“Great thinking,” David muttered, helping her unravel the second blanket. “Between the barn, the car, and this blanket, we’ll have some decent shelter.”
“Where is that ambulance?” Marianne mumbled, as she carefully transferred Scott’s head from her lap on to the dry towel.
“Did you bring the phone?”
“Yes, it’s in my pocket.”
“Call them again, but do it from in the car. They’ll be able to hear you better.”
As Marianne started for the car, Cathy and her father wrapped the large horse blanket around them, then crouching down close to the car to minimize the affect of the wind, they lifted it over their heads and leaned over Scott, protecting him from the rain. It was pouring, but the blanket helped tremendously.
“I wish we could move him,” Cathy said sadly, leaning against her father.
“I wish we could too, but it’s not safe.”
“Scott, focus on my voice,” she said, bringing her face closer to his. “Can you open your eyes? Please, Scott, open them for me.”
He could hear her. His precious Cathy was calling him, but it was dark and he was cold, but not as cold as he remembered being, though he wasn’t sure when that was. He was becoming aware of a terrible headache, and his legs were suddenly aching. He’d had a sense for a very long time that a terrible weight had been on them, but it was gone.
I just need to do what she asked. I must open my eyes. I’m dreaming, that it. I’m in a crazy deep sleep and I just need to open my eyes.
“Dad, look.”
“Thank, God,” David muttered, seeing Scott’s eyelids fluttering.
“Scott, you’re all right,” Cathy sobbed, unable to stop her tears.
“Cathy? Ooh, my head,” he groaned, slowly opening his eyes. “Where am I?”
“You got hit by a tree branch. We’re in a bad storm,” she managed, her tears of relief spilling down her face. “You’re on the ground under a blanket, but there’s an ambulance on its way.”
“I don’t remember,” he mumbled.
“Stay awake,” David said firmly. “It’s important that you stay awake.”
“Not easy…”
“How is he doing?” Marianne asked, the flashlight illuminating the area as she crawled under the blanket.
“He’s awake,” Cathy declared. “Just now, he woke up.”
“The ambulance will be here any minute. Here, I totally forgot I’d left mine in the console compartment,” she said, handing David his phone. “A tree was blocking the road so they had to turn around and come in from the other direction.”
“Thank you, dad,” Cathy sniffled as more tears began to fall, “thank you for bringing me out here, thank you mom for helping, I’m so grateful. I love him so much.”
“Love you too, sugar,” Scott mumbled, “you’re everythin’…to…me…”
“Listen. A siren,” David exclaimed, “Marianne, the flashlight.”
Climbing out from under the blanket, he ran into the tempest and began waving the light to guide the ambulance towards them. As it neared, he could see it was alone. There was no other emergency vehicle with them.
“Must be one hell of a busy night,” he grunted as the ambulance slowly approached.
While two paramedics were doing their assessment before loading Scott, Marianne stayed with them as Cathy and her father hurried into the barn with the driver so they could talk.
“We’ll be taking him to Mercy General,” he said. “Only one of you can come in ambulance with him.”
“That’ll be me,” Cathy declared.
“I’ll meet you there,” David said. “I’m sure he’ll have insurance, but I want the best for him and I’m happy to pay for it.”
“You can sort all that out when we get to emergency, but I have to warn you. We think we’ve had about three twisters touch down, or there’s one that’s bouncing around like the dickens. They’re hard to see at night, but the damage is there, and the storm isn’t letting up, so keep your wits about you.”
“We figured,” David remarked solemnly. “Don’t worry, we’ll be real careful.”
“I’ll see you at the hospital I need to be with Scott,” Cathy said as she started to head out. “Oh, and you can tell mom whatever you want. I really don’t care at this point.”
“Hey, I get that,” David nodded. “Neither do I, and I suspect she doesn’t either.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Marianne watched the ambulance pull away, but David had not returned from the barn, so trying to hold the wildly flapping horse blanket over her head, she hurried the few steps to the barn door’s narrow opening and stepped inside. She was immediately struck by how muffled the outside noise was, even with the door slightly open, and the dim lamps glowing overhead gave the place a warm, serene feeling. They didn’t shed much light, but enough to move around slowly and not bang into anything. She could hear the rustling of the horses, and she remembered how she used to love the smell of her stable as a girl. Once she’d gone off to college riding had fallen away, and inhaling the aroma sent a warm familiar comfort through her body. Taking a breath, left the blanket on top of a bale of hay near the door, then started forward, softly calling David’s name.
“I’m down here,” he called back, raising his cell phone so she could see the glow and know exactly where he was.
She still had the flashlight in her pocket, but she liked the barn illuminated the way it was, and she didn’t want to startle the horses by its sudden bright glow. Walking towards him, she pulled off her dripping slicker, carrying it until she reached him, and as she laid it across Cathy’s tack-trunk, she heard a soft knicker.
“This is Cinnamon,” David murmured, “and Moon Doggie is in this stall next to her.”
“Oh, Moon Doggie,” Marianne whispered, moving to the adjacent stall and staring at him. “I remember watching you carry my precious Catherine around all those big jumps. You were an absolute champion.”
“Why don’t you ever come out here?” David frowned. “You told me you loved riding when you were a kid.”
“I don’t know,” she sighed. “Just too busy, I suppose. Why are you still in here? I thought you’d come out to see Cathy away.”
“I needed a bit of peace for a minute, and I also wanted to make sure the horses were all right. I know she’ll ask me if I checked on them, and not just hers, all of them. It’s amazing how quiet they are considering what’s going on outside.”
“David, can you please tell me about Scott and Cathy? What exactly is-?”
“Hello?” a voice called, interrupting her.
Looking behind them, they were surprised to see a grizzled man dressed in an old oil skin coat.
“Can I help you folks? Kinda wild night to be visitin’ the barn.”
“I’m David Coleman, Catherine’s father, and his is my wife, Marianne.”
“Nice to meet you folks. I’m Joe, the groundskeeper.”
“Hi, Joe, are you here to make sure the horses are okay?”
“Nope, Scott Sampson comes ’n stays here durin’ these storms. I’m here cos things were gettin’ a bit hellish in my trailer. I thought I’d best come up here for the night. Speakin’ of Scott, have you seen ‘im?”
“Unfortunately Scott had an accident,” David said, “but don’t worry, he’ll be fine. He was just picked up by an ambulance and taken to Mercy General. A tree branch knocked him down and fell on his legs.”
“Say what? I thought I heard a siren, but I didn’t know it was comin’ in here. You’re sure he’ll be okay? Oh, Lord. If anythin’ were to happen to that man…”
“He was awake and talking when they loaded him in the ambulance, I was there,” Marianne assured him. “I’m sure he’ll be back before you know it.”
“Are you gonna be seein’ ‘im?”
“We’re going to the hospital when we leave here, which is right now,” David replied.
“You tell him that Joe says to get better real quick, and not
to worry about a darn thing. I’ll take of whatever needs takin’ care of. I’ll stay up in the loft bedroom until he gets back. You be sure and tell ‘im.”
“Have you worked for him long?” Marianne asked.
“I’ve been with Scott since he bought this place. God don’t make ‘em much better than that man, lemme tell ya. Heart bigger’n New York City. He saved my life. I don’t know where I’d be if it weren’t for him. Not standin’ here talkin’ to you, that’s for darn sure.”
“Sounds like quite a story,” David remarked, seeing his wife’s thoughtful frown.
“Yup, but not one to tell right now! I’m gonna do a walk around, then head on up to the loft.”
“Good to meet you,” David said, “and I’ll be sure to pass on your message.”
“David…” Marianne said urgently, tilting her head to the side, “do you hear that?”
“Hear what? All I hear is the storm.”
“I don’t hear nothin’,” Joe piped up.
“Listen.”
The trio stood still and silent, waiting for a rerun of whatever it was Marianne had picked up. She was beginning to think she’d imagined it, when a distant whining sound made its way through the air.
“There it is again,” she whispered.
“Sounds like it’s comin’ from the arena,” Joe offered. “Follow me.”
Lifting his lantern he led the way down an offshoot aisle, and finding the sliding door to the indoor ring was slightly open, he pushed it further aside.
“Well, I’ll be,” he mumbled, “we’ve got ourselves little lost dog. Hey, fella.”
Stepping around him Marianne pulled out her flashlight, and shining it downwards she saw a bedraggled, shaking, soaked little creature woefully staring up at them.
“You poor little thing,” she bleated, slowly crouching down. “Oh, baby, you’re so thin, and you’re so cold.”
“I’m gonna go get a towel to wrap him in,” Joe said, quickly hurrying away.
“You poor little thing,” she repeated, letting the dog sniff her hand.
“He must have run off in the storm,” David remarked.
“No, he’s a stray, he’s skin and bone, or if he did run off it’s because the owners left him outside,” Marianne said angrily. “I hate people sometimes.”
“Here,” Joe said, handing her a towel. “I’ll take him to the shelter tomorrow when the weather clears.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Marianne said firmly, gently swaddling the dog in the towel. “I’m taking him home with me.”
“You are?” David exclaimed, staring at her in surprise.
“I most certainly am! He needs me!” she declared vehemently.
Watching her take care of the terrified, trembling dog, murmuring her gentle assurances and softly stroking its head, David was hit by a sudden epiphany.
How could I not have seen this? Marianne needs to be needed. That’s why she works so damn hard for her charities, and it must be why she’s so clingy with Cathy.
“Look at him,” she continued, slowly rising to her feet with the pup in her arms. “Oops, sorry, my mistake, he’s a she!”
“That right?” Joe smiled. “Well, she’s about the luckiest little dog in the world, findin’ someone like you to take care of her. We’ve gotta box of dog treats you can take. Won’t be no stores open, and I’m guessin’ you don’t have kibble at your house.”
“Thank you, Joe,” Marianne said gratefully. “Oh, you sweet thing, look at her, David, the poor little mite.”
Staring up at her, the dog unexpectedly raised its head and licked Marianne’s nose.
“She likes me!” Marianne exclaimed. “Isn’t she precious? Isn’t she just the most precious thing?”
“What’s not to like?” David smiled. “That’s one smart dog. She found a way straight into your heart.”
“She did that,” Joe chuckled.
“Let’s go, hon,” David said, putting his arm around her shoulders. “I need to get to the hospital.”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Marianne said hastily. “Thanks for the towel, Joe. I’ll make sure it gets back here.”
“Don’t be worryin’ about that,” he grinned. “That box of treats is on the shelf by the door, you can just grab it on the way out. I’m gonna go this other way. I need to check the horses in this aisle before I go up.”
“I can call you and let you know how Scott’s doing,” David offered.
“Call me here at the barn, assumin’ the phone is still workin’. I’ll be the one answerin’ if it rings.”
“Right, then I’ll give it a try,” David promised.
With the dog curled up in Marianne’s protective arms, David led her back to Cinnamon’s stall to collected her slicker.
“You know what, just carry it,” she said. “Its too wet to put back on, and the car’s only a few steps from the door.”
“You just don’t want to let go of that dog,” David grinned.
“No, I don’t, she needs me.”
“Exactly,” he sighed, just as much as you need her. “She may not be house-trained, what about your rugs?”
“I’ll buy new ones,” Marianne quipped.
As they left the barn, they found the rain just as torrential, and the wind just as fierce, as the drive they’d experienced when they’d left the house over an hour before.
“This is one relentless storm,” Marianne declared, her voice tinged with fear.
“No kidding,” David agreed. “I’m going to drop you off at home. You can’t take that dog into the hospital, and I doubt you’ll want to leave her in the car.”
“But, uh, I need to be there for Catherine.”
“I’ll be there for Catherine, and when I tell her why I took you home, I’m sure she’ll be fine with it.”
“So,” Marianne began hesitantly, “what’s been going on with her and Scott Sampson? It’s obvious you knew about them.”
“I’m not sure this is the time to talk about it.”
“Why not? Unless you need to concentrate, but you’re driving so slowly I doubt you’ll hit anything,” Marianne remarked. “Please, David.”
“Okay,” he sighed. “Cathy and Scott have been seeing each other, and they’re very much in love. Scott is terrific, but you refused to give him a chance.”
“This isn’t making any sense,” she frowned. “What happened to that well-dressed man I saw her with at Bellisimo, that Connor Marsden guy? He and Cathy were certainly more than just good friends, that was obvious, and she was going to bring him to the dinner! I don’t understand any of this.”
David’s hands gripped the steering wheel as he drove around some large tree limbs, then stopped to avoid some bouncing garbage cans.
“This is getting really scary,” Marianne grimaced.
“It always was,” David muttered, catching his breath before resuming his slow, cautious drive.
“Are you going to tell me the rest of it, about this Connor Marsden?”
“I am, but I also have to get us home safely,” he retorted.
“Sorry, yes, of course you do.”
“No, I’m sorry,” he apologized, “I didn’t mean to snap at you.”
“It’s been a frightening night, we’re both totally strung out,” she said softly.
“Scott’s a good guy, I like him,” David declared. “You don’t know him, but let me tell you, Cathy could do a lot worse. You make snap judgments about people all the time. Half of those young men you’d love to see her with, the ones in their Armani suits running around town in their Jaguars, they’re spoiled rotten and completely self obsessed. When you saw Scott at Bellisimo, you immediately assumed he was right for Cathy just because he was dressed well and had taken her out to dinner in a town car.”
“What did you just say? Scott was at Bellisimo?”
“Darn it, I didn’t mean it to come out that way,” he grimaced. “I’m sorry. Yes, that was Scott.”
“It was? That was Scott?” she mut
tered, finding it hard to believe. “Then…who is Connor Marsden, and didn’t Cathy say she’d been dating Connor for a while?“
“Connor Marsden is just a name we came up with. Scott is Connor Marsden. I thought if you met him at your dinner party, and he was dressed in a tux rather than jeans and a T-shirt, you’d take the time to talk to him and you’d realize what a catch he is.”
“Oh, my gosh.”
“Hey, I get it, I don’t want Cathy with some pauper either, but Scott isn’t even close to being a pauper. He’s a hard-working horseman with a good head on his shoulders, and Cathy is absolutely crazy about him.”
“I saw that,” she mumbled, her head spinning with what she’d just heard.
“You need to realize that our little girl is now a young woman, and her life belongs to her, and I think,” he said, maneuvering his car to the wrong side of the street to avoid some downed power lines, “I really need to focus on my driving now.”
“I agree,” she said, trying to process everything she’d just been told.
Wondering what had happened to the money she’d put in the saddle bags, and thinking about the night’s dramatic events, Marianne stared out at the insanity surrounding her. It was the perfect metaphor.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Marianne sat silent for the remainder of their drive, and David let her. She had a lot to process. When they finally reached their home he pulled into the garage, jumped out, and opening the car door for her, he led her into the house so she wouldn’t have to put down the bedraggled dog in her arms.
“What are you going to call her?” he asked, watching her put the little mutt on top of the kitchen island.
“Angel,” Marianne said softly. “Don’t you think she looks like a little angel?”
“I think that’s absolutely perfect, and I think that’s exactly what she is, an angel set from heaven,” David said warmly. “This special little creature is going to give this house some of its life back.”
“What you said in the car…” she murmured, absently stroking the dog’s head.
“What about it?”
Her Forbidden Cowboy (Cowboys After Dark Book 12) Page 19
