his horse and waited for Silver to catch up with him. “We’re going to ford Morgan Creek again and make camp on the other side, okay?”
“Sure.” She smiled at him. “It’s been a long day and I’m starving.”
His gaze fastened on her mouth, and it took him a moment to remember how words worked. There was no point denying it. He wanted to kiss her again.
“Let’s get going, then.” He turned Calder’s head and focused on the route ahead rather than anything to do with Silver.
* * *
Halfway across the creek, Silver was fairly certain she was about to take an early bath. The rocky surface was so slippery and uneven that she was struggling to keep her balance as her horse rocked and rolled through the upright boulders. Ben watched her from the middle of the water where the current ran more smoothly.
“Don’t pull on her reins so hard.”
She gave him a distracted glare. “I’m trying not to fall off!”
“If you’re worried about that, tie the reins on the pommel and hang on to it. There’s no need to direct Ladybug right now. She knows what she’s doing, and she’s got four-wheel drive.”
His infuriatingly calm voice was really annoying.
“I wish I had four-wheel drive, like a Jeep or something.”
“You specified that you wanted to do it like this,” Ben reminded her.
“I know!” So much for liking him. At the moment, she wished a huge tidal wave would engulf him and take him far away. “Next time I won’t be so stupid.”
He chuckled. “I’m flattered that you’re contemplating a next time.”
“Not with you.” She breathed out hard as Ladybug reached the more level ground and splashed through the water to meet Ben. “I’ll hire a veritable army of people to make sure I get the full five-star treatment.”
“Where’s the fun in that? You’re doing great.” He met her gaze, his brown eyes dancing with amusement. “And you’d be bored silly, and you’d learn nothing.”
“Maybe that’s how I like it.”
He leaned back in the saddle, making the leather creak, and studied her carefully. “You okay?”
“I’m great! Why?”
“Because you seem a bit salty today.”
“Maybe that’s because I’m in the middle of a creek with an infuriating know-it-all cowboy!”
He nodded. “Fair enough.” He clicked to his horse and the two mules. “Come on, Calder. We’ll stop bothering the lady and see her on the other side.”
He turned and headed for the far bank, leaving Silver behind. Now she had to get herself out of the creek without any helpful suggestions from Ben about her route, or how to keep her balance. If she could just stop fixating on the absolutely ridiculous idea her brain had come up with just before she’d gone to sleep last night, she’d be out in no time.
But then again, shouting at the only man who could keep her safe in the middle of nowhere was probably not a wise move, even though her stupid idea involved him big-time. She should keep well away and let him be all professional and annoying as hell.
“Come on, Ladybug. You’ve got this.”
Silver looped the reins around the pommel and hung on for dear life as her little mare navigated her way out of the creek. Ben, of course, had been right. Letting Ladybug find her own path was way quicker without Silver interfering and confusing her.
When they reached the bank, Silver reached down and hugged Ladybug around the neck. “Thank you, girl. You rocked the rocks!”
She triumphantly looked around to see where Ben might be and couldn’t see any sign of him or the other animals. How far had she traveled downstream without checking her position? It couldn’t be that far. She took off her sunglasses and searched the tree line, which looked exactly the same all along the ridge and bank. She swiveled in the saddle and looked back across the creek trying to pinpoint where they had entered the water, and where Ben had ended up. Had she exited upstream or downstream from where he was?
Apart from her hectic breathing, the thump of her heart, and the rush of the water behind her, there was no other sound. The scrappy pine forest that covered the upward slope of the Sierra foothill directly behind the creek was ominously quiet. She wished her phone was working so she could text Ben and ask him where he was.
“I’m all alone....” Silver whispered to herself. Ladybug snorted and pawed the ground as if even she thought her rider was being far too dramatic. Perhaps