Randall Pride (13 page)

He strode quickly in the rain and the movement
jostled her swollen ankle. She buried her face in his neck and moaned.

He lowered her as he got on his knees. Then, with superb strength, he almost tossed her into the tent. Suddenly the rain wasn’t falling on her anymore, and the grass beneath the tent floor was softer than the rocks she’d been sitting on.

“Stick your feet out so we can get your boots off,” he ordered from outside. She did so, but she wasn’t sure he would be able to get the left one off. The right one came off easily. The other one, as she’d suspected, wouldn’t budge.

“Elizabeth, I’m cutting your boot off.”

“No!” she protested, even though she knew she was being silly. This was no time to worry about losing a favorite pair of boots. It didn’t matter. Toby ignored her. She felt his big knife slid down the side of her foot. Then, there was sudden relief to the pressure she’d been feeling on her ankle.

“Get your feet in before they get wet.”

She did so and sat curled up in the tent. Relief flooded her.

“Are you undressing?” he called.

She’d forgotten his order. First she found the sleeping bag and rolled it out. Then she threw her coat toward the slight opening in the tent. Next came her jeans, difficult to maneuver since they were wet, especially when they had to pass over her ankle. After they were off, she removed her top and eased her feet into the warmth of the sleeping bag.

Just as she was zipping it up, Toby called, “I’m coming in, Elizabeth.”

She scooted over as far as she could, which wasn’t far. He came in anyway.

Fortunately he was mostly dry since he’d worn his rain slicker the entire time. Only his pant legs were wet. She expected him to fuss at her for taking up so much room. Or for being so dumb as to fall off her horse.

Instead, he pulled a radio out of the pack and punched some buttons.

“Red, I’ve got her.”

“Thanks be, boy. Here’s her dad.”

“Toby? Is she all right?”

“She has a bad ankle. We’re over the pass and it’s too dangerous to try to get back in the dark. It’s pouring rain here.”

“Yeah, we figured. Thanks, Toby. Can I talk to her?”

“Hi, Daddy,” Elizabeth said as she leaned toward the speaker. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“For falling off Buttercup like a dude.”

“Accidents happen, little girl. You let Toby take care of you, and we’ll be at the bottom of the mountain with a vehicle to bring you home as soon as it’s daylight.”

“We’ll be there about an hour after sunrise, Uncle Chad,” Toby said. “It’ll take us that long to get
down.” They were picking up static and he signed off before anyone could say anything else.

“I feel like such an idiot!” Elizabeth exclaimed, her eyes tearing up again.

“Don’t you start crying, Elizabeth,” Toby warned with mock fierceness. “You know I have a weakness for tears. Maybe if I feed you. Will that take your mind off your misery?”

“Probably,” she said with a sniff.

The pack he’d brought in was now at their feet and he struggled to get hold of it and tug it to him.

He pulled out two sandwiches and a thermos. “Red fixed decaf coffee. And I’ve got some pain pills that will help your ankle feel better.”

Just as he’d efficiently put up their little tent, so he organized everything. He gave her a cup of coffee and two little white pills. After taking them, she enjoyed Red’s delicious sandwich. Suddenly she felt much better. After Toby had eaten, too, he pulled the pack behind his back for support.

“Now,” he said with a sigh, “you need to get some rest.”

“But what about you?”

He slumped against the rock at his back through the tent and half lifted her so she was on top of his body. He spread his legs so she lay between. Then, with another sigh, this one she’d swear sounded like contentment, he wrapped his arms around her. “I’m comfy.”

“But you don’t have any cover,” she protested.

“I have you. That’ll do me. I have on long underwear. Are you warm enough?”

“Mm-hmm, I’m doing great,” she muttered as her eyes drifted closed. Those pills he’d given her must really be strong. She felt even better than she did when sleeping in her own bed.

Toby was there holding her.

R
ELIEF FLOODED
the room as Chad clicked off the radio. Megan raced into his arms for a celebratory hug. Even Jim and Drew had tears in their eyes after learning of their sister’s safety.

“Man, it’s going to be a brutal night for those two. The weather report said it’s going to be rough outdoors. We don’t usually get a storm like this so early,” Russ pointed out.

“He’s well prepared,” Red pointed out. “And Toby knows what he’s doing.”

“Yeah, he does, but I’m glad he found her before dark,” Jake said. “How about some coffee, B.J.?” he asked his wife. The wives had offered coffee as they got in, but the emergency had kept them from accepting. Now everyone gathered around the table.

“We’re going to owe Toby big-time,” Chad said.

“Don’t be silly, brother,” Jake responded. “Toby won’t look at it that you owe him.” Before Chad could respond, the phone rang. Jake reached for it. “Hello?”

“Thanks for calling us. This storm took us by surprise.” After a pause, he said, “Well, no, we’re not
all in. Toby and Elizabeth are out in the mountains. She fell off her horse.

“No, thanks, Griff. Toby prepared well, and he’s got her safe until morning. We’ll go get them then. Thanks for offering.”

When he hung up, Chad said, “Nice of Griff.”

“Yeah. He heard it’s going to be a bad one. Figures to turn to snow about midnight.”

“Why did Elizabeth feel the need to go off by herself?” Megan burst out.

“I figure it’s ’cause all you galoots are men,” Red said, gesturing to the cousins. “We need more girls around here.”

“Hey, I’m not objecting,” Rich said with a chuckle, “but let’s have someone other than cousins.”

His words got a chuckle from the other men, but B.J. said, “We should encourage Elizabeth to invite her friends out. Abby teaches with her. She went with her and Russ to Denver. We could invite Abby to spend a weekend.”

“Yeah, great idea,” Russ agreed with a lot of enthusiasm.

“For Elizabeth, son,” Pete pointed out dryly. “Not for your benefit.”

Russ avoided his father’s gaze. “I was just trying to be friendly.”

“We’ll think of something,” B.J. said with a smile. “But right now, we’d better get dinner ready. Someone’s going to have to get up early to rescue our damsel and our hero.”

Toby stared into the darkness of the tent. The rain had stopped several hours ago, but there was a whisper that told him it had changed to snow. A lot of snow.

Elizabeth shifted on top of him and he tightened his hold on her warm body. Where she lay against him, he was quite warm. Red-hot actually. But the outer edges of his arms, legs and back were cold. Not dangerously cold, but uncomfortably so.

Not that it mattered. He wasn’t going to get much sleep that night anyway. His body was aroused from such close proximity to a half-naked Elizabeth, even though she was in a sleeping bag.

Then the hardness of his bed made his bones feel like brittle rocks. Every time he shifted, he creaked. But he had Elizabeth safe, here in his arms. That fact made his discomfort unimportant.

If she’d spent the night outdoors with no protection in this storm, she might have died. The world might go on without Elizabeth, but how could he? He
dropped a kiss on her brow and laid his head against her soft curls.

Tomorrow, he was going to talk to his father about his feelings for Elizabeth. If Jake told him it was impossible, then he’d have to decide what he should do. He could afford his own place, start his training business and have a…a satisfying life. Yeah, sure.

But he had to take the chance. He couldn’t walk away from Elizabeth without her knowing how he felt. How he would always feel. He had to try, no matter what it cost him.

With that decision made, he tried to settle again on his bed of nails and get a little sleep.

When he next opened his eyes, there seemed to be no change in their status. He was still holding Elizabeth in the dark. The whispering continued. When he managed to get his wristwatch close to his face, he discovered that it was almost seven o’clock.

He carefully slid Elizabeth off him to the floor of the tent. She settled with a groan or two, but she didn’t wake up. He crawled to the tent opening where he’d left his rain slicker. The raindrops on it had changed to ice pellets, but the inside was dry.

He stepped through the opening into a snowy, bitterly cold world. He put on the slicker hurriedly and closed it, adding his hat for his protection. His gloves were in the pockets, so they were added to his uniform.

Next on the list were the animals. He’d spread blankets on both of them. Now he pulled out the two
feed bags he’d brought and took care of their breakfasts.

All the while, he’d been thinking about the trip back down the mountain. He could leave all the supplies he’d brought and pick them up next week when the weather cleared up.

But it would be hard on Elizabeth to sit on a horse, especially with one foot exposed to the cold.

He slipped back into the tent and shook her. “Lizzie? Time to wake up.”

She groaned, but didn’t move. He leaned over and rubbed his lips over hers. It had been too tempting. And she wouldn’t remember. Then he shook her again. “We’ve got to go, Lizzie. Your dad will be waiting.”

He turned around and pulled out the spare clothes her mother had sent, a sweatshirt and warm-up pants. “Put these on.”

“What?” she muttered, trying to open her eyes.

Sternly, he ordered, “We have to go. Get dressed. I even have some breakfast for you. You’ll have to eat it cold, but it should help.”

She was looking at him strangely, which made him nervous. “Come on.”

She took the clothes from him and he dug out the other two sandwiches and a second thermos of coffee. He was grateful Red knew how to pack. The coffee, this time with lots of caffeine, was more important than even the sandwiches. Something hot in his body would get him down the mountain.

Another moan had him looking over his shoulder. Elizabeth had the sweatshirt in place, but she was apparently having difficulty with the pants. “What’s wrong?”

“I—I can’t get the pant leg over my ankle without—oh!” She gasped with pain.

He reached for the zip on the sleeping bag and ripped it down the side until he reached Elizabeth’s foot. He eased the elastic holding the leg of the warm-ups over the swollen area, but after Elizabeth pulled them up, her cheeks red, Toby still saw a problem.

“Damn, that elastic is tight on your ankle, isn’t it?”

She nodded, her expression full of misery.

He got out his knife again and sliced through the material and the elastic. The tension went away and it lay flat against her swollen ankle.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“Your mom may not thank me. I’ve just about ruined your wardrobe.”

“B-b-but you saved me,” she pointed out with a shiver.

“Get back inside the sleeping bag,” he ordered. As she did so, he zipped it up, enclosing her in its warmth. “Your jacket is a piece of ice this morning. Even if it was wearable, your foot would be exposed to the weather.”

“What are we going to do?” Elizabeth asked. She knew better than to try bravado, assuring Toby she could make it. They had all been taught as children
to respect Mother Nature. “Too bad I can’t ride down the mountain in the sleeping bag,” she said in an attempt at humor.

“That’s what I was thinking,” Toby said slowly. “Yeah. I think that’s what we’ll do.”

“Wait a minute! I don’t understand.”

“Don’t worry, you will,” Toby assured her with a grin. “Let’s eat so we can be on our way.”

They drank the coffee and hurriedly ate the sandwiches. Then Toby went out to get the horses ready. It was still snowing but the wind had died down. He was still debating exactly how he would get Elizabeth down the mountain. He could carry her in his arms while he rode Cocoa. He figured Cocoa could carry that much weight. He was a big gelding. But it was dangerous. Especially with the snow making the path tricky.

He decided the best way was for him to lead Cocoa down the mountain with Elizabeth on the horse’s back, the other horse following. Once they got on the down side of the mountain, what wind there was wouldn’t be a factor because the mountain would block it. That would help. And they’d be in the sunshine. Until later, no sunshine would reach this side of the mountain.

“Toby?”

He ducked his head back in the tent. “Yes?”

“What should I do?”

“Just give me another minute.”

He loaded all the gear he was taking home on the
other horse. Then he returned to the tent. “I’m going to put you on Cocoa.” He lifted her out of the tent.

“But I can’t hold on,” she protested.

“You’ve heard of ladies riding sidesaddle? Well, that’s what you’re going to do. Through the sleeping bag, I want you to hook your knee over the saddle horn. That will help stabilize you. Then hold on the best you can through the sleeping bag.”

He set her in the saddle, then helped her arrange herself as he’d said. Zipping the sleeping bag to the very top, he lifted his Stetson off his head and settled it on Elizabeth’s red curls. It was a little large, but it would protect her.

“Toby! You mustn’t give me your hat! You take it. You’ll get cold.”

“I’ll be moving. You won’t.” He ignored her continued protests and surveyed their little campsite. Everything was taken care of. He grabbed Cocoa’s reins and turned him toward the trail. Over his shoulder, he said, “If you feel yourself slipping, yell!”

Then he started their return.

A half hour later, they’d crested the trail and looked down on the valley. Toby noticed there wasn’t much sunshine since it was still snowing, but he thought he could see a vehicle at the base, which meant there was someone waiting for them.

He indicated that direction to Elizabeth, who was silent, but she gave a nod and a small smile. He suspected she was in a lot of pain, but he couldn’t give
her another pill. She wouldn’t be able to stay on the horse.

“Are you doing all right?” he asked.

She nodded but said nothing. He patted her leg and went back to lead Cocoa. The horse was doing a good job on the trail. A couple of times he’d slipped a little but going down should be easier.

The trek down the east side was better, especially because the snow had stopped. He let the hood of his rain slicker fall back. Checking on Elizabeth, he got another small nod, no smile this time. He hoped Anna had come with the others. She was a nurse and would know what to do for Elizabeth.

When they were almost down, Chad and Jake joined them. They couldn’t wait at the bottom with the others. There were two vehicles there, a pickup with a horse trailer behind it, and a Jeep Cherokee.

‘You okay, son?” Jake asked as soon as he reached him, automatically reaching out to take the reins from his hands.

“I’m fine, Dad, a little tired, but fine.”

Chad had gone to Elizabeth’s side. “How are you, little girl?” he asked anxiously.

Jake stopped Cocoa so Chad could check on his daughter, and all three of them saw the tears form in her eyes. “I’m f-fine,” she said with a gasp.

“She needs another pain pill, but I couldn’t give her one or I wouldn’t have been able to get her down the mountain. We need to get her to the bottom so
she can get some relief,” Toby said, hoping they’d take the hint and cut the greetings short.

“Right,” Jake said, urging Cocoa forward once again.

Chad strode beside the horse, helping to steady Elizabeth and they reached the bottom a few minutes later. Anna and Megan were both there, waiting. Chad lifted Elizabeth from the horse and carried her to the Jeep Cherokee where she stretched out on the leather back seat. Megan tucked a pillow behind her shoulders as she comforted her.

“Anna?” Toby called. He held out the white pills he’d given Megan. “Here are the pain pills from the first-aid box I’ve been giving her. She hasn’t had any this morning. If you’ll give her some now, she’ll soon be comfortable.”

“Thanks, Toby. I will. Megan, where’s the water?”

Toby knew Elizabeth was safe. Now he had to tend to his animals. He turned to discover Cocoa and the other horse being loaded into the trailer by his dad and Uncle Chad.

“Here, I can do that,” he called.

“No problem,” Jake assured him. “We’ve got them in. We’ll unsaddle them when we get to the barn. You get in the cab. The heater should be running pretty well.”

“I’m going with the girls,” Chad called as he headed for the Jeep. Jake nodded and waved. He got behind the wheel of the truck and was putting on his
seat belt when Chad appeared at the window and knocked. Jake rolled down the window.

“Here’s Toby’s hat. Elizabeth wanted to be sure he got it back,” He grinned as he handed it through the window.

“Thanks,” Toby said, reaching across to take it.

“I owe you, boy,” Chad said, tears in his eyes. Then, before Toby could respond, Chad hurried back to the other vehicle.

“No! I—” Toby wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but it seemed important to say something.

“Let it go, son. You did good. They
should
feel grateful.”

Toby couldn’t say anything. He wanted to explain that Elizabeth was his, his to save, to love, to protect. But he couldn’t do that. Not yet. But he would talk to his dad and Uncle Chad soon. He would let them know what Elizabeth meant to him. Then he’d see.

I
N SPITE OF
all the loving care she was receiving, Elizabeth felt like an idiot. The doctor had insisted she remain in bed for twenty-four hours. Then she had to stay off her feet for three more days. She would miss three days of school.

It was almost impossible to find a substitute.

When she fretted about that, her mother promised to take her place until she could return.

“But your shop, Mom? What will you do?”

“Evelyn will work a few more hours. It’s no big deal. I’ll call her right now.” Evelyn was a widow
who worked in the antique and consignment shop Megan ran in Rawhide. “I might even hire another lady I’ve talked to for part-time work. I liked her, but I wasn’t sure I’d have enough hours for her.”

“I am going to get well. This isn’t anything permanent, you know,” Elizabeth pointed out. Her mother sounded as if she’d be in bed forever.

“Of course you are. Anna said you’re doing very well.”

Yes, she was, as long as she got a pain pill on a regular basis. Elizabeth sighed. “Are you sure Toby is all right? Have you actually seen him?”

“Of course I have. He was at the table last night for Sunday supper. And we embarrassed him to death by heaping praise on him. He’s out working today. Did you want to see him?”

Elizabeth thought about that offer. “Yes, I would, when he can spare a minute. Just to be sure he’s all right. He didn’t even have any cover Saturday night because I was in the sleeping bag.”

“And he let you wear his hat down the mountain. That was very gentlemanly of him.”

“Yes.” Elizabeth closed her eyes. “Mom!”

“Yes, dear?” Megan said, turning around. She’d been about to go downstairs.

“Mom, Toby’s not really kin to me.”

Megan stared at her daughter, not moving. “Well, he’s not
blood
kin, dear, but he’s part of our family.”

“Yes, but—”

“Why is that important, Elizabeth?”

“Because I feel—different about Toby.”

“Oh.” Megan sat down on the side of the bed.

“Is that horrible?” Elizabeth whispered.

Megan reached out to take her daughter’s hand. “No,” she said slowly, “it’s not horrible. But you were so recently engaged, it seems a little sudden.”

Elizabeth’s cheeks flamed. Her mother was only saying what everyone would think. “I’ve been in love with Toby forever. But he went away and didn’t come back. I knew he wasn’t interested in me. I tried to find some—some alternative. Sometimes I think that’s why I was blinded to Cleve’s faults. I was looking for someone the opposite of Toby so I wouldn’t—”

“I was afraid of that,” Megan said softly as she squeezed Elizabeth’s hand.

“What do I do now?”

With a sigh, Megan stood and bent over to kiss Elizabeth’s forehead. “I don’t know, dear. But I’ll talk to B.J. Maybe she’ll have some idea. You need to take a nap now, and if you’re very good, I’ll try to induce Toby to visit you tonight.”

With that, Elizabeth had to be content. Besides, it helped that someone understood her agony.

Megan left her daughter’s room, a frown on her face. Poor Elizabeth. Many a girl had fallen for Toby. He wasn’t cruel. He just didn’t realize how he affected young women. Besides, Megan was sure he cared about Elizabeth.