Kiss Me (Fool's Gold series) (26 page)

* * *

A
LOUD
POUNDING
pushed Zane into consciousness. In less than two seconds he was aware of a very naked Phoebe curled up against him and the sound of his brother’s voice calling his name.

“Hold on,” he yelled back and reached for his jeans.

As he stumbled from the bed, Phoebe stirred. “What is it?”

“Trouble.”

Zane knew Chase would never leave the cattle if something wasn’t wrong.

He collected his jeans and pulled them on, then walked to the door.

“What?” he asked as he opened the door and slipped into the hallway. He was careful to make sure Chase couldn’t see Phoebe in his bed.

His brother looked wet and miserable. “The water’s rising,” he said quickly. “Fast. Cookie’s moving the wagon. We need to get some men out there right now, Zane. We’ve got an hour at most.”

Zane swore. He’d been aware of the steady rain, but he hadn’t thought the rivers would swell up so fast.
Must still be some runoff pouring in
, he thought.

Up and down the hallway, doors opened. Martin stepped out of his room, as did Thad. Maya stumbled out, as well.

“What’s going on?” Thad asked.

“Water’s rising,” Chase said. “We have to move the cattle.”

“I’ll talk to Reilly,” Zane said. “Get some of his men to help.”

The old man appeared. He’d pulled a bathrobe over pajamas. “I heard,” he said when Chase started to explain. He shook his head. “Zane, I’m sorry, but I sent two crews out to repair fences and gave everyone else a long weekend. There’s no one here but me and old Danny who looks after the horses. He’s so bent with arthritis, he can’t ride anymore. But I’ll come help.”

Zane groaned. The three of them weren’t enough to get fifty head of wet cattle moving. Not when they had to cross a river to get to safety.

He looked at Chase and saw panic in his brother’s eyes. “That’s not enough,” Chase said.

“Should I call the Strykers?” Eddie asked, her phone at the ready.

“Yeah, call them, thanks. But we don’t have time to wait, and I don’t know if they’re going to be able to find us in time. They can’t come in Jeeps this time. They’re going to have to ride, and we’re clear on the other side of the spread.”

“I’ll go,” Thad said.

Zane looked at him in surprise. “I appreciate the offer, but this isn’t part of your vacation. This is hard, dangerous work. Cold and wet, too.”

Thad shrugged. “I want to help. I can ride and point the steers in the right direction. Will that be enough?”

“I’ll go, too,” Martin said.

“Me, too.”

The last voice came from behind him. Zane turned to see Phoebe leaning against the wall.

Maya groaned. “Dammit, Phoebe, if you go, I’ll have to, as well. Do you know what this weather is going to do to my hair?”

Phoebe smiled. “Wear a hat.”

“Oh, yeah, that’ll help in this rain.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Zane said. “Not any of you.”

“We know that,” Thad said. “We’re all in this together. Now I say we head out and save us some cattle.”

Chase nodded. “They’re greenhorns, Zane, but there’s plenty of them. Without them, we can’t get the herd to safety.”

Zane knew his brother was right. He didn’t have a choice. Not if he wanted to save the steers.

“Get the horses saddled up,” he told Chase. “We’ll be out in five minutes.” He turned back to everyone else. “Dress warmly. Make the top layer as waterproof as you can.” He nodded at Eddie and Gladys. “We’ll need some food.”

Eddie nodded, then grabbed Andrea and C.J. and pulled them toward the stairs.

Zane turned to Phoebe, who smiled at him. “They’re going to help,” she said.

He frowned. “I know.”

“They like you. We all like you.”

“Oh. My. God.”

He turned and saw Maya staring at him.

“I just got it,” she said. “You had sex with Phoebe.” She looked at Phoebe. “You had sex with Zane. I can’t decide if this is great or too gross for words.”

Phoebe laughed.

Zane walked toward his room. “Just get dressed.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

P
HOEBE
KNEW
THAT
it had to be after dawn. There was a milky quality to the horizon that hinted at light somewhere above the thick, gray clouds, but she was beginning to feel she would never see the sun again. She was also wetter and colder than she’d believed possible. Her clothes were soaked, and her body temperature had dropped from freezing to pain. She found it difficult to hold on to her reins, even with the gloves Reilly had given her to wear.

Water dripped off her hat and splashed onto Rocky. She’d given up apologizing to the horse. She knew he was as miserable as she was, and there weren’t any words to make up for that.

But still she followed Martin, who followed Zane. She forced herself to stay positive, to think about last night rather than the moment. To remember the passion she and Zane had shared. To recall him saying he loved her. Even if he hadn’t meant it, those were words she would treasure forever.

Finally, after what felt like hours, they reached the cattle. Phoebe was stunned to find the animals standing in knee-deep water. She could see the rushing current as the area flooded, and for the first time, she was afraid.

“Gather round,” Zane yelled, motioning for them to get closer.

When everyone had huddled together, he called out their instructions over the drumming of the rain.

“The cattle are restless from the water,” he told them. “Stay alert. Given the choice between losing one of them and losing one of you, I want you to save yourself.”

“Good to know,” Maya muttered from Phoebe’s left. “What if it’s the choice between me and two steers?”

Zane either didn’t hear her or ignored her.

“We’re going to head for higher ground. We have to cross a stream and then head through an open pasture. The pasture slopes up, and we’ll be safe once we’re there. But to get there, we’re heading downhill.”

Phoebe glanced at the swirling water all around them and swallowed hard. Downhill would not have been her first choice.

“We’re going to work in groups,” Zane said loudly. “Reilly will take Martin and Maya. I’ll take Thad. Chase—” he looked at his brother “—you’ve got Phoebe.”

Phoebe was about to ask why she needed her own personal escort when Zane swung around to face her. “I want you up front with Manny. You and Chase are going to lead the herd. Manny knows you and Rocky, and he’ll follow you. It’s dangerous, Phoebe. You’re going to have to be careful. No stopping to talk to trees. I mean it.”

She nodded.

Zane turned to his brother. “Chase, you know what you’re up against.”

“Yeah.”

He jerked his head in her direction. “I’m counting on you to keep her safe.”

Phoebe felt her heart stumble over a beat. A thousand thoughts flashed through her mind—all thrilling, all wonderful. Zane wanted her kept safe? He was trusting his brother with her? Feelings of love and happiness rose faster than the water, but before she could dwell on any one, Zane yelled for them to move on out. Suddenly Chase was at her side and pointing in the direction they were to go.

As she turned her horse, she realized they were going to ride into the rain. The driving cold water found her nose and eyes, no matter how low she pulled her hat. Her feet were painful blocks of ice, her thighs ached.

They circled the herd until they were in front, then Chase cut in and found Manny. He gave the steer a push with his foot. Manny didn’t budge.

Chase swore loud enough for Phoebe to hear, but Manny wasn’t impressed. The steer just settled his shoulders into what looked like a very stubborn stance and mooed pathetically.

Without thinking, Phoebe swung down from Rocky. The water came past the top of her boots and poured inside. It was colder than she would have believed possible—so cold that she couldn’t breathe. But she forced herself to wade through it toward Manny, dragging her horse with her.

She could feel a current sucking at her with each step. Once she nearly went down, and she had to grab on to Rocky to stay standing. Finally she reached Manny and got right in his face.

When he saw her, he reared back and got a really mean look on his face. Phoebe panicked for a second, then remembered she was wearing a hat. Quickly, she tore it off and tossed it away, letting the rain pour directly on her head.

But Manny recognized her, which was all that mattered. He sniffed at her wet coat, then lowered his head and bumped against her. She nearly fell on her butt.

“We have to get out of here,” she told him, yelling directly into his ear. “I’m not kidding. If you stay here, you’re going to drown.”

Moisture dripped down her cheeks, and she realized she’d started crying.

“I don’t want you to die. You hear me, Manny? So we’re leaving. Right now. Come on.”

She grabbed the collar around his neck and pulled. Without his cooperation, she knew it was an impossible task, but surprisingly he took a step, then another. Soon he was walking next to her, and the whole herd fell into place behind him.

After a couple of minutes, Chase moved in and dismounted. He swore as he sank into the water.

“Goddamn weather,” he muttered. “Get on your horse, Phoebe.”

“What if Manny won’t follow Rocky?”

“You can’t stay in the water. You’ll die.”

She tried to answer, but her teeth were chattering too hard. So when Chase laced his fingers together to give her a leg up, she stepped into his hands. Water splashed in an arc out of her boot as she swung her leg over the saddle.

Rocky didn’t need much urging to head through the water. She watched over her shoulder and sighed in gratitude when she saw Manny following her. They were moving again. They were going to save the cattle.

It was only then that she realized how much she was shaking. There were no words to describe the level of cold she felt. Each breath was painful.

Chase pointed toward a grove of trees. “Go that way,” he yelled. “To the left of them.”

She nodded because she couldn’t speak.

And so they rode for what felt like days. The rain lessened, then stopped altogether, but the water kept rising. In a way, that was more terrifying, because she had no idea where it was coming from or how much more was coming.

On and on, with Zane coming up to check on them every fifteen minutes or so. Hours passed. As he paused by her, she did her best to smile and say she was fine, even though she knew she was never going to be warm again. All that mattered right now was getting the cattle to safety. So, as often as Chase glanced toward her to make sure she was still there, she looked over her shoulder to see Manny walking behind Rocky.

Finally the sun broke through the clouds. Phoebe sighed in relief as the bright light heated her, although she was surprised by the position of the sun. It was later than she thought. Still, her spirits lifted as she realized they were climbing, and the water was quickly falling off.

“Are we there?” she asked Chase. “Have we done it?”

He shook his head. “We’re nearly at the creek. Once we’re on the other side, it’s a straight climb up to safety. But we have to cross while we still have light. We don’t have a choice. All this will be underwater by morning.”

Underwater? She didn’t like the sound of that. She was about to tell him when she realized she could hear something. Rushing water. And it sure didn’t sound like a creek to her.

Phoebe nearly fainted when she crested the rise and saw the raging river in front of them. Water raced south, ripping at branches, pulling small trees into the bubbling, muddy flow.

“We can’t cross that,” she said.

“Sure we can. No problem.”

Chase said the right words, but his voice told her he was more than worried. He was afraid.

Zane rode up. “How does it look?”

“There’s no way,” Phoebe said, pointing to the wide, angry river.

Zane looked from her to Chase. “I’ll see if we can cross it. You stay here. If something happens...” He stared at his brother. “Leave the cattle. They’ll have to swim for it as the water rises. Ride south as fast as you can. You’ll be able to find a place to cross farther downstream.”

Phoebe stared at him. “Zane, no! Don’t do this. We’ll all go downstream. Together.”

“We don’t have much time. We have to try to save the cattle.”

She didn’t like this. Not any of it. But as she turned, she saw Manny and knew she couldn’t abandon him. Not without trying to save him and his friends.

Then Zane was gone, heading toward the water. Phoebe held her breath as he entered the swirling, muddy current.

She wanted to yell out for him to be safe. She wanted to tell him that she loved him. But she didn’t want to distract him, and she was busy praying for his safety.

She promised God just about anything He could possibly want if only He would keep Zane safe. She twisted the reins and willed her strength into Zane. Then she stopped breathing.

Zane’s horse walked into the river and immediately stumbled. The animal righted itself, but not before Phoebe died at least twice. Zane guided the animal through the swirling water. When the horse began to swim, she thought she was going to faint.

“What’s going— Holy shit,” Maya breathed as she rode up next to Phoebe. “No way we’re crossing that.”

Phoebe didn’t speak. She was too busy watching Zane. His horse went sideways two feet for every foot it moved forward, but finally it could reach ground, and it surged out the other side.

He took off his hat and waved it. “Piece of cake,” he yelled.

“Talk about a liar,” Maya muttered.

Twenty minutes later, Zane had ridden across the river to their side and rejoined them. A quick search of the banks found a nice low place to head into the water with a gradual bank on the other side.

“Here’s how we’re going to do it,” Zane said as he rode up next to Phoebe. “Chase will go in first, then you. Manny will follow. I want the steer on your left, so he’s downstream. If he loses his footing, I don’t want him falling into you. Understand?”

She nodded because she was too scared to speak.

“Chase will be downstream of you both, so if something happens, relax. He’ll catch you. Trust Rocky. He has long legs, and he’ll only have to swim for a few feet.” Zane hesitated. “You probably won’t like what it feels like when he’s swimming, but don’t panic. Hold on to the saddle and go with it. He’s strong, and he wants to get to the other side as much as you do.”

Zane’s fierce expression softened a little. “You can do this, Phoebe.”

She looked at Manny and the other steers milling behind him. They were all counting on her, and she wasn’t going to let them down.

“I’ll be fine,” she lied.

“Good. Now let me go tell everyone else what we’re doing.”

Phoebe only half listened while Zane explained the plan. He, Chase and Reilly would be downstream, while Martin, Thad and Maya would ride upstream of the herd. He warned them that the water was cold, to trust their horses and head for the bank. Then it was time to head out.

Phoebe waited for Chase to lead the way. When he hit the water, he started swearing. His combinations were so colorful that she started to laugh...right up until the icy river reached her feet and instantly soaked her boots. It was even colder than the last time.

The water sucked the breath right out of her. She wanted to turn back and say she couldn’t do this, but she didn’t. Instead she thought of Zane, of Manny and all the steers. She had to be brave. This mattered.

As Rocky moved forward, she turned to see Manny entering the water. The steer stopped. Phoebe reined in Rocky.

“Come on, Manny,” she called. “You can do it.”

The steer shuddered, then slowly moved toward her.

“That’s it,” she yelled. “Manny. Come on, big guy. Race you to the other side.”

The next few steers entered the water.

Phoebe was so intent on urging Manny forward that she forgot to watch where they were going. Suddenly Rocky stumbled, then lurched. She was nearly thrown.

“Phoebe!”

She heard Zane cry out, but she couldn’t answer. She reached for the saddle, the reins, anything. But her cold fingers wouldn’t cooperate. She felt herself falling into the icy, rushing water.

“Chase!” Zane yelled.

“I see her. Phoebe, grab on.”

She was trying. Desperately. She scrambled to stay in the saddle. She could almost reach the edge of the leather, but just then Rocky began to swim. The change in movement made her slip more.

Something large hit her in the back of the thigh, and she was thrust forward and up. Her fingers grabbed for the saddle, and this time she connected with the wet, slippery leather. She regained her balance. It was only when she was hanging on that she was able to glance down and see Manny right next to her horse. The old steer looked up, and in that second, Phoebe would swear that he was smiling.

Just as Rocky and Manny dragged themselves out of the water on the far bank, a group of riders appeared at the top of the hill. The Strykers had arrived. There was little for them to do, other than wait while the bedraggled riders made their way across the creek, one by one.