Authors: Jae
The forces of the river grabbed them and rushed them
downstream.
Panic robbed her of breath. She clung to the saddle horn for
dear life.
Oh, God. Too fast! We'll be swept past the island!
Cinnamon stretched his neck, his nose pointing at the
island. His muscles worked beneath Rika. As he turned, the water hit them from
the side.
Please, please, please, don't let anything hit us now.
Inch by inch, they gained against the forces of the river.
Then Cinnamon's hooves found solid ground. He scrambled up
the small island.
Amy gripped his bridle with one hand and brought him to a
stop.
"Oh, God." Rika's stomach lurched, and she slid
from the saddle with numb limbs.
Strong arms caught her and kept her upright. "That was
crazy." The hot whisper brushed Rika's ear as Amy pulled her against her
equally drenched body.
Words deserted Rika. She clung to Amy for long moments,
resting against her body.
How odd
. Here she was, drenched to the bone,
standing in the middle of a raging river, and yet she felt safe and at peace.
Then cold water crept up her calves. "How are we gonna make it back?"
She didn't think for a second that Amy would leave behind the foal. She
wouldn't either.
Amy let go and pulled back. "We'll ride double and tow
the foal along. I'm pretty sure the mare will follow on her own." She
again formed a ladder with her hands. "Hurry."
With trembling knees, Rika heaved herself into the saddle.
Amy slipped the rope that hung on Cin's saddle around the
foal's neck and then climbed up behind Rika.
The foal's scared squeal drowned out the noise of the water.
The mare circled them and nudged her foal toward the river
as if she understood what they were doing.
Amy's arms slid around Rika to grip the reins. The embrace
forced back the panic that clutched Rika's insides. "Give me the
rope," Rika said, now calm enough to think. "You take the reins, and
I'll take care of the foal."
The drenched leather of Amy's gloves tightened around the
rope. Then Amy silently handed over the rope and the responsibility for the
foal. "Keep the rope tight," Amy said.
Rika grabbed the rope with both hands, trusting Amy to keep
her in the saddle.
Cinnamon walked forward. Water splashed and drenched them.
Behind them, the foal squealed as the water tore at it. The
little hooves lost traction, and the wild-eyed foal was forced to swim.
Amy's arms tightened around Rika when they reached the
halfway point between the little island and the bank. The water rose up
Cinnamon's sides, and then he was swimming too.
The tug on the rope increased. Rika's arm muscles screamed
in protest.
She glanced over her shoulder. "The foal won't make it
to the other side." The little head dipped under water, then resurfaced
with a panicked squeal when Rika pulled on the rope. "It's getting
weaker."
The mare behind them whinnied as her foal went under again,
despite Rika's tight grip on the rope.
Cinnamon's hooves found solid ground, but now they were
dragging the foal. It had stopped swimming.
Rika tried to duck beneath Amy's arm and slide out of the
saddle.
Amy's arms clutched at her. "No! What are you
doing?"
"The foal is drowning!" Rika shouted. "Take
the rope, and let me go!"
A wild curse wrenched from Amy's lips, but she let go.
Shivering, Rika slid into the water. The torrent gripped
her, tearing at her, and she grabbed the rope. Water burned in her eyes and
made her cough as she slid down the rope. Her hands found the foal's head and
struggled to keep it above water.
Something large appeared in her line of sight.
A felled tree rushed at them.
Rika kicked with her legs.
No! Get away!
She let go
of the rope to grip the foal's neck tighter and drag it with her, away from the
tree.
Branches scratched and clawed at her like a wild animal, but
Rika never let go. Her skirt, sodden with water, threatened to pull her down.
A powerful surge shoved her head underwater.
Rika let go of the foal, afraid she would drag it down with
her. She struggled against the force of the water with hands and feet.
Her lungs burned.
Air!
Strong kicks of her legs propelled her upward. Coughing, she
resurfaced.
Then a strong hand grabbed the back of her dress. She was
pulled against Cinnamon's warm side. Seconds later, her feet touched the
ground. She struggled up the bank and sank into the mud.
With a splash, Amy landed next to her. "Rika!" Her
hands flew up and down Rika's body as if to make sure she was still in one
piece. "Rika!"
She wanted to answer, wanted to tell Amy that she was all
right, but all she could do was gasp for breath. Her throat burned, and her
arms and legs felt as if they weighed a ton.
Gently, Amy turned her around and knelt over her. When their
gazes met, Amy blew out a breath. "Rika," she said again and again.
"Oh, God, Rika. When you let go of the rope and were gone, I
thought..."
Rika opened her mouth to tell her she was fine.
Hot breath brushed over Rika's face, her lips. Then
trembling hands framed her face.
Gulping, Rika stared at Amy, transfixed by the intense green
eyes just inches from hers. Thoughts swirled through Rika's head faster than
the foaming torrent shot through the riverbed, but she couldn't grasp even one
of them.
Then all contact between them was gone. Amy pulled back with
a cry.
It felt like the moment she had been forced to let go of the
rope, and she stared at Amy, disoriented. Again struggling for breath, Rika sat
up.
What just happened?
"Amy? What...?" Her voice was rough
with river water and confusion. "Are you all right?"
Amy wiped her face with sodden gloves. "Yes, yes, of
course. I'm just glad we all made it out of that damn river alive."
The sound of hooves squishing through the mud pulled Rika
out of her jumbled thoughts.
"The foal!" She glanced around.
"He's fine," Amy said. "You saved him when
that tree almost hit him."
The foal stood farther up the bank, its flanks shaking. His
mother ran her soft muzzle all over him. Cinnamon waited with dragging reins
not far from them.
Somewhere above them, a buzzard circled.
Rika shivered. "What now?"
Amy went to check on the horses. She didn't look at Rika.
"You could ride to the ranch and send one of the boys back with a horse
for me."
"And leave you here on your own?" Rika didn't like
the thought. Her imagination showed her pictures of what might happen to Amy
while she was gone. She shivered. "Why don't we ride double? I'm sure
Cinnamon can carry both of us if we take it slow."
Without answering, Amy continued to slide her hands over
Cinnamon's sides and legs. She checked the saddle before she turned back to
Rika. "All right. Come on, then." She mounted, pulled her foot from
the stirrup, and reached down for Rika's hand.
The damp leather of their gloves met in a strong grasp.
Rika put her foot in the stirrup and pulled up her sodden
skirt with her free hand.
Amy's gaze dropped to the saddle horn.
When Rika landed in the saddle behind her, Amy urged
Cinnamon into a fast walk.
The sudden forward motion made Rika grab Amy's hips to avoid
getting tossed off. She felt Amy flinch and let go. "Are you hurt?"
she asked. Her own body was probably covered with scratches and bruises from
her encounter with the tree.
"No." Amy's voice rumbled through her. "It's
just... Your gloves are wet, and your hands are freezing."
"Oh." Rika curled her fingers into fists. "No
wonder." She laughed shakily. "My whole body feels frozen."
Cinnamon trudged up a hill.
Rika slid back. "Amy!"
Amy sighed. "Hold on to me."
Rika threw one arm around Amy, stopping her backward slide.
She tugged off one glove, then the other with her teeth before she slid her now
gloveless hands around Amy. "Better?"
A shaky breath vibrated through the body under her hands.
"Um. Yes."
Amy's jacket was dripping, and her shirt was as wet as
Rika's dress, but heat still emanated from her. Rika's hands, pressed to Amy's
sides, instantly felt warmer than the rest of her body. She resisted the urge
to snuggle closer to share Amy's comforting warmth. "Aren't you
cold?"
A snort of laughter escaped Amy, and she chuckled about
something Rika didn't understand. Or maybe the laughter was Amy's way of coping
with the danger they had narrowly escaped. "No," Amy said. "Not
particularly."
Exhaustion settled over Rika. When her grip loosened and her
arms slid down, she felt Amy's hand on her forearm, holding her in place.
Rika forced herself to sit straighter in the saddle. She
couldn't afford to fall asleep right now, no matter how tired she was. Her gaze
slid over muddy fields; then she turned to look back at the river.
"Amy!" She clutched Amy's sides. "Look. The
mare and the foal are following us." She had worried about leaving them
behind but thought the foal was too exhausted to make the trip back to the
ranch.
"I know. Horses are herd animals. They don't want to be
left behind."
"Will the foal be all right?" She watched as he
broke into a stiff-legged gallop to keep up with Cinnamon and his mother.
"He'll be fine." Amy's still gloved hand stroked
hers for a moment, then retreated. "Thanks to you."
Amy's praise, her gratefulness, warmed Rika's cold body from
the inside out.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, Cinnamon stopped in
the ranch yard.
A buckboard with two horses stood tied to the porch rail.
When Rika slid out of the saddle, the door to the main house
opened and Nattie stepped outside, followed by Hannah. "Hey, Amy, look
who's here to —" Nattie pressed a hand to her mouth when she took in their
sodden clothes and the mud-crusted horses. "What happened?"
"Later." Amy pushed past her. "Rika needs to
get into some dry clothes first, and I need to go out and find Ruby."
The thought of Amy crossing the river to find Ruby made
Rika's heart pound. She hurried after Amy and grabbed her arm. "Send one
of the ranch hands."
Amy shook her head. "This is my responsibility."
Anger heated Rika's skin. "Being responsible is one
thing, but this is just dumb. You can't even swim!" The words were out before
she remembered that Amy was running the ranch and she was just a guest. But she
refused to take them back. She remembered too well how scared she had been when
Amy had tumbled into the raging river.
"You still can't swim?" Hannah asked.
Amy shrugged and freed herself from Rika's grip. "Mama
can't swim, and Papa doesn't like to either, so no one ever taught us."
"Then she's right," Hannah said. "Send one of
your men."
Not waiting for a decision, Nattie gathered up her skirts.
"I'll get Toby. And I'll take care of the horses."
Amy's jaw bunched, but she didn't stop her when she led away
Cinnamon and the mare. The foal followed them to the stable.
"Come on, you two," Hannah said. "Let's get
you into some dry clothes."
Rika pointed at the cabin. "I'll go and change into one
of my own skirts."
"Good idea." Amy smiled for the first time since
she had seen the foal on the small island. "Because that," she
pointed at the dress Rika was wearing, "is my last clean dress."
* * *
"You rode into the river, even though you can't
swim?" Hannah said after Amy finished her tale. She had followed Amy into
her room, too impatient to hear what had happened to wait until Amy finished
changing.
With Hannah's back to her, Amy struggled out of her sodden
pants. "What was I supposed to do? Watch the foal drown?" Her shirt
followed the pants, and she ran a washrag over the mud spatters on her skin.
When Hannah turned to answer, Amy felt her friend's gaze on her body, but this
time, it didn't send shivers across her skin. Her heart continued with its
steady beat. It no longer sped up at the thought of Hannah looking at her
half-dressed body.
Maybe I'm finally getting over this... reaction,
she
thought.
Oh, yeah? You almost jumped out of your skin when Rika put her
hands on your hips to hold on. And you almost kissed her. Lord, what were you
thinking?
She ducked her head and hunched her shoulders. Rika was a
woman. And not just any woman but Phin's future wife. Amy's body didn't listen
to that admonishment, though. The thought of Rika's closeness raised goose
bumps all over her skin. Her back to Hannah, she trailed her index finger
across her lips, which had almost touched Rika's, then shook her head to get
rid of the confusing feelings.
"How did you get back to the bank after Ruby ran
off?" Hannah asked.
"Rika rode after me." Amy's nails bit into her
palms. The helplessness of those moments gripped her again. "She can
barely ride and she had promised to stay out of the way if something unexpected
happened, but she rode into the river just the same."
"What was she supposed to do? Watch you drown?"
Hannah asked, repeating Amy's words about the foal.
Amy knew she never would have made it out of the river
alive, much less rescued the foal, if not for Rika. But still, watching Rika
struggle to stay in the saddle and then seeing her be pulled down by the
river... Amy shivered.
A soft touch to her arm jerked her back to the present.
Amy flinched and turned, halfway expecting to see Rika stand
in front of her. But, of course, it was Hannah, who looked at her with
compassionate eyes.
"Lord, that must have been so hard. I bet it brought
back some awful memories for you." She rubbed her hand along Amy's bare
arm.