I guess she was what you'd think of as a "Tree Huggin Hippie."
She was camped out over on the Mimbres river doing some kind of wildlife survey. I first met Maggie when I was fixing a water gap on a fence up on Taylor Creek.
I was up to my knees in the creek stringing wire from a rock to hold the fence in place across the creek when she just "appeared" on the creek bank. My horse Buck didn't even snort and let me know she was there, some watch dog huh? Anyway, she watched for a while and then asked a few questions. I explained to her what I was doing and why. I thought she'd find all kinds of objections to cattle in the mountains and the impact on the environment and such as that, but she didn't.
I asked what she was doing up here and she explained that she was working on a riparian area study and the impact that cattle and wildlife had on creek banks and fish populations.
Something about her made me trust her. I didn't think she was there to undermine the things I was doing but that she had a genuine concern for preserving things up here where I called home.
I'd been here long enough to know what abuse could do to the land and I figured that if I became proactive, I could restore some of the damage and help the land keep me employed. I was lucky enough to have a boss that understood both sides of the environmental issue.
Susan, the ranch owner, was wealthy enough to be able to afford to take it slow, Concerned enough to take care of the ranch, and smart enough to not blindly follow any popular agenda.
Susan knew that the ranch had to pay for itself one way or another and she gave me the leeway to do it how I saw fit.
Anyway, back to Maggie. After we talked for a bit, she wandered off to look at Taylor Creek up to the falls. I finished up what I had to do, and broke for lunch. She came back after about an hour and a half.
"Join me for lunch?" I asked. She smiled and said "I'd love to." She took off her backpack and we opened up what we'd brought.
We sat in the shade and listened to the creek chuckle over the rocks. My horse stamped in the dust and shook his head to shoo away the flies as I enjoyed Maggie's company.
This time of year I usually spent weeks working out of the cabin and rarely saw anyone unless I made it to town for some reason or another. I was retired from a couple of careers, and decided that while I could, I'd work at doing something fun. It was hard work, but I liked it and being alone didn't really bother me. I'd gotten used to it since wife and I were separated and she'd decided to stay in the city.
Maggie was a breath of fresh air. Smart and pretty, I found that she could carry on a conversation on just about anything. The pretty part wasn't lost on me either. She had long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, gorgeous blue eyes, she was wearing khaki shorts and hiking boots which showed off her legs nicely. She wore a blue short-sleeved shirt with a white tee shirt under it, which didn't show off anything.
She wasn't very tan which surprised me until I saw a white dab of sunscreen under her ear. I thought to myself "She must bathe in the stuff." I was in my usual "uniform" of faded wranglers and a denim shirt, boots and what was supposed to be a black hat.
I guess I was a little more lonesome than I thought, because I talked away most of the afternoon. Maggie seemed to enjoy the conversation or at least she was being polite.
I needed to get back to the cabin in time to do chores but where she said she was camped wasn't too far out of the way so I offered her a ride. She thought it would be too hard on my horse but I assured her that Buck was up to it. I saddled him back up and gathered up my tools. I gathered my reins, stepped in the stirrup and climbed aboard. I circled around to where she was and kicked my foot out of the stirrup and held out my hand for her.
Maggie took my hand and stepped up. She straddled Buck behind me and got situated. "Ready?" I asked. She replied "Uh huh!" She wrapped her arms around my waist and her breasts pressed into my back. "Careful boy!" I told myself. I'd been up here long enough for the feel of her against me to have a profound effect on me and I had to shift a little to "adjust" myself in my jeans. I was smiling as we started off down the trail.
Buck twitched his ears as we both listened to Maggie's voice. She liked to talk and I liked to listen to her. We talked about living in the mountains without the comforts of town like electricity or running water. I told her about the shower I'd built at the cabin using spring water and a solar water heater. She laughed when I told her that I was too old to be taking cold baths in the creek. I came to realize that Maggie was a sensitive woman, kind and considerate too. It wasn't an act.
The trail followed the creek down to the Mimbres and wound through pine trees and cottonwoods. The few times Buck had to jump over a fallen tree caused Maggie to hold on tighter. I didn't mind that at all. All too soon we came upon her camp which was set back in a clearing under some cottonwoods. "You picked a great place to camp." I said. "It's high enough in case it rains." I pulled Buck's reins up and we stopped in front of her tent. "Door to door service." I said. She laughed and thanked both of us for the ride. Maggie slid off the saddle, rubbing her soft breasts against me in the process. She held my hand for a second then let go. I tipped my hat and said "Any time ma'am." I told her that my cabin was only a couple miles west of her in the next canyon over and that if she needed anything, to feel free to stop by.
