by Bonnie Leon
Rebecca knit her brows. “Perhaps we can ride—you on Noble and me on Chavive. Woodman could drive the wagon.”
“Sounds nice.” He smiled at her. “You sure you have the time?”
Rebecca felt a flutter in her chest as his roguish eyes swept over her. “Of course.” He still had the power to stir up her emotions.
Daniel dropped a quick kiss on her lips. The rumble of thunder resonated from the distant storm. “We better be off, eh?” He slapped the reins, and the horses plodded forward.
“I can hardly wait until Chavive foals.”
“You’ve another ten months to wait, luv.” Daniel grinned and his dimple emerged.
“I know. I wish it didn’t take so long.” Rebecca couldn’t help but think about Miss and what had happened to her. Pushing aside her anxiety, she said, “Chavive will have a splendid baby. I hope it’s a filly.”
“She’ll add some height to these scrubby Australian breeds for sure.”
“They’re not scrubby at all. They’re fine, solid animals.”
“So they’ve won you over, then?”
“I admire any horse that’s sturdy and spirited. And Noble’s not scrubby. He’s nearly as tall as Chavive. He’s quite grand. The combination of the two should be impressive.”
Daniel grinned and flicked the reins. The horses picked up the pace. Thunder growled. “I’ve been praying for rain, but I hope we make it home before the storm hits.”
“Do you really think it’s going to rain? The clouds have promised so many times . . . and then left us nothing.”
Daniel studied the sky. “Yeah, it’ll rain. The smell of it’s in the air.”
Rebecca sniffed. “Yes. I can smell it.” She smiled. “We need it so badly. I pray it puts an end to the drought.”
“We can hope.”
“Will Jessop continue to drill for water?” Rebecca asked.
“Yeah.”
“How is the drilling going? You’ve said very little about it.”
Daniel blew out a breath. “It’s slow. But Jessop’s determined, and he’s certain we’ll find water soon. You should come out and have a look. We’ve hit rock, and the auger that’s cutting through isn’t breaking up the stone very quickly, but it’s interesting.” He clicked his tongue and snapped the reins. “Come on, now, we need you to go a bit faster than that,” he told the horses, glancing at the darkening sky. “Looks like we’re going to get wet.”
Light exploded, its force crackling across the sky. Thunder boomed. The light breeze that had accompanied them into town was strong now. It buffeted short grasses and bent trees. Rebecca held her hat so it wouldn’t blow away. “Is it safe to be out here?” Pillars of dust whirled into the air.
“We’ll be fine.”
“It looks fierce.”
“Right. It does at that. And it’s probably carrying a lot of rain.” He gazed at the approaching clouds. “Have a look at that, will you.” He pointed at a sheet of gray, cutting from sky to earth. “It’s really coming down.” His eyes moved over the dry land. “Might well be too much rain.”
“What do you mean? How could we get too much?”
“If it comes down fast and hard, the land can’t soak it up quick enough and there’ll be flooding.”
“You mean here, right away?”
“Maybe.” He grabbed the whip and laid it out over the horses’ backs. “Better hurry.”
Rebecca gripped the side of the wooden seat. “Perhaps we should return to Thornton Creek?”
“We’ll be fine. Might get a bit wet though.” Daniel smiled at her, offering reassurance.
Rebecca felt only slightly better. Anxiety jabbed at her. “What about the dry creek bed? If the rain gets here quickly, will water be running through it?”
“Yeah, but I plan on beating the rain. If we don’t, well, we’ll just go farther upstream and take the bridge.” He whipped the horses again, and the pair pulled strong.
The gray sky turned black. Large drops splattered dry ground, leaving damp dimples. Rebecca turned her face up, allowing droplets to wet her cheeks and eyelids. It felt wonderful. “Rain! Precious rain!”
Moments later the drops became a deluge, and wind swept the downpour sideways. In minutes Daniel and Rebecca were soaked through. Rebecca huddled inside her cape. Smiling, she yelled, “All right, that’s enough! God, you can turn off the spigot now!”
“The surrey would have done a better job of keeping us dry,” Daniel said, pulling up the collar of his coat and resting his arms on his thighs. “It wouldn’t do well in the wind though.” He glanced at the back of the wagon bed. “Hope the supplies aren’t ruined.” He turned his attention back to the horses, now stepping through water and mud. “Don’t know that we’ll be able to cross the riverbed.”
“Are we almost there?” Rebecca hollered over the wind. The storm was on top of them. Lightning blazed, slicing toward earth. Thunder bellowed. She flinched at the sudden bombardment.
“Almost.”
Before they reached the riverbed, both Daniel and Rebecca knew they’d not be crossing; nevertheless, they pushed on. When they reached the river, muddy water gushed. Daniel turned the horses north. “We’ll use the bridge.”
Dry ground became a muddy quagmire. Wagon wheels encased with black mud made the horses fight for every step.
“Daniel, what are we going to do? Maybe we ought to go back.”
“Too late for that.” He gave Rebecca a reassuring look. “No worries. We’ll be all right.” He flicked the whip. “Hah, get up there.” The horses leaned into the harness and labored forward. “We’ll go to the Donnellys’ place. They’ll put us up until the storm passes.”
Rebecca nodded. She was cold and couldn’t stop shivering. “Is it far?”
“No. We’ll be there in no time.”
Thank goodness I didn’t bring Joseph with us, Rebecca thought, remembering how she’d nearly decided to include him on their outing. She snuggled close to Daniel.
He glanced down at her. “I’m sorry, luv,” he said. “Didn’t expect this.”
“I know. It’s not your fault.” She shook her head in wonderment and wiped wet tendrils of hair off her face. “This country of yours is so unpredictable. One moment it’s withering from the dryness and the next it’s saturated.”
“Queensland is never boring.” Daniel grinned.
They moved alongside the now furious river. Muddy water, swirling with broken limbs and debris, rose toward the top of the bank. In some areas it had reached beyond the river’s edge and washed across the land.
“It’s still rising, Daniel. What should we do?”
“We need to find higher ground.” He peered through the downpour. “There it is—the Donnellys’.” With a look of disbelief, he reined in the horses.
Terror rolled through Rebecca.
The filthy river surrounded the Donnelly home, its waters reaching for the windows. The family huddled on the rooftop. Mrs. Donnelly clutched her infant son, and Mr. Donnelly held on to their two other children.
“Oh, my Lord,” Rebecca said. “What will they do?”
“They’ll be fine if they stay put and wait it out. The storm will pass and the waters will subside.” He stared. “Never seen it this bad before.” He raised his arm and waved it back and forth. Mr. Donnelly waved back. “Hang on, eh? You’ll make it,” Daniel shouted.
Mr. Donnelly nodded.
Daniel patted Rebecca’s leg. “We’ll move up onto that hill there.” He nodded toward a slight rise more than a hundred meters from the house.
A chunk of fencing broke loose and was swept away with a batch of squealing pigs. Rebecca closed her eyes to their plight. Thunder crashed and shuddered through the wagon. A horse enclosed in a small corral let out a high-pitched neigh. Rearing, it thrust its front legs out of the water, then dropped back to the ground and plunged forward, half swimming and half galloping across the enclosure.
“Daniel! We have to help him! He’ll drown! Someone’s got to
open the gate!”
“There’s nothing we can do. The water’s still rising. Either one of us sets foot in that and we’ll be dragged away.”
With the water rising, Daniel turned the team toward the hill. By the time they stopped at the top of the rise, it had become a small island. Rebecca shivered. Rivulets of water ran down her face. She brushed aside wet hair and stared at the family clinging to the rooftop.
Mr. Donnelly waved again. He didn’t look frightened.
“Are you sure they’re safe?” Rebecca asked.
“Yes,” Daniel said, but he didn’t sound convinced. “This squall will pass. They’ll be fine.”
Rebecca and Daniel climbed into the back of the wagon and huddled together, pressing their backs against the side boards. With a deafening boom, lightning splintered a nearby tree. Rebecca screamed. An acrid smell permeated the air as she stared at the charred and burning shell. Looking like a blackened corpse, it stood boldly amidst the deluge.
The rain didn’t let up, and the water continued to rise. With a loud snap, the corral fence broke away. The flood carried the terrified horse downstream. Fighting to keep its head out of the water, the animal slashed out at the torrent with its front legs. Rebecca watched until it disappeared, her stomach aching. She turned and stared at the Donnellys. The two older children clung to their father and pressed their faces against his chest.
“Daniel, the rain’s not slowing down at all.”
“It will.” He hugged Rebecca more tightly.
Rebecca rested her head against his upper arm. She could never remember feeling so cold, not even on the coldest winter day in Boston. Daniel shivered.
A loud pop followed by the sound of splintering wood pierced the din of the storm. Horrified, Daniel and Rebecca watched a corner of the Donnelly house break away and slide toward the water. Mrs. Donnelly screamed, clutching her baby. Her husband scrambled toward her, but as the house pitched he fell backward and tumbled toward the swirling deluge. His fingers found a ridge, and he managed to cling to the rooftop while the portion of house with his wife was ripped away. Her face etched with terror, Mrs. Donnelly huddled with her infant on the wedge of roof. She gazed at her family as she and the baby were carried from sight.
“No! No!” Rebecca screamed.
Daniel folded her in his arms and held her close.
“Oh, Daniel,” Rebecca sobbed, clinging to him.
With a ripping sound, what remained of the house was lifted away. The roof slanted downward into the water and bounced. In spite of the tossing, Mr. Donnelly managed to hang on to his children and maintain his perch. The structure pitched and turned in the brown water, and the swirling deluge carried away the rest of the house and the Donnelly family.
Rebecca stared after them in horror. “God, help them!” She clutched Daniel’s coat.
“They’ll make it. You’ll see. Queenslanders are right tough.” He pulled her close and stared at the muddy waters. There was no sign that a home had even existed.
“Daniel, we should have helped them.”
He didn’t answer right away. Then, his voice heavy, he said, “There was nothing we could do. Nothing.”
Rebecca looked at the water—it was still rising. Would their island disappear beneath the flood?
Daniel pressed Rebecca’s cheek against his chest. “Rest.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, taking refuge in the warmth of Daniel’s coat and the smell of wet wool. When she heard the mewling of a frightened calf as it was swept past, she didn’t look up. She couldn’t endure it. Pressing closer, she kept her eyes shut and tried to think only of Daniel’s strong arms and the warmth of his body.
Finally the rain stopped, and shafts of sunlight burst through thinning clouds. Exhausted, Daniel and Rebecca slept, marooned on their tiny island.
Hours later they woke to clear skies and mists hugging the earth. It seemed peaceful.
Unsteady, Rebecca pushed to her feet and looked about. She and Daniel were stranded in the midst of a muddy lake. The storm had passed, leaving behind a fouled river and mud littered with plants and animal corpses. Their tiny piece of earth had already started to dry up and warm beneath the sun. Rebecca removed her wet cloak and draped it over the side of the wagon.
Daniel stood and wrapped his arms about her. He rested his chin on the top of her head.
“Life can change so quickly, Daniel. It’s frightening.” Rebecca’s mind carried her back to the moment the house had broken apart and carried away its family. She closed her eyes, hoping to blot out the memory.
Daniel tightened his hold and kissed her hair. He let out a slow breath. “I’ve lived ’ere all my life and never seen such a flood.”
“You don’t think our home . . .”
“No. It’s on high ground. But I expect Thornton Creek is in a bad way. We probably got out of town just in time.”
“You think it was washed away?”
“Probably not. The town’s had its share of floods. It’s always survived. But it’s probably a real mess.” He turned Rebecca around so she faced him. Smoothing her damp hair back from her face, he searched her eyes and then tenderly kissed her forehead. “I love you.”
Rebecca burrowed against him. “We could have died. We could have been like the Donnellys. And what would have happened to Joseph if he’d been with us?”
Daniel gazed about, a hard look in his eyes. “We’re alive. And Joseph is fine.”
Rebecca wrapped her arms around Daniel’s waist. “A person never knows when their final day will be.” She hugged him. “I love you so much. I never want to lose you.”
“You won’t. I’ll always be ’ere for you.”
Exhausted, Daniel and Rebecca lay back down and huddled together. Rebecca forced herself to think practical thoughts. There was so much to be done, especially now with the damage from the storm.
“Hello!” someone called.
Rebecca pushed up on one arm and looked over the walls of the wagon. It was Mr. O’Brien from the Thornton Creek Mercantile. He smiled and waved.
“Daniel! Daniel! It’s Mr. O’Brien!”
Daniel stood. “Patrick. Good to see you.” He smiled broadly.
“I knew ya probably got caught in it. Thought I ought ta come have a look. Ya all right?”
“Yeah. We’re fine. But the Donnellys . . . well, they didn’t fare well.”
Mr. O’Brien’s eyes moved to the place where the house had stood. “Bad one. Seems to me they were advised not to build in this spot.” Mr. O’Brien brightened. “They’re all right though. It was a downright miracle.”
“They made it?” Daniel asked.
“Right. All of them, even the baby.”
Feeling a mix of sorrow and gratitude, Rebecca scanned the ruined property. “What would we do if we lost everything?”
“The Donnellys didn’t lose everything. They have their lives.” Daniel gave Rebecca a squeeze. “Time we went home, eh?”
Daniel trudged up the front steps of the house. Removing his hat, he sat on the top step and rested his arms on his thighs. “Murderous hot, eh? Even for October.”
“Quite,” Willa said. “Too hot for this time of year.”
Daniel gazed beyond the yard to the open parched land. Waves of heat rose from the earth. He resettled his hat on his head, tipping the brim down slightly in front. “I’d hoped that big storm would set off a change.” Shaking his head, he added, “Can’t even tell it rained.”
Rebecca pushed out of her chair and crossed to Daniel, her shoes clapping hollowly against the wooden porch. Standing behind him, she rested her hands on his shoulders. “You look tired.”
Daniel glanced up. “Old Jessop says there’s no water where he’s digging. He’s going to try another spot.”
“Where?”
Daniel shrugged. “He said he’d find the right place . . . might take a few days though.” He stood. “I’ve got a thirst to take care of, then I’ll clean up. Jim asked if we’d join him and Cambria for
a musical performance in town.”
“A performance? What kind of music?”
“Didn’t say.”
Rebecca suddenly felt energized. “It’ll be fun, no matter what kind of music it is. Just getting out with friends will be a pleasure.”
“It’s high time you two got out.” Willa rested her hands on the arms of her wicker chair. “Indeed, it’s been far too long.”
“Too right,” Daniel said with a smile. “Woodman will bring the surrey ’round in about an hour.”
Rebecca dropped a kiss on Daniel’s cheek. “I haven’t much time, then.” She hurried inside, stopping by the kitchen. “Lily, Daniel and I won’t be here for supper. We’re going into town.”
The servant looked up from a slab of meat she was cutting. Raising an eyebrow, she smiled. “Wal, good fer ya. ’Ave a fine time, eh?”
“Thank you. We will.” Rebecca pranced out of the room and up the stairs. She searched through her gowns and finally settled on a pale blue cotton. After dressing, she stood in front of the mirror. In Boston the practical cloth would have been considered shoddy, but she rather liked the color and the lightweight fabric. In the heat, anything more would be too much.
Hands clasped in her lap, Cambria sat beside Jim in the surrey. She looked especially pretty in a yellow dress. Its princess neckline acted as a frame for her fresh looks and golden hair. Her blue eyes sparkled with delight.
“I love your dress,” Rebecca said.
“Aunt Elle made it.”
“I thought as much. She’s a fabulous seamstress.”
“I’ll tell her ya said so.” Cambria smiled. “Aunt Elle saw the performance a few days ago, and she said it’s spectacular. I’m so looking forward to it and glad you and Daniel could join us.”
Rebecca leaned against Daniel. “It’s nice to be out with friends.”
The surrey moved along the main street of Thornton Creek. The heat was crushing, and Rebecca looked forward to nightfall and its cooling temperatures.
“Things are quiet,” Jim said.
Two men dozed in chairs they’d leaned against a storefront, and a sturdy-looking woman with a baby in her arms and a youngster trailing behind her crossed the dusty road. Other than that, the street was empty except for a horse standing at a hitching post in front of the pub. He swished his tail persistently, swiping away flies. Occasionally he’d shudder, momentarily shaking free of the pests. A draft of air lifted dust and swept it down the empty road.
