Cowboy Pride

by Lacy Williams

  It wore a saddle, now askew, and reins dangled loose from its bridle.

  Where was its rider? Blood rushed through Nate’s temples as he imagined a man lost to the swollen creek.

  Rob kicked his mount with a quiet "hyah!" and Nate quickly followed.

  On the opposite side of the creek a hundred yards upstream, a woman on horseback rode with her skirts flying like a flag. She was screaming something, but the roaring river and a booming clap of thunder made it impossible to hear.

  He didn't rein in when he neared the riderless horse, but continued on toward the distraught woman. He didn't know how he and Rob might help from the opposite side of the creek, but—

  He caught sight of the form in the creek at the same moment the shout from the woman on horseback reached his ears.

  "Janie!"

  Janie.

  He didn't think past jumping from his horse. Still at a full gallop, his ankle jarred as he landed hard. He raced toward the creek bank and shucked his boots.

  "Nate—"

  Rob's shout rang from behind him, but he didn't stop.

  He dove in, the icy waters an instant shock. The swirling current made it almost impossible to get his bearings, but he pushed to break the surface.

  He'd gone in several yards behind Janie. With muddy water running into his eyes, it was impossible to see whether she was conscious, though he thought he glimpsed her face-down in the water.

  No!

  He kicked, using the current to push forward with more force. A log rammed into him, banging his shoulder and sending a grunt of pain from his lips.

  He reached forward, grasping... there!

  His fingers caught the back of her dress, and he clasped with all his might. Refused to let the water tear her from him. He scissored with his legs and finally managed to get an arm around her waist.

  He hauled her to his chest, dread and fear rising when her head lolled against his shoulder.

  Her body was limp and heavy. Her bulky skirts surrounded him, tangling both of their legs together.

  For a moment, they were sucked beneath the surface.

  He pushed hard, managing to kick free of the voluminous material. He had to get her out of it.

  He fumbled, touching her waist in ways that weren't appropriate.

  The water continued to push them downstream.

  His fingers found the buttons at the back of her dress, and he managed to get two fingers between the tiny clasps, using what he could of his strength to rip the material.

  Wet and slippery, it slipped through his fingers. The fabric remained as tight as ever. The situation was dire. He couldn't give up.

  Finally, the material tore, giving way with one great rip, leaving her in an undershirt and petticoats. He let the current carry the dress away.

  Without the weight of the material dragging them down, she was more buoyant in his arms. He saw blood smeared across her forehead. She was deathly pale, her lips blue and slightly open.

  After being in the cold water for long minutes, his strength was waning.

  They had to get out of the water, now.

  Where was Rob?

  Nate had no sense of direction, no idea where Rob might be, on horseback or on foot. No hope for a lasso to reach for. He only knew that they couldn't stay in the water. He had to get Janie out.

  A wave hit from behind, dunking Janie's head under again and resulting in Nate swallowing a mouthful of muddy water. He coughed and spluttered.

  He turned downstream and saw a bend in the creek. A small jut of land ahead gave him hope. He struggled to both kick and keep Janie's head above the surface and managed to land hard against the muddy bank. The breath was knocked from his chest, and Janie began to slip from his arms.

  And then Rob was there, pulling Janie's limp body from him and further up the bank.

  Nate let himself inhale one shuddering breath. A great cough ripped through him. His legs felt as loose as molasses as he scrabbled up the bank to where Rob had laid Janie on a patch of dry grass.

  One of her arms lay cocked at an unnatural angle. And she was so pale, so still. Had his rescue come too late?

  On his knees beside the girl, Rob rolled her to the side and pounded on her back.

  But she remained unmoving.

  * * *

  Liza had never ridden so fast. She’d lowered herself almost flat on Harvey's back, her cheek pressed to the horse's neck as she raced downstream. Tears streaked across her cheeks, the wind pulling them into her ears.

  She cared not.

  The creek widened just a little further downstream.

  She'd seen Nathan Bingley pull Janie from the water, known that Rob Darcy was with him, on the opposite bank of the creek.

  But Janie needed her sister.

  This disaster would never have happened if Mama had listened to sense.

  Was Janie dead? Drowned?

  She couldn't think it.

  The water was higher than she'd even imagined, because when she reached the field where the creek widened almost to a trickle on a normal day, the water spread out like a huge farm pond.

  She didn't care.

  She pushed the horse forward, it's hooves splashing in the shallow water and sending droplets to wet her skirt, her hair, her face.

  In the center of the creek, the water rose to the horse's flank, but Harvey didn't flounder, just pushed forward. Finally, they reached the other bank.

  She gave another "hiyah!" and leaned low on the horse again.

  The two men were silhouettes on the horizon. They came into view as she drew closer.

  They were both bent over Janie, who lay unmoving on the ground. Her overskirt was gone, leaving only her underskirts and blouse. She was so still. Had Nathan's daring rescue come too late?

  She reined in several yards away and jumped from the horse's back, fear making her legs wobble.

  She couldn't give in to it. She picked up her skirts and rushed forward to see Mr. Darcy pounding on Janie's back, the movements almost violent, surely leaving bruises.

  "Stop!" she cried, but he didn't even look her direction.

  And then, just as she reached the little tableau, Janie coughed. A gurgle of water spilled from her lips and dribbled to the ground. Her eyes remained closed.

  Rob pounded Janie's back again.

  Another cough, this time a bigger one. Janie's eyes flew open, and she gagged, brown water vomiting from her mouth. She retched, her back bowing as Rob held her by the shoulders. Her lungs and stomach emptied their contents on the creek bank.

  And then she was finished—a trembling, soaked, beautiful, alive sister.

  "Janie!" Liza fell to her knees and reached for her. Janie looked as if she might collapse without Rob's hands at her shoulders.

  "Careful," he said sharply, and Liza's gaze flew to his face. "Her shoulder."

  Liza saw Janie's shoulder bone, which jutted out at an unnatural angle.

  Rob reached out one hand toward Liza as if to catch her. Did he think she would faint from seeing her sister injured so?

  She shot him a dark look and carefully gathered Janie close. Her sister was sobbing quietly.

  Liza registered movement as Rob stood, moving away toward his horse. Two horses. His, and hers. She’d seen Nate abandon his horse upstream.

  They needed to get Janie to the ranch house. Returning to town wasn't an option.

  And then a guttural moan came from Mr. Bingley's direction, and Liza looked at him for the first time.

  His face was almost as pale as Janie's had been, and his gaze hadn't left her sister. He appeared... devastated.

  As if he already cared about Janie, at least a little bit.

  "She needs care," Rob said, returning with his horse's reins. The animal followed him placidly, but Liza could see its spirit in its eyes, the bob of its head.

  "If you'll help me boost her into the saddle,” Liza said, “I'll ride with her to the ranch house."

  Mr. Darcy shook his head, already ha
nding off the reins to Mr. Bingley. "She's too weak, and I doubt you have the strength to support her for such a distance."

  His highhandedness and assumptions mixed with the terror still coursing through her and sparked her temper. "You have no idea of my strength."

  But Nathan had already swung into the saddle.

  Liza looked at Janie, but her sister was silent, pale gray to match the angry sky. Rob reached for her, bodily removed her from Liza’s arms, and lifted her to Nathan as if she weighed no more than a sack of flour. Janie couldn't contain a soft cry, and Liza felt an echo of her sister’s pain slither down her spine.

  Janie retched, leaning from the side of the horse, but Nathan held her fast. There was nothing left in her stomach, and the moment passed quickly.

  Rob shrugged off his duster and tucked it around Janie, a moment that eased some of the sting of his past insults.

  Nathan settled Janie with quiet words that Liza couldn't make out and turned the horse toward the Parrot ranch. He set out at a gallop.

  "He'll jar her shoulder," Liza muttered as she whirled toward her horse.

  "She was chilled from the water," Rob countered, keeping pace at her side. Drat his long legs. "Best to get her warmed up as quickly as possible."

  She shot a look at him. What did he know about Janie's needs? Liza was her sister.

  However, his worry over Janie's well-being negated some of her temper over his highhandedness.

  Some. Not all.

  When she reached her horse, she didn't hesitate to put her foot in the stirrup and swing up into the saddle. She adjusted her skirts, flushing a little at the idea that Rob had seen her ankles, but it couldn't be helped.

  He stood close, his Stetson knocked back slightly on his forehead, which made it that much easier to see the raise of his brows.

  "You aren't thinking of leaving me on foot out here?"

  She couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips at the thought. It would serve him right after his insulting comment about her last night. She shrugged, affecting the most innocent mien she could muster. "Mr. Bingley's horse was left behind, wasn't it...?"

  His brows formed a line that any thunderhead would be proud of.

  "And while Janie's injury makes it necessary for her to ride with Mr. Bingley, it wouldn't be proper for us to ride together."

  Now his face was a mask of temper. "Proper?" She saw his lips move, forming the word, but a clap of thunder crashed overhead and stole his voice.

  Her horse danced sideways, and it was all she could do to keep control. How humiliating it would be to lose her seat in front of Rob Darcy!

  She'd only meant to tease him, had intended to laugh at his consternation, but, "Never mind," she said. "This is no time for joshing. Come on." She moved her left foot out of the stirrup temporarily and motioned for him to join her in the saddle.

  He reached for the saddle horn and his fingers tangled with hers momentarily.

  Still on the ground, his gaze flew to her face. What was he thinking behind those eyes? She saw something, but it couldn't be admiration, could it? Not after last night... And she was sure her hair had slipped in its pins and hung in a sodden mess after this afternoon's wild ride.

  She jerked her hand away, and he gripped the saddle horn. The saddle shifted slightly beneath his weight, and then he settled behind her, his long legs framing her hips, the heat of his body searing her.

  Heat flamed in her face, and she sat as straight in the saddle as she possibly could.

  She'd been right. This wasn't proper at all.

  * * *

  Rob let his hands rest at Liza Bennett's waist only because there was nothing else to hold on to.

  Yeah, that was it.

  He didn't know what to do with a woman like Liza Bennett.

  She'd been... teasing him. Pretending that she'd leave him on foot. He had the sense that if the coming storm hadn't frightened her horse—and the woman herself?—she'd have laughed that pealing, bell-like laugh that had haunted his dreams.

  No one else in his life dared tease him.

  Not even Danna.

  "Where'd you cross the creek?" he shouted, because he wasn't sure she'd hear him over the rushing wind in her ears or the pounding of the horse's hooves as they galloped.

  "The land turns flat another half mile downstream," she said over her shoulder, giving him a view of the apple of her cheek and the dark sweep of her lashes against her skin.

  She'd been intelligent enough to know she had to find a shallow crossing or risk getting swept away like her sister had. How had Janie come to be in the creek anyway?

  "The bridge washed out while Janie was crossing," Liza said, as if she'd sensed where his thoughts had gone.

  "Were you with her?" He imagined Liza being the one in the water, her face as pale as death, and those thoughts sent a ripple of terror right through him.

  She shook her head.

  He worried for Janie. Her shoulder had obviously been dislocated. But the real danger was the chill she'd have from being in the cold water for so long.

  Nate knew that. He would take care of Janie. She couldn't have found a better protector.

  Which left Rob with Liza. Much too close.

  She pointed. There was Nate's abandoned horse, trotting through the field toward a tree line. In the trees, Rob could just make out what must be Janie's horse, huddling in the scrub trees for shelter.

  Liza headed that direction.

  She was a good horsewoman. Was that why she'd managed to avoid being swept downriver?

  She reined in and he whistled for Nate's horse as he dismounted from Liza's. He kept one hand on the pommel to keep her from immediately galloping off.

  He had to know. "What kept you from falling in the creek?"

  The sweep of her lashes hid her gaze from him. But twin roses of color appeared in her fair cheeks. "I was following Janie secretly. She's not the strongest rider, and I wanted to make sure she arrived for her visit with Mindy. Mama insisted she ride…"

  Something about the way her mouth snapped closed over the words and the slant of her gaze away from his brought reality intruding back. Her mother had been involved in today's disaster somehow. She couldn't have wanted Janie to be injured, but... if Janie wasn't a strong rider, why send her on horseback at all?

  Liza shifted in the saddle, and her horse reacted, breaking Rob's hold.

  "I must go to Janie. Fetch our mare, will you?" she called the words over her shoulder as she rode away.

  He watched her, a frown blooming on his face.

  Of course he would retrieve the animal, but not because of her presumptuous demand. A horse was valuable, and he'd hate for her father to lose the animal.

  That was all.

  And then he would send the two women home where they belonged.

  Chapter 5

  Janie forced herself to remain upright on the horse, barely able to think through the haze of pain. It throbbed from her shoulder outward. Another point radiated from her lower back. Perhaps she'd wrenched something there as well?

  Her throat burned, and every breath she drew made her chest ache.

  But she was alive. Thank the Lord for that.

  Tears welled and she sniffed. The quick intake of air burned all the way down.

  "I'm sorry," Nathan murmured. "I know it's a rough ride." His arm tightened around her waist.

  The horse shifted, and her shoulder twinged in pain. She held back a gasp.

  She was trying to ignore the fact that she was pressed up against him in nothing but a shirtwaist, petticoats, and Rob's coat. The heat emanating from Nathan fought against the chill that slithered down her arms and made gooseflesh prick her skin.

  "Th-thank you for coming in after me." She'd blacked out beneath the water, nearly drowned. When she'd come to, coughing and retching, she'd immediately seen Nathan soaked to the skin and known what he'd done.

  His chin pressed against her temple. Purposely?

  "How could I not?" he m
urmured.

  A cough rattled her chest and jarred her shoulder. This time she couldn't contain the gasp of pain.

  She closed her eyes. Maybe she drifted off. She lost all sense of time passing. And then she was awake and aware of the man behind her again.

  What must Nathan think of her? Humiliation washed over her in a wave of heat that left her shivering in the cool wind.

  Nathan had seen her in a completely improper state of dress. Was holding her close, no chaperone in sight. Liza had been nearby, hadn't she?

  What if someone from town found out about this?

  What if Mama found out? She couldn't fathom the disaster that would be. Mama would demand an engagement to save Janie's reputation.

  This couldn't be happening again. The very last thing she wanted was to bring more humiliation to her family. Or to herself.

  She must find a way to limit the damage.

  Another cough wracked her, and this time the pain became so intense, she fainted.

  * * *

  Nathan reined in his horse just outside the barn. He roused Janie from where she’d either fainted or drifted off in his arms. He bade her sit still while he slid from the horse and reached for her. She was white-faced and bit her lip in pain, though he tried not to jostle her.

  He sent the horse into the barn with a swat on its rump and headed to the house. The sky unleashed a torrent of rain as his boots hit the porch stair.

  He banged through the door. The kitchen was dark, shadowed. Was the stove even lit?

  "Mindy!" he roared.

  His sister's head appeared from the parlor doorway. "What?" she snapped. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Janie in his arms.

  "I need your help. She was swept away in the creek. Her shoulder is out of socket."

  Mindy backed away, hands up in front of her. "What do you want me to do? I don't know anything about… about anything."

  He stuffed his anger. Mindy had let the kitchen fire die, there wasn't a stitch of supper in sight, and she was reluctant to help.

  None of those complaints needing voicing. Janie was more important right now.

  "Get some blankets. Bring them upstairs to the corner bedroom. We need to fix her shoulder."