by Joel Baker
“What’s going on?” Matthew asked.
“Look at the sky, boy,” Lester said. “We’ve got a hell of a storm headed this way.”
Even as Lester spoke, the wind picked up, and a chill ran down Matthews back. The clouds had lowered and darkened, while they were in the house. The wind had shifted to the north, and the temperature seemed to be dropping. Lester turned and raced for the barn.
“Listen, Fala,” Matthew said. “I’m going to head home. I have to leave now, if I’m going to make it before the storm breaks.”
“I’m not staying here,” Fala said.
“You’ll be safe here,” Matthew said. “I’ll have to move fast. The storm is building rapidly.”
“I’m not staying here,” Fala said. If we’re going to leave, let’s get started.”
Matthew knew it wouldn’t do any good to argue, so he went in with Fala to tell the kids goodbye. Rachel made a last ditch effort to distract Matthew, but he was too focused on getting back to Colter Canyon.
‘I suppose that girl is going with you,” Rachel said.
“You mean Fala?” Matthew asked.
“Is she?” Rachel asked.
“Yes,” Matthew said. “Don’t make a big deal out of it Rachel. We’re just friends.”
“Just friends,” Rachel said. “I’ll bet.”
“Yes,” Matthew said. “Just like you and me.”
The look on Rachel’s face, said it all. She turned and walked slowly up the stairs to the second floor bedrooms. Matthew grabbed his jacket, and headed for the front door. Fala was already mounted, and had the lead rope to the pack horse in her hand.
Lester returned from the barn and stood with Elsie to say goodbye. The wind was blowing hard, and drops of rain were beginning to fall. Matthew swung up in the saddle, waved goodbye, and he and Fala headed for the front gate. One of the curtains in the upstairs bedroom was pulled back for a moment, and then slowly swung back into place.
***
Both Matthew and Fala rode north into the cold, driven rain. Matthew turned the collar of his jacket up, and blew on his hands for warmth. He looked back at Fala, who still had the lead rope to the pack horse firmly in her hands. It least she has gloves, Matthew thought. Her hat was pulled down in front and she peeked up at Matthew and smiled. Her horses coat glistened in the driving rain. The clouds lowered even more, just as the rain turned to sleet.
The sleet stung as it hit Matthew’s bare hands, and he pulled his hands back into the sleeves of his jacket to protect them. His head bobbed along with his hat pulled down to protect his face. Fala brought her horse up next to Matthew and touched his arm to get his attention.
“We need to find shelter,” Fala shouted, to be heard over the sleet. “The road is getting slick and it’s getting colder.”
“Were about an hour from any possible cover,” Matthew said. “As long as it stays sleet, we should be able to make it to the rock formations.”
Five minutes later it began to snow. The wind howled from the north and driven snowflakes clung to everything. It was a wet, heavy snow. The road they followed was masked by sleet, and then buried in a covering of snow. The road disappeared completely. The landmarks used to navigate through the flatlands, also disappeared in the swirling snow. The temperature continued to freefall, as the wind turned into a Canadian express out of the north.
Within less than an hour, the horses were having trouble finding solid footing in the deep snow. Drifts of snow deepened, sometimes approaching the chest of the horses. Matthew knew he was losing any sense of time. They could have been riding two hours or six hours. The horses were straining against the drifts and rapidly becoming exhausted from the effort.
Matthew began to shiver. His hands were blue with cold. The wind cut through his jacket and shirt, unimpeded. For the first time in his life, Matthew thought he might be dying. He felt terrible he’d gotten Fala and himself into this nightmare. He knew he had to do something. He had to do something, soon.
Just then, his horse stumbled to the left, to avoid a large out cropping of rocks. Deep snow had piled up against the front of the rock ledge, and had been hardened by the wind. This has to be it, Matthew thought.
He’d heard about others caught out in the open, who survived by tunneling a shelter in snow drifts. He was running out of strength and time quickly. He turned in his saddle to tell Fala. No one was there.
Chapter 23
“Fala, where are you?” Matthew shouted into the driving wind.
He listened for a response, but heard nothing. He climbed from his horse, and grabbed his rope from the saddle. He tied one end of the rope to the pommel of his saddle, and began walking back in the direction they’d come. His horse turned its head away from the wind, huddled against the wind and snow. Matthew walked until he reached the end of the rope. There was still no sign of Fala.
Matthew knew she must be close. He called her name again and listened closely for a response. He thought he might have heard something off to his right. Matthew, still holding the end of rope stretched tight, walked in a circle towards the faint voice. He stumbled and fell over the dead pack horse.
“Fala, answer me!” He yelled.
“Matthew, I’m here!” He heard Fala call.
Six more steps in the circle, and he found Fala leading her horse in the wrong direction. Matthew walked up to her, and hugged her tightly.
“I thought I lost you,” Matthew said, looking down into her face.
“What are we going to do, Matthew?” Fala asked. “We’re going to die out here.”
“We’ve got to get out of this wind,” Matthew said. “We’re going to need those buffalo hides off the pack horse.”
“I lost it,” Fala said. “My fingers were so cold I let go of the lead rope. I’m sorry.”
“I know where it is,” Matthew said. “Let’s go.”
Using the rope, Matthew found the pack horse, and loaded the hides on to the horse Fala was leading. As a last thought, he also grabbed one of the boards used to bind the hides. Holding Fala closely, Matthew followed the rope back to where his horse stood facing out of the wind and driven snow. Matthew was losing the feeling in his hands and feet. His cheeks were numb, and he thought frost bite was not far away.
“We have to turn the horses loose,” Matthew said. “Can you take their saddles off?”
“Yes,” Fala said.
Fala quickly removed the saddle and bridle from Matthew’s horse, and smacked it on the rump. It ran a few steps and stopped looking over its shoulder at the other horse. Fala turned her horse loose as well, and the horses trotted off into the snow together.
Fala turned back, and saw Matthew digging frantically with the board into the hardened snow drift under the rock ledge. He hollowed out first an entrance, and then a large interior space. He crawled back out and had difficulty standing. He was weaving back and forth, obviously exhausted.
“Listen carefully, Fala,” Matthew said, pulling her close, a hand on each of her shoulders. “I don’t think I’m going to last much longer…”
“Oh yes you are,” Fala said. “You’re not going to leave me out here all by myself.”
“Okay,” Matthew said, smiling down at Fala. “But just in case, drag the buffalo hides into the shelter and crawl between them. Make sure to keep the entrance clear of snow, so air can get in. Can you do that?”
“Yes, I can,” Fala said. “But you stay with me, Matthew Colter.”
“Sure,” Matthew said, as his eyes rolled back in his head.
Matthew dropped to his knees, and pitched forward face first into the deep snow. The wind continued to howl.
***
Getting the two heavy Buffalo hides into the shelter was exhausting. Fala rolled the bottom one out, with fur facing up. The second robe was rolled out on top, with fur facing down. As tempting as it was to crawl into the buffalo blanket cocoon, Fala crawled back out into the snowstorm.
She found Matthew’s saddle and untied the rope f
rom the pummel. She crawled over to Matthew and tied the rope around his chest. Fala then dragged his body over to the shelter, his head facing the entrance. Taking the rope, she crawled into the shelter and dragged Matthew body onto the buffalo robes. She started to cry, when she saw his chest move up and down as he continued to breathe.
Using the board, Fala cleared out the snow that was dragged into the shelter with Matthew. She then put her head on Matthew’s chest to listen to his heartbeat. His clothes were wet and freezing from the cold. Fala threw his hat and boots off to one side. She then stripped off the rest of his clothes and threw them onto the pile.
She didn’t like the bluish color of Matthew’s skin, so she vigorously rubbed his arms and legs. She heard him groan, and she shook him to see if he would wake. When he didn’t, she slapped him as hard as she could on his face. All he did was groan. Fala covered Matthew with the top Buffalo robe and waited.
The light outside the entrance to the shelter darkened, and the temperature continued to drop. Fala cleared blowing snow out of the entrance, and the air in the shelter freshened. She knelt on the buffalo robes beside Matthew, and watched the steam from her breath. She was shivering from her wet clothes and started flapping her arms to keep warm.
This is ridiculous, Fala thought. I’m freezing to death, and here I sit. She took one of her gloves off and reached between buffalo robes and touched Matthew. It was noticeably warmer under robes, and Matthew was beginning to warm to the touch.
Fala stripped off her wet clothes and climbed under the robes next to Matthews back. She pressed up against his back and they both began to warm to the touch. Matthew continued to sleep, and several times Fala had to clear snow from the entrance. The last time she notice the wind had died down and the snow had lessened.
“Max… What are you doing? Max… Max…” Matthew muttered in his sleep. “Max, help us.”
Fala shook him, but Matthew was still unconscious. She pressed up closer against his back and shared the warmth. It was full dark outside, when the snow finally stopped. Fala felt warm and safe, as she fell soundly asleep. The last thing she felt was the steady heartbeat of Matthew.
***
Matthew came awake with a start. He wasn’t sure where he was. He was lying on his side, facing the back on the shelter. It was dark and warm. He reached back with his hand, and felt the soft flesh of a woman pressed against him.
Suddenly he realized he was covered by the buffalo skins, and a naked Fala pressed against his back. She had one arm slung around him. He wasn’t sure what he should do.
“Fala,” Matthew said quietly, “Are you awake?”
Now Matthew was afraid to move. He sensed this situation could end badly. He couldn’t imagine how, as small as she was, she’d managed to drag the hides and him, into the shelter by herself. She’d saved his life and, then lay naked beside him to keep him warm. All he knew for sure, was he didn’t want this to end. Then he felt something more.
Fala,” Matthew said. “We have to get up.”
Fala stirred and stretched. Suddenly she remembered where she was, and shoved Matthew in the back.
“Don’t you dare turn over,” Fala said, scooting away from Matthew.
“I won’t” Matthew said. “Settle down. You saved my life, Fala. I owe you my life.”
There was quiet while Fala thought about what Matthew said.
“Okay, Matthew,” Fala said. “I’m going to see if our clothes are dry, so don’t look.”
“Why would I ever look?” Matthew asked.
Fala pushed his shoulder again. Cold air hit Matthew as Fala scrambled out from under the buffalo cover. She was gone a few seconds before she slid under the cover again.
“The clothes are dry, but very cold,” Fala said. “You go first.”
“How do you suggest I get across you?” Matthew asked. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m more than willing. It’s just that it might get a bit… awkward.”
“I see what you mean,” Fala said, laughing. “I’ll go first, but you have to promise me to be a gentleman.”
“I promise,” Matthew said.
Fala scrambled out from under the buffalo robe and quickly pulled on her jeans, blouse and jacket. After she pulled on her boots, she turned back to Matthew, who was peeking out from under the robe.
“I told you…” Fala started to say, when a huge black head rammed through the entrance to the shelter causing snow to fly everywhere.
I found them, Max said to Shannon. Matthew, are you alright?
“I am now,” Matthew said. Let us out, okay?”
They’re coming out, Max said, pulling his head out of the shelter.
Fala scrambled through the entrance. Matthew dressed as rapidly as possible in the confined space. Then he also crawled out into the early morning sunlight and cold. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight reflecting off the snow. Molly, James, and Shannon sat on horseback. All were smiling.
“Are we glad to see you,” James said.
“I thought I died last night,” Matthew said. “Then when I woke up, I thought I was in heaven.”
Matthew looked over at Fala and smiled at her blush. Max was standing off to one side.
“Thank you Max for finding us,” Matthew said.
I heard you call for help, Max said. I told Shannon.
“Can you help us find our horses?” Matthew asked.
Jake and two others are bringing them here now, Max said.
***
James and Nate went to pick Copa and Jacy up from the Walkers one day late. Lester was relieved when he heard that Matthew and Fala got home safely. James didn’t mention the night they’d spent in the shelter, or how close they’d come to freezing to death.
Both youngsters had a good time at the Walkers, but were anxious to get home. The snow was melting quickly, as often happens with spring snow storms. The roads were muddy and the trip home included a trip into Alamosa, to trade the buffalo hides.
James was able to establish the line of credit, and purchase some supplies. One of the prize items he was able to acquire, was an entire side of cured bacon. Another purchase was a small bag of sugar candies.
By the time the family got back to Colter Canyon, Fala and Matthew had recovered from their ordeal. Both of them didn’t talk much about the night they’d spent in the shelter. Nate and Nina both quizzed Fala about what might have gone on between her and Matthew that night. They accepted her claim that nothing happened between them. Sometimes they actually believed it too.
Everyone was confused by Max and his obvious concern, when he found out about Matthew being in danger. Shannon and Matthew spent time looking for the dogs lair. They wanted to know the dogs were alright. Matthew finally reached out to Jake.
Yes Matthew, I hear you, Jake said.
What is going on Jake?” Matthew asked. “I miss you.”
Max is the leader now, Jake said. There is confusion.
“What do you mean confusion?” Matthew asked.
He cannot decide what to do about the Colters, Jake said.
“Is there something I should be worried about?” Matthew said, afraid of the answer.
No, nothing like that, Jake said. He would like for us to pull away from the Colters. So we can be the dog people.
“But why is Max confused?” Matthew asked.
He can’t pull away from the baby Jessica Lynn, Jake said. He is bound to her.
“Now I’m confused,” Matthew said.
He is bound to Jessica Lynn, as I am bound to you, Jake said.
“How did that happen?” Matthew asked.
Max talked with Jessica Lynn before she was born, Jake said. Something happened between them creating a bond that cannot be broken.
“What will Max do?” Matthew asked.
There was only silence for a while.
I don’t know, Jake said. We can only wait and see.
Chapter 24
Matthew sat on a large rock staring at the sunlight d
ancing on the surface of the river. The water had been rising for two days. The sun was warm and the snow at higher elevations melting fast, as a part of the spring thaw. Most of the recent snow was gone, but the danger he and Fala had faced was still close and personal.
Matthew was confused by how he felt toward Fala. He had never known love, and wasn’t sure if love was what he felt toward Fala now. All he knew was he just couldn’t stand the thought of being away from her. He loved everything about her, and he was afraid. He was afraid of what she thought of him. Maybe he was just another reason she carried a knife.
Since the snowstorm, they hadn’t really spoken to each other. As soon as they got back, Shannon had Matthew soak in a bathtub of cool water for hours, hoping to avoid frostbite. Except for some numbness in his left foot, it appeared to have worked.
Nina had taken Fala back to their sleeping cabin, and he rarely saw her. He thought they might be keeping them apart intentionally. He thought it might be because Fala wanted it that way.
It seemed like everything was changing. He was pretty sure Jake was dying. He thought it would be soon. The dogs seemed to expend their lives according to some sort of schedule. It was almost as if they were able to die, when they willed it.
Maybe it was Max ascending to power, and Jake having to concede his leader position that was at play. Or it could be Jake just missed Jezebel. Matthew didn’t know, but it was one more thing adding to his problems.
***
Jessica Lynn slept soundly in the cradle Nate had made for her. It rocked back and forth in time with the rocking chair. Nina had tied a rope from the cradle to the chair, so the cradle matched the chair rock for rock. It was late morning and Nina was using the light through the east facing window to see the stitching on a skirt for Fala.
Nina worried about what happened on the buffalo hides, during Fala’s night with that Colter boy. It didn’t help that he was a good looking devil. She felt better when Fala told her they were just friends. Just friend, indeed, Nina thought. Well, at least now Fala won’t be putting her eggs in that basket.
Nina thought back to when she was young. All the sneaking around and hiding her and Nate did. They’d been young and in love, with the fire of youth. Nina shivered and then smiled, as she remembered. Just slept all night and kept warm, I bet, Nina thought. All Nina wanted was for her beautiful daughter not to get hurt.
