Venom (10 page)

“That was the last of them.”

Evelyn burst into tears. Tears of relief and joy combined. She cried quietly until she was drained and couldn’t shed another drop. Sniffling, she dabbed at her nose with her sleeve. “I must look a sight.”

Zach chuckled. “You’re sort of cute with snot all over your face.”

Despite herself, Evelyn laughed.

Zach set down the tomahawk and Bowie and pushed at the saddle. “When I get this high enough, do you think you can pull your leg out?”

“I’ll try,” Evelyn said. “But I can’t feel anything. For all I know, it’s broken.”

“Let’s try.” Zach squatted and slid his arms as far under the sorrel as he could and grit his teeth and strained. His face grew red and his shoulders and neck bulged.

Evelyn braced herself on her elbows. The pressure eased slightly and she pulled. Her leg slid an inch or so, and no farther. She tried harder and finally shook her head and said, “It’s not working.”

“Damn.” Zach eased off and draped his forearms over his knees. “I need help.”

At that juncture hooves pounded and a big bay came to a halt and a giant form vaulted down.

“Pa!” Evelyn squealed.

Nate King was a study in concern. He looked from his daughter to his son and back again. “Are both of you all right?” He stared at Evelyn. “You?”

“We’re fine, Pa. I can’t get loose, though.”

“You will now.” Nate squatted and said to Zach, “When I lift, you pull her out.”

“You don’t want me to help you?”

“No need, Son.”

Evelyn had long known her father was immensely strong, but even she was amazed when he slid his hands under the horse as Zach had done and his shoulders and neck swelled and the weight came off her. Zach took hold under her arms and eased her out from under and when she was clear he said, “She’s out, Pa. You did it.”

Nate examined her leg. “It doesn’t appear to be broken. Can you move it any?”

“Give me a minute.” Evelyn was tingling from her hips to her toes. From the flow of blood being restored, she reckoned. It almost tickled. She wriggled her toes. “The feeling is coming back.”

Zach glanced at the forest. “Where did all those snakes come from? I never imagined there were so many.”

“A den somewhere,” Nate said. “We may never know exactly where. The rain brought them out, I suspect.”

“Will they go back to it or find another?”

“I don’t know.” Nate indicated his bay. “I want you to ride to Waku’s and then to Shakespeare’s and
tell them to come as fast as they can to your cabin. Your mother is there with Lou. We’re going to have another snake hunt and kill as many as we can before they find cover.”

Zach nodded and collected his tomahawk and Bowie. A lithe swing, and he was up and away.

“Why not let them be?” Evelyn asked. “They never did anything like this before. It was the rain that brought them out. You said so yourself.”

“You can say that after what you’ve just been through?”

“It wasn’t their fault, Pa. They were just doing what snakes do.”

“They were being true to their nature, yes,” Nate said. “So is a hungry griz when it charges you, but you would have me shoot the griz, I bet.”

“That’s different.”

“The more rattlers there are, the higher the chance that someday you’ll go out to the chicken coop or around to the corral and almost step on one and get bit.” Nate shook his head. “I won’t have that. I won’t let the threat exist. Do you understand?”

“I suppose.” Evelyn let herself sink down onto her back. Her ordeal had exhausted her. Suddenly arms were under her, lifting her off the ground. In surprise she blurted, “What are you doing?”

“Taking you to Zach’s so your mother and Lou can tend you.” Nate strode west, his Hawken in his left hand.

“You don’t need to carry me,” Evelyn protested. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll be able to walk.”

“You’re soaked clean through and your clothes are a mess and you have snake blood all over you,” Nate said. “You need a hot bath and a cup of your mother’s healing tea.” He looked down at her and
grinned. “Besides, Dega will be here soon. Do you really want him to see you looking like this?”

Evelyn hadn’t thought of that. “Walk faster,” she said. It felt good being in her father’s strong arms. He hadn’t picked her up in years, not since she went from being a girl to a young woman. She placed her cheek on his chest and looped her arms around his neck. “Thanks, Pa.”

“For what?”

“For you and Ma always being there for me.”

“Zach, too. Don’t forget your brother.”

Evelyn saw him again in her mind’s eye, the Grim Reaper of rattlers, laying waste right and left to save her from harm. “I love him, too. Don’t ever tell him that, though.” She gazed out over the lake, bright now in the reborn sun. “You know something? I’m happy here.”

“I hope so. It’s your home.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Evelyn snuggled against him. She was feeling sleepy. “Remember when I’d had enough of life in the wild and wanted to go off and live in a city?”

“I remember it well.”

“I’ve changed my mind. Here is as good as anywhere. I think I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me.”

“That would be forever,” Nate said, and pecked her on the forehead.

Evelyn closed her eyes. She was close to drifting off. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. You and Ma, both. I guess now is as good a time as any.”

“About Dega?” Nate said.

Evelyn jerked her head up. “You know about him and me?”

“We’ve known for some time.”

“And you don’t mind? You didn’t say anything. You didn’t try to stop me from seeing him.”

“Why would we? Your mother wasn’t much older than you when I courted her.”

Evelyn smiled and kissed him on the cheek and hugged him. “Thanks, Pa. Thanks for caring so much and being so understanding and all.”

“It’s what fathers do,” Nate King said.

A LEISURE BOOK®

March 2010

Published by

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Copyright © 2010 by David L. Robbins

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