Sam snorted aloud with his own laughter when their wonderful kiss finally broke.  Her observation and the little joke she was making of his use of his horse’s pseudoname impressed him, both because of her memory and her quick wit.<br/><br/>“The horse was registered as Charlie when I got him, but one of my Mexican friends talked me into calling him Diablo . . . said it was ‘muy macho’  . . . that Charlie was a lame name for such a noble beast.  So I guess I slipped back to his registered name . . . I have no idea why.  I’m impressed that you remembered Diablo . . . I think I only mentioned his name in passing once when I first arrived.”<br/><br/>He glanced about and saw no one taking an interest in them so he squeezed her ass cheeks as he drew her tightly in against him for a very deep kiss.  It made his body tingle with need for her and caused his body to flush with heat.  He was a bit breathless as he spoke.<br/><br/>“Kissing you is a requirement of the job.  I wrote it into the job description myself.  I do love kissing you . . . and don’t forget the other requirement of the job.   Maybe once we’ve checked in on your friend the marshal . . . we can find a place.”<br/><br/>Sam sighed at the thought of lifting her skirt again and maybe having her from behind.  He took his hat back from her and wiped the flushed sweat from his brow before placing the hat back on his head at the same rakish angle.  Sam grinned at her a little sheepishly.<br/><br/>“So where are we?  I’ve gotten a little distracted and turned around.”<br/><br/>He patted her butt and then moved his hand to the small of her back and kept it there as she told him where things were from where they stood.  He cringed as he pictured the water flowing in torrents down the street and Irene being knocked down trying to cross it.  He sighed not liking that image at all.  When she was done, he thought that she’d done a nice job as he felt like he could find things now on his own.  He chuckled as it seemed to finally register with her about the ride he’d planned.<br/><br/>“Yep . . . a pleasant little ride into the countryside . . . a little bearing gathering . . . some reconnoitering . . . a possible interlude with my assistant . . . perhaps in a shady, grassy spot if one can be found.  Perhaps there’ll be an opportunity for some horse trading too.  You never know what you’ll find on the trail.”