Her Cowboy

Chapter 10

For a second I couldn't see any difference. Then we broke through the forest and a peaceful river came into view.

It was beautiful. The sun glinted off of the water, which came from a curve fifty feet away and snaked its way through the forest before disappearing from view again. The current wasn't fast, it bubbled lightly along. There was a small beach right up against the shore near us, the tip of the rounding water, making it look like a horseshoe bending away from us. Around the beach were rocks, grass, and wildflowers. On the opposite side, the ground turned up steeply, creating a sort of wall of dirt and trees. A thick rope hung from a sturdy tree branch, allowing you to swing into the lake. It was pretty high up, so the lake must be deep.

"This is awesome," I said, Porkpie moving me closer to the shoreline.

Percy came up beside me on Blackjack, the ebony horse steadily finding its footing among the rocks.

He turned to me with a smile. "Welcome to the Jackson Ranch pool." I laughed as we dismounted. Jason and Leo offered to take our horses for us, leading them to a grassy clearing off to the side to let them graze while we swam. Percy and I stood, the sun reflecting off the water and chasing shadows on our faces.

"This is really awesome," I repeated.

Percy laughed. "So you said. I love it here—always have. Mom teases me, saying that I'm half fish because I love the water so much."

I smiled. "I bet you love the ocean then."

Sighing, he said, "I bet I would. I've always wanted to go there."

I turned to him incredulously. "You've never been to the sea?"

He shook his head, looking at the tiny waves lapping against the small shore wistfully. "Nope. But someday I hope I can make it out there. I want to so badly. My mom and dad met at a beach."

Frowning, an idea came into my head, rushing around my brain in fluttery motions. But before I could think harder about it, Leo called to me.

"Hey, Annabeth," he said. When I turned, he reached a finger and pulled it to himself in a Come here gesture, his movements seductive. Then he put his fingers in the waistband of his jeans before slowly drawing them down.

What would've been a totally inappropriate scene turned out to be comical as he revealed, instead of skin, a swim suit. One with little hammers and shovels and other workshop items printed on it.

I bust out laughing as Jason punched Leo's shoulder. The blond was already in his blue swim trunks, and as I turned, Percy had his teal swim trunks lying low on his hips. As he pulled off his shirt, my first thought was, Good gods, bring me here everyday.

Hey, you can't blame me. You should've seen Percy.

But yeah, I gave myself a proper mental beating for letting those words slip through into my mind. Like Jason said, I just needed to let everything go.

"Race you to the water, Wise Girl," Percy said with a dopey grin.

I smirked. "You're on."

Without further ado, we both took off towards the water, me lagging a bit behind as I struggled to get my jeans off and throwing off my tank top. I had a grey bikini underneath, plain with a little twist in the middle front of my top.

I stumbled in after Percy, both of us laughing. The coolness met my body in a welcome embrace, and for a moment I just stood waist deep in the water, reveling in the temperature.

"Oh, gods, this feels amazing!" I said. Percy flashed me a smile, then submerged himself fully, vanishing from my sight. I could see a tiny trail of bubbles, but they soon stopped. Glancing around, I peered into the river, but there was no sign of him in the murky water.