by Dean, Taylor
And entirely intimidating.
Josh’s own words wafted through her mind: I love my ranch and I love fast horses that are just a little bit dangerous to ride.
Yeah, no kidding.
Slowly, Marisa approached Carson’s left flank, whispering softly and petting him. As she placed her foot in the stirrup, her heart raced to monumental proportions. If she spooked him and he took off running now, she’d be dead, and so would Josh. But she had to do this, there wasn’t an option. She held on for dear life, gritted her teeth, and desperately tried to swing herself up onto Carson.
She didn’t make it. Her nerves were getting the best of her.
He whinnied in protest to her clumsy attempt to mount him. He danced around a bit and she again spoke softly to him, reassuring him.
“C’mon, Carson, we have to help Josh, he needs us.”
On the second try, she made it into the saddle. She barely had time to get a safe grasp as Carson immediately reared up, attempting to rid himself of the intruder. Marisa held on for dear life and refused to be ejected with steely determination. He seemed to concede defeat and instead initiated a terrifying gallop at a mind numbing speed, as if the devil himself was hot on his heels.
Now she was faced with another huge obstacle. She didn’t exactly know the way back, parts, yes, but not for sure. But all she had to do was find a ranch hand—anyone out on the ranch that could get help to Josh would do.
However, Carson clearly had his own agenda. It was as if he’d understood what she’d said and knew Josh was in trouble and was fighting to save him right along with her. Never in her life had she experienced a ride on a horse that was this fast—this exhilarating—this petrifying. It dawned on her that Carson knew the way home. Marisa watched carefully, memorizing every feature in the land as they flew by, knowing she had to lead help back to Josh. She wasn’t in charge, Carson was, but it quickly became obvious he was taking her back to the ranch and that was all that mattered to her. She leaned down close to Carson and held on tight like a jockey in a race. It was a race for Josh’s life.
And he meant everything to her.
When Carson came to a stop outside of the stables, several ranch hands stopped what they were doing and stared, perhaps wondering why she was riding Carson, and so unskillfully at that. No one ever rode Carson, except Josh. Marisa dismounted clumsily, the ground seeming much farther away than when she dismounted Jasper. It was Jake who approached immediately.
“Marisa, is everything okay?”
“No, it’s Josh. He’s been bitten. We h-have to get him to the hospital. Hurry!”
“Bitten?”
“Rattlesnake!” she yelled, feeling unable to put together an intelligible sentence. They were standing around when they needed to be going. Wasting time! Didn’t he realize how precarious the situation was?
Jake paled. “Let’s go.” He called for help and one of the other ranch hands, Dave, ran with them to one of the ranch jeeps. “Do you know where he is?”
“Yes!” The route was now written on her heart. She could get to Josh blindfolded if she needed to. A glance at her watch filled her with dread. “Hurry, it’s been twenty-five minutes since the bite.”
Jake took the landscape by storm. They bounced in the jeep, leaving their stomachs behind and landing back down heavily on the seats with a thud. He took turns so sharply, they nearly tilted onto two wheels. The only thing keeping her in the car was the thin strap of material otherwise known as a seatbelt. Marisa began to wonder if they’d make it back to Josh in one piece. Jake wasn’t messing around, knowing how serious the situation was.
“Turn here!” she yelled, her voice cracking, revealing the depth of her emotion. Don’t leave me, Josh, please don’t leave me.
Marisa was beside herself by the time they made it back to Josh. She was out of the jeep before Jake had come to a complete stop, running towards him. By the time Jake and Dave caught up to her, she was already kneeling next to Josh. His skin glistened with sweat and his breathing was labored. When she checked the bite, she gasped. It had swollen to twice its original size and the skin was discolored. At first, she thought Josh was unconscious as she held his face in her hands once again. “Josh, Josh…”
He opened his eyes, bestowing her with a small half smile. “You b-back already?” he managed.
Relief washed over her. He was still alive, and he’d made a joke at that.
It took both men to move Josh to the jeep. He was very weak and could hardly stand on his own. The sight filled Marisa with anxiety. She buckled herself in, turning in her seat as they settled Josh so that he was resting on her, his back to her chest. He was heavy in her arms, almost deadweight. They wrapped a seatbelt around him rather awkwardly and she wrapped her arms around him securely. “You ready?” Jake asked her.
“Yes, let’s go.” Time was of the essence.
“Hold on.”
They didn’t even stop at the ranch to tell anyone what was going on. They needed to get Josh to medical care as fast as they possibly could. Dave called ahead. A small nearby town had a modest medical clinic. They were advised to take Josh there as quickly as possible in order to administer the antivenom in a timely manner. From there, they’d evaluate the situation, whatever that meant. But Marisa knew one thing for sure, driving all the way to Amarillo for a two hour drive wasn’t going to cut it. Jake flew down the road at over ninety miles per hour, several times verging on a hundred miles per hour. The jeep objected, but held steady.
Josh opened his eyes a few times during the drive and looked up at her. “Marisa,” he would say and then collapse as if that took all of his strength. Dave handed her his hankie and Marisa mopped his brow, gently wiping away the sweat. She ran her fingers through his hair, and kissed his lips several times. Her only consolation was that he kissed her back with a slight amount of pressure, but it was pressure all the same. It was a sign that he was still partly coherent. She caught Jake’s eyes in the rearview mirror a few times, observing them thoughtfully and she wondered what he was thinking.
As they approached the small town, a highway patrolman pulled them over. Jake yelled to him, “Snake bite!” The officer didn’t hesitate, “Follow me!” he told them. He guided them to the medical clinic at a dizzying speed with his lights blazing.
Attendants were waiting at the door and took Josh in immediately. They’d made it to the door of the clinic in forty minutes, and it had been about eighty minutes since the snake bite, a record by anyone’s standards. Nurses fired questions at her, one after another, some of the answers she knew, some she didn’t. If Josh had allergies, she had no idea what they were.
“Diamondback rattlesnake,” she told them. “It’s been about eighty minutes since the bite…” Then the room began to spin and everything went black as she collapsed and Jake caught her in his arms.
Marisa sat at Josh’s bedside, watching him sleep. He still looked pale. She questioned the nurse at least a hundred times, asking if he was going to be okay. She assured her that he would be fine each and every time. Marisa was positive that if she wore the nurse down with enough questions, she’d eventually tell her the truth.
Evidently Josh really was going to be okay.
They’d moved Josh to the hospital in Amarillo once the antivenom had been administered. He was in ICU and they were keeping a very close watch on him.
Marisa dozed for awhile, resting her head on Josh’s bed. Operating on pure adrenalin was exhausting and extreme stress had a way of draining every ounce of strength from you. When she awoke, feeling groggy and out of sorts, she sat up to find that Josh was watching her.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he said, his voice scratchy. “I love wakin’ up with you at my side.” His fingers softly ran through her hair.
“I’m sure I must be a sight.” Marisa hadn’t been back to the ranch since the snake bite, opting to stay with Josh.
“You look absolutely beautiful. I don’t wanna know how bad I look, so let’s just pretend, okay?
”
“You look pretty darn good to me, Joshua Kensington. You scared the daylights out of me.”
“What are daylights exactly? I’ve always wondered about that.”
“I have no idea, but I don’t have any left.”
“You don’t need ‘em.”
“Not if I have you, I don’t.”
“Bethany?” Josh asked.
“She’s fine. I spoke with her on the phone. She said to give you a big kiss.”
“And did you?”
“Several times, in fact.”
“I thought I was dreamin’. Guess not.”
“They said you had a bad reaction to the venom.”
“Is there a good reaction?” Josh queried.
“Good point. Other than pain, they said some people don’t have any symptoms for one to two hours.”
“I object. They can’t write off pain as no symptoms.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Marisa said with a shiver.
“A bad reaction, huh? Just my luck.”
“You’re very lucky. You’re gonna be fine.”
“I’m fine because you’re at my side, and for no other reason than that,” he said, suddenly sobered. “Get over here,” Josh muttered. “You’re too far away.”
Marisa kissed him lightly on the lips and climbed onto the bed with him, resting her head on his chest, feeling safe in the circle of his embrace. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, but he’d survived, thank goodness.
“I hope the nurses don’t kick me out for this.”
“I won’t let them. Thank you, Marisa, thank you so much. You were absolutely amazing. You saved my life.”
“I did what anyone would’ve done.”
“You rode Carson. That’s a miracle in and of itself.”
“I think we’re friends now. Maybe.”
“Carson doesn’t make friends. But he might make an exception for you.”
“I’m honored.”
“In all seriousness, I’m sorry I took you out into the field. I know better, especially with all the warnings about rattlers this year. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Maybe we were both just a little distracted and not thinking about danger.”
“Guilty,” he said lightly. “Absolutely and utterly guilty.”
“We’d been still for so long, I think we startled the heck out of that snake.”
“That makes two of us,” Josh agreed.
Marisa gazed up at him as they exchanged a long look. In spite of their banter, she knew that they both recognized the significance of their recent precarious situation.
“I’m so glad you’re okay, Josh,” she whispered. “I was so scared.”
“I heard you passed out once your job was done.”
“Don’t remind me.”
“You held it together and did what you needed to do. I’m impressed.”
“I couldn’t lose you. I don’t want to live without you in my life, Josh. Ever.”
“Stay with me,” he said in response. “Please.”
“For as long as they’ll let me,” she told him.
I’ll stay, Josh, I’ll stay forever with you. Just say the word.
–11–
It felt good to be up and around again. Josh had been down for about two weeks after the rattlesnake bite, not an easy task for someone who hated lounging in bed all day with a passion. But Marisa had kept him company and in the end, it hadn’t been that bad. Not with her around anyway, otherwise it would’ve been pure torture. They’d lain around watching movies together, practically exhausting his entire DVD library. Sometimes she read to him, and sometimes they simply kissed the time away. They’d played every game Bethany owned at least twenty times, and to be honest, it was one of the most memorable times of his life. Go figure. For the first time in what seemed like forever, he felt like he had a real family: father, mother, and child. It was an amazing feeling and it made him realize that life with Marisa would be very, very good.
Presently, Josh found Marisa and Bethany sprawled out on the living room floor, a mass of mail surrounding them. They were giggling over some postcards as they read each one aloud. He loved watching the two of them together. Bethany was so happy with Marisa. The two of them had bonded in a way that had surprised him. They’d loved each other from the moment they’d met, which he found entirely endearing. Unable to help himself, Josh stood and watched them for several minutes before making his existence known.
“Miss Michaels…you are pretty. How about this one, Bethany, it’s from the quietest kid in the class, Miss Michaels…I love you. I can’t believe it.”
“Look at this one, Marisa. Will you marry me, Miss Michaels?” The postcard was covered with red hearts.
They collapsed into a giggle fest after that one.
“I had a class full of Romeos last year,” Marisa stated with a chortle.
“What’s all this?” Josh finally asked, feeling curious.
Marisa immediately smiled at him as her eyes lit up at his presence. He loved it.
“Hi Josh, I didn’t hear you come in.” Then in response to his question, “These are postcards from my first grade class last year. I asked them to mail me a postcard with a handwritten message on it. If they did it, I promised them each a postcard from Texas. This is my class.” She handed him a class picture, obviously proud.
As Josh studied the photo, a mixture of emotions crossed his mind. His eyes rested upon Marisa. She stood next to the imprint that read, ‘Miss Michaels, First Grade.’ She was stylishly dressed in slacks, a turtleneck, and a belted sweater. His thoughts dwelled on her clothing. It dawned on him that he’d never seen her in winter clothing. Such a simple little thing and yet it suddenly made him feel as if he hardly knew her. She had a life, completely separate from him. He knew nothing about that life. He didn’t know, for example, what kind of car she drove, or for that matter what color it was. He didn’t even know what her schedule was, day-in and day-out. Life hardly existed beyond this ranch for him. He’d never bothered to ask her much about her life in California. He wondered why she still lived with Mary instead of getting an apartment of her own.
“Are you planning on teaching again this Fall?” Josh asked, curious as to what her reply would be.
She visibly hesitated over her response. He knew why. Things were coming to a head and he knew they needed to make some life changing decisions. Her cheeks flushed red as she came back with, “As of right now, yes.”
Good answer.
She had a plan for her life and she was moving forward with it. She was waiting for him to make the next move. It was all up to him. In the meantime, she had to go on with her life, she couldn’t ignore her responsibilities. Of course she had to make plans, it would be foolish not to. She couldn’t let her future dangle while waiting for him to say the words that would change her life.
Still, he was pretty sure her thoughts were in the same place as his.
At least he hoped so.
Marisa smiled to herself, thinking that she found herself in Josh’s arms at the strangest times. She and Bethany were working on simple needlepoint projects and her mind was wandering to thoughts of Josh. When she’d met him at the stable for their ride that afternoon, a hand had suddenly reached out from a dark corner as she walked by, grabbing her and pulling her into the private spot, smothering her face with kisses.
“You’d better be Joshua…” she’d mumbled, “or I’ll punch you in the nose.” The only response she’d received was a low, throaty chuckle, but she knew it was him anyway. She knew his taste, his touch, his smell by then.
Just this morning, she’d slipped into his office while Bethany was busy with a coloring project. She’d closed and locked the door behind her, giving them privacy.
“I have two minutes.”
He stood, immediately dropping whatever he’d been working on, walking towards her with single minded intent, a small smile on his face. He embraced her, and they collapsed onto the couch, kissing wil
dly, laughing at their behavior in between their kisses.
After a few minutes had gone by, Marisa declared, “Okay, time’s up, I have to go.”
He moaned with displeasure. As Marisa left, she turned for one final glance at him. He was already back at his desk, looking completely unruffled. He winked at her. “Stop by anytime, Miss Michaels. You don’t need an appointment,” he said nonchalantly, making Marisa guffaw loudly.
Right now, however, Marisa found herself yawning for the tenth time as she watched Bethany work the needle through the fabric with surprising dexterity. Lack of sleep was getting to her, but she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Two a.m. hot chocolate had become something they did at least three times a week, taking great lengths to try and surprise each other in their sleep. This added an entire new dimension to their relationship, one that Marisa loved. Just last night she’d woken up with Josh lying next to her, fake snoring loudly with a big pillow stuffed under his shirt, mimicking a huge beer belly. It shocked her and she laughed so loudly she was sure she had awoken Bethany.
A few nights ago, Marisa had woken up Josh by bouncing on his bed as high as she could, dressed in her pink pajamas. She’d yelled, “Wake up, Kensington—it’s you and me time!” The sight made him laugh so hard he couldn’t even kiss her and keep a straight face. Before that, Marisa had woken up to Josh tickling her bare feet, after he’d carefully removed her socks. She told him that was the lowest of the low. She got him back by waking him up with a feather, lightly tickling his chest. Josh said his personal favorite was the time she woke him up by lighting several candles around the room, and turning off the closet light that he always left on for her. He woke up to her on top of him, kissing him. He said that at first he’d thought he was dreaming, but it was very real. Marisa’s personal favorite was the time he simply climbed into bed with her and waited to see if she’d notice. She didn’t wake up till morning and found him sound asleep in her bed. She didn’t let him live that one down. She teased him mercilessly. He apologized profusely and she finally told him, “Josh, do I look like I’m mad about it? You won’t hear any complaints from me.” Needless to say, he never tried that one again.
