Romance Rides the River

by Reece, Colleen L.

  “I’m not very musical,” Seth added. “My stepsister Ellianna is the one with a singing voice. But being here reminds me of an old hymn.” He began singing:

  “Rock of ages, cleft for me,

  Let me hide myself in Thee;

  Let the water and the blood,

  From Thy wounded side which flowed,

  Be of sin the double cure,

  Save from wrath and make me pure.”

  For a long moment, Dori didn’t respond. Then she said, “Thank you. We really are hiding in a rock, aren’t we?” Her face gleamed in the firelight, and her fingers clenched and unclenched.

  Seth’s heart soared. Dori had opened the door for him to speak a word for his Master. “Yes, but Jesus, the Rock of ages, is truly our shelter. We never need be afraid, no matter how bad the storm.” Lord, let her know how true this is, he silently prayed. To his disappointment Dori only said,

  “I think the blanket is dry enough now. If you don’t mind, I’ll step into my dressing room and change.” She took the warm blanket, squared her shoulders, and walked around behind Splotches.

  Seth knew from the tilt of her head that leaving the bright fire for the darkness at the back of the cave was one of the hardest things Dori had ever done, but she didn’t falter. When she said in a determined, but shaky voice, “Keep singing, will you?” he had never admired her more. He bellowed until the echoes rang from the rock ceiling and walls, “Rock of ages, cleft for me, / Let me hide myself in Thee.”

  He also prayed with all his might that the night would hold no further terrors for Dori; then he stripped branches from the pine limbs to make a bed for her near the fire.

  ❧

  Long after Dori lay asleep, wrapped in the saddle blanket like an Egyptian mummy, Seth kept watch. The firelight played on her exposed face. “So young and defenseless, in spite of all her bravado,” he murmured. Had she really meant it when she said she hated him? After they reached the Diamond S, how would she feel? Would she remember God’s goodness in helping Seth’s lasso fly strong and true? Would she appreciate the dreaded cave where they had found shelter? Would she consider the things Seth had told her? Or would she only remember the humiliation he had seen in her face when she asked him to take her to the barn raising and he refused? And the way he had laid hands on her in a moment he would always regret?

  Seth sighed. His head drooped. How could he have let the iron grip on his emotions loosen? Fear for Dori’s safety when he saw Splotches leap the draw was no excuse. No matter what the provocation, he should have been able to control himself.

  All through the long, dark hours, Seth kept the fire going and relived the day’s events. Pain for losing Copper settled to a dull ache. No more would they fly over the range or stop to rest on the promontory that overlooked the valley. There would be other horses, but none would ever replace the sorrel gelding Seth’s father had given him what seemed like a lifetime ago.

  Just before dawn, fatigue replaced sadness and self-recrimination. Seth fell into an uneasy sleep. The nicker of a horse awakened him. His pulse quickened and he sat upright. “Copper?”

  “No. It’s only Splotches,” a soft voice said. “I’m so sorry about Copper.”

  Seth’s spurt of hope died. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and sprang to his feet. Dori, fully dressed and holding the saddle blanket, stood watching him. Sympathy shone in her blue eyes. Seth couldn’t read her expression other than knowing it wasn’t hatred. “Let’s go home. I’m starved,” she said.

  In spite of his misery over losing Copper, Seth rejoiced. Except for tangled hair and a dirty face, Dori looked none the worse for her dunking in the creek. He couldn’t say the same for himself. It seemed they had been away from the ranch for a week instead of less than a day. “All you can think of is your stomach,” he teased. “What about the worry we’ve caused our folks?”

  Dori’s grin showed the unplanned night in the cave had dampened but not drowned her high spirits. “Why should they worry? They know you’ll take care of me.” Leaving Seth gasping, she demanded, “Well, are you coming? Or do I have to ride Splotches home and send someone back to get you?”

  Lord, if I live to be older than the Sierras I will never understand Dori Sterling, Seth silently confessed. In less than a day, I’ve seen her change her mood more times than a day in March. One thing for certain: Whoever marries her will never be bored.

  Once outside the cave, Seth saddled the pinto. After the trio climbed out of the ravine, he made Dori ride while he walked beside her. He shuddered, thinking of the distance they had to cover before reaching the ranch. Even if Matt and the hands were out searching for them, Seth and Dori were far afield from where they had planned to ride. It would hamper the search party.

  Shortly after the sun climbed over the top of a nearby hill, a shrill whistle split the morning air. Then another. A bunch of riders rode into sight, with Matt and Curly in front and Bud leading a saddled horse.

  “How did they find us?” Dori cried

  “I don’t know, but I’m mighty glad they did,” Seth replied. He snatched off his Stetson and waved. “Yippee-ki-ay!”

  Answering yells came back from the rescue party, and a few minutes later, they surrounded Seth and Dori. “Are you all right?” Matt asked.

  “We’re fine, especially now that you’ve come.” Dori smiled. “We spent the night in a cave, and—”

  “A cave?” Matt’s jaw dropped, and he shot Seth a quick glance.

  Dori’s smile wobbled. “It was a very nice cave, as caves go, if you like that sort of thing.” The next moment her eyes filled with tears. “If Seth hadn’t been there yesterday I’d have died.” Bright drops spilled from her eyes, and her face twisted. “Oh, Matt, the river took Copper.”

  Matt’s mouth dropped open; then he reared back in the saddle and laughed. “Well, it may have taken him, but it gave him back. Copper was standing outside the corral this morning, wet and tired, but not hurt. That’s how we found you—by following his tracks.”

  Could a man burst with happiness? Seth’s, “Thank God!” mingled with Dori’s delighted cry. Their gazes met. Locked. Dori’s expression after all the hours of worry and fear made Seth’s eyes sting. His joy at knowing Copper was safe and waiting reflected in the girl’s eyes like twin bonfires. No matter what might come, he would carry that look in his heart and cherish it.

  Seth’s joy continued until they reached the ranch. The stable hands had already cared for Copper, but Seth patted his horse and whispered to him before cleaning up and heading to Solita’s kitchen for a much-needed meal. His good mood, however, died when Katie O’Riley joined them for a cup of coffee and brought up the last subject Seth wanted discussed.

  “Miss Dori, what’s a barn raising?” she innocently asked. “Curly asked if I’d go with him, but I don’t for the life of me know what ’tis.” She shook her curly red head and chuckled. “How can a barn get raised up? For sure not like Lazarus in the Bible.”

  Seth avoided looking at Dori but couldn’t ignore the ice in her voice when she said, “When a neighbor’s barn burns or falls down, folks for miles around gather early in the morning to raise—build—a new one. The womenfolk bring food enough to feed a regiment, and there’s a square dance at the end of the day when the building is done.”

  Seth couldn’t help stealing a look at Dori. His heart sank and he lost his appetite. The tilt of her pretty chin boded no good for one Seth Anderson.

  “Curly will be a wonderful escort and you will have a lot of fun, Katie.” She paused and sent Seth a disdainful glance. “So will Seth. He’s taking Abby, you know.”

  “The pretty young lady who works at the Yosemite Hotel?” Katie’s green eyes sparkled. “She’s a fine colleen, I’m for thinking.”

  Dori shoved back from the table. “She is. Any man would be proud to take her.” She left the room with her head high.

  Katie looked stricken. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Seth forced a smile and stood, leavi
ng half his breakfast uneaten. “No, Katie. Miss Dolores is just tired.” But he winced as he went out. Dori had parroted the very words he’d used when turning down her invitation to the barn raising. Seth sighed. Hang it all, he’d only invited Abby because she’d taken for granted that he’d escort her. This was what came of paying attention to only one girl at a time. Would Dori ever forgive him for refusing the invitation it had obviously cost her dearly to make—an invitation Seth suspected would never be repeated?

  Seventeen

  Dori slowly trudged up the staircase on feet that felt heavier than lead. Exhaustion and disappointment washed through her like the waves of the swollen stream that had threatened to overwhelm her.

  “Don’t be a ninny,” she ordered herself. “You should be glad Curly invited Katie to the barn raising. You don’t want him, so why feel betrayed? Curly, Bud, Slim, and a dozen others have practically camped on your doorstep ever since you came home. You’ve laughed at them. It’s natural for them to be attracted to Katie.”

  Katie? a little voice mocked. This has nothing to do with her or with the cowboys. You’re jealous of Abby Sheridan because Seth Anderson is paying attention to her and taking her to the barn dance.

  “That’s stupid!” Dori exclaimed as she burst through her bedroom doorway.

  Solita looked up from turning down the covers on Dori’s bed. Her round, brown face showed surprise at Dori’s outburst. “What is stupid, querida?”

  Solita was not the person Dori wanted to face right then. The housekeeper’s dark, knowing gaze saw far too much. Keeping secrets from Solita was like trying to keep the sun from rising.

  “I’m just mumbling,” Dori quickly said, then blurted out the last thing she wanted to discuss. “Did you know that Curly invited Katie to the barn raising?”

  Solita’s wide, white smile deepened the laugh crinkles around her eyes. “Sí. Señor Curly admires our Señorita Katie. She returns his regard.”

  The news jolted Dori. “She does? How do you know?”

  “Is your head so far up in the clouds that you cannot see what is happening under your very nose? Unless my eyes deceive me, Señorita Katie will be Señora Prescott muy pronto.” Solita plumped the pillows and patted Dori on the shoulder. “Now you must rest.” She smiled and went out, closing the door behind her.

  Dori doubted she could stay awake long enough to don night clothes and tumble into her soft, welcoming bed. “It sure is different from the pine branches in the cave,” she muttered. The thought roused her from the stupor into which her tired body was sinking. A multitude of memories pounded her weary brain. Scene after scene replayed, clarified by hindsight and accusing her in no uncertain terms. “If I hadn’t defied Seth by jumping Splotches over the draw, I wouldn’t have been humiliated, almost drowned, and forced to spend the night in a cave,” she whispered.

  An all-too-familiar rush of fear made her tremble, followed by the memory of Seth’s voice when he said, “Jesus, the Rock of ages, is truly our shelter. We never need be afraid, no matter how bad the storm.”

  The words stilled the tumult in Dori’s soul like no amount of reasoning or berating herself had ever been able to do. She remembered how safe she’d felt, wrapped in the saddle blanket and knowing nothing could harm her while Seth kept watch. How vulnerable he had looked when she awakened to find him sleeping. Dark shadows beneath his eyes attested to the strain he had been through while hauling her out of the raging stream. The shadow of a beard as red-gold as Seth’s hair showed on his usually clean-shaven face. Dori’s first impression slipped into her mind: everything Matt had said and more.

  Now a lump rose to her throat. Why did life have to be so hard? Why couldn’t Seth love her, instead of Abby?

  Dori cried herself to sleep.

  ❧

  The day of the barn raising came all too soon for Dori. Much to Bud and Slim’s delight, she had accepted their gallant invitation to “es-cort” her, but she dreaded the event. Even the new, yellow-sprigged gown that made her hair look darker and her eyes bluer, failed to comfort her. “Lord, I’m going to need Your help,” Dori impetuously prayed. “I can’t beg off going. Even if I fooled everyone else, Solita would know why.” She made a face at herself in the mirror and raised her chin. “If You’ll help me make it through the day, I’ll—”

  “Come on, Dori, time’s a-wasting,” Matt sang out from the bottom of the staircase before Dori figured out what to promise God in return for His help. She wrapped herself in a cape against the early morning chill and lightly ran downstairs. Too bad she couldn’t trip and twist an ankle.

  ❧

  Busy with women’s work at the barn raising, Dori longed to be out riding Splotches. “Will this day never end?” she muttered to herself. Barn raising was a hard, hungry job and required a multitude of meals. Dori helped serve the horde of workers midmorning sandwiches, cake, and lemonade; a hearty dinner; more sandwiches, cake, and lemonade in the midafternoon; and a full supper. In between, she listened to Sarah, Abby, Katie, and a bevy of other women and girls chatter, and assisted in washing a mountain of dishes. When she had a few moments to rest, she stepped outside and watched the barn going up under the magic of many willing hands.

  By the time the kitchen chores ended and Dori threw out the final pan of dishwater, she never wanted to attend another barn raising. How could Katie, in her favorite green-checked gown, and Abby, radiant in pink, be so excited about the barn dance to follow? All Dori wanted to do was to crawl in a hole and pull it in after her.

  She sighed. “Sterlings don’t quit,” she admonished herself. “Now get out there and be the belle of the ball.” She grinned in spite of herself.

  The first discordant notes of fiddles tuning up jangled in her ears. The three musicians swung into a lively hoedown. “Grab your partners, ladies and gents,” the caller commanded. “Line up for the Virginia reel.”

  Bud reached Dori a few steps ahead of Slim and led her to the head of the line. Matt grabbed Sarah. Curly and Katie came next, then Seth and Abby. A dozen other laughing couples took their places, men in a long line with their partners facing them.

  “Swing your partner.

  “Do-si-do.

  “Allemande left.

  “Grand right and left.”

  Dori’s feet responded to the calls. Her reluctance gave way to enjoyment. When she encountered Seth and he swung her in time to the music and asked if she were having fun, she could honestly answer, “Yes.”

  “Feel like riding tomorrow?” he wanted to know.

  “Of course.” Dori’s heart sang. Seth might be Abby’s “es-cort,” but the look in his eyes gave rise to a faint hope. The lively young woman had obviously set her cap for Seth, but he didn’t appear to be roped and hog-tied yet.

  ❧

  March gave way to April, April to May, then early June and time to drive the cattle to the high country, turn them loose, and let them graze until the fall roundup. Dori was wild to go. “Sarah’s never seen the high country,” she pleaded when Matt, Seth, and Solita violently opposed their going along. “It’s been years since I’ve been there. You won’t mind roughing it for a couple of weeks, will you Sarah?”

  Sarah’s eyes glistened, but she sighed and said, “No, but if Matt thinks we shouldn’t go, it’s all right with me.”

  “It’s not all right with me.” Dori crossed her arms and glared at her brother. “Brett says we’ll be just fine and no trouble at all. Curly, Bud, and Slim can look after us.”

  “And who will be looking after the cattle?” Matt inquired in a deceptively mild tone.

  “All of us.” Dori smirked. “Sarah is a good rider. Seth says I have the makings of a great cowhand. I can ride and rope and shoot. Please, Matt, take us.” She clasped her hands around his arm and met his gaze straight on.

  Matt raised his hands in defeat. “Ganging up on me, are you?” He appealed to Katie, who sat nearby. “I suppose you want to go, too?”

  “Me?” She gasped, eyes enormous. “Merc
y, I never thought I’d be for doing such a thing. May I?”

  Mischief glinted in Matt’s eyes. “Why not? I won’t have to tell Curly to look after you. Seems he’s taken over that job on his own.”

  Katie turned red as a poppy. “Begging your pardon, sir, but you’re for being a bit of a spalpeen.” She rose and shook out her skirts.

  “And what might that be?”

  “An Irish rascal, as you well know.” She fled in the burst of laughter at Matt’s expense. He turned to Solita.

  “How about you?”

  The housekeeper stared at him as if he had gone loco. “No, Señor Mateo. I will stay here and run the ranch while you are away.”

  Matt grunted. “Probably do a better job than Brett or me.” He stood and stretched. “All right. We’ll leave as soon as we can get ready.”

  Dori could hardly wait. She pestered Solita, who was in charge of making lists to ensure enough provisions were purchased, until the housekeeper staged a Mexican mutiny. “Out of my kitchen or there will be no trip.”

  Dori hugged her. “Sorry. It’s just that I’m so excited. I love the high country.”

  Solita rolled her eyes. “I know.” She chuckled. “Does it also have something to do with the fact a certain Señor Anderson is going?”

  “Whatever do you mean?” Dori challenged. Not willing to hear the answer, she spun out of the kitchen and up to her room in order to hide her hot cheeks. “Not that it does any good.” She sighed. “Solita has eyes like an eagle. She doesn’t miss a thing.”

  It didn’t take eagle eyes for Dori to see the stranger who descended on the Diamond S one afternoon a few days before the time set for departure to the high county. She was pulling on her boots by her open window and watching the activity at the corral. Curly, Bud, and Slim sat perched on the top fence of the corral observing Seth break a colt and jeering good-naturedly. A rig from the Madera livery pulled up.

  Dori leaned forward. A stranger climbed out. The driver set two valises on the ground, nodded to the trio on the fence, and headed back for town.