Lizard Canyon

Hitting his boss playfully on the shoulder with a loose fist, Jake moved back toward the campsite, leaving Cal thoughtfully rubbing the scraggly beard on his chin and wishing he had a razor with him.

As the riders filtered back to the bunkhouse after the evening's activities, Andy appeared at the fire with his mother's bedroll and a shy smile. After receiving a kiss and hug from the woman, and giving Cal a hug around the neck, the child scampered back to the cabin so as not to miss any of the 'special stories' Willie and Jake had promised to share with their fellow trail hands.

Cal and Lisa stayed by the fire, sitting close but not touching, as they discussed the boys and various problems the young family had experienced the past few years as she attempted to offset bad examples and careless speech demonstrated on her ex-husband's weekends with his sons.

As the fire died down to embers and the lights went out at the bunkhouse, Cal stood, helped Lisa to her feet, and then casually grabbed both bedrolls.

"I'm not sure I trust those trail hands of mine," he said with a shy smile, "so I'm going to show you a place only I know about."

Lisa nodded, her smile as hesitant as his own, then hooked her arm in Cal's.

"Take me wherever you want, Cowboy," she said softly, kissing him gently on the cheek. "Tonight and tomorrow night belong to you."

As they walked away from the fire and toward Belly Pond, Cal was surprised at how his heart raced . . . and hoped the woman could not hear it beating so intensely.

He led her to a wide, shallow crossing in the little river just before it spread into the natural holding pond that made such an inviting swimming hole. Once they were across the river Cal turned back toward the camp and they climbed a small rise the ended a little down river from the pond and gave an unobstructed view of the campsite below across the pond.

Spreading his own bedroll out on the ground for comfort, Cal then lay Lisa's bedroll on top of his, extracting a warm, flannel blanket and two towels from it. He then led Lisa to the edge of the clearing where he left the blanket on a rock before leading her to the water.

"Nothing against you, Ma'am," Cal said in his best John Wayne imitation, "but I didn't get to swim this afternoon and must smell very much like horse. I kinda like to do my bathing after the rest are in bed." With that he began to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Lisa immediately took the clue and also began to undress, showing only slight embarrassment as she shed her shirt and bra, then her boots, jeans and panties. Standing totally nude before him, she smiled as he tried to get out of his jeans while watching her at the same time.

"I can help if you would like," she said teasingly, as he looked into her humor-filled eyes before carefully examining her body, loving the gentle swell of her breasts and the wonderful promise of her pubic area covered delicately with soft, brown hair.

Just as he realized he must be staring, Cal lost his balance and sat heavily in the gravel, looking sheepishly into Lisa's laughing eyes as she bent to help him with his boots, her breasts swaying gently just above his face.

Once Cal was disrobed, the two walked hand-in-hand to the water's edge, and then out a few yards to a waist-deep pool where Cal began to use the bar of soap he had brought with him.

After bathing, Cal pulled the woman slowly to him and the two embraced in the water, his growing erection finding place between their bodies and bringing a slight smile to the woman's face.

After toweling themselves dry, Cal led the hope of his evening to the clearing's edge, where they snuggled together on the rock, pulling the large, warm blanket around the two of them as they watched the stars and dying fire below them -- no words being spoken, but more than one kiss being shared.

When the light finally went out in the cabin below, Cal stood and led Lisa to the bedrolls, helping her find a place between the two bedrolls, and then lowering himself beside her.

"I don't . . ." Cal started but she was ahead of him in consideration of what was about to happen. She put a finger to his lips and shushed him quietly.

"You don't need anything," she said, allowing her finger to run down across his chin, over his chest and flat stomach, finally nesting in the pubic hair below, gently circling his now-throbbing penis. "I had my tubes tied after Andrew, and I trust you to not have any diseases," she said softly, finishing the thought with a warm kiss through partly open lips.

The first time was over quickly, both participants exhibiting a hunger that had grown from years of little sexual fulfillment. They did not talk afterwards, just began caressing in anticipation of an even more meaningful time of lovemaking to come. And it did.

Cal's erection returned almost immediately and, he discovered, her wetness had never left. Before entering her, Cal gently worked his finger in and out, and then began circling her clitoris with increasing pressure until she shuddered to an orgasm, holding out as long as possible before clamping her legs together and pulling him down into a passionate kiss that lasted for several minutes.

Then he slid into her, carefully slipping the full length of his penis to the hilt before pulling all the way out, and then immediately slipping back in as she closed her eyes and sighed with each change of direction or speed. And the speed did increase, though in a very deliberate manner as Cal determined to make the pleasure last as long as possible this time.

As he reached his own orgasm, Cal's body sought to reach deeper into her's than was possible, his pelvic bone bouncing hungrily against hers, bringing them to a simultaneous climax that only lasted for seconds, but became imprinted upon their minds for much longer - then they relaxed into a half-embrace that soon led to sleep.

Early the next morning the two again swam and washed in the cold water of the river before dressing and rolling up their bedrolls. When the four trail hands came out to feed the horses they found Cal and Lisa already tending to the animals.

Though no words were spoken, Jake and Willie saw something in their boss's eyes they had never before seen - a contentment that went beyond just accepting what life had to give; a contentment that carried much larger messages of peace and pleasure. There were no wisecracks or smirks. They were happy for their friend who had experienced the ultimate: a night with the right woman.

The boys also noticed the difference in their mother, but could not as easily identify the cause, though they enjoyed the warm hug and kisses she bestowed on them before they all went off to breakfast.

On the third day the riders wandered down the canyon enjoying the sights and sounds of a world all its own, totally divorced from the rat race of their more permanent life. They stopped once to eat and swim, and then moved on to the final campsite, and one last swim in the river. The next day they would climb the face of the canyon again to return to the ranch.

Cal had been more quiet during the ride than the day before, with Lisa asking occasional questions about the canyon and its inhabitants, interspersed with some very pointed questions about Cal's personal circumstances. He answered truthfully, knowing he might well be building up a false hope in the woman's heart that there could be more to their relationship than just this week - and knowing that he wished that were a possibility, but was convinced it was not.

By the end of the day's ride she had discerned his troubled heart and it was a slightly puzzled expression which she wore as they dismounted at the campsite.

"Cal, if you would rather . . .," she began in a quiet voice as they unsaddled their mounts, but he stopped her in mid-sentence.

"I want nothing more than to be with you again tonight," he said with passion floating somewhere near the surface of his voice. "There are things I have to tell you."

She nodded and smiled her satisfaction, though he still saw the questions that lurked behind the smile. There was nothing he could do at the moment but leave them there, though he determined by the next morning she would know as much about him as she wished.

The campfire songs and stories were soulful that final night as the riders, physically drained from exertion and discomfort that were not a part of their regular lives, stared into the dancing flames, reliving with the storytellers the lonely lives of pioneers and cowboys who had throughout the ages slept alone by a flickering fire, accepting its warmth and occasional snaps and sizzles as their only companionship.

When the riders had all dispersed to their bunks and the fire had died to nothing but glowing coals, Cal led Lisa to another out-of-the-way site beside the stream where they spread out their bedrolls, undressed and bathed in the cold water. Then, after making love with a desperation that spoke of their soon separation, that sat by the stream, watching the moon dance across the ripples and waves created by minnows and insects.

Two male lizards came out on a large rock in front of them, extending their throats threateningly at each other as they vied for a territory that evidently included a female. Cal smiled and explained to his companion what was happening before flipping a stone toward the two. The larger lizard turned and disappeared into the dark, while the second simply turned and faced Cal, its neck still extended as he challenged this new intruder into his territory. A second stone sent him scurrying away as well as Lisa laughed pleasantly with delight.

"Is that why they call this "Lizard Canyon?' she asked, pulling Cal's head into her lap and stroking his hair away from his face.

"Well, no, not really," he replied, looking into her wonderful eyes and wishing he could say something, anything that would take away the fear of hurt he saw there.

"Well, Mr. Mysterious, are you going to tell me, or what?" she finally asked as he silently watched her face, drinking in every line, memorizing every place he had kissed the night before.

"I will, but not until tomorrow at noon."

She playfully pulled on his ears before leaning down, her naked breasts lying against his cheek, and kissed him full on the mouth - a kiss that lasted for several minutes and that neither wanted to end.

Finally Cal sat upright, pulled the naked woman into his lap, wrapped her in the warm blanket and began to tell her about Sawtooth Mountain and Peggy Whistler - and the commitment he had made to his lover that he would never turn away an opportunity to help her family.

When he was finished he pulled the letter from his pocket and let Lisa read it by the bright moonlight.

As she finished she folded the letter, tucked it back into his pocket and lay her head on his chest, remaining quiet for several minutes.

"So, tomorrow will be our last day together," she mused, almost to herself.

Cal could only nod, not wanting to trust his voice, knowing she would hear the passion in it.

"I had started hoping . . ." she started and then stopped herself, not wanting to put to words what could not happen.

"Me, too."

Then she raised herself, looking into the eyes of the man who had shared her bed and body the night before in such a pleasing fashion.

"I want to make love again, Cal," she said quietly. "In a way that neither of us will ever forget . . . just in case what you find in Colorado is not permanent."

He nodded his assent and they returned to the bedroll, where she slipped her head between his legs and took his erect penis in her mouth, sucking gently, but firmly as her lips enveloped the head and then the shaft.

Cal moved around so he could give her oral pleasure at the same time, slipping his tongue in and out of her swollen vaginal lips, each time sucking gently on the passion button that throbbed at each touch.

Finally, knowing he would ejaculate soon, he slid a finger inside her, probing the warm, moist tunnel that he would soon enter with something larger than a finger.

They came almost simultaneously, as she pushed off the ground with her feet, rising to meet his mouth as he suddenly sucked noisily and with determination, at the same time feeling the release of sperm into her mouth, which she sucked away from him while they both shuddered to a climax.

Then he was on top of her and in her, pushing up on his arms to watch her face and body as he drove his swollen organ deep into her waiting body, her breasts rising and falling with each thrust like waves crashing on the seashore.

A last, final orgasm wracked his body before he slid down beside her, accepting a multitude of kisses on his face, chest and nipples. And then they lay quietly, each with personal thoughts to go over before they fell asleep.

The next morning they awoke early, made love knee-deep in the water and then washed before heading to the campsite to begin the day's activities.

By noon, the riders sat on the canyon's edge looking back on the trail they had traveled the last three days. The canyon lay below them, with the river twisting along its bottom like the backbone of a giant reptile. Four strategically placed gullies branched off from the riverbed, like legs drawn by some giant artist, and a large body of water swelled its midriff like a giant stomach. The first campsite with its clearing, bunkhouse and cabin sat at the far end of the canyon in the perfect shape of a head, completing the appearance of a huge lizard.

"Lizard Canyon," Lisa said softly as Cal chuckled and the other riders began to take pictures.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Lizard Canyon," Willie said in his best carnival barker imitation. "You are among the few who have been into and out of the belly of this monster beast!"

After a few chuckles and more pictures, the riders turned toward the ranch house and their cars, already thinking of the real bed they would enjoy that night - all but four, who were sorry to see the week end.

As the boys helped Jake and Willie unsaddle and feed the horses before turning them out to run across the prairie like wild mustangs, Cal and Lisa leaned against the corral rail much like they had five days earlier.

"Will you write to me?" she asked, as they stood side-by-side, each afraid of touching the other for fear it would make things more difficult than better.

"I will."

"Promise?"

He turned then, and she saw a fire in his eyes that few people had ever had the chance to see.

"Until the day I die or you ask me to stop," he said with passion.

She raised and kissed him, then, softly, yet earnestly.

"I doubt if I ever ask you to stop," she whispered as she kissed his ear gently.

"And if this thing in Colorado doesn't take my whole life . . ." he began, before she stopped him with a finger to his lips.

"Let's just wait and see how things go from here," she said with a sad smile. "Let's don't make any more promises than we already have."

Cal nodded, feeling a lump in his throat that precluded him from speaking further.

There were handshakes all around and then Lisa and the boys were in the old station wagon headed up the mountainside.

At the overlook, high above the ranch, they stopped and waved their cowboy hats to the three men sitting on the top rail of the corral. The men waved in return and then the family was back in the car and gone from sight.

After Jake and Willie had gone into the lodge for beers and a hot shower, Cal still sat on the top rail watching the road above him, wishing the station wagon would return to take him with it - but knowing it would not.

He had never dreamed he would meet another woman the equal of Peggy Whistler . . . but he had. And just like Peggy, she was gone too soon.

Feeling much older than his years, the dusty trail boss climbed down and headed for the lodge. He had things to do before leaving on the weekend.