Lance and I awoke in the morning to the smell of hot coffee and the sound of frying bacon. Lisa was at the fire cooking breakfast enough for an army, while all the rest of the men slept.
Lance dragged himself from our bed, then went to see to the horses. Lisa watched him move off in the direction of the horses then came to my bed with a cup of her killer coffee.
"You were right, four." Lisa seemed to be in good spirits that morning.
"They seem to agree with you." I observed, then, "Thanks, your coffee smells good.
"I hope it's all right, it's the first I've made in years."
I looked at the black, steaming, liquid in the cup I'd just been handed. "It's black." and took a sip. "And strong." another sip, "Enough to wake the dead, or melt your teeth!" I laughed.
"Will the men like it?"
"They'll like it almost as much as they like you."
Lisa didn't have to think long to figure out what I meant. She grinned, then went back to the fire. "In which case, I'd better not burn the rest of breakfast."
Lisa, was a very quick study.
Our talk, the sounds, and the smells of breakfast, not to mention Lances kicks at the men's feet, brought them to life shortly.
The coffee was a great hit, for the astronomically stout, and the rest of breakfast was even better. We ate quickly, and with team work were on the trail just an hour later. I was generally kept busy with Mary's needs, but was able to follow the conversation as the morning passed.
Lisa's presence in our small group was a great moral booster. She was an instant hit with the men as well as a female companion for me. Lisa herself knew she'd just gotten a new lease on life by virtue of us being the ones who found and freed her from the chain, and boulder, the same way I had when these five men happened upon me first. It was with that thought in mind that Lisa took over my old duties as the camp whore.
The men were in good spirits as we set out southward, following the trail of the large women's column Lisa had been a part of. Jack set a leisurely pace, saying it was about the pace he'd observed the women were using while he'd followed them the day before. Jason and Joe rode ahead of us as scouts leaving Jack, Lance, Terry, Lisa and myself free to ride easily, and talk as we rode.
My own curiosity was burning about what had happened in the City of Towers since I'd been banished, but Jack and Lance kept Lisa busy with their questions about the column, and it's purpose; not to mention destination. One of the most valuable lessons I'd learned since coming to live her in the men's world; the wilderness; was that patience has it's own rewards.