Southern Stars Read online

  “MY GOSH THAT’S beautiful.” Kerry paused, her finger resting on the camera shutter. She watched the shift of light as the dawn light painted the canyon. “I can’t wait to see what the river’s going to be like.”

  “Mm.” Dar edged in behind her on the small patio and set a tray down on the even smaller table. “Coffee?”

  “Heck yeah.” Kerry was dressed in a pair of worn jeans and a hoodie, with a pair of brand new llama slippers on her feet. “Anyone else up?”

  “Not that I saw.” Dar herself had heavy sweatpants and sneakers on, and a pullover. “I ran all the way down the road where that fence was and didn’t see anyone until I went into the lodge to get this.” She finished sorting the coffee out and offered Kerry a cup.

  Kerry sat on the second chair and pulled her coffee over. “Horseback riding in the morning, then ATV in the afternoon?” She extended her slippered feet out and crossed her legs at the ankles. “Then we should figure out what to pack. Did they really mean twenty pounds?”

  “Uh huh.” Dar watched a bird circle above the striated rock levels of the canyon. “Glad I’m not bringing a laptop. That would take most of mine.” She hiked one sneaker up and put it on its opposing knee. “But I saw they had light thermal stuff in the shop there.”

  Kerry gave her a wry grin. “At a premium.”

  “Sure. Marketing opportunity. But I’d rather pack that and have room for peanut butter crackers after all that talk about healthy meals on the ride.”

  Kerry laughed and put her cup down hastily to avoid spilling it. “Dar.”

  “I’m serious,” Dar grumbled. “You know I can’t deal with salad and granola.” She tapped her thumb against the bone of her ankle under its clean white sock. “It’s not like there’s Publix down there to grab fried chicken at.”

  “I’m sure it’s going to be fine.” Kerry gave her an affectionate look. “I’ll save some space for snacks for you in my bag too, hon. If they have a chunk of protein at dinner at least there’s that.”

  “Grab me a fish and have homemade sushi.” Dar eyed her. “Can’t you see that? Blood spurting everywhere when I bite into the damn thing?”

  Kerry covered her eyes in mock horror.

  Dar chuckled. “Hell, it’s only seven days.” She sighed. “I’m sure I’ll survive.” She propped her elbows on the chair arms and sucked at the coffee. “And you’re right about the scenery. It’s gorgeous.”

  It was. Kerry settled back contentedly. ”˜’They know we won’t have any signal once we go down into the canyon, right? Mark and Maria, I mean?”

  “They know,” Dar replied. “Everything’s on track, all the projects are on schedule, even the government’s, and we delivered Dade County before we left. They shouldn’t need us for anything.”

  “Mm.”

  “Shouldn’t.” Dar repeated. “We’ve got a good team there, Ker. We can trust them.”

  “I’m not saying we can’t,” Kerry said. “It’s just weird stuff happens, you know? We could have a Martian spaceship drop down into the central court at the office. Do they know what to do about that?”

  “Do we?”

  “Well, that’s a point”

  Dar drained her coffee and stood up. “I’m gonna change. You up for breakfast?”

  “Yup.” Kerry put her cup down and picked up her camera, as the sun came up over the cabin and splashed beautifully past it. “Just going to get a few more shots while you do that.”

  Dar crossed behind her, giving the back of her neck a little scratch as she ducked inside the door and left Kerry to her snapshots.

  SO FAR THE morning ride was fun. Dar and Kerry were joined by two of their new friends, Dave and Sally, who both had ridden before and appeared to love horses.

  Kerry was content enough to be riding a good-natured piebald, with hazel eyes and a sedate walk. He was happy to follow along where his equine buddies led, and she felt comfortable enough to tuck her reins under one knee and lift her camera up as they ambled along.

  Dar was just ahead of her, riding a tall, dark gray horse with a black mane and tail. Her head swept back and forth as they moved through thick, fragrant trees with the faint hint of wood smoke on the breeze. They were following a clearly marked path that would wind up the next ridge and back down.

  Nothing crazy exciting. Kerry was okay with that, remembering the last time she’d ridden horseback and ended up falling off her bee stung steed, scaring Dar half to death.

  She tapped her horse gently on the ribs and he stepped along faster, bringing her even with Dar, allowing her to snap a profile shot of her partner.

  Dar eyed her wryly. Then she smiled and winked.

  Kerry took advantage of this, then put the camera down and picked up her reins again as they started down the slope toward a small gully. “This is nice.”

  “We’re not galloping.” Dar sighed mournfully.

  “That’s what I meant.” Kerry patted her knee. “We’ll have a wild enough ride starting tomorrow, hon. I don’t want to get my ass thrown off like the last time.”

  “Wasn’t your fault.”

  Kerry noticed the other two riders stop ahead and point at something. “What do you figure, squirrel?”

  “Bobcat.”

  Kerry stared. “Really?”

  “No, I have no idea.” Dar flexed her hands, then rested them on her thighs. “I just want to see a bobcat. I think they’re cool and I saw they had them here.” She drummed her fingers against the denim surface. “And coyotes.”

  They rode up next to the other two horses and stopped. Kerry leaned forward and asked, “What’s up?”

  “It’s a Mexican spotted owl,” Dave whispered, pointing into the trees nearby. “Isn’t it cool? See it?”

  “It’s brown,” Sally added helpfully. “Right there on the branch.”

  “See it.” Kerry lifted her camera and focused, zooming in a little and getting a decent shot of the bird. “It’s pretty, with those yellow markings.”

  The horses took advantage of this by nibbling at the scrub grass. Dar casually reached over to take hold of Kerry’s reins as she got another shot of the owl.

  It was a nice-looking bird, she acknowledged, watching it rotate it’s head a little. “Aren’t they supposed to be nocturnal?”

  “Yes!” Sally whispered. “I’ve never seen one in the morning before. It’s cool!”

  Unexpectedly, the owl took off from the branch, apparently bored with its spectators. A moment later it landed on Dar’s hastily thrown up arm as she saw it coming at her. “What the hell!”

  It was heavier than she’d expected, and she was glad she had a long sleeve shirt on as she felt its claws grab her arm as she stared at it in wide-eyed surprise.

  It sidestepped along, opening and closing its beak with a small hissing squeaking sound.

  “Wow!” Sally’s eyes were almost as wide.

  “Oh, nice.” Kerry was busy snapping away, ducking when the owl took off again, this time to soar across the wooded area and land in another tree much farther away. “It’s that animal magnetism.” She let the camera drop and took her reins. “Never fails.”

  Dave stared at Dar. “That was amazing! Are you an animal trainer or something?”

  “Or Native American?” Sally suggested. “I’ve heard a lot of the myths around here about that.”

  Dar looked up from inspecting her sleeve. “Computer programmer,” she replied. “From Miami. Let’s get moving before some bear decides to try that and I end up flat on my ass with this horse breakdancing.” She put her reins against her horse’s neck and guided him from the trees and back up onto the path.

  “That was amazing,” Dave repeated. “Really amazing.”

  “Really cool; I got a picture too.” Sally slid her point and shoot camera back into her pocket. “I can’t wait to see what kind of wildlife we’re going to see on the river.”

  They prodded their mounts to follow Dar. “Did I see you going to that blue RV last night?”


  “Yep,” Kerry said. “We drove from Florida.”

  “That’s a long drive.” Dave settled into his saddle. “I drove to Seattle once. That was long enough for me. “

  “It was all right. We had our dogs with us, and nice weather.” Kerry slid her camera into the pack she had attached to the saddle. “I’ve never driven a lot cross country. I’m from Michigan.”

  They started downhill and the horses picked up the pace a little. They caught up to Dar and broke into a gentle canter, coming into a more open slope.

  It was pleasant. Kerry could see Dar was enjoying the motion and she briefly envied that relaxed and natural posture as her partner moved almost as a part of the animal.

  A little crazy, since she knew Dar really didn’t have that much experience with horses, especially not recently. She herself felt a little unsure, a little on the edge of control riding this unfamiliar animal at any type of speed, but they were almost at the bottom of the slope and she figured it would slow down any minute.

  Alas, no. The horses could sense their comfortable barn ahead and sped up, thundering through the grassy tufts in the sandy ground. “Oh boy.”

  She leaned forward a little, and concentrated on keeping her balance as Sally and Dave whooped in excitement as they chased after Dar’s tall form.

  Scary. But after a minute of nothing catastrophic happening, Kerry relaxed a little and enjoyed the experience, seeing Dar’s horse already slowing down as they met the dirt road that lead off into the trees where the ATV’s were.

  She was sort of in the rhythm now, and almost regretted it when her mounts pace slacked and became bouncier and jarring before they reached the edge of the grass.

  Dar turned her horse and came cantering back as the rest of them arrived and joined them. “That was fun.” She grinned as she ended up next to Kerry. “You okay?”

  “Yup, me and old Paint here had a great ride.” Kerry patted her horse on the shoulder. “No bees this time.” She ran her fingers through her now thoroughly disordered hair. “But I have to be honest and tell you I like it better when I’m driving.”

  Dar chuckled. “Yeah, I know.” She glanced up at the bright sunlight, and pushed the sleeves of her shirt up a little as their horses ambled side by side down the track toward the corral that was half shaded by trees. “Ah. Owl tracks.”

  Kerry leaned over to look at the red marks. “Just a few scratches.”

  Loud voices suddenly attracted their attention and they looked up to see the couple that had come in late the evening before standing with Tamara near the rustic pole fence that bordered the corral.

  Kerry watched them from the corner of her eye as they got to the gate and one of the staff opened it for them, waving them inside. “Wonder what their issue is?”

  Dar glanced behind her, then dismounted and handed her reins over, turning at once to take hold of the gray’s bridle as Kerry got herself down off it’s back.

  They dusted each other off. Dave and Sally joined them and they all stood for a moment.

  The yelling got louder. The man waved his hands, and pointed at Tamara. The woman was clearly upset. Tamara had both hands out in a calming gesture.

  Kerry stretched her legs out. “Should we...”

  “No.” Dar put her arm around Kerry’s shoulders and steered her toward the lodge. “I learned my lesson with Kristie. I’m done. No sticking my nose in other people’s business anymore.” She turned her back on the argument. “Grab some lunch before we ATV?”

  Kerry was momentarily silent, then she nodded. “Yep.” She put her arm around Dar’s back. Behind them she could still hear the yelling, but she also understood where Dar was coming from.

  At least, she thought she did.

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Dar said, as though listening to her internal dialog. “For you, for my family, for our friends I’d step in front of a bus.”

  “Mm.”

  “But not for strangers. Not anymore.”

  And Kerry really couldn’t blame her. Twice in a row, once for a company, once for a worker on the island they lived on Dar had stood up, and taken it on the chin in return. Literally. They were in the process of searching for a new place to live due to the fallout from the last scene.

  She got it. “I hear ya, hon.” Kerry gave her a little squeeze. “Totally understand.”

  The voices faded behind them and as they mounted the steps into the lodge Tamara came trotting behind them, shaking her head as she opened the door and let them enter ahead of her. “Did you enjoy the ride folks?”

  “We did.”

  Sally and Dave had been oblivious to the drama. “We saw a spotted owl! It landed on her arm!” She pointed at Dar. “It was amazing!”

  “Really?” Tamara gathered herself together and shook off the recently ended disagreement. “That’s a first!” She craned her neck to see the digital display Kerry held out. “Oh, my gosh!” She looked up at Dar. “It just flew onto your arm?”

  Dar had her hands in her pockets now and she nodded mutely, as they all filed into the lodge and started to spread out inside.

  “Really cool,” Tamara said, firmly. “Can you send me a copy of it? Do you mind if we put it on the website?” She crossed ahead of them, talking half over her shoulder. “We’ll crop it so you can’t see who it is if you want, just the owl.”

  “Sure,” Kerry said. “Give me an email address and I will, no problem.”

  Rich appeared from the patio area. “Hey, glad you guys are back; they’re putting lunch out. I think they’ve got snake sushi!”

  Both Dar and Kerry, and, in fact Tamara, pulled up short and looked at him, nonplussed.

  Sally rolled her eyes. “Get out.”

  Rich grinned at them. “Just kidding. Cream of asparagus soup and chicken salad sandwiches with fruit.” He waved them forward. “C’mon.”

  “Two out of three ain’t bad,” Sally said. “I’m going to go wash my hands. Meet you in there.”

  Kerry put her camera back in her backpack and followed, Dar whistling softly under her breath at her heels. They all entered the ladies room and went to the sinks, which had baskets between them with fragrant potpourri and clean white hand towels.

  “That was pretty cool,” Sally said, as she scrubbed her hands. “I really like horses. Do you have””I mean, do you live on a ranch?” She looked sideways at Dar. “You’re a good rider.”

  Kerry chuckled, but remained silent.

  Dar cleared her throat. “No, we live in a development near downtown Miami. I got to ride a little growing up.” She wiped her hands on one of the towels. “I’ve always liked horses though.”

  Sally smiled at her. “Obviously, animals like you.” She paused, as one of the stalls opened and the woman who had been arguing with Tamara came out. She walked past them without a word, shoved the door open and then slammed it shut.

  Kerry wiped her hands down and put the damp towel in the basin.

  “That’s going to be a downer,” Sally said, wryly. “She and her boyfriend bought a private raft trip, and these guys couldn’t deliver it. The guide team that was supposed to take them got sick at the last minute and didn’t make the flight out here from Toronto.”

  “Ah.”

  “I mean, I get they’re pissed, but they offered them a full refund, and their travel and everything.”

  “Well.” Kerry went to the door and opened it. “Maybe they were really looking forward to it? If they’re not going to go, why are they still around?”

  Sally paused near the door. “That’s the bad news for us. They’re going to be on our trip.”

  “Maybe they’ll cheer up after we’re on the way,” Kerry suggested, as they exited and started for the patio, where the sounds of silverware and the soft strains of new age music were drifting from. “After they get over the disappointment. This place is so gorgeous, how could you stay pissed?”

  Sally nodded in agreement. “Exactly.”

  They entered the patio and were greeted by Rich
and the rest of their gang, seated already at a larger table that could accommodate all of them. As they sat down a waitress came over to take their drink order.

  Dar rested her elbows on the chair arms as Kerry ordered for them. She smiled briefly at the excited, interested faces around her, everyone exchanging stories of the day and clamoring to see Kerry’s pictures.

  Different than the people she was usually surrounded by. They were open and friendly. That was kind of nice, and what was more, she and Kerry were just accepted and included.

  Behind them, four women were at a table listening, and after a moment, they too got up and came over. “Hey, there,” one said. “So, you all are part of the raft group too, right?” She had hazel eyes and a deep tan that went with the Southern drawl. “We’re on break from school.” She pointed around. “Carla, PJ, Jan and I’m Terry.”

  “Take a seat,” Rich said. “The more the merrier.”

  An older couple had been standing in the doorway, and now joined them as well. “We’re Donald and Marcia. I think we round out the lot.” Donald smiled at them. “This is our first time on a raft.”

  “Us too.” Kerry indicated herself and Dar. “Glad we’re not the only ones.”

  The waitress came back and stopped. “Whoops, I’m gonna need a bigger tray.” She delivered the drinks and rambled off, as everyone pushed back their chairs to make room for all the new comers. “Be right back.”

  DAR ZIPPED UP her duffel bag and straightened. “You ready, Ker?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kerry pulled a hoodie over her head, as she emerged from the bathroom, her own duffel already packed near the door. “Holy crap, Dar. Do you know how long it’s been since I played actual cards?” She ran her fingers through her hair, freeing it from the hood. “That was kinda fun.”

  “It was,” Dar readily said. “Fun bunch.” She slung her bag over her shoulder and put her hands in the front pockets of her own hoodie. “I think Donald may be ex-Navy.”

  “Some kind of veteran, yeah.” Kerry picked up her bag and opened the door. “Let’s go rafting, Dardar.”