One

Kara was hot and sweaty from the long day’s riding as they dismounted and removed the tack from the horses.  Things were harder than she had imagined when she had first come here after her grandfather’s death.  Most of the men left the ranch when she had arrived and had left them severely short-handed.  She had her hands full trying to keep the ranch afloat, let alone finding someone to help her work through the finances to see what she was working with. 

She left the three men as they hotwired the cattle and walked towards the wooded part of the land where she could hear the welcoming sound of water.  She needed a break from the men so she could wallow in her sore muscles without them knowing and she was not needed at this point.  She was long out of practice with riding and taking it up with full-day riding for almost a week was perhaps not the best plan, but then she had had no choice in the matter with the current situation she found herself in.

But she would be damned if she showed any weakness in front of these men that had bothered to stick around.  She could not lose them, too, because she looked like a weak woman that couldn’t handle the ranch life.

She had yet to explore all her land, tomorrow they would be headed home the roundabout way to collect the last of the cattle that might be out in the fields.  This ranch was bigger than she had ever known and she was dog tired and over-worked trying to keep it all.  At least until she knew how much she could handle.  She was sure she could handle it all, if only she had the manpower she was supposed to have, but for that she also needed to know that she could pay their salaries.

It was a vicious circle.

It felt so much cooler the moment she stepped into the shadows of the little Utopia that she sighed with the simple joy.  It was still hot in early autumn; she could not remember it being so hot when she had visited her grandfather, but then she had not been allowed on the drive for the cattle before now. 

Her grandfather had allowed her some freedoms when she’d come to visit as a child and teenager, but he didn’t want her to work with the men.  He had said something about garnering respect as the owner’s family and not a hired hand.

With a sigh of pleasure Kara was drawn to the sound of the water as her feet led the way to an enchanted little world she had not known existed here.  It was amazing!  How had she never found this place with her love of water?

She had always been drawn to water; she loved the feel of it on her skin and how calming it was to her under the water.  If she had the chance, she would probably spend most of her time in the water.  But then it was a hard choice between riding and swimming; perhaps she just loved the freedom of movement.  Although today was not a good day to offer her a choice since she would probably choose the water for her strained muscles and dust choked skin.

As a child she had always gone the other way when she had gone riding.  Why had she never gone the other directions?  She only now started to realize how much of the ranch she had missed as a child.  It was much larger than she had ever imagined as a child, and she wondered if she was going to get much done with just six men at her disposal.  She would do anything not to lose this ranch or have to sell off bits of the land to stay afloat.  If only she could sit down and sort out finances and plans, but the drive had been first on her list of things to sort out when she had arrived.

The small natural waterfall was in complete shadow and the wild vines and trees that stood around were still in flower.  It seemed surreal and it made her feel like she was alone in the world; a completely different world where she was not worried about saving her grandfather’s ranch.  The cool water was calling to her and she was sorely tempted to heed the call for a swim.  It seemed to promise relaxation and pleasure and she needed both after her week of riding to gather the cattle.

Kara bit her lower lip when she glanced back in the direction where the men were setting up camp.  They could do without her for a while, she thought; killing the guilt she felt the moment it started.  She could not let this invitation pass her by without taking full advantage of it.   

With a giggle she started to undress, thinking that her parents would be shocked to see her do such a thing where someone could easily come upon her.  But she could not let the moment of promised relaxation pass and she would just have to be vigilant.  The men would probably not even be coming in this direction for a while and she needed to wash off the dirt and grime anyway; she might as well enjoy it.

Her boots were the first to go, then her jeans and the flannel shirt and lastly her underwear.  She wanted nothing to be between her skin and the cool water of the little waterfall since this would be the closest thing to a bath she had had in days and she had been having fantasies about a bath for the last two days.

With a sigh of pleasure she waded in and soon found herself under the cascading water, giggling with pleasure when she felt the cool water wash her tiredness and stickiness away.  If only she could end every day like this she would be in heaven.

She ran her fingers through her wet auburn tresses as she threw her head back and felt the tiredness wash from her with the cool water while it rolled into the pool around her hips.  The water tasted sweet on her lips and the sounds of birds carried to her ears.  It seemed the perfect way to end her long day and to wash the dust and weariness from her body.  A little paradise she intended to visit often now that she had found it since they were not that far from the house.  If she rode with only her horse and not in the arc they intended to use on going home it would be a quick gallop down here and she intended to take full advantage of it.

Suddenly the pleasure was replaced with a jolt of awareness.  Something was amiss…  Slowly she turned out of the cascading water and glanced around the shadowy trees, listening intently; starting from where she had come in case one of the men had followed her, and then moving in a slow circle to the other bank. 

She had the eerie feeling that she was not alone.  She spotted the faintest movement out of the corner of her eye and swung around in the hip deep water, blinking against the water on her lashes that was obscuring her view.  There on the right bank in the darkest shadows she thought she saw something moving slowly.  Irritated, she wiped the water out of her eyes and there, to her amazement and chagrin, sat a man watching her.

He had what seemed like a book in his hands as he glanced down at it and then up at her.  Kara froze for what seemed like a lifetime while she contemplated that her spontaneous inspiration had left her well and truly in an embarrassing situation while she tried to convince her mind and body to react.  He looked up again and their gazes met and locked, his gaze showed some interest and amusement.  For the first few seconds Kara thought that he had gorgeous blue eyes and then she remembered her state of dress.

Tearing her eyes from his she glanced around for any way to escape with some measure of her dignity.  How would she ever get out of this?  She fervently wished that the sand under her feet would give way and allow the earth to swallow her whole when she realized that her only escape would be the way she had come and she had to get her clothes on the way.  It had only taken her a moment to contemplate her escape.

She glanced back at him and saw a crooked smile of amusement on his face; she found his eyes calmly and slowly moving over her wet body.  Kara was infuriated and she felt a blush rise to her face.  He was blatantly staring at her!  Clearly he had no ounce of decency.  At a loss, she sank into the water and swam to the bank where her clothes lay; feeling like an idiot.  Taking a deep breath, she jumped out of the water and ran, grabbing her clothes in the passing.

Once she was sure he could no longer see her, she dressed hurriedly while she muttered angrily under her breath.  How dare he!  Had he no etiquette?  How long had he been there without announcing his presence?  A decent man would have informed her before she had completely undressed or at least left if he had come upon her after she was in the water.

Then she stopped.  He was trespassing on her ranch!  Damned if she was going to chase him off her land…. even if he was.  How could she face him with dignity and order him off her property if he had just seen her naked?  Again she felt a flush of embarrassment. 

Her mother would be horrified!  Then it was a good thing that she was not in the same state!  They were not a close family, but reputation was important to her family and she had clearly just embarrassed them – if they had been here.  Good thing she did not expect them anytime soon and she assumed the man was probably a vagabond that was just passing through.

Kara dried the worst of the water out of her auburn hair that hung to well below her shoulders and, with practiced fingers, plaited them into a single thick braid that hung down her back.  Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she walked with all the dignity she could muster back to their camp.  Of course the cowhands would never know.  This would just be a chance encounter with a vagabond that she could soon forget about.