by Kim McMahill
The weary and terrified group heard a small helicopter land in the camp clearing, but no one left the shelter to investigate. Soon, four soldiers cautiously emerged from the trees, their weapons held ready for use.
“U.S. Army! Is there anyone alive?”
They could see the American Flags on the soldiers’ sleeves, but everyone remained silent, afraid the terror wasn’t over, that it was a trick or hopeful illusion. Niki held her position out of view of the soldiers.
“We’re looking for Blackburn and Stephens’ family members!”
“Who sent you?” Deuce shouted back.
“Bob Blackburn and Cal Stephens are at the Blackburn Ranch. If we don’t report in soon those two will probably be heading out here on horseback,” the soldier shouted, impatience and annoyance tainting his voice.
Deuce put his weapons down, eased out of the shelter and cautiously approached the soldiers. Taking no chances, Niki sighted in on the soldier closest to Deuce, her hands shaking as she gripped the rifle. When Deuce shook the man’s hand she exhaled and let the rifle barrel drop.
The four soldiers entered the enclosure and quickly assessed the situation. Niki stared at the men with a mixture of hope and guarded fear, but was unable to move or speak. As much as she wanted to believe it was over, she just couldn’t. Too much had happened to let go of her caution and fear.
“These really are the good guys. We’re safe now ,” Deuce whispered as he pried her fingers off her rifle stock.
Setting the gun down, he pulled her into his arms and held her until he could feel her begin to breathe normally. He eased Niki back so he could see her face and assess the damage. Brushing the stray strands of hair which had escaped her lopsided ponytail back behind her ears with his fingers, he wiped the black smudge off her cheek. The blood on her forehead had dried, so he assumed the cut wasn’t deep. He was angry, but those responsible were dead, so there was no one to punish for making her bleed.
“Bernie’s going to get the help he needs now and Joe’s fine. He just got hit a few inches above his prosthetic leg.”
The mention of Joe and her grandfather brought Niki back from the brink of shock. Wiggling out of Deuce’s embrace, she raced to her grandfather’s side, grabbed his weathered hand, kissed it and held it to her cheek. He looked weak and tired, but he was alive. They were all alive.
“I’m so proud of you. If my mule-headed boss ever accuses you of being a helpless city girl again, I’ll beat the tar out of him as soon as you let me out of this darn bed.”
“That won’t be necessary, Bernie. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong.” Deuce slipped his arm around Niki’s shoulders and pulled her close. “In fact, I’m afraid to turn her loose on any city after what I’ve seen. I just hope she can forgive me for being such a jerk.”
Niki was so stunned by his comments that all she could manage was to stare at Deuce, her mouth agape.
“Let’s move out,” the soldier interrupted. “We don’t have room for everyone. We’ll take the old man, the injured guy, the children and their mother. The rest can wait for us to return, but it’ll be morning by the time we get back. All the firepower we came here with has already bugged out to other pockets of resistance and left us with local civilian helicopters for clean-up that aren’t adequately equipped for night navigation of unfamiliar mountainous terrain.”
“If you can spare a radio and a few supplies and our horses haven’t taken off for Montana, we can start out on horseback,” Deuce stated. “I doubt we can get Niki to leave her crazy old horse behind anyway, assuming he’s still around.”
Niki couldn’t help but smile. He tried to sound so tough in front of the soldiers, but he knew how much the horse meant to her. It would break her heart to leave Storm behind, even knowing they would track him down and bring him back to the ranch eventually.
The soldier yelled out orders and within minutes a radio, water, food, flashlights and sleeping bags were piled at Niki’s feet. The soldier handed Niki two side-arms and a box of ammunition.
“Hope you don’t have to use these, ma’am, and I’ll need them back, but it’s always smart to be prepared. It’s impossible to know for sure at this point if any of those Iranian soldiers held back in case you tried to slip away. Keep this between us or I’ll probably be court-marshaled for giving army-issued weapons to a civilian, but these are extraordinary times and you all look like you’ve been through enough and clearly you can handle a simple side-arm.”
“Thanks.” Niki stared at the guns in her hands. They should have felt foreign, but they didn’t. She methodically checked the load and safety and without even thinking, stuck one pistol behind her back through her belt and set the other one on the sleeping bag at her feet.
She left the supplies and located her grandfather. She walked alongside the stretcher as he was carried to the waiting helicopter. “Do as Sarah and the doctors tell you and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
The old man smiled and reached for her hand. “Don’t worry about me. Just take care of yourself and Deuce. He may be tough, but he needs you more than he’ll ever admit. You’re good for each other, you know.”
Niki nodded, but didn’t answer, not trusting her voice. She was happy her grandfather was finally getting the medical help he needed, but she still felt on the brink of falling apart. She stayed by his side until a soldier insisted she step back.
“Give old Doris a call and invite her out if you have your heart set on it. I’ll even try to be nice.”
Niki smiled and kissed his cheek as the soldiers loaded the stretcher into the helicopter, removing him from her reach. She hugged Lacy and April, who were waiting to board, and told them how brave they had been and how proud she was of them. The girls returned her hug and she could feel their tears on her cheek as they begged her to come with them. Their concern touched her deeply, but even if there was room on the small helicopter, Niki would have stayed with Deuce and Frank to bring the stock out of the mountains.
“Sarah, tell Bob we’re fine and we’ll be out as soon as we can. Take care of Papa until I can get there.”
Sarah promised she would make sure Bernie received the best care possible, hugged Niki and climbed into the helicopter.
As the doors closed, Niki could see the woman holding her daughters tight and she thanked God the family had survived and would soon be reunited. She waved as the helicopter lifted off and watched until it was out of sight.
She barely registered Deuce’s hands around her waist until he lifted her off the ground and set her on Storm’s back.
“You’ve got to quit doing that. I’m perfectly capable of getting on and off my own horse.”
“Just trying to help¾let’s go home,” he said as he held out her new straw cowboy hat, which now looked like it had been through the small war it had.
She pushed the crumpled crown back into shape and dusted off the dirt and slapped it on her head.
“Nice hat,” he grinned.
“Thanks,” she said as her eyes surveyed the damage around them.
The area that had once been their camp looked like a garbage dump. Everything was broken, shredded or burned. She stared at the trees burning around the camp and the smoke drifting slowly up into the sky.
“We’ll send some guys back in with pack horses to clean up the mess.” Deuce watched the varied expressions on her dirty face change the longer she contemplated the damage.
“What about the fire?”
“There’s no wind, so between the meadow, cliffs and creek it won’t go far. Besides, the nights are so cold right now it’ll lay down tonight and snow could come at any time.”
Niki nodded. Gently nudging Storm with her heels, she rode away, refusing to look back. She knew the men followed, so now all she wanted to do was put distance between them and the place that had nearly claimed all their lives.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Niki, Frank and Deuce hadn’t been riding long before they reached the meadow where th
ey had left the mules, dogs and sheep. The smoke still hung heavily in the air and the cracking of trees burning, breaking and crashing to the forest floor echoed in the otherwise still evening, but the sight of their ravaged camp was behind them.
Deuce whistled and was relieved when Gracie and Stella trotted over. The dogs hadn’t been with the sheep, but rather hiding until they heard a familiar and friendly voice. In the back of his mind he had feared a far worse outcome than the grizzly encounter if the canines had come into contact with the soldiers. The loss of Bernie’s dogs would have been just one more blow to an old man who was already suffering physically and emotionally.
While Niki fed the dogs with the scraps they’d brought from camp and checked Gracie’s wounds, Deuce and Frank did a quick count of the sheep. They were surprised at how few had gone missing during all the chaos. Despite very little guidance from the usually diligent Gracie and Stella only several dozen were unaccounted for.
“You know, I was thinking,” Frank stated. “If I stayed here with the dogs, sheep, mules and extra horses you two could get back to the ranch twice as fast. By the time I round up all the scattered sheep, you could have some hands back here to help bring the band in for the season.”
“I hate to leave anyone out here after everything we’ve been through, but I was wondering how, short of force, I was going to convince the dogs to come with us without the sheep since we couldn’t leave Gracie and Stella out here alone with no one to feed and care for them,” Deuce replied.
“Just leave me all the supplies you don’t think you’ll need for a quick ride out and I can make do.”
“Are you sure, Frank? I’d rather we stick together, but Storm and Traveler are fresh, so if we’re not dragging the pack horse and Joe’s horse along and those stubborn mules, I can get Niki back to the ranch much quicker. I’m sure she’s worried sick about Bernie and I keep wondering how much more she can take.”
“I know she’s worried and I’ve had the same concern. That old man means the world to her and I’ll bet Bob’s going crazy being stuck at the ranch. I don’t know how our military was able to keep him from coming after us, but for their sake you’d better ride hard for home before he hurts someone in order to get to you two.”
“Sally and Bess are pretty much where we left them. Gracie and Stella are in good shape and no worse for the wear,” Niki stated as she approached the two men. “But we can’t leave the dogs here by themselves. They’re herders not hunters and if Gracie’s stitches break open she could bleed to death.”
“I agree. That’s why I’m staying here and you and Deuce are riding for the ranch as quick as you can. You need to be with Bernie and I’m sure Bob will be pestering the heck out of our military boys until he verifies you two are safe.”
Niki wasn’t happy with the plan. She had always adored the wrangler and after everything they’d been through together he felt even more like family than ever before. She used to think of him as a distant uncle who she enjoyed seeing on holidays and summer vacations, but now she saw him as a friend, father and hero. Frank, Joe and the Stephens’ clan were now her family.
She hugged Frank and forced herself to not get emotional. She would probably break down eventually, but for now she had to hold it together for just a little bit longer. There was a great deal of wisdom in his staying behind with the animals and Niki had to believe they were no longer in danger. She had always trusted his judgment in the past and she would have to rely on it now.
“Here, take this.” She retrieved the soldier’s gun from behind her back and dug out all the ammunition she had stuffed into her front pocket. “Better safe than sorry.”
They shared a laugh and another hug before Niki forced herself to leave Frank behind. She bent down and gave Gracie and Stella a hug. The dogs had lost a little weight, but seemed happy and otherwise healthy. When the dogs trotted back toward the sheep, Niki wandered off to look for Deuce.
She felt naked and vulnerable without a weapon and hoped the feeling would soon pass and she could get back to normal. Niki didn’t like the idea of feeling more comfortable packing a pistol than not. She had seen Deuce stow the other gun, so they would be covered if they ran into any more enemy soldiers, but somehow she doubted they would. With the U.S. military’s Black Hawks in the air, she felt certain the ordeal was finally over.
Deuce packed what little they would need in Storm and Traveler’s saddlebags and left the rest for Frank, including the radio. He reached out to shake Frank’s hand, then changed his mind and pulled Frank in a hard embrace.
“I’ll be back by the day after tomorrow with enough hands to clean up some of the mess and bring in the sheep. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call. The radio is programmed to the Sheriff’s office’s frequency.”
Once Frank was out of sight Niki had to fight the urge to let Storm run. She could tell the feisty gelding wanted the speed, but she doubted Traveler could keep up carrying his heavier load. And they did have a long ride to the ranch, so she held the horse back, which took almost more effort than she was willing to expend.
If they could maintain a good pace and ride all night they would be at the ranch by mid-morning and that thought gave her the strength to act rationally. Occasionally they let the horses gallop when on even terrain, but otherwise they just kept to a strong walking pace through the late afternoon and night, stopping only long enough to rest the horses or let them drink.
She and Deuce spoke little as they rode, both deep in thought about what had happened and what to expect when they returned. They hadn’t had the opportunity to talk much to the U.S. soldiers, but could only assume by their presence that the U.S. military had gained control of the situation and were in the process of ferreting out the invaders and getting the country back to normal.
Thinking about her grandfather and the state of America helped Niki to avoid worrying about her future. She would stay with her grandfather for as long as it took to see him healed. When she thought about her job and apartment she couldn’t picture going back, but didn’t know what else to do. She was sure Bob would welcome her at the ranch for as long as she needed to stay, but she hated to take advantage of his generosity. And there was Deuce. He had said he wanted her forgiveness for being a jerk, but she wasn’t sure if he just wanted to clear his conscience and get back to the way things used to be or if he wanted something more. She knew they had made their peace with the past, but they hadn’t discussed the future. In the face of all the danger and chaos there had seemed little point in making plans for a one day that might not exist.
“Are you holding up okay or do you want to make camp?”
Deuce’s question brought her abruptly out of her thoughts. She glanced over at him. He hadn’t shaved or bathed since the crisis started, but he was still the most handsome man she had ever seen. She’d looked up to him as a child, was confused by him as a teenager and fantasized about him as an adult. She always thought the feeling would pass when she met someone else, but she never did and the feelings never went away.
“Niki?”
“Sorry. I’m fine. I just want to go...”
The sentence trailed off. She had almost said she wanted to go home, but the ranch wasn’t her home. She wished it was, but she’d realized long ago she couldn’t live there with Deuce the way things were between them. If she had come to live with her grandfather after her mother had died or after graduating high school or college, she only pictured pain and sadness. While she lived somewhere else she could always pretend Deuce was as miserable without her as she was without him. But if she had ever had to watch him date another woman it would have killed her. She wondered if things would be different now. Would he admit he needed her and being together was worth all the risks of loving someone? Or would he push her away again now that the crisis was over?
“I just want to go to the hospital,” Niki mumbled as she looked away from Deuce’s concerned expression.
“Everything will be fine. I promise. Bernie�
��s tough and too stubborn to give up.”
Niki had always trusted Deuce. She believed her grandfather would pull through since he now had the medical treatment he need, but she didn’t know if she would ever be fine again if she was forced to walk away.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
It was mid-morning by the time they rode up to the ranch. Bob raced out to greet them and pulled Niki out of the saddle before she had a chance to dismount on her own. She didn’t mind for once, since she wasn’t sure her legs would support her after so many hours in the saddle anyway.
By the time Bob set her down he had wrestled Deuce into his embrace as well. She had never seen Bob hug his son before, so it warmed her heart to see the uncharacteristic display of emotion.
“I was mad as all get out when they told me you two weren’t on that helicopter,” Bob said as he released them.
“They couldn’t fit us all on board and you know Niki would never leave that mean old horse behind anyway. Frank stayed at the grazing meadow to round up the sheep which scattered during the siege and to take care of the dogs, mules and extra horses. We need to get some guys in there to bring the sheep out as soon as possible. I hated to leave Frank, but he insisted, and it probably cut our ride in half to leave Joe’s old horse and the pack animals behind.”
“Knowing Frank, he probably wanted the time alone. You know he doesn’t like people fussing all over him and he’s not one to show an emotion. I imagine he’s hoping everything will calm down by the time we bring the sheep in. I assume he has everything he needs for couple days?”
“How’s Papa?” Niki interrupted before Deuce could respond.
“I just got off the phone with the hospital. The MRI showed he had a serious fracture in one of his vertebrae, but you did well keeping it stabilized and it has pretty much healed. He developed an infection in one of his cuts and has a bit of pneumonia, but he’s going to be fine. They want to keep him for a while to make sure the pneumonia doesn’t worsen and they’ll pump him full of antibiotics. He told me that if I let you come into town before you rest, he’ll have my hide. I’m supposed to call when you get in, so he knows you’re safe, but I’m to keep you here until morning.”
