Her gloves were light driving gloves and when she removed them to eat, her hands cooled until her fingers were stiff when she wiggled them. She longed to unzip her coat and warm her fingers against her body, but she needed to keep her core warm to survive. She would live without a few fingers.
After a while, Callie became more peaceful and ceased shivering. She smiled as much as her cold facial muscles allowed. “The chocolate bar is warming me,” she mumbled as she dug through her purse for a bottle of water. She dumped her purse and pawed through the contents, searching for the water.
She unscrewed the bottle, but her fingers wouldn’t cooperate to lift it to her lips. The bottle slipped from her grasp and emptied as it rolled away. She burst into tears. Her brain was foggy, and she couldn’t concentrate on her task. Callie slumped against the seat.
“Sorry for leaving you an orphan, Becky.” Becky would have no parents. Her worst fear for her daughter was to lose another person she loved and now it had happened. She shouldn’t have to lose two mothers. Callie hugged herself and imagined hugging her daughter. She pictured Becky’s first few wobbly steps as she walked from her arms across the room and into Liz’s strong hands. Liz was gone too. “I failed, Liz. I should have looked after Becky and now she’s alone. I’m so sorry.”
The vision of Liz faded, and Lauren slid into view. Callie saw her smiles, her warm lips, and an ocean of caring and respect in her eyes. She could almost feel Lauren close to her. The feeling of lying curled in Lauren’s arms while they slept and then waking to make love again. There would be no future for them after all. Even if she crawled out of all the worries that made her hold back, it was too late. The Krugers had won
“Stay safe, Lauren. Look after Becky. She needs you.” Callie couldn’t protect Lauren and Becky from the Krugers. She couldn’t even protect herself. What a waste of time. She’d fought everyone for control over her life and she’d lost that too.
Callie curled into a ball, drifting in and out of sleep. As the cold settled deep into her bones, her brain became more muddled and a curtain of grayness dropped across her mind. She removed her hat and unzipped her jacket. “Odd, I’m warmer now.” Then she let herself go. Sleep was peaceful.
Chapter Thirty-three
Lauren drove along the road to Poplarcreek to meet Callie for lunch. It was snowing but was no worse than the weather she had driven in a hundred times already this winter. It was a rare treat on a busy day to have lunch with Callie.
Engrossed in her daydreams, Lauren almost missed the tracks that veered off the road and were nearly covered in fresh snow. She turned her truck, careful to keep her wheels on the road, and drove back. She flipped on her hazard lights and jumped out to scan the river valley. The snow still fell and would cover everything soon. She was about to turn away when she spotted the tailgate of a vehicle protruding from a snowdrift part way down the hill. The license plate read POPCRK. Her stomach clenched in fear.
Lauren’s immediate instinct was to throw herself down the hill and get to Callie as fast as possible, but her emergency training helped her keep a cool head. She snatched her cell phone from the cab of the truck, but the signal was weak. Twice she telephoned the clinic, but following a period of static, the calls dropped. Callie’s message at ten thirty said she was on her way home. Ninety minutes ago. Way too long in this cold. She searched the slope for footprints. There were none. Had the falling snow buried Callie’s footprints? Had Callie escaped or was she still in her truck?
“Callie!” she shouted. “Can you hear me?” There was no answer. She grabbed the ropes and halters from her med kit, tied them end-to-end and then tied one end to her bumper. She looped the other end over her shoulder and clipped on the snowshoes she sometimes had to use to get to animals in the field.
Snowshoes weren’t great on steep hills and Lauren was clumsy. Halfway down, she tripped and slid the rest of the way. She stopped when she slammed into the tailgate of the truck. The impact knocked the breath out of her for a few seconds.
Lauren ducked under the tailgate and dug through to the window at the back of the cab. It was open four inches and Callie lay slumped inside. “Callie? Callie, wake up, love.” When there was no answer, Lauren stared hard to see if she was still breathing. Her chest was barely moving. “Callie, love, please wake up.” She struggled to open the window. The adrenaline of terror propelled her to fight until it opened another two inches, wide enough to reach through. Pressing until her body was flat against the glass of the rear window, she could touch Callie’s leg. Her leg was ice cold. “Please, Cals, please wake up.” She grasped Callie’s pants leg and shook it with fierce determination, as tears of frustration seared their way down her freezing face.
When there was no response, Lauren removed her arm and crumbled. Callie was cold and unresponsive, but she couldn’t be dead. Lauren scrambled on hands and knees from under the truck. “Hang on, Cals, I’ll be back.”
Lauren searched for any useful items thrown from the truck bed when Callie crashed. All she found were empty feedbags and a few wisps of straw. Pulling hand over hand on her rope, she climbed the hill. When she reached the road, she sank to her knees on the ground. Her lungs burned from the deep breaths of the cold air she inhaled.
She forced herself to her feet and stumbled to the cab to try her cell phone again. Still no signal. She considered going for help, but terror at the possibility she would be too late to save Callie stopped her. The falling snow could obliterate the truck’s tracks before she returned with help and she might not find the exact spot where Callie skidded off the road.
In desperation, Lauren dug through her veterinary equipment. Discarding useless items, she searched and prayed for something useful. She stuffed tools for working with horseshoes in her pockets. Lauren could use her truck to rescue Callie, but if she drove down the hill, she would be stuck. Still, she could rescue Callie and keep her warm until the truck ran out of gas. They would freeze to death wrapped in each other’s arms. Not a good option either.
Lauren pounced on her calving jack. “This might work.” She slung the calving jack over her shoulder and jammed the calving chains in a pocket. She charged down the hill and slipped again. This time when she crashed into the truck, the impact cut her forehead above her left eye. Her warm blood, as if it were a line of fire, burned its way down her frozen face. She held a handful of snow to the gash until the blood slowed to a trickle and then crawled to the back window.
Lauren fastened one end of a calving chain around the horseshoe puller and the other to the winch. She stuck the puller thorough the opening in the window of the cab and turned the tool forty-five degrees, as if turning a key in a lock. She positioned one side of the U-shaped end of the calving-jack above the window and the other below and winched. An instant later, the chains slipped and pinched Lauren’s finger between sharp metal. “Damn it, Damn it.”
Lauren wiggled her finger. It didn’t appear broken, but it was numb with cold and she couldn’t be sure. The muscles of her face felt paralyzed with cold and when she touched her cheek, she discovered a streak of frozen blood running from forehead to chin. Enough fussing. Back to work.
Lauren’s thick gloves prevented her from manipulating small objects, so she had removed them. Her numb fingers fumbled with the calving chains. She tried to grab them and whimpered when her frozen fingers wouldn’t cooperate. Lauren stuffed the fingers of her left hand into her mouth to warm them and switched them with the fingers of her right hand. The temporary warming gave her enough dexterity to hook the chains to the winch again. She winched keeping her speed slow and steady.
Again, the horseshoe puller slipped, and she fell backward. She repositioned the tool, hooked the calving chains on, and continued winching. The next time the tool slipped it fell from the chains onto the ceiling of the cab. She stuck her arm inside and reached for it, but it was too far. Calm abandoned her. She removed her arm and pounded at the window in fury. “Damn it, Damn it, Damn it. Stupid crappy window. Callie,
wake up and help me. Callie, please.” Callie didn’t so much as stir.
Lauren cursed winter and her clumsiness until she collapsed panting. “Well done, stupid. That was a waste of energy.” Her hands would be bruised and sore when they thawed, but at least they were warmer now.
Lauren searched her pockets for the hoof rasp. She attached the chains and positioned the rasp through the window. Holding the chains to keep the rasp in place, she hooked them to the winch. She braced her feet on either side of the window and pumped the winch handle. She strained, pumping it until her shoulders and arms neared exhaustion, and the pole started to bend.
Panting, Lauren paused with her head hanging while she struggled to drag air into her lungs. She no longer had enough strength to pump. “Stupid winch. Stupid window. And stupid winter. One more time or she’ll die.”
Lauren grabbed the handle and pumped. This would be her last effort. She would have no more strength to continue and too little energy to pull herself up the hill. She would stay with Callie and in the spring, somebody would find them. “I tried, Cals. Sorry, love. I won’t leave you.” She pumped the winch one more time and shouted when the window broke apart, throwing her on top of the metal winch. Her brain registered pain, but she blocked it as a surge of relief swept through her.
Lauren crawled to the opening. “Callie? Callie? Wake up.” There was no response. In her bulky clothes, Lauren didn’t fit through the window, so she shed her winter parka before wedging herself into the cab. She cupped Callie’s face, and it was as if she held a bucket of ice.
Elation filled her when she located a jugular pulse and discovered Callie still breathing. Callie was feminine and curved in all the best places, but farming was hard work and Callie was solid muscle. At this angle, Lauren couldn’t lift her. She retrieved the calving chains and wrapped them under Callie’s armpits. Then she squeezed through the window, repositioned the calving jack, and careful of Callie’s head, winched with her last ounce of determination.
When Callie passed through the window, she dropped into the snow, and the impact woke her. She struggled against Lauren’s hands and cursed incoherently.
Callie was alive. Lauren cradled her in her arms, rocking Callie and kissing the top of her head. “You’re alive. You’re alive.”
“Lauren? Are you real?” Callie slurred her words.
“Yes, Cals. I’ll haul you up the hill to my truck soon. Are you hurt anywhere?” Lauren skimmed hands over Callie’s body examining her for blood, broken bones, or tears in her clothing.
“All right, but dizzy.” Callie rose as far as her knees. She vomited and would have fallen into it, but Lauren caught her and yanked her away in time.
“That was sexy,” Lauren said. She was ecstatic to have Callie alive and didn’t care if she sounded foolish.
“Gross,” Callie mumbled before fainting in Lauren’s arms.
Lauren held her for a few minutes and kissed her soft blond hair. Lauren’s muscles screamed and her chest hurt from the deep breaths of chilled air. Her bones were lead and her muscles refused to obey her. She rocked Callie in her arms. She had to get them somewhere warm, but she longed to rest and to close her eyes for a few seconds.
Lauren jerked awake. How long had she slept? It could mean death for them both if it happened again. She concentrated on her hands and struggled to straighten her frozen fingers and let go of Callie. She lowered her to the ground. Lauren shivered and her teeth chattered as she pulled her coat back on. The coat was freezing, but better than nothing. She sucked on her fingers until they thawed enough that she could zip her coat. Then she yanked on her gloves and turned her attention to Callie.
Still unconscious, it was clear Callie couldn’t climb the hill. Lauren looped one end of the rope around Callie’s body under her arms. She crawled from under the truck until she could stand. Then she dragged Callie out and got her into position.
Lauren stumbled up the slope, convinced it was higher and steeper than when she climbed it the first time. She untied the rope from the back of her truck and dropped it through a loop on her bumper.
Lauren’s shoulders throbbed as she hauled Callie up the hill. Fortunately, Callie’s coat slid well over the snow.
Lauren finally dragged Callie onto the road. She gazed down at her and fought against the exhaustion that tempted her to lie beside Callie. It would be a fatal mistake. She rolled her shoulders and stooped to grab Callie under her arms. She half carried and half pushed her into the cab of her truck. She removed Callie’s damp coat and boots, then she wrapped her coat and a blanket around her and shoved spare boots on her feet. She got into the driver’s seat, shaking and exhausted, but determined this wasn’t the end of them. She cranked the truck’s heater and whipped along the snowy roads to the hospital.
Lauren delivered Callie, unconscious and freezing, to the emergency entrance at the hospital. She kissed Callie on the forehead and the doctors took Callie in right away. Lauren staggered into the waiting room and accepted the warm blanket the nurse handed her. With shaking hands, she pulled out her phone and dialed.
“Prairie Veterinary Services. This is Val. How—”
“It’s Lauren. I’m with Callie. Her truck went off the road.”
“Oh no! Is she hurt?”
Lauren swallowed her tears. “I don’t know. We’re at the hospital. There’s no blood that I saw. But she was unconscious and so cold.”
“You stay with her. Want me to get Becky after school?”
“Please.”
“Just a second.”
Lauren touched her forehead and studied the blood on her hand with curiosity. Her head didn’t hurt.
“Ian said take all the time you need. He’ll cover your calls. Want me to call Mark?”
“Why Mark?”
“Are you okay? You sound like you’re in shock. I know Mark sometimes watches Callie’s cattle.”
“Good idea. Thanks, Val.”
“Take care of Callie and find a doctor for yourself. And keep me informed, okay?”
Lauren slid the phone into her pocket. When summoned, she followed a nurse into a room to be examined and to have her forehead sutured. Afterward, they gave her another warm blanket and hot soup, which helped her thaw enough to focus. “Can I see her?”
“Soon,” the nurse said. “She’s in X-ray.”
Lauren lingered in a state of fear for forty minutes until the nurse updated her on Callie’s condition and permitted her to enter Callie’s room. Callie was in bed, curled in a ball and wrapped in blankets. She shivered and her teeth chattered so much that “Lauren,” was all she could squeeze out as her eyes misted with gratitude.
Lauren pulled a chair close to Callie’s bed. She didn’t care who saw her hold Callie’s cold hand to her lips. She didn’t care who saw her tears of relief.
“You’ll be all right, Cals. Maybe a wicked cold, but they told me your fingers and toes are okay and no broken bones.”
“It hurts.” Tears welled in Callie’s eyes.
Lauren kissed her forehead. “You’re thawing out. If the pins and needles hurt too much, I’ll request painkillers.”
“No.” Callie shook her head. “It’s okay.” She brushed a shaking finger underneath the line of fresh sutures on Lauren’s forehead. Then she smoothed her hand down the side of Lauren’s face and along her cheekbone to her chin. An instant later, Callie was sobbing. “I almost died. Becky would’ve been an orphan.”
Lauren carefully scooped Callie into her arms. “But you didn’t die. You’re too tough to let a little snow stop you.”
“Becky needs me.”
“Damn right she does. But I’ve called Val, so you can relax. She’ll take care of Becky, and Mark will check on your farm. Your job is to get warm.”
Callie smiled. “Bossy woman.”
Lauren winked. “Sometimes. When I think I can get away with it.” She remained by Callie’s bed while she warmed and slipped in and out of consciousness. She drew Callie’s hand to her lips and la
y beside her on the bed. When Callie shivered, she held her tight against her chest. “What would I have done if I’d lost you?” Fear sliced through her. Callie meant everything to her, and she believed it deep in her soul.
While Lauren cradled Callie in her arms, Callie mumbled in her sleep, “Oh, Lauren.” Overjoyed to hear her name, Lauren wasn’t sure whether to weep, sing, or cry.
Later, Lauren woke to soft kisses on her forehead and opened her eyes to find Callie smiling at her.
“Hi,” Callie said.
Humor illuminated the laughing blue eyes, a clear sign Callie was feeling better. Lauren tilted her head and kissed Callie’s lips with all the love she could convey. Callie’s lips were warm, and she only shivered a little. “You’re awake.”
Lauren fetched the nurse and with her help, they maneuvered Callie into the bathroom and then back into bed. Lauren tucked Callie in with a kiss. The nurse disappeared, and ten minutes later, returned with a tray of food she handed to Lauren.
“Cals, I have a bowl of thick hot soup. Let’s see what you can get down.”
Lauren helped Callie sit up and propped a pillow behind her. Callie cradled the bowl and spooned the warm liquid into her mouth. “Amazing.” Callie gripped the spoon, but it tapped against the side of the bowl as her hand shook. Her hand shook so much that the spoon was only half-full by the time it reached her mouth.
“Let me.” Lauren lifted the bowl from Callie’s hands and fed her. “What happened, Cals? Did you go into a skid?”
Callie shook head. “Forced off the road. Kyle, I think. What an asshole.”
“I’m going to call Mitchell.” She didn’t care who she had to go to for help. Callie could have died, and Lauren’s heart would have gone with her. Lauren wasn’t a violent woman, but if Kyle had appeared in that room at that second, she’d have throttled him.
When the bowl was empty, Callie slept, and Lauren phoned the RCMP. Mitch had already heard about the accident and was waiting until the doctors said Callie was strong enough to interview. She was interested in the suggestion that Kyle had forced Callie off the road, and her tone had changed from professional to mercenary. Lauren grinned as she ended the call. She was sure Mitch would help her throttle Kyle.
Veterinary Partner Page 27
