uhm, no. If I’m being completely honest, this will be my first time even swimming in a river,” Ava says as she looks toward the water warily, as if inspecting all the little places danger can be hidden. If I teach her anything, I hope it’s that sometimes danger is the fun part.

“What kind of Wyoming girl are you?” Rhett asks. In his defense, we’ve all only known ranch life, and this was a big part of it.

“The kind that swam in a pool like a normal child,” Ava responds.

Rhett laughs at that as he puts his hands up as if in defeat.

When Aspen's head comes above water, she scoots to the side and stays in. “Okay, I’ll stay here. Just grab the rope, run, and jump. The most important part is to let go, or you will smack yourself against the rock. Ask me how I know.” The memory of seventeen-year-old Aspen finally being allowed down here alone with us comes to mind.

She got scared mid-swing and didn’t let go.

She had a gnarly bruise on her thigh that we had to hide from her mom for weeks .

Ava looks over to me, and I smile and nod my head in encouragement. She’s got this. She seems to concentrate, taking this all too seriously, but then again, she is the type that if she is going to do something, she’s going to do it right. I love that about her.

She runs, jumps, and when she gets far enough out of the water, I holler, “Let go!” She lets go, arms and long tan legs flailing around.

She tucks her body just in time to land in a cannonball, splashing us all.

We all cheer as she comes back up to the surface; my girl has officially completed her ranch orientation.

When she makes it to shore, the smile on her face tells me all I need to know. She may not have been born a country girl, but we’re going to make one out of her.

She walks up to me, dripping wet, and shakes her head off at me. “Well, I’d say that was a fantastic cannonball.”

“You outdid Weston, that’s for sure,” I praise as I hold out her towel, which she takes and wraps around her shoulders.

She turns around and sits between my thighs as I lean back.

Moments like this make me never want to leave Windy Peaks again.

I let my thoughts run with that, more than I ever have.

Would it really be so bad if ranch life was my only life?

Getting to come home to this girl all the time?

It seems like I might have a new dream brewing.