3 - Dakota of Albuquerque

“That poor girl,” Hale laughed as Betty rumbled through to New Mexico.

“It was a really cute dress,” Casey said. She looked over her shoulder to the back seat. The truck bed had things like the tent, the cooler, camping stuff. Their clothes and things were on the back bench under the watchful guard of Dipper and Ranger. “But, I guess we should scale back on the souvenirs.”

“Hell no!” Ivy said, riding window seat. She sat Indian-style, rolling the third ring around in her fingers. The jewelry box was open in her lap. “We gotta get at least one more souvenir.”

“You’re more than a souvenir to me,” Hale said.

Red deepened on Ivy’s cheeks. She smiled broadly. “Yeah, hell yeah!”

Casey giggled. “To me too.”

“Still,” Ivy said. “Sweet heartwarming metaphors aside. We got this and nippy little coyote who isn’t happy when it isn’t on a girl’s finger. What are we looking for?”

“Hot,” Casey said, she reached over and squeezed Hale’s thigh. “But hot’s not enough.”

“Obviously hot,” Ivy scoffed. “I don’t want to fuck some uggo chick any more than Hale does.”

“We don’t have to be mean about it,” Hale said.

“But we do have to be honest,” Ivy said. “Hale, what kind of girls do you like?”

“Casey and Ivy,” he said.

“I like big tits,” Casey said, ignoring Hale’s sweetness.

“I like juicy asses,” Ivy said. “I was thinking maybe a blonde?”

“Oh!” Casey said. “I’ve always thought Asian girls, like Koreans, were cute!”

“Hale?”

“Seriously?” He hummed for a second. “I haven’t met a demographic of girls that doesn’t include hot ones. I’m not picky.”

“Be picky!” Ivy said.

“Yeah, make us feel like we’re the best of the best, the hottest of the hot, the sexiest of the sexy!”

Hale laughed. “You are. I mean, once you can get over the high jump, I don’t care what color sneakers you’re wearing.”

“Dumb metaphor,” Ivy said. “How about a girl with glasses? I like nerdy cute chicks.”

“Oh! Glasses can be so cute!” Casey agreed.

“How about...” Hale interjected. “We figure out what we’re doing in New Mexico?”

“Balloons,” Ivy said.

“Oh! The balloon festival’s on?!” Casey asked, getting excited.

“What?” Hale asked.

“The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta’s going to be going on when we’re driving through,” Ivy said. “It’s a fucking massive event. It’s amazing. Back when mi Abuelo was still alive, my family and I would drive up every year. It’s like the ultimate family vacation.”

“And you want to go again?”

“I want to show you two what’s there,” she said. “But we got a few days.”

“Alright,” Hale said. “What are we doing first?”

Casey took up her phone. “I found this a few days ago. Wanna check this out?”

“I can’t look at your phone, I’m driving,” Hale said.

“She wants to go horseback riding. There’s a ranch not far out of the city that she found a site for. A~and, she already booked us on your card anyways.” Ivy laughed.

“It sounds like a good plan to me,” Hale said. “Now that we’re financially obligated to do it.”

Casey squealed and kissed both of their cheeks.

“Our thighs and asses are going be so sore after this,” Ivy said.

“And Casey will kiss them all better,” Hale said.

“Hell yeah, I will!” Casey said. She grinned, leaned forward, cranked the tape deck and started screaming out the lyrics until everyone joined her.

Dakota Chase petted her mustang’s neck as the clients parked their car and crossed over towards. Two pretty girls and a guy driving a nice looking, for an older model, Ford.

Dakota sat tall on the horse. She had volunteered to play tour guide for the group. Her grandfather ran the ranch, there was always work to do, and the one thing he both loved and hated was working with tourists who overpaid to ride his horses.

Dakota waved, slinging herself off the saddle and hopping down to the dusty grass. She flattened her sundress skirt down and put on the smile. Gotta have the smile. Especially at work.

The redhead and the Latina were excited to whisper about her as she approached. Dakota lifted her cowboy had so she could better set her hair back behind her ears. She approached the man, he seemed to be running herd on the girls.

Dakota was a native American girl, a shade older than Ivy, a little taller than Casey, and skinnier than both girls. She had a slim figure, small breasts, a tight but little ass, and skinny legs. She had bright brown eyes, long lashes, high cheekbones, and that killer smile. Her off the shoulder dress floated with her gait. The spurs on her cowboy boots clicked.

“You must be Casey,” she said, grabbing Hale’s outstretched hand.

“I’m Hale,” he said, he nodded to the redhead. “She’s Casey, and our third friend is Ivy.”

“Hello gorgeous!” Ivy said. Casey elbowed her.

Dakota smiled and her cheeks tinged with red. She was used to compliments and catcalls, she didn’t blush much anymore, but Ivy’s comment was so intense and surprising, and from a girl, Dakota had been caught off guard.

“Hi, Hale, I’m Dakota Chase, this is Chase Ranch. Behind me,” she gestured to her horse, “is Renegade, and just behind that there’s a stable where we keep the horses.” She put a hand on her hips. “Now, I want you all to be kind and warm to my horses. They’re living creatures and they don’t like meanies.”

Hale crossed his heart. “Best behavior.”

“I can’t make that promise,” Ivy said. “But not because I’m gonna be mean. Not mean at all.”

Casey elbowed Ivy again. “What she meant to say is ‘Lead the way, gorgeous.’”

“You’re not as bad as they are?” she asked Hale.

“Not until you want me to be,” he said. “I’ve never ridden a horse before. Wanna help me not look like a fool in front of the ladies?”

“That,” Dakota said, smile back in force. “I can do.”

It was clear that Hale didn’t know how to sit a horse. Especially next to the other three women he was with. He slumped forward too much. Dakota clearly had the most experience, but Ivy and Casey were doing well, probably having had lessons in middle or high school, by Dakota’s guess. Hale was out of his element. He had even tried to mount, Charlotte, his chestnut mare by putting the wrong foot in the stirrup. He took the immediate ribbing from Casey and Ivy in good humor. Dakota was impressed. Hale wanted to look good, but he was even charming when he was getting tease.

And, if he had these two girls flirting with him?

He was off limits!

She had to shout that in her mind. She hated home-wreckers. Her stepmother was a total cunt and the ‘friends’ she had from high school were better off way in the past.

She had her smile.

It was a beautiful day.

The horses and the clients were in good spirits. And she had the company of a handsome guy and a couple of pretty girls for her adventure. Better than some days, that was for certain.

“Oh wow!” Casey said as she trotted, Nevermore, the white-footed black bay up ahead. “Wow!”

The trail through the back of her grandfather’s ranch would take them on a slow decline down a semi-steep but relatively shallow gorge, across the river and back up the slow sloping hills upstream. Casey was acting like a lot of tourists when they got to the edge of the gorge.

“It’s beautiful,” Ivy agreed hurrying up to join Casey.

Hale seemed more than happy with the walk, no need to force Charlotte to move faster than she wanted. Dakota looped back.

“You should try to have better posture,” she suggested.

He attempted to roll his shoulder back.

“They are right about the beauty,” he said, eyes clearly on hers. She smiled, turning to look over the river.

“Yeah, I see it dozens of times a week,” she said. “I’m glad I didn’t get desensitized.”

“And if it looks this good from horseback,” he said. “I’m sure it’ll be amazing from the balloon tomorrow.”

“Oh, you’re down for the festival?” she asked, getting him to the edge. “Girls! You too, Casey! Wait, don’t go down the trail. You’ll follow me and Buccaneer,” she said, patting her stallion’s neck. “The horses know the cliff, let them walk it, trust them.” She turned. “Are you ballooners yourself or did you book a tour with somebody?”

“You’d have to ask Ivy,” Hale said. “I’m good for a lot of things. Planning ... Well they don’t really let me do it.”

Dakota laughed. “Alright! Everyone, follow me.”

Ivy hung back as the horses followed Buccaneer’s tail, single file down the hill. She twisted in the saddle and gestured from her ring to Dakota. Hale nodded.

“Casey’s got the third. When we stop for the picnic.”

Ivy was bouncing in the saddle more than her red dun demanded.

“This is lovely,” Casey said as she hopped down. She rubbed her cheek warmly on her mare’s snout and spun around. “A beautiful little place. It feels...” She hummed, thinking of the right word.

“Secret?” Dakota suggested. “Like we’re the only people in the world out here?”

“Yeah!” Casey said. Ivy and Hale weren’t far behind. Casey walked close, watching Dakota tend to the horses. “Is this your plan for a career or...”

“Probably not,” Dakota said. “I know I want to have pets and an animals. I love the simpleness of it all, but I wouldn’t mind a little more people around.”

“Like say ... nine?” Casey grinned. “Just firing out a random number.”

“I was thinking living closer to the city where there’s more restaurants at hand,” she laughed. “But, sure. Nine’s as good a number as any. You and Hale are together?”

“Yeah, we got together after finishing exams,” Casey said.

“Like a couple of weeks ago?” Dakota asked, needing to recover her smile as Ivy and Hale entered the little cut of the rock that was going to serve as their warm, but shady, picnic spot.

“Not quite three,” Casey said.

Ivy was nodding wildly. Dakota jogged over to Hale, not to help him down, but to be there if he needed help down. She caught his elbow when he jumped down.

“I’m glad you let us set this up,” Ivy said as she and Casey started unrolling the blanket. “Can you drink on the job?”

There was just one bottle of sparkling wine to divide among all four of them.

“That seems OK,” Dakota said. “You’re not having a special thing or anything. I don’t mind taking Buccaneer to stretch his legs some if you want a little friendly time.”

“No, come on, sit down,” Ivy said, offering a glass. “The more the merrier!”

“We picked up some really nice looking sandwiches from this place down the road,” Casey said.

“Yeah, that’s my cousin’s place,” Dakota said. “Did she upsell you on the sour dough bread?”

“Of course,” Ivy said, elbowing Hale. “He’s easy to get more out of with a bright smile.”

“And a low cut dress,” Casey added.

Dakota grinned. She joined them on the blanket.

“You guys are going ballooning tomorrow?” Dakota asked, taking a bite of the offered sandwich. “Oh, wow, these are so good.”

“Do you know the recipe?” Casey asked, grinning.

“Yeah, but I’m not the magician Stella is,” Dakota said. “Plus, I’ve never baked my own bread. I’d never get it this fluffy.”

“She did wonders,” Hale agreed. He lifted his glass. “To a wonderful summer and new friends and adventures.”

Dakota noticed when she clinked her glasses that the rings they were wearing all matched. They looked silver, and while Hale’s had a bit of black to it, the girls had white. She had inferred that they were a bit of a throuple, more power to them, but Dakota couldn’t imagine herself in a situation like that.

“What do the ring’s mean?” she asked. Even if it wasn’t her choice, the rings and the runes, they had to have some sort of spiritual meaning. Dakota loved that stuff.

“They were a gift,” Hale said.

“Oh hey cutie!” Ivy waved passed Dakota’s shoulder. Dakota turned and saw a little coyote drinking from the river.

“Careful now,” Dakota said. “The coyote’s a bit of trickster, you never know what they want.”

“I dunno,” Casey laughed. “Sometimes he can be very direct.”

Ivy and Casey fell into themselves laughing. Dakota watched, smiling in a way that declared quite clearly that she didn’t get the joke.

“A gift from whom?” Dakota asked, turning her attention to Hale who at least had it together.

“My ... grandfather,” he said. Then he shook his head. It didn’t feel right holding back from a girl he wanted to share a ring with. She was so incredibly cute and just warm all day. “My stepfather’s father actually. It came with the truck.”

“Oh wow,” she said, then her face fell as she recognized the soft smile on Hale’s face as grief. She reached out and squeezed his wrist. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks,” he said. “The thing I’m trying to do now is share the time I have with the best people. Case?”

“Oh! Right!” she said, digging through her bag. Dakota stared in shock as another woman’s ring was pulled out and held in front of your face.

“C’mon,” Ivy said. “Be on team Hale! It’ll make the day amazing.”

“Oh,” Dakota said, “Thank you so much. But, I definitely couldn’t.” She brushed her hands on her skirt. “Enjoy your picnic, I’ll be back with Buccaneer in a bit. I want to make sure they all drank enough.”

Hale watched her walk off.

“I so thought she was down for seeing it as a game,” Casey said.

“Yeah, like maybe we’d tip better after the ride or something,” Ivy said.

“Put it away,” Hale said, putting his hand on the ring and pushing Casey’s hand back to her breast. “I’m sure we could find someone at the balloon festival tomorrow.”

“Really?” Ivy said. “I say we don’t stop swinging until we get at least three strikes.”

“Agreed,” Casey said. “If she was good enough for a ring a minute ago. Is she less good now?”

“No,” Hale said. “She’s definitely still worth our time.”

Dakota liked the three of them. She was having a great time, but she didn’t want to be a third wheel, let alone a fourth. Might’ve been something if Ivy had wanted her because she felt third-wheely with the other two. But it didn’t feel that way. Charlotte was drinking from the river. Putting the ring on and playing with them was a bit much.

But it wasn’t like she was getting other attention this summer.

“The ring’s caught your eye though.”

“Hale?” she said, but Hale was still under the eave of the cliff, eating sandwiches and flirting with his girlfriends. She frowned. It sounded like he was right there.

Only not quite him.

She moved by Charlotte and approached Buccaneer. She squealed, covering her heart as the coyote rushed across the shallow brook, through her cowboy boots and upstream towards the others.

“Bold little shit,” she said, catching her startled breath.

They continued the trip up along the river. Dakota was paying closer attention to the three now. They just fit together like she’d seen few couples do. And there were three of them!

“Hey,” Hale said, finally comfortable enough with Charlotte to trot her up alongside Dakota and Buccaneer. “I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Shoot,” she said, flicking her eyes back to look at Ivy and Casey giggling and conspiring.

“How do we, uh, get ourselves up in a balloon tomorrow?”

“What?!” Dakota was shocked by the question. “You didn’t call anyone? Send and email and arrange a trip? The Fiesta’s tomorrow. That’s crazy.”

“Three weeks ago I didn’t even know I’d be taking a road trip this summer,” Hale laughed. “This whole adventure is new friends, new experiences, new opportunities. It’s kinda been fun, flying by the seat of our pants.”

“Yeah?” Dakota said. “My aunt flies several balloons every year...” She looked back. “You know what? I’m going take you guys. It’s not like we have any horse rides booked for tomorrow. This time around the fiesta no one usually finds our little website. Yeah, I’m take you guys up there. But, you gotta promise me something?”

“You’re a life-saver,” he said, grinning. “Name it, and it’s yours.”

“You gotta dish on how you got those two goddesses. I mean, you’re cute and all--”

“Thank you,” he said, with a little bow. She laughed.

“Cute enough that yeah, landing Casey? Landing Ivy? I can see it. But landing two girls like that and they’re friends?” Dakota shook her head. “I know how catty girls can get. I’ve been that catty. This is amazing.”

She frowned.

“Unless I’m reading it wrong and you’re not together?” she said.

“Oh, no,” Hale said. “Not wrong at all. I’ve been after Casey since I first saw her in class last September.”

“And Ivy?”

“Miracles and magic and a maybe even a coyote helped use find each other,” he said.

Dakota frowned, remembering the coyote from the stream. She tilted her head. “You let me stew on this,” she said. “I’ll have to talk to Granddad and aunt Mary anyways, but if we do this tomorrow...”

“It’ll be wonderful,” Hale said. “And you know how the girls get on. They seem to be smitten by you. I think you’d have a lot of fun with us.”

“If I was only in it for the fun,” Dakota said. “I might take you up on it.”

Hale nodded. There was more to it that fun. He spotted a coyote. Much more indeed.

“I hate having to wait until tomorrow to know for certain.” Hale walked up and down the length of the truck. “I’d feel better if she had the ring on.”

“Let Ivy work her magic,” Casey said, reclining against Betty. “Oh,” she smiled at the coyote. “Your magic.”

“My magic indeed. Tomorrow, in the sky,” the coyote said, turning from Casey to Hale. “We’ll be even. You’ll know what I can do. Let’s call Dakota my resume.”

“No, let’s call her Dakota,” Hale said, not liking the dehumanizing tone from the canine. “And, once you’re debt’s paid, you’re still going to be following us? For how long? All summer?”

“Not like there’s more interesting people around,” the coyote said. His head twisted and he bolted before Hale could interrogate him further. A half-minute later Ivy and Dakota came down from the ranch house.

“I gotta check in with my aunt but things all seem good,” Dakota said. She had an easy smile. “I didn’t even think I was going into the Fiesta this year. Brings me back. I never missed the Fiesta when I was in scouts.”

“I said we’d give her a ride to her Aunt’s,” Ivy said, grabbing Dakota and squeezing her.

“If it’s not an imposition,” Dakota said. “Dakota made some hotel reservations right in Dad’s living room. You guys won’t be far from Mary’s. You guys really do this seat-of-your-pants stuff.”

“It’s been working,” Hale said.

“C’mon, let’s get on the road!” Casey grinned and stuck her tongue out at Ivy. “Cuddle!”

“Dammit!” Ivy laughed.

“What’s cuddle?” Dakota whispered at Hale.

“It’s like calling shotgun, but for the middle of the front bench,” Hale explained.

“You must be having the time of your life,” Dakota said.

“I hate that we had to say goodbye to that ass until tomorrow,” Casey said after Hale double-honked the horn goodbye to Dakota.

“I know!” Ivy said, rubbing her thighs together. “She is adorable. Total cutie! Goddammit!”

“You guys like her that much, huh?”

“She is a sweetie pie,” Casey said. “It’s like, as soon as I had the ‘looks are not enough’ switch flicked, I could look at her legs or her butt or her smile ... Goddammit. Our plans for the rest of the day. We’re done. Done!”

“What do you mean?” Hale asked.

“Order some takeout to the hotel room,” Casey said. “If I have to say hello to her tomorrow morning like this I’m going to start humping her leg like a dog.”

“Oh! Dibs on her other leg!” Ivy said, laughing.

“Hale? You’re speeding.”

He flicked his eyes at the girls across the bench.

“Yeah, she made a mark on me as well.”

“Thanks! Buh-bye!” Casey grinned and kicked the door show as the delivery guy ogled her bare tits. “Soups on!” she called out, wiggling her way in back to the bed. She dropped the paper bags on the nightstand and climbed up against Hale’s hip, kissing him on the cheek as he fucked Ivy from behind.

“I don’t know what he liked more, my tits or this one’s caterwauling moans,” Casey giggled, slapping Ivy across the bouncing asscheek.

“You didn’t,” Hale said, turning and seeing the robe she wore was hanging open.

Casey giggled, “Someone saw my tits, and I got to save four seconds to get them in your mouth.” She stood high on her knees, wrapped her fingers behind Hale’s head and made him suck her nipple as Ivy backed her ass back into his dick.

“I’m th-thhhhhaaaaaaat close,” Ivy said, wriggling.

“Good.” Casey said. “Cum so I can get under my man!”

“Ow-our man!” Ivy groaned.

“No holding back,” Hale demanded, spitting out Casey’s nipple before he spoke. He reached forward and pulled Ivy’s hair up and fucked even harder.

Casey wriggled her way down between his legs, sat her wet pussy on the back of his calf, grabbed Ivy by the thigh, and added her own muscle power to Ivy and Hale’s fuck. It felt sexy, riding her hips forward against Hale’s leg as he swung into Ivy.

“God! God-ddd-d!” Ivy cried out.

“Let it out. Now!” Hale demanded, pressing is weight down and smushing Ivy’s face into the pillow. She splashed and slurped as her scream was smothered into the pillow.

“God yes!” Ivy struggled to push herself up, panting, teary-eyed, and red-faced.

“Good girl!” Hale said, riding Ivy through the spasms and shocks until she fell face down.

“Out of the way!” Casey said, heaving Ivy out of the path of Hale’s cock and rolling herself, spread-eagle and face-up, under him. She grabbed his neck and he wasted not a second to impale her on his dick. Their kiss missed with Casey arching to yowl happily. She wrapped her thighs high around his waist and kicked her heels through the air above him.

“Yes! Yes!” Casey squealed as the dicking deepened.

“Oh, Christ,” Ivy said, pulling herself up on Hale’s arms. “Fuck that little cock-thief.”

She laughed biting into a fried chicken drumstick.

“Don’t stop,” Casey whimpered, throwing her arms out and clawing at the sheets.

The smell of the chicken hit Hale’s nose. He hammered harder with without any form of restraint. His stomach was arguing with his dick. His dick wasn’t going to quit. His stomach wasn’t going to allow an easy fuck.

“Oh god!” Casey said, cumming faster and cross-eyed as her little pussy was jackhammered.

“Dakota! You just about ready, darlin’?” aunt Mary, well her mother’s cousin, knocking on the bathroom door shocked Dakota.

“Sorry! Just taking a pee, I’ll be right out!” she said. She stared out the window, the coyote was gone. A flush, a quick wash of her hands, and a resistance-to-stare-herself-in-the-reflection and ask-if-she-was-going-crazy later, she was out to the kitchen.

“You look more like your mother than ever,” Mary said. “You sure you’re good. It’s been a while since you controlled one of these things.”

“I was seventeen,” Dakota answered. “That’s not that long ago.”

“Six years?” Mary said. “That’s a quarter of your life.”

“A tenth of yours,” Dakota countered.

“You’re still rusty. And even when you were seventeen, you had your girl scout leader and five others who could’ve helped you out,” Mary said. “There’s better ways to show off to some new boyfriend. Why don’t we make it a family event and I can tell Franny all about the boy?”

“It’s not about a boy,” Dakota said.

“I’m as progressive as the next gal. Live and let live and all that, but I know my family, and sure as shit this ain’t about a girl. Not with you,” Mary said. “I’ve seen boy-crazy teens before, but you made an impression.”

“I may not have piloted one on my own since scouts, but I’ve been up in them a couple of times since. I’m very familiar with how to safely go up and down,” Dakota said, ignoring the teasing. “Plus, I was there and did all the inspections last night. You signed off on everything. I was--”

Mary put her hands up. “I ain’t saying ‘no’, just saying ‘I’m worried’.”

“Thanks,” Dakota said. “But I’m old enough, you can trust me. We better go, I said we’d meet them at 7.”

“Them?” Mary said, pouring her coffee into a travel mug. She frowned. “Maybe not as progressive as all that.”

“You guys look like you didn’t sleep at all,” Dakota said. There were already some balloons in the air, but most of the fields were filled with balloons in preparation. Mary smiled.

“Hi, ignore little miss lack of manners,” Mary said. “My name’s Mary.” She looked Hale up and down and barely even saw Ivy and Casey. Far as she was concerned these pretties might have some extra breasts than her girl, but they sure as shit weren’t prettier. “My name’s Mary Summers. Dakota’s my niece.”

“Oh, sorry,” Dakota said as Hale shook Mary’s hand. “Hale this is Mary these are Casey and Ivy.”

“Lovely to meet you,” Casey said.

“You’re gonna want to put that cap of yours in the truck, sweetheart,” Mary said. “Winds up that high can be nasty.”

“Right,” Casey said. She took Hale’s keys to Betty and ran back.

“Go on then,” Mary pushed towards Dakota. “I’ll wait for Casey and I can have girls day while you’re up with Hale.”

“Oh, I don’t think they’d--”

“That’s a lovely idea!” Ivy interjected. “Just one moment though. Case! You got something for Hale?”

“Whatever he asks for,” Casey said, jogging back in her shorts and t-shirt. Ivy elbowed her. Mary frowned, watching as they passed something discreetly to Hale. Mary grabbed Dakota and pulled her back.

“I don’t want you getting high while you’re piloting the balloon,” she said. “You don’t need drugs to have a good time.”

“Thanks,” Dakota said, confused. She wasn’t known for her drug uses.

“Promise?”

“Yeah,” Dakota said, laughing. “High as a balloon, not as a kite.”

Mary frowned, but put on her best face for Casey and Ivy. “C’mon gals. We’re right over there.”

Dakota watched her aunt head off with the girls, more than a little confused.

“I think she’s playing the devious mastermind,” Hale said.

“Uh huh...” Dakota said. She smiled. “Well, I did say I’d take you up. Come along.”

“Sorry about my aunt,” Dakota said, as she did the last checks of the fuel and the vent. “She ruined your date.”

“No, it doesn’t seem ruined to me,” Hale smiled, looking up into their rising balloon.

“Yeah, you guys are gonna have a great time!” More than a half dozen volunteers were helping keep the newly inflated blue, silver, and gold balloon level as Hale grabbed the rigging and swung himself into the basket with Dakota. She cranked the burners, going for buoyancy.

“Hands off!” she said.

“Aye captain!” came the words from a bright old man helping them off. “See you in the skies!”

“See you in the skies!” Hale waved back as the volunteers rushed back and the basket slowly began to lift off. Hale grabbed the edge and put a hand around Dakota’s waist. She smiled at him.

“Nervous?” she asked.

“I’m about to find out if I’m afraid of heights,” he said.

“You don’t know?” she asked.

“I’ve never had the courage to go out on my stepdad’s high-rise balcony and find out.”

“Well don’t panic,” Dakota said. “I’d hate to throw you off for the safety of the rest of the crew.”

“It’s just me and you,” he said. Then he laughed at her smile. “Aye captain.”

She grinned, the last time she had flown a balloon it was during girl scouts. God, it felt good. The sky was already well populated with many balloons. The red and yellow striped balloon carrying Mary, Ivy, and Casey was a ways off, still inflating on the ground.

“Going up easy,” Hale said, his heart hammering but he felt great.

“Yeah, getting up’s a piece of cake. You can start worrying when it’s time to float back down.”

Dakota grinned when he gripped her hip a little tighter. She stuck her tongue out at him.

They were floating up to altitude faster than it seemed the other balloons he had watched go up. Hale sighed. The air was chillier as they rose, but neither of them reached for the jackets they had cinched down in the bottom of the basket. Albuquerque stretched out around, the desert beyond that, and above them a blue sky filled with hundreds of brightly colored balloons.

Hale was looking at Dakota.

“Beautiful!”

“Yeah,” Dakota agreed. “I can’t believe I ever let years go by without going up.”

She turned and saw him looking at her. She smiled, pointing. “There’s Ivy and Casey.”

Hale waved, and got waves back -- from many more balloons than just Ivy and Casey.

“So, it looks like the high winds are blowing east, so were going to keep the balloon rather low as we intend to land north of the ranch,” Dakota said, moving the conversation to another topic. She bit her glove and pulled her hand free and showed Hale the map on her iPad. “You can sort of feel it if we burn higher how the balloon will move.”

“So we just go where the wind takes us,” Hale said. “Nice.”