Wash (11 page)

“
I
look like a real cowgirl, huh?”

“
Honey, I’d lasso you anytime.” He smiled and led me out the
door before I could possibly object to him talking to me that
way.

After a
rundown on proper mule-handling, I mounted my ride rather
easily.

Our tour
guide, a man with a scraggily beard and greasy cowboy hat of his
own, patted the animal. “This is Earl. He’s a good one, but he
likes to sway a little too close to the edge.”

I swallowed
hard. “Can I have a different mule then?”

“
Hmm. I s’pose I could put you on Harvey, but he’s a real
risk-taker. I think it’d be better if your boyfriend rides
him.”

I blew a long strand of
black hair from my eyes, frustrated that yet another stranger had
presumed we were a couple.
“Jake is not my boyfriend.”

The man
grinned. “Really? Coulda fooled me, girl, ‘cause he sure was
checkin’ your ass out as you climbed aboard Earl.”

I couldn’t
help but chuckle, flattered that I still had it. I glanced over my
shoulder at Jake, and he winked at me. My cheeks burned with
emotions I couldn’t quite determine, perhaps a little bit of anger
and embarrassment all rolled into one.

All of the
sudden, a gust of wind blew the guide’s hat off his head, spooking
my mule into a bucking fit.

“
Calm down, Earl,” the guide softly coaxed.

“
Is
he gonna act like that on the walk down?” I asked
nervously.

“
Nah, he’ll be okay. He just gets a little jumpy sometimes,
that’s all. But I assure you Earl’s completely dependable and safe.
He’s made a ton of trips down, and he ain’t never lost a
soul.”

“
Are you sure?”

“
Absolutely. Mules have
been haulin’ people in and out of the canyon for as long as I can
remember. Heck, these asses have been haulin’ asses since the
1800s, and no one has ever died.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “That’s
good to know.”

“
Just watch out for
wasps.”

“
What?” I glanced at Jake,
and he smirked.

“
Yesterday, a wasp stung a
mule on the trail. He snorted and jumped something
fierce.”

“
Um…okay. I’ll try to stay
clear, but it might be hard on a narrow trail.”

The guy gave Earl an encouraging pat.
“You’ll do just fine, pretty lady. I can tell already that Earl’s
got a crush on you.”

I looked down
at the smelly animal, nodded, and smiled halfheartedly. “That’s
good…I guess,” I said.

We
started out through the
ponderosa pine and
juniper forest.
It
was so peaceful, and we were serenaded by chattering squirrels and
chirping birds. We even saw a few elk and a mule deer grazing away,
as if they didn’t care that we were there.

After a while, the path narrowed until it was
just wide enough for the mules to go
single-file.
Minutes later, the trail sloped a bit. As we trudged along,
the terrain grew rougher, and the landscape seemed to get steeper
with every edge-teetering step. I leaned back in the saddle, hoping
Earl would live up to his sure-footed reputation. My feet pushed
against the stirrups for stability. The first few minutes were the
scariest.
Right
side, red rock wall. Left side,
I thought, gulping,
a big, huge drop!
My mule snorted as I stared down at the jagged,
prickly slope that seemed to be getting more menacing by the
second. I hoped he knew what he was doing. I was also thankful for
the cowboy hat, and I made a mental note to thank Jake
later.

As we rode
down the narrow path to the bottom, I bounced up and down, hanging
on for dear life over the steep terrain as my mule teetered
precariously near the edge on the hairpin turns. I sucked in a deep
breath, hoping Earl didn’t have a death wish. If he made one
misstep with any of his four hooves, I knew we’d both tumble
thousands of feet.

Finally, when I realized that Earl knew what he was doing, I
just enjoyed the gorgeous scenery. I couldn’t stop
marveling at the beauty of the canyon’s colorful
pinnacles, buttes, and mesas.

Jake was riding in front of me, his
broad shoulders hunched forward as he held the reins. I chuckled as
his body jerked up and down atop Harvey. I loved the way Jake’s
thick, wavy hair whipped around in the wind, and the morning sun
made his black locks shine beneath his hat. A rush of heat spread
across my face as I remembered the first time we’d ever made out,
how I’d buried my fingers in that hair as we’d engaged in hot,
passionate kisses.

“
Okay, folks, the next
stretch will be along a 3,000-foot drop-off. If you get scared,
just focus on the mule in front of you,” the tour guide said,
interrupting my reverie.

I was nervous for a few seconds, but
it was something I’d been hoping to do for my entire life, and I
couldn’t give up. I gazed all around me, completely awed and
inspired by the dramatic view. Earl was a daredevil, walking ever
closer to the edge, but he never lost his footing and just clomped
along as if he didn’t have a care in the world, gravity least of
all. It was a thrill ride even more exciting than any rollercoaster
I’d ever ridden. Earl couldn’t go as fast as an amusement park
ride, but he sure got my heart pumping harder than any loop-de-loop
ever had.

I watched an adorable rock
squirrel scurry away from us. As I glanced around, I was really
shocked by all the trees and how green everything was; from the
surface, the Grand Canyon had always looked like a big, dusty,
barren, deep, red hole, but it was teeming with animal and plant
life.
I brushed my
hair behind my ears, but the wind blew it around again and again
beneath my hat. The breeze carried the scent of desert herbs, sand,
and sweet, dusty earth. I glanced up at the dazzling blue sky and
felt sunshine on my face. My heart raced as I peered down at the
rock-strewn desert landscape below. It was as if we’d landed on
Mars, the red planet itself. Crimson-colored sandstone gorges, from
sugar white to deep orange, shimmered in the glaring brightness.
Little whirlwinds of dust, sand, and gritty dirt danced below.
Fantastic rock formations, swirled with bands of colors, seemed to
stretch out into an endless horizon.
What
lay before my eyes seemed to defy mere words, and I was sure even
high-definition photos wouldn’t do them justice. I marveled at the
Colorado River, snaking its way along the canyon floor for 300
miles, through all those time-hewn gorges.
I smiled as an endangered California condor
flew majestically over us, its wingspan was wider than any bird I’d
ever seen, like some kind of pterodactyl from a science fiction
movie.

Jake glanced
over his shoulder and grinned. He looked so happy, and I knew it
was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both of us. “This place is
incredible,” he said.

“
Amazing,” I said, gawking at the surreal landscape around me,
like something out of a dream. I was absolutely wowed by the
splendor and all the natural beauty. It was the most stunning,
breathtaking vista I’d ever seen.

We stopped at
a creek and refilled our canteens, then sat at the picnic area,
where our tour guide passed out bagged lunches. The sandwiches were
pretty good, and I mowed through the chips.

I walked over
to Earl. “Hey, fella. You hungry?”

The animal
snorted and actually wagged his tail as he ate the juicy apple from
my hand.

“
Whoa! That was the ride of a lifetime,” Jake said, approaching
from behind.

“
It
was awesome. Really got the adrenaline pumping.”

His blue eyes
locked on me, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. Just for a
second, it felt like he was looking into me rather than at
me.

“
The way the sun shines on your hair and in your eyes is
just…magical,” he said.

My heart
pounded in my chest. “Thanks for the compliment,” I said, almost in
a whisper. I bit my lip hard in annoyance. I couldn’t believe I’d
allowed myself to get caught up in those pretty blue eyes of his.
When I finally forced myself to pull away, he shot me that
movie-star gleaming smile. I couldn’t snap any coherent thoughts
together in the glint of his pearly whites. Being there with him on
a dream vacation in such a magical place was wreaking havoc on my
resolve to hate him, driving me crazy, inside and out. I inhaled
sharply. Part of me found myself attracted to him, but the other
part still detested the despicable jerk who’d caused me so much
pain. When a smile curved up on his irresistible lips, I took a
deep, steadying breath as I tried to clear my head. “I need some
time to be alone and think and reflect on all this beauty,” I
said.

“
Take all the time you need. I’m not going
anywhere.”

I almost
noticed a subtle hint in his words, but in the end, my fury won,
and I stormed off to explore the creek bank. I stared at the
time-eroded walls and thought about my life, my past, and my
future, whatever that would be.

Chapter 8

After a nice rest, we remounted and headed back to the bottom.
When we finally arrived at our destination,
I saw stone cabins, four dormitory buildings, and a central
dining area. Everything was so scenic, with all the cottonwoods,
the fantastic Bright Angel Creek, and the vivid rock
formations.

We walked into
our rustic cabin, and Jake smiled, motioning to two sets of bunk
beds. “Wow. I actually won’t have to sleep on the
floor.”

I
set my stuff on the bottom bunk. The mattress wasn’t the softest,
but it would get the job done. The place was
cozy, with minimal amenities and furnishings, limited to a
nightstand, alarm clock, a small table, a toilet, and cold running
water.
I was dying
for my laptop, but I hadn’t brought it with me because I was told
there’d be no service.

“
I
don’t know about you, but I’m starving,” Jake said.

I playfully
slugged him. “Then let’s go get some chow.”

Dinner was served family style:
delicious steak, baked potatoes, salad, bread, peas, corn, and
moist chocolate cake. It was so nice after the long ride down to
the bottom.

Jake took his
last bite of cake and wiped his mouth. “You know what I was hoping
to see?”

I cocked my
brow. “What?”

“
Bighorn sheep.”

“
Hmm. They didn’t even make a cameo appearance, did
they?”

“
Nope,” he said. “It’s really too
baaaaad
, don’t
ewe
think?” he
said, then laughed at his own jokes.

“
Not punny,” I retorted. “Maybe
wool
see some when we head back up to the rim,” I said.

He laughed. “I
sure hope so.”

“
The food’s really good here.”

“
Delicious,” Jake said.

“
This is definitely one of the most memorable travel
experiences I’ve ever had. It isn’t exactly the Hilton, but it’s
warm and down to earth. Reminds me of something out of a cowboy
movie.”

“
Want a beer?” he casually asked. “Unless you’re a wine gal
now.”

“
Trying to loosen me up with liquor?” I joked.

“
Nah. I just thought we could enjoy a cold brewskie, sit on the
porch, and talk about old times.”

“
You always got a little frisky after a few beers. You used to
be all over me after your third.”

“
So
I’ll only drink two.”

We both
laughed.

* *
*

A few minutes
later, we were sitting on the porch, listening to the babbling
creek in front of us.

“
I
never woulda thought I’d be staying the night at the bottom of the
Grand Canyon—least of all with you,” I said, laughing.

He grinned at
me. “Yeah, if somebody woulda told me a month ago that I’d be here,
doing this, I woulda had them committed.”

“
Cheers to that,” I said, and we clinked beer bottles. “So…tell
me, have you been dating anyone special?” I asked after taking a
swig.

“
Not really. Nothing ever lasted because no woman I’ve met
could ever compare to you. You were the love of my life,
Ashly.”

Ignoring the
compliment and the disappointed look on his face, I asked, “Which
relationship lasted the longest? The curious side of me is dying to
know.”

“
Hmm. I dated this blonde nurse, Sherry, for about two years.
She didn’t trust me and didn’t give me one inch of freedom. After a
while, I got tired of her paranoia and accusations, so I called it
quits.”

“
My
mother never liked my boyfriends,” I said.

“
So
it wasn’t just me?”

“
No. She found something wrong with any boy who gave me the
time of day. Whenever things got serious,
it only exacerbated my mother’s behavior. I sure remember what
a nutcase she could be about my love life.”