by Kim McMahill
“Don’t try to move in case something is broken. I’ll get you some food and more water. You need to keep up your strength and try not to aggravate your injuries until we can assess how bad they are.”
“I just had the wind knocked out of me. I’ll be all right.”
His injuries were clearly much more serious, but Niki didn’t argue. If he could get up, he would have long before she rode up. The fact that he hadn’t moved from where Sally had thrown him terrified her, but she knew she had to stay strong and not panic.
Niki walked to the side of Storm opposite her grandfather and placed her forehead against the horse’s neck and cried, choking down the sobs to keep her grandfather from hearing. Storm craned his neck and nudged her on the shoulder with his nose. The simple act let her know she wasn’t completely alone and without options.
After several minutes Niki pulled herself together, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, dabbed her nose on her shirt sleeve and unsaddled Storm and Sally. She’d have to leave them tied up for the night since she hadn’t grabbed the hobbles, but that was the least of her problems.
“Sorry I didn’t have much time to pack, but we should have plenty of food to tide us over until daylight and then I’ll go for help.”
She gently slipped Sally’s saddle blankets under her grandfather’s head, shoulders and legs to get him off the cold damp ground as much as possible. She worked slowly and precisely in an attempt to keep his spine and hips straight and immobile, fearing he might have broken his back since he had no feeling in his legs or toes.
Niki built a small fire for warmth while telling her grandfather about her fishing success. She told him how she had gathered the sheep after the helicopter spooked them and her idea to bring Doris out for a vacation. None of it seemed important now, but she felt it was either talk or cry and she didn’t want to fall apart in front of her grandfather when he needed her.
“That’d be nice as long as you aren’t trying to be a matchmaker. I’ve lived the past twenty-five years alone since your grandma died and I can live the next twenty-five alone just as well.”
“Papa, whatever makes you say such a silly thing? I’ve never tried to fix you up with anyone and the thought had never even crossed my mind.”
“Well, your mama tried to convince me several times to go out to Chicago in the winter to meet Doris and spend time with you two. She said we were perfect for each other, which I imagine meant old and alone. And I’m not stupid. I’d bet my last pint of Jack Daniels that Deuce has badgered you into trying to convince me to retire since he and Bob already tried and failed.”
Niki couldn’t deny his accusation about Deuce and was too stunned by his revelation about Doris to reply, so it took her a few minutes to wrap her mind around the idea. Doris was as city as they came. She couldn’t picture the Chicago native spending an entire summer in a sheep camp, but Doris did have a kind and nurturing personality and the woman seldom backed down from a challenge.
“Really, Papa, I had no idea Mom thought you and Doris would make a good couple, but now that you mention it—”
“Stop right there. You bring her out here if you want, I’ll even help with the cost and try to be polite, but I don’t need no bossy old woman fuss’n over me and I’m not ready to retire.”
Niki had to suppress her laughter. Only her grandfather could sound so sure of himself and adamant while lying on his back in the dirt, most likely with broken bones. She was terrified she might lose him or that he had broken his back and all he was worried about was if she might be trying to fix him up with Doris.
“Papa, I think a fix-up is the least of your problems at the moment, but rest assured it wasn’t my intention, and for the record, Doris doesn’t have a bossy bone in her body. Now, try to relax. Did you find the sheep we lost yesterday?”
Niki didn’t give a darn about the sheep, but was afraid to let her grandfather sleep in case he had a concussion. He would have to sleep eventually, but she would keep him talking as long as possible until she felt more certain he wouldn’t lose consciousness. Besides, talking about the sheep distracted her from her fears and hopefully shifted her grandfather’s mind off all his pains.
“Didn’t get a visual on the ewes, but as the helicopter flew over they started making a ruckus. I was just about to make my way toward the noise when Sally took off running and bucking. I think they’re just over the next rise to the west.”
She opened a can of stew and heated the contents by setting the can on a rock near the small fire while listening to her grandfather explain where he believed the missing sheep were located. Once the stew was warm she fed her grandfather as much as he would eat and then finished the rest herself. Niki wished she had brought more supplies, but when Sally ran through camp she was too frightened to think straight. She was proud of herself for bringing along as much as she did while functioning on instinct and adrenaline.
“Papa, is there any water around here? I used up what I brought washing your cuts and scratches.”
Niki listened closely as her grandfather gave her directions to a small stream. She hated to leave him and venture into the darkness alone, but the animals needed water. She mounted Storm bareback, feeling less vulnerable on her big horse than walking through the unfamiliar area, and grabbed Sally’s lead rope. She hoped the mule would cooperate. If the mule decided to bolt there would be nothing Niki could do without a saddle horn to dally the lead rope around to stop her.
It took Niki only ten minutes to locate the water, but it felt like a hundred. Her head was filled with worry and her mind sharp to every noise, making her flinch every time she heard a rustle in the bushes. It was common knowledge that predators stalked out water sources at night to capture unwary prey, so she remained extra alert for danger.
Niki allowed Storm, Sally and Gracie to drink and then refilled the canteen upstream from the animals. She quickly made her way back to camp, relieved not to have encountered any predators or lost her way in the dark.
She secured the horses and returned to her grandfather’s side. He had fallen asleep during her brief absence, but his chest rose and fell in a steady beat which made Niki believe he was okay for the moment. She put a few more logs on the fire. Staring at the flames, she felt her adrenaline fading and knew she should rest.
With nothing else to do until morning, she organized Storm’s blankets alongside her grandfather and reclined next to the old man with the dog between them. The heat off Gracie’s body wasn’t much, but it was comforting. Niki wasn’t sure if she could sleep with the strong unpleasant odor of the horse blankets so close to her nose, but knew it was essential to at least get off the cold ground and rest. If she caught pneumonia, she would be of no use to her grandfather.
Niki watched him breathe, trying to block the scent of the horse blankets out of her mind. She thought about the unusual sight of the tower guards, the helicopter flying so near to their old camp and the sounds of gunfire she heard earlier in the evening. Collectively, the events made her uneasy. The military could reach the tower with four-wheel-drive vehicles, so why bring a helicopter? Besides, the helicopter was not U.S. military as far as she could tell at such a distance. What could they possibly be shooting at? If they were poaching meat or dealing with a bear, the amount and type of gunfire was clearly overkill. She now wondered what had made Deuce so uncomfortable. The questions kept running through her mind until sometime during the night she drifted off to sleep.
CHAPTER NINE
The sun had just begun to creep over the trees when Niki woke. It took her a moment to remember where she was and what had happened. Her bones were stiff from the chill of sleeping on the ground under the stars with only one small blanket and a minute amount of heat from a sleeping dog and a dying fire. She stared at her grandfather until she was sure he was breathing before slipping out from underneath the blanket she had shared with him throughout the cold night.
After she saddled Storm, she returned to her grandfather and knelt d
own next to him. Niki placed the back of her hand to his forehead. He was warm, but didn’t appear to have a fever. She wasn’t sure how long it took to get an infection, but he apparently didn’t have one yet. Niki touched the bandages she had used to cover the cuts on his head and bit back her tears. His color was so poor and his breathing so shallow that Niki hated to leave him alone, but she had to go for help. Even if she wasn’t worried about moving him, she couldn’t do it alone.
Niki took her grandfather’s rough leathery hand in hers and brought it to her cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he tried to smile. She was surprised by how relieved she felt to see him awake. She ran his palm down the side of her face and then kissed it before tucking his hand back underneath the blanket for warmth.
“Papa, I have to go for help now.”
He didn’t argue, which only intensified her fear, but she forced herself to project a calm and confident front. She tipped the canteen to his lips and he drank, then she fed him a crumbled piece of the previous morning’s coffee cake.
“There’s more coffee cake in this bag along with some beef jerky and here’s the canteen. I’ll hurry, but you might try to ration a little since that’s all I brought with me last night. Keep this within reach,” she said as she pressed her small pistol into his hand, praying he wouldn’t need it.
She doubted the gun would be much good for anything more out here than to call for help or hopefully scare something away. If her grandfather had to protect himself from a large predator such as a bear, the pistol would be pretty much useless. It broke her heart to see him look so helpless and it terrified her to leave him alone, unable to move or take care of himself, but there really was no other choice.
“I’d like to leave you the rifle, but I doubt you could shoot it in your position anyway.”
He tried to speak, but a cough racked his chest, forcing his eyes shut and a painful grimace to his face. Niki feared the night on the cold hard ground had made her grandfather’s problems even worse and leaving him in a prone position wouldn’t help his situation either, but she had to go now. There was no time to wait and see if he had worsened throughout the night or to try and scoot him up to a sitting position. If he had a serious spine injury, moving him even a little could cause permanent damage and pneumonia could be as deadly as a host of broken bones if not treated quickly. Either could very well claim his life if she didn’t find help soon.
“Don’t talk or try to move, Papa, just rest, keep hydrated and eat something every now and then to keep up your strength. I’ll be back as soon as I can with help. Fire the pistol if you need me. If I’m within hearing distance, I’ll come back. You’ve got six rounds.”
He nodded his head and the effort the action took made Niki realize time was of the essence.
“Take good care of him and stay close,” she ordered Gracie.
She patted the dog’s head, tucked the blanket tightly around her grandfather’s hips and shoulders, kissed his cheek and then forced herself to walk away. Niki summoned the courage to place the toe of her boot into the stirrup and hoisted herself into the saddle, while every instinct screamed at her to return to her grandfather. She pushed the thoughts back and put her heels to Storm’s sides. The anxious and rested gelding bolted out of the trees, leaving her grandfather and his braying mule quickly behind.
Niki was terrified for her grandfather’s survival, but she forced herself to hold Storm to a gallop, intermixed with walking, especially in rough terrain, to avoid tiring the horse. They had a long way to go for help and letting him run full out this early in the trip would not be a good idea. He was strong, but not only did she need him to keep a fast pace out of the mountains, she would probably have to use him to lead someone back to her grandfather unless she could get a helicopter to fly in and evacuate him.
She figured she was probably still about five hours from the ranch, but only about three or four from the control tower. Deuce had been cautious about the soldiers and had clearly wanted her as far away from them as possible, but they were military, sworn to serve and protect. She wasn’t sure how long her grandfather could survive without medical help and his well-being was her first priority. She had to trust the soldiers would help her.
“They’d better help us, since I’d bet it was their helicopter that caused Sally to buck,” she grumbled as Storm leapt over a small downed tree so smoothly she barely noticed his hooves leaving the ground.
The morning slowly began to warm, drying the dew from the grass. The bright sun felt good on Niki’s exposed cheeks and fingers as she rode, following landmarks she was sure would take her to the tower and would also help her find her grandfather again once she located help. Late summer mornings and nights could be cold in the high country, but for a while longer, she could count on the day’s temperatures to be mild and pleasant. The aspens’ leaves had yet to show a trace of fall color and the birds made no indication of moving south. If it wasn’t for the fear her grandfather’s injuries could be life-threatening, it would be another beautiful ride through the mountains.
As she estimated, a little over three hours of swift riding brought her to the ridge opposite the control tower where she and Deuce had ridden just two days ago. She pulled Storm to a halt and gazed across the ravine, fighting the unsettling feeling the unnatural quiet created. She saw no sign of the helicopter or any people, but one Humvee and several dirt bikes remained parked in sight. She hadn’t remembered noticing the dirt bikes when they last rode by and it struck her as odd.
Warning bells were going off in her head, but she could also see the pained look on her grandfather’s face clear as day. She nudged Storm and he slowly started down the steep embankment of the ravine, swaying and sliding on the loose stones. She gave him his head, leaned back and let him choose his own way down the steep rocky slope. At the bottom, she let him drink briefly at the creek and rest for a few minutes before urging him on.
The sure-footed horse cautiously picked his way across the clear stream. The ribbon of water was only about fifteen feet wide and several feet deep, but she could feel Storm’s footing slip on the slick, mossy rocks hidden below the water’s surface.
Once free of the creek, Storm started up the other side of the ravine. Niki could feel the power of the horse as his muscles rippled with each determined lunge up the near-vertical embankment. They rode a zig-zag pattern across the slope as it was too steep to ride straight up. Rocks and dirt rolled back toward the creek with each purposeful movement.
They crested the ridge and Niki looked around, eyes squinted against the bright glare of sun. It was too quiet and didn’t feel right, but she needed help. Just as she opened her mouth to call out, she spotted a boot sticking out from behind the Humvee. She rode over and gasped as she realized the boot was attached to a body, laying face down. The man’s U.S. military uniform was stained red from numerous bullet holes¾he was clearly dead.
Niki slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream threatening to escape as Storm snorted and shied way from the body. She nearly fell out of the saddle as the big horse crow-hopped and fought for his head, clearly wanting to flee the stench of death. Niki grabbed the saddle horn and righted herself as Storm backed up at a dizzying speed.
The sound of a man’s voice made Niki’s head whip around as she tried to bring Storm under control. The man was not speaking English and the insignia on his uniform did not belong to the United States military, nor did the uniform sport a maple leaf such as the one she had seen on the helicopter the previous day. Thoughts swirled through her head, making no sense at all, but the one thing she was certain of was that she was in deep trouble.
Niki reined Storm around, now surrounded by five more men. Her body went rigid as the horse’s legs suddenly stiffened. Storm snorted at the closest man and then pawed angrily at the ground.
The men began advancing, smiling and laughing. Niki couldn’t understand what they were saying, but as she spied two more dead bodies on the ground, she felt certain they had no
intention of helping her.
Her eyes darted from man to man. She scanned the area and noted that she was still very close to the edge of the ravine. Niki could feel the big horse quiver beneath her and tense, ready to spring at the slightest provocation. She gripped Storm’s sides with her legs and grasped the saddle horn.
One man pulled a pistol out of its holster. She doubted he intended to shoot her yet¾instant death would be too quick, easy and preferable. Niki feared he planned to take out her only mode of escape. She couldn’t allow her beloved horse to be shot at point blank range, but most importantly, she couldn’t be delayed too long or she doubted her grandfather would survive. With a prayer and a swift kick, Niki informed Storm it was time to run for their lives.
The horse sensed the danger and cleared the edge of the ravine before the men could react. Niki held on as tight as she could and leaned back to help the horse keep his balance as he lunged down the slope. Rocks dislodged under the fury of his churning hooves as he barreled down the embankment.
They had nearly reached the creek when the first series of shots rang out. Storm shied and turned to follow the creek downstream rather than plunging into the water with its slick bottom at an uncontrolled speed. Another barrage of gunfire pelted the ground, narrowly missing Niki, but hitting nearby rocks, spraying the horse with sharp stone fragments.
A slight bend in the ravine took them out of sight of the shooters and soon the slope was much less intimidating, making it easier for Storm to cross the creek and climb out of the ravine. Niki released a sigh of relief and encouraged the horse to take it easy as he began his ascent. They had just reached the top when Niki heard the unmistakable sound of two dirt bikes’ engines firing up.
“I hope you have a little more left,” she whispered as she leaned over Storm’s neck, flattening herself against his steaming body.
