Persuading Him: A Modern Persuasion Retelling (Pemberley Estates Book 1)

by Keena Richins

  "Get the horse!" Anne called, waving her hand at the frightened animal as if that would magically do something. Instead, it veered toward Rick's horse, causing it to spook as well. Desperate, Anne spotted James coming out of the barn. "James, the horses!"

  He launched over the fence and rushed up to the spooked horses, keeping their crushing hooves away from Louisa. Rick, apparently heedless of the danger, knelt by Louisa, his face white, one hand covering her wrist. She lay still, lying at an awkward angle, her head facing away from Anne.

  Rick looked up, anguish on his face. "I-I can't find a pulse!"

  "Someone call 911!" Anne fumbled for her phone.

  "It will take too long," Harv called, limping toward his house. "My wife's a paramedic!"

  "No, wait," Anne yelled after him, "You're too slow. Charles!" But she found Charles about to totter over. She grabbed him before he fell and leaned him toward the fence. "Charles, pull yourself together!"

  "She's dead," he whispered, his eyes not leaving his sister's still form. "She's dead, isn't she?"

  "Get help then! You can run; Harv can't. Please, Charles!

  He dragged his eyes away from Louisa and fled for the house.

  "No offense," she tossed at Harv who was limping back toward her.

  He waved his hand. "Your idea was smarter."

  Seeing that James had caught the horses and was leading them out of the pasture, Anne threaded herself through the beams of the fence and rushed over the uneven dirt to Rick's side. He looked up at her with an ashen face, his hand still wrapped around her wrist as if he held on long enough, a pulse would suddenly start.

  "What should we do, Anne?"

  It was such a piercing look.

  "Is she breathing?" It was probably a stupid question, like asking if it was raining when not a cloud was in sight, but it was the only idea she had.

  Rick immediately bent over and placed his ear to Louisa's mouth. A second later, he snapped his head up, relief flooding his face. "She's breathing!"

  "She is?" She matched his smile of relief. Louisa was alive!

  "Don't move her!"

  Rick and Anne turned to see Harv's wife slipping through the fence while Charles clutched it, Harv standing beside him as if trying to offer comfort.

  "We haven't!" Rick announced. "I couldn't find a pulse but she's breathing. I can hear her breathe."

  "All right, make room."

  They scooted aside as she dropped beside Louisa and carefully pressed two fingers against her neck.

  "She fell off the horse—" Rick began but Star cut him off.

  "Charles told me what had happened." She checked Louisa's mouth as if making sure nothing blocked the airway. "Has she said anything? Moved anything? Opened an eyelid?"

  They both shook their heads and Star frowned. "This is serious. We need to get her to a hospital. It will be faster if we transport her in our van and not wait for the ambulance. James!"

  He was by her side in a few seconds.

  "Bring the board and the collar in my medical supplies." As he ran off, she faced Rick and Anne. "Harv will need help taking out the seats—"

  Rick jumped to his feet. "I'm on it—"

  "No, no, I'll need your help here. You and James have steady hands—"

  "Anne has very steady hands," Rick abruptly said.

  She looked up at him in shock, but he wasn't looking at her. His gaze was on Louisa.

  "Good. Three helpers will be better."

  "Charles can help empty the van," Anne offered. They all glance at Charles but his face was white and his hands shook as he gripped the fence.

  "Harv!" Star called. "Help Charles before he falls and hurts himself as well."

  "I'm okay," Charles protested weakly, but he hobbled toward the van as badly as Harv with his limp.

  James returned with the board and collar. Anne wasn't sure what to do, but since Rick had praised her steady hands, she was going to make sure she had the steadiest hands possible. After Star put on the collar, she directed them to move Louisa onto her side, keeping her body, spine, and head aligned at all times. Star checked Louisa's neck, pulse, and mouth again before instructing them to roll her onto the board, keeping everything aligned. Once Louisa was on, Star showed them how to strap her in, making sure she didn't move during transit.

  They then hoisted her up onto their shoulders. Alas, despite Anne's steady hands, upper arm strength was not her strong point and lifting a hundred-plus girl was not easy. Even worse, Star seemed to have no trouble, hefting the board to her shoulder with ease like James and Rick. Rick, being on her side, slid further down to carry more of the weight. Embarrassed, Anne trudged with them, trying to hold as much weight as she could and hoping Rick was in too much shock to register how poorly she was helping right now. Then again, his compliment of her steady hands had been for Louisa's benefit, not hers. And she shouldn't even be worrying about this anyway. All her thoughts should be on Louisa.

  Charles and Harv had the van ready by the time they arrived and Charles now had an arm around a sobbing Mary, both of their faces white and growing whiter as an unmoving Louisa was placed into the van.

  "Without its seats, it won't be safe to take all of us in the van," Star began.

  "We didn't bring any of our cars," Rick pointed out.

  "We have a truck," Harv said, "but it's a stick shift."

  "I can drive stick," James offered but Harv shook his head. "Sorry, James, but I need someone to stay and look after the animals."

  "I understand."

  "I can drive," Charles said, raising a shaky hand.

  Star shook her head. "You're still shaking. I don't need another accident on our hands."

  "I told you we should never have come here," Mary blabbered between sniffles. Anne stepped toward her. Now was not the time to start spouting such stuff.

  "Mary, we can wait in the farmhouse—"

  "No, they're not leaving me behi—."

  "I can drive manual," Rick cut in. "Anne can go with Star and Harv and I'll take Mary and Charles in the truck."

  "Me? What about Anne? Why is Anne going with Louisa and not me? Louisa means nothing to her. Louisa is my sister-in-law!"

  Rick turned on her. "Out of your family, Anne has been the calmest—"

  "I can be calm!" Mary shrieked like a three-year-old. "Anne is not going somewhere I can't!"

  "I'll go with Mary," Anne announced, wrapping an arm around Mary to hopefully calm her. While she wouldn't mind hearing Rick sing more of her praises, this wasn't the time and Mary was already hysterical.

  Rick turned to her. "But—"

  "Charles is her brother. He should go with her in case..." Anne regretted saying those last two words. The last thing she needed was to have everyone focus on the fact that Louisa may not even make it to the hospital.

  "All right," Star announced. "Charles and Harv, you're with me. The rest go with Rick."

  "What about the seats?" Anne indicated the discarded pile of seats near them. They might want to use them after getting Louisa to the hospital.

  That spurred Rick into action. "We'll bring them in the truck. You three, get Louisa to the hospital."

  They obeyed and clambered into the van while Anne prodded Mary toward the seats to help load them into the truck.

  "I'll take care of those, Anne," Rick called out. "Get your sister into the truck."

  Anne wanted to insist the process would be faster with three people, but when she saw how easily he hefted up a seat and remembered her lame to lift Louisa, she decided Rick was right and focused on herding Mary into the truck. It proved to be a bit of a trial since the truck was an old pickup covered in dust and splattered with oil and probably hadn't been cleaned in the past month, maybe not even in a year. Inside, a long bench seat took up the front with a thinner bench seat wedged behind it. The front bench could easily sit three people but tools lay scattered along the passenger side. Mary cringed at the sight and refused to enter the truck until Anne had tossed the too
ls into the tiny back seat.

  Once she cleared the seat, Anne hesitated. If she climbed in first, then she'd end up sitting next to Rick. One side of her was thrilled at the idea; the other petrified. However, if she forced Mary into the middle spot, her knees would constantly bump against the clutch, a situation that would cause non-stop complaints and probably annoy Rick. Deciding peace in the truck was more valuable than peace within her own heart, she hoisted herself to the middle spot and sat, waiting for her doom when Rick would join them.

  When he finished tossing the last seat into the back of the pickup, he opened the door and abruptly stopped, his eyes on Anne as if shocked to see her there. Anne averted her eyes and tried to pretend she wasn't aware of how well he eased his body into the front seat next to her. She expected him to say something, but he started the truck without a word and headed toward the main road.

  Silence reigned in the truck; not even Mary bothered to say anything, all probably too busy replaying those last few moments of confusion. Anne kept wishing things had been done differently. If only Louisa had listened. If only she hadn't been so stubborn and head-strong. If only they hadn't ridden horses. If only. If only.

  Anne couldn't help think that everything she had envied of Louisa had factored into the accident. Maybe being headstrong and determined wasn't so great after all. Everything needed to come in moderation and while being stubborn was useful, it could also be deadly.

  Chapter 18

  They reached the hospital faster than Anne thought possible. Rick must have sped the entire way, desperate to get to the hospital before the girl he liked was potentially gone forever. Too bad he had no interest in the girl right next to him.

  The parking lot was only half full and they easily spotted the parked van. Rick eased the truck beside it and hopped out, probably intending to sprint into the hospital, so Anne turned to Mary as she fumbled with the door. To her shock, Rick showed up on the passenger side and practically lifted Mary out of the truck. Apparently, he was in a hurry to get them all into the hospital, not just himself.

  However, having his hands around Anne's waist would be far harder than sitting next to him during the drive. She scrambled out of the truck before he could lift her out as well. His eyebrows rose as if surprised but Anne grabbed Mary's hand and rushed into the hospital, not wanting to deal with Rick and her stupid, fluttering heart.

  They found Charles struggling to remain standing. Anne immediately encouraged him to sit, which he did with a big sigh.

  "The pressure in her head is too high because of trauma or bleeding or something but they don't have the right equipment here. They're going to life flight her to Hartford."

  Anne checked her phone to determine the distance to Hartford while Mary exclaimed, "Hartford? She can't go there! It's too far away!"

  "It's about an hour from here." Anne showed the path her phone's map had produced.

  "I told them Providence would be better for us," Charles said," But that's outside the region or something—I didn't really understand what they were saying. Your friends, Rick," he motioned down the hallway to where Harv and Star conversed with two doctors," Are trying to convince them for Providence, I think. Or maybe finding out more about Louisa. I didn't understand half of what they were saying..." Charles ended with a big sigh and covered his face with his hands. Anne immediately squeezed his arm.

  "I'll talk to Star," Rick headed down the hallway. Anne desperately wanted to go with him, to find out more about what was going on, but she knew Charles and Mary were in desperate need of comfort. Mary was starting to totter as well.

  "Sit down, Mary." Anne pulled up another chair beside Charles, then crouched beside them. "Louisa is going to be okay. She's too stubborn to die. Remember all those dreams she kept talking about? All the places she wanted to go?"

  Charles nodded as if in a daze while Mary threw her hands up in despair. "Anne, you're so foolish. Dreams don't save lives." A sob broke through. "She's not going to make it!"

  "Having a reason to live can do a lot," Anne said. "It's what got Dad through his cancer and it will get Louisa through this. You'll see. She'll make it."

  Charles clasped Anne's hand. "I hope you're right. Truly, I do." He blew out a big breath of air. "Can you drive us to Hartford? We have our car parked at that restaurant and I'm not sure if I should dri—"

  "I'd gladly drive," Anne said, "but, someone needs to tell your parents."

  "Ugh," Mary said, fighting back another sob. "I told them this is why they needed to invest in a landline! For emergencies like this! Now how are we supposed to let them know about this disaster? They might not even get here in time!"

  "What's going on?" Rick asked as he and his friends joined the sad group.

  "Charles' parents don't have a landline," Mary repeated with disgust.

  "Someone will need to drive over there and let them know," Anne said.

  "We could take someone," Harv offered, but Rick shook his head.

  "It's too far out of your way—"

  "What?" Mary exclaimed. "You're going to just let them go home when it's my sister-in-law that nearly died on their horse!"

  "Mary," Charles snapped. "It wasn't their fault."

  "Yes, it was! It was their horse that dumped Louisa—"

  "Let's focus on telling your in-laws first, okay?" Anne cut in, trying to stop the fight.

  "You go tell them. Rick has a car. He can take you."

  "What about your kids?" Rick countered but Mary didn't even hesitate.

  "Anne can take care of them, too. Louisa is my sister-in-law."

  Rick clenched his jaw, an angry fire lighting up in his eyes. Anne recognized that look. That was his defiant one. He wasn't going to let Mary win the argument. But Mary was being hysterical, not logical, and no argument could fix that.

  "Rick," she faced him, "Is it okay if you take me to their house?"

  He jerked, the rage switching to her. He was not going to back down. She clasped his arm, hoping that would signal for him to not escalate the fight. It worked. He snapped his jaw shut and though the anger still lit up his eyes, he nodded. "Yes, it's fine." Harsh tone, but it said the right words.

  "Is everyone okay with that?" Anne asked. Sullen nods were her answer. "Good. Star, would you be so kind as to come with us in the truck so you can drive it back when we get our cars?"

  "Oh, no," Mary protested, "I do not want to drive in that truck—"

  "Mary, it will take time to put the seats back in the van. Do you want to waste twenty minutes putting in the seats or be in your own car in twenty minutes?"

  Mary hesitated, apparently weighing the horrors of the dirty, old truck against the indignity of putting in seats. The latter was judged to be worse since Mary abandoned the fight.

  "Let's go, then," Star said and the group headed out. Harv went for his van while the other five squeezed themselves into the truck. Anne knew Mary would never condescend to ride in the cramped back seat, so she wedged herself in there. Expecting Star to do the same, Anne was surprised to have Charles climb in beside her. But he immediately clasped her hand as if seeking comfort, something he probably wouldn't get from his wife. Star ended up in the middle with Mary on the side and Rick in the driver's seat. Ten minutes of tense silence ensued until they arrived at the restaurant and could disperse to the other vehicles. It wasn't until Anne headed for Rick's car that she realized she was going to be stuck alone in a car with Rick for a whole hour.

  Alas, it was too late to change the plans, so she sat in the car and stared out into space, hoping the ride would be as silent as the other one. There wasn't much she could say about Louisa's condition other than hoping for a miracle. She could try other topics, but she knew Rick so little now, she had no idea what would interest him. She, on the other hand, would love to pester him with questions like what were his current dreams, where did he now live, and did he ever regret meeting her?

  Anne winced at the thought. She didn't really want to know the answer to that.
So she kept her mouth shut when he entered the car and waited to see what he'd say. He, however, seemed to be in a sour mood, his question of whether she was ready was given in a terse tone, and once she nodded in the affirmative, he focused on the drive. She couldn't really blame him. He'd been forced to drive her when his potential love was being life flighted in the opposite direction. He probably wanted this over with as fast as possible so he could get to Louisa in time before she...

  Anne didn't want to finish that thought and focused on the passing scenery in the fading sunlight, trying not to think about anything.

  "You doing okay?"

  Anne jerked, surprised to see Rick glancing at her. He had been thinking of her? Instead of Louisa? Well, he did have a heart of gold.

  "I'm doing okay." She tried to think of how she could continue this conversation, but his gaze had returned to the road and he hunkered lower in the seat as if a heavy doom was squishing him. The uncertainty of Louisa's fate must be crushing him.

  As if confirming it, he opened his mouth, anguish on his face. "Anne, I...I shouldn't have—I mean, if only—"

  "It's not your fault," Anne said, wanting to ease his pain. "Louisa, she can be pretty headstrong at times."

  "I know." A tinge of frustration lined his voice. "That's why I liked her so much."

  Anne's breath died, despair filling her lungs instead. She had assumed as much, but to hear it from his own lips—that hurt far more than she expected.

  He rubbed a hand over his tired face. "I just…I wish I hadn't—"

  "Don't do that." Anne knew too well what regret did to one's life and she didn't want Rick's life crumbling to nothing because of this incident. He deserved far more than that. "Louisa will pull through. She's a tough girl. And then we'll look back on this day and laugh at how worried we were."

  He shook his head. "You were always the optimistic one."

  She? That wasn't how she remembered it. He was the one with the big dreams, the constant drive to achieve more than he had. She had been the lame follower, wanting to go along and support his every endeavor.