Alaska Wilde Chapter 6

Jay cartwheeled through the air and landed on his butt on the ground at Allie's feet.

Her instantaneous laughter should have made him angry. Instead, the surprisingly beautiful sound made him laugh, too.

Jay looked up at her and shook his head.

"I thought you said you rode before," Allie finally said.

"I thought you meant an ATV."

"I'm afraid an ATV can't get us where we're going. Besides, a horse will give you a more authentic experience."

Jay's horse, turned toward him, rolled its eyes, snorted, then started grazing on a few wisps of grass. Allie laughed again.

"You think this is funny?" Jay asked with a grin.

"Hysterical would be a better word," she said, offering him a hand up. "Come on, cowboy. Getting into the saddle is supposed to be the easy part."

Jay took her hand, and let her help him to his feet. He was sure he'd have some bruises to show for the rough dismount, but it was good to be outside in the wide open. He'd also forgotten how nice it was to breathe clear air for a change.

He rubbed his butt, much to Allie's amusement, then warily approached the horse.

"What'd I ever do to you?" he asked, rubbing the horse's neck. This time the horse blinked and faced forward.

Jay put his leg in the stirrup, and hopped up, throwing his leg over in one smooth motion. He never had gotten comfortable around horses because he parents didn't have them growing up. Yet, how hard could it be?

Once he was in the saddle, he almost immediately slid off the other side. He saw Allie cover her mouth with her hand as he righted himself.

"That wasn't so bad," he said, feeling his confidence return. Once the reins were firmly in his hand, he made sure he kept his heels away from the horse's ribs so he didn't accidentally ma...

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...And yes, you need 'em!"

For a split second, Jay regretted opening his mouth. The mood she was in, there was no telling what she might do. He was glad she'd forgotten to take her rifle with her.

Not in the mood for another confrontation, Jay hurried inside his tent and quickly zipped himself inside. All was crazy. At the very least she had a hair trigger and when she wasn't angry, she acted in the most impulsive manner he'd ever seen.

Whomp! The side of his pup tent caved in and almost immediately popped back to its original shape. It had to be the bottle.

Jay yipped in surprise, but hopefully she hadn't heard it.

At the sound of Allie's chuckle, he groaned and then slunk down in his sleeping back as far as he could. It would be a long night, but tomorrow was another day.

The past few minutes would be forgotten and they would get on with the task at hand.