Cowboy Payback by Donna Michaels

Author:Donna Michaels [Michaels, Donna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary, Western, Friends to Lovers, Military/Cop
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2015-08-25T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Muttering a curse, her C.O. held on to Trisha as he worked to steady them.

“Sorry…” she stammered, digging her heels in, unable to take her eyes off the lush vista thriving before her in a stunning expanse of rocks, water, and greenery. “I-I wasn’t expecting this.”

Her mouth returned to her slack-jawed expression as she continued to pant and stare. She stood in the rocky section where a wall jutted up, forming a small bluff which overlooked a quiet stream, separating them from a thick forest of pine and spruce on the other side.

Goose bumps returned to race down her back and arms as a serene blanket of calm enveloped her body. “Incredible.” Water from a clear creek trickled on the left, cementing the perfect picturesque setting. “Is this place for real?”

“Yes. Very real,” Brett replied, releasing her. “Finn said he found a similar spot with a waterfall on the mountain behind the main house as well.”

“I’d love to see it,” she stated, finally moving forward to carefully drop her gear near the rock wall.

A strong hand wrapped around hers. “Come check this out,” he said, tugging her toward the bluff.

Excited to see more of the beauty and happy to hold onto the man, she let him lead her up to the bluff and unquestioningly followed him when he knelt on the ground. After quickly removing his gear, he dropped to his stomach to gaze at the campsite, motioning for her to do the same.

She got on her belly and smiled at the view below. Her gear looked foreign amongst nature’s beauty. “This really is an incredible spot,” she told him.

He nodded, then rolled onto his back and slung his arms behind his head. “You haven’t even seen the best part. Look up.”

She followed suit, flipping over, back of her head resting in her hands, and gasped at the tunnel of branches surrounding a patch of clear blue sky in a breathtaking panorama of vibrant foliage.

“I know,” he said quietly, as they lay there, gazing up at the summer sky framed by spruce, fir, and pine over a hundred feet tall.

“It’s…wow…” she breathed and could feel rather than see his answering smile.

She was too busy staring at paradise, thawing in a rush of inner peace and warmth that had been vacant from her life for nearly a year. The burning behind her eyelids forced her to close them, and she experienced the beauty on a new realm.

The soft rustle of wind blowing through the trees complimented the distant trickle of water running over the rocks below. Calm and serene, nature’s ambiance relaxed every last muscle in Trisha’s body until she felt as if she’d melted into the soft grass blanketing the bluff.

Breathing in the fresh pine.

Exhaling with the wind.

Basking in the sun heating her face.

She was one with nature. Naked. Vulnerable. Alive.

“You okay?”

She startled and opened her eyes to find Brett leaning on his elbow staring down at her, concern wrinkling his brow.

“Yeah.” She cleared her swollen throat and watched his lips twitch into a smile as he lifted a finger to touch her wet cheek.

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