Prairie Fever

by Tessa Layne

  “Sure thing, sweetie pie – I mean doctor,” Gloria corrected herself.

  “Thanks.” She hurried back to the Appleberrys. “Ambulance should be here in less than five minutes.”

  Mrs. Appleberry nodded, eyes round with worry. “Will he be okay?”

  “That’s my hope, Mrs. Appleberry. He’ll be in good hands at the clinic.”

  In less than five minutes, a knock sounded at the door, and Parker stuck his head in. “Hey there Mr. A. I hear you’re not feeling up to par.”

  “Darn tootin’,” he grumbled.

  “Well, we’re gonna get you all sorted out, okay?” He eyed Suzannah. “Vitals?”

  “B-p one-sixty-two over one-twelve, pulse ninety-six.”

  Parker’s eyes flashed concern, but he was a pro, his face remained neutral. “Why don’t you come with me Mr. A. Heart clinic knows we’re on our way.”

  She mouthed a quick thank you to him over Mr. Appleberry’s shoulder. “I’ll follow up with you in a few days, all right?” She laid a hand on Mrs. Appleberry’s shoulder and accompanied her to the front door. “Don’t slip in the wet spots,” she called. She peered up at the clouds. Gray as far as the eye could see. No chance of this letting up anytime soon. In fact, if it kept coming down this hard, they’d be contending with flash floods in a few more hours. Rolling her shoulders back, she marched to the receptionist’s desk. She’d completed residency, she could manage a long day like today. Especially with Gunnar and Lulah waiting for her at the end of it. Before she grabbed the next clipboard from the top of the pile, she pulled her phone from her pocket one last time. Still nothing. She could feel the anxiety growing with each minute. This felt too much like Vegas. But it wasn’t. They were in Prairie and Gunnar had just asked to marry her. There was a logical explanation for all of this. She fired off a quick text.

  S: everything ok? I’m worried :(

  With a sigh, she set her phone down on the counter and reached for the next clipboard. “Cash Aiken?” she called, pushing away the doubt and the worry that followed her like the rainclouds outside. She couldn’t afford to think about her personal life until the waiting room had been cleared. No surprise, Cash displayed the same symptoms as everyone else, and as she was giving her spiel about staying hydrated, another knock sounded and Gloria peered in.

  “I’m so sorry to bother, but Chief Castro is on the phone?”

  “Don’t tell me the fire department’s sick, too?” She turned back to Cash. “You’re free to go, now. Just remember to push liquids, and call if your symptoms worsen.” She hurried down the hall to the phone. The waiting area seemed more crowded than before. What a nightmare. “This is Dr. Wilson.”

  Chief Castro got right to the point. “Doc. We need you. There’s been a wreck about five miles west of town. Semi hydroplaned and crossed the line. Hit a school bus.”

  “Oh dear God.”

  “Marion’s crew is coming, but they’re twenty-five minutes away. Our ambulance is out–”

  “Taking the Appleberrys,” she breathed.

  “And we need all the medics we can get. Estimates are maybe twenty on the bus.”

  “Ages?” Adrenaline surged into her body, even as her stomach sank. A head-on was bad enough, but on a bus with children and no seatbelts? This day could end in heartbreak for some families. “Doesn’t matter, I’ll be right there.” She dropped the phone. And sprinted for the exit. “Emergency, Gloria. I need you to hold down the fort.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Earlier that day

  When he’d arrived an hour late, Gunnar had been the recipient of a few knowing glances from Big Mike McAllister and Tony Cruz, Parker’s firefighter buddies who moonlighted on various ranches around town. He’d been lucky to secure them when they were between jobs, and lucky for Hansen Stables, they were some of the best ranch hands around. They worked hard, but they made work fun. Gunnar had been working solo for so long, he’d forgotten how much he enjoyed the camaraderie of a shared day’s work.

  But he didn’t mind their ribbing. Not today, when he was floating on air. He was marrying the love of his life, and soon the whole world would know about it. Even the sloppy weather couldn’t get him down. The forecast had called for record-setting heavy rains over the next several days. He’d already discussed an action plan with the Sinclaires if Steele Creek, the creek that separated their two properties burst its banks. It had flooded just over a year ago during the tornado, but to date, the water had never risen high enough to take out the bridge. Even if the rains were record setting, the road into town should still be passable.

  His phone buzzed. Why would Blake Sinclaire be calling again? They’d just talked not forty minutes ago. “’Sup?”

  “Sorry to break it to you, but one of the young bulls got a little frisky with the fence line at the far end of the property.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Today of all days.

  “Well, it ain’t April Fool’s.”

  “Awesome. What do you suggest.”

  “It seems like a good chunk of the herd wandered in and decided to help themselves to your grass.”

  “What’s a good chunk?”

  “Forty head, maybe fifty?”

  Goddammit. And those bison were wiley, too. It was going to take half a dozen people at least to round them up and push them into a gated pasture. And that would be all kinds of fun and games if it was raining. “What do you suggest?”

  “Why don’t you bring your guys out on your side? You’ll spot ’em easy. Brodie, Ben, Hope and I will meet you there. As long as the creek doesn’t get too high, we can push them over to our side. We have a fallow pasture that hasn’t been grazed this season. We can hold ’em there until the fence gets repaired.”

  “Good deal. I’ll see you in twenty, maybe thirty?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Gunnar tucked the phone into his breast pocket. “Hope you brought your oilskins, boys. We gotta go take on a herd of bison.” He hated rounding up bison. Cows, even longhorns, could be bossed, but no one bossed a bison. They could run as fast as a horse, and the last thing they wanted to do was start a stampede. If that happened, they could tear down the fences and run for miles. The Sinclaire herd was fairly docile, but they still didn’t like being bossed. “Mike, why don’t you grab Buzz, and Tony, you take Ricky. I’ll saddle up Sugar. I think she’s ready for something like this.”

  The men set to work, and in short order, they were headed towards the far end of the property at a clip, hats jammed low, oilskins buttoned tight to keep out the rain. Gunnar didn’t need to remind them to the give the horses their heads in slippery conditions like this. They were expert horsemen, and their mounts were seasoned. Inside his coat, Gunnar felt the buzz of his phone. Whoever it was would have to wait, it was too wet and slippery to pull out his phone now. The last thing he needed today was a phone lost in the mud.

  Sure enough, as the men crested the last rise on the far north edge of the Hansen land, he could see fifty, maybe sixty bison spread out. Squinting into the rain, he could see where the posts had been laid flat. The bison had marched on over and helped themselves to his prime grazing grass. “Damn fool beasts,” he muttered under his breath. He understood the bottom line where bison were concerned, but when the damn animals got a bee in their bonnet, they wouldn’t be contained. He waved, spotting his sister and the Sinclaire brothers further west. Gunnar’s phone buzzed again. “Sorry, whoever you are.” But what if it was Suzannah? If it was, it wasn’t a social call. They might be in love, but they both were too busy for chit-chat calls. Indecision gnawed at him. She was probably okay. Hell, she was a doctor, if anything was going on with Lulah, she could handle it. More likely, it was probably a cold call from some company inviting them to lease farm equipment, or buy hay. He’d pretty much gotten to the point that he didn’t answer the phone unless he recognized the caller. Sales calls wasted too much of his day.

  “You could have picked a better day for this,” Gunnar called out when
they rode abreast.

  Blake flashed him a grin. “You getting soft in your old age?”

  “I’ll never be as old as you,” he volleyed back, good-naturedly. Blake had him by two years, but it didn’t stop either of them from tossing around the old man jokes.

  Brodie spoke up. “Ben thinks we oughtta swing wide to the east in a big horseshoe and slowly walk them back.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Gunnar answered, sighing inwardly. Slowly walking the bison meant they’d move their horses forward a few yards and stop. Then they’d wait several minutes and do it again, all the time, not looking directly at the bison, keeping up a quiet conversation with each other in the hopes the bison would just ignore them, but move when they got too close. This would take until mid-afternoon, at least. “You know your livestock best.”

  “All right, then. Hope, why don’t you and Gunnar come with me,” Ben waved toward the east. “We’ll be the farthest back. Some of you set a line here, so they don’t drift farther south. We want to keep them in a bunch if possible.”

  The crew spread out to take their places. It was wet, boring work. By midday, even Gunnar’s mood began to flag. They’d only just forded the creek, which was running high, but hadn’t yet burst its banks. No doubt there would be flooding. The question was, how much? It was nearly two by the time Gunnar, Mike, and Tony rode into the barnyard, soaked. “Be sure to give the horses a thorough rub down. I don’t want them getting chilled.” He hung his oilskin on one hook, his Stetson on another, so they could dry, then he took care of Sugar, giving her an extra thorough rub down and currying. She’d been a champ, and the conditions had been miserable. Once she was settled, he pulled out his phone to see who’d called earlier. Great. It had died. He thought he’d charged it overnight, but maybe he hadn’t. All he remembered was the feel of Suzannah curled up against him as she slept. He would never tire of it, the way she sighed deeply in sleep, the way he caught a hint of her perfume when he held her close.

  “Why don’t you call it a day, boys?” he called. Everything else on his list for the week would have to wait until the ground dried out. “Take a few days, and we’ll see you after the rain stops?”

  “Sounds good,” Big Mike said. “I’ve got a new brew that’s just about ready to tap. I’ll bring some over.”

  Gunnar gave him the thumbs up, donned his oilskin and Stetson and made his way up the hill to the farmhouse. There were always chargers lying around in the main office. Leaving his wet clothes draped over the back porch rail and toeing off his boots, he entered the darkened farmhouse, stopping first in the kitchen to turn on the coffee machine. He could use a cuppa while he waited for his phone to charge. It was strange, being alone in the big empty house. It had been the heart of the ranch since before he was born. But more and more often, it stood empty while his parents traveled. He didn’t begrudge them their adventures, they’d worked eight days a week his entire life. They deserved to slow down, to travel. And it pained him to think that one day the house, his home, would stand empty for other, sadder reasons. What then? Would strangers move in? The house had been occupied by Hansens for over one-hundred-fifty years. He could imagine Lulah tearing through the kitchen, or lounging on the bed in the room that had once been Hope’s. Would Suzannah entertain the idea once her contract had been fulfilled? So many possibilities, so much to talk about, but he was trying his best to go slow. To exercise the same patience in love as he did with horse training.

  On the counter, his phone dinged to life, and a series of beeps in rapid succession signaled someone, or many someones had been trying to reach him. He reached for the phone, suddenly filled with apprehension, and scrolled through the long series of texts with growing distress.

  S: Babe, can you come get L? No school today – sick teachers! :(

  Shit. How long ago had she sent that? He glanced at the clock. Seven hours ago. Shit.

  S: You there?

  Oh this was bad. He’d let her down again. More texts followed.

  S: L is at Addy’s. Please come get her when you can. Thx.

  Then one from Addy.

  A: Hey Gunn. Hope the rain isn’t getting you down too bad. Lulah’s over here with Dylan. Give me a ring when you’re on your way. Or let me know if I need to bring her to you. :)

  And a final one from Suzannah.

  S: everything ok? I’m worried :(

  Motherfucker. He couldn’t be in more hot water if he tried. Before checking the voicemail, he dialed Suzannah. She wouldn’t answer if she was with a patient, but at least she’d see he called. “Hey, darlin’. Everything’s okay. Had to go chase down about sixty head of bison in the rain and my phone died. Just got back to the house. I’m on my way to get Lulahbelle right now. I just didn’t want you to worry. I’ll try and do a better job making sure my phone is charged. Love you.”

  Next, a quick call to Addy to let her know he was on his way. “Addy?” he asked when she answered.

  “Everything okay? I was starting to worry.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “Everything’s fine except we had to go push a load of bison outta one of our fields. Took most of the day. I’m on my way in for Lulah.”

  “Sure, no problem. She’s lying on the couch right now. I think she and Dylan wore each other out.”

  “Thanks again, Addy. See you soon.” He pulled the charger from the wall, stuffing it in his pocket along with the phone. He’d charge it in his truck as he drove. Overhead, the metal roof sounded like a stampede as a particularly heavy band of rain passed through. He hurried out to the truck and headed into town. As he crossed the bridge where Steele Creek passed underneath the road, he glanced over. The stream was an angry, brown, roiling snake. If the heavy rain didn’t let up, it wouldn’t take long to overrun the road. He pushed his speed heading into town, and for a moment, thought about bringing Lulah home to the bungalow. But if the road washed out, there’d be no one to take care of the animals. No, he’d have to stay out at the farm, just in case. But maybe he could bring Suzannah out if the water didn’t rise any further. He smiled at the thought of the three of them playing house together out at the ranch. Maybe that would be just the thing to convince Suzannah to live out there someday.

  Addy’s front door was open when he pulled up. He dodged the puddles on the walkway and rapped on the screen door. “Door’s open, come on in,” Addy called.

  He stepped gingerly inside, aware that his oilskin was soaked through. He called quietly over to where Lulah lay on the couch. From where he stood, she looked plum tuckered out. “Hey there Lulahbelle. You ready to go?”

  She nodded, not moving.

  “You okay, baby girl?”

  She nodded again, but she didn’t look okay. Maybe she was just tired. Hadn’t Suzannah mentioned that the children took naps every day at preschool? Wiping his feet on the mat, he crossed to the couch and squatted down. “Time to go. Can you get up?”

  “Can you carry me?” she whined.

  Man, she must really be tired if she was whining.

  “Sure thing, but let’s put on your raincoat. I’m pretty wet.”

  She slid off the couch, moving with the speed of a snail. Gunnar refrained from tapping his foot. The urge to get back to the ranch was becoming stronger with each gust of wind and heavy rain. “Can I help you, honey?”

  “No.” She pouted. “I can do it myself.”

  “Okay, but let’s get a move on. Once we’re home, I can take you down to check on Batman.” Usually, the opportunity to go visit her horsey was all the encouragement she needed. Not so today. The rain must be getting her down. After what felt like a small ice-age, she held up her arms, ready to be picked up. “Come on, let’s go, baby girl. Thanks again, Addy,” he called.

  “You bet,” she hollered from her office. “Catch you ’round. Suzannah said something about dinner soon.”

  “Sounds good to me. See you, Dylan.” He raised his hand to Addy’s son, who waved then promptly returned to his lego project.

&n
bsp; Gunnar raced to the truck and yanked open the door, pulling the seat forward and setting Lulah down in the car seat. As soon as she was settled, he jogged around to the other side and started the truck. The rain came down so heavy in spots, it was hard to see the road. Not that it bothered him, he knew the roads around Prairie like the back of his hand, but some of the dips and turns could be treacherous in gullywashers like today.

  He slowed as he hit Steele Creek, a prickle of concern slithering down his neck. The water was maybe a foot below the road. At least his parents had a deep freeze. If he and Lulah had to hole up for a few days, they’d be well stocked. Maybe it would even be fun. A little extra father-daughter time. Gunnar checked the rear-view. Lulah had been awfully quiet the entire drive. Sure enough, she was sacked out. He’d do his best not to wake her. But when he got her inside and into a kitchen chair, her cheeks were flushed. And when he unbuttoned her raincoat and removed it, her chest felt warm. He had no idea where to look for a thermometer, but he’d bet his favorite pair of boots his baby girl had a fever. Suzannah would know what to do, but again, she didn’t answer his call. “Hey, babe. I’ve got Lulah, and we’re back at the ranch, but I think she’s got a fever. Can you give me a call and tell me what to do? Also, what do you think about coming out here tonight? The river looks ready to overrun the road, and I’m gonna need to keep an eye on the livestock. I’d sure love your company.”

  Fear settled in the pit of his stomach. She was okay, wasn’t she? This wasn’t some kind of weird revisiting of Vegas, was it? He pushed the thought away. There was no way Suzannah would abandon them. Not a chance. She must be slammed at the clinic. He’d see her soon enough. “Daddy?” Lulah’s eyes flickered open, and her face was all screwed up. Come to think of it, she looked a bit green around the gills.