The Search

by Lorhainne Eckhart

  “Stop!” he shouted, and he grabbed the saddle before she could lift it. “What the hell are you doing? I said you’re not coming. You cannot ride a horse now.”

  “Well, actually, yes, I can. I just need to be careful. Scarlett is gentle and doesn’t spook. My balance is off a little, but I know my limits. That’s my husband out there, and I’m going. He could be hurt, or…” She choked back a sob. “You can help me saddle Scarlett, or I’ll do it myself. But I am going, even if I have to follow you.”

  Her jaw was set and her face hard as she glared at him. He wanted to grab her and shake her senseless, but she wasn’t his. She belonged to another man, his cousin. He realized that unless he tied her up, she would find a way to follow.

  “Diana, you’re risking Jed’s baby by getting on that horse. I can move a lot faster without you.”

  “Hogwash. Jed taught me to ride, and I’m as comfortable on a horse as I am walking. Women have been riding horses while pregnant since the beginning of time, and I certainly don’t plan on racing or doing anything that would jar me and the baby. Scarlett is gentle—she’d never toss me or hurt me. I’m going to find my husband,” she shot right back.

  If Andy had his hat, he would have stomped on it. “Jed is going to kill me.” He groaned out loud. “You listen to me, you ride behind me and where I tell you and nowhere else, and you are going to take it slow and steady.”

  She nodded and seemed to breathe more easily as she rubbed her swollen belly. “Thank you, Andy.”

  “Yeah, well, don’t thank me just yet, sweet thing, because if you were mine, I’d toss you in bed and tie you down and wouldn’t let you up until the baby was born.”

  “You’re such a pig,” she growled as she grabbed a hat from the hook.

  What he didn’t say as he followed this tough-as-nails woman, who would never be his, was that Jed would most likely kill him when he discovered that Diana had been allowed to tag along. But then, Jed should have known better than anyone that Diana had a stubborn streak a mile wide, and once she set her mind on something, nothing and no one could change it.

  Chapter 3

  “Are you sure he came this way?” Andy guided Sugar up a narrow trail with heavy brush on both sides. He had lost Jed’s trail when they hit the beaver dam, and he had done everything he could to get Diana to stay. The horse would have to swim in some places, and this was becoming much more than a slow, easy ride. But at least Diana had allowed him to take Scarlett’s lead rope, and he was damn glad she had, too, when Scarlet got hung up on an especially thick patch of mud while struggling out of the water. Andy had yelled and pulled until she got her footing, and Diana held on with both hands, kicking and urging Scarlett until she moved. Now on the other side, Andy was sure about one thing: He was finding another way back. There was no way he would bring Diana back this way in her condition.

  “Jed said he was taking him through the beaver dam, and his tracks lead this way.” Diana held on to the saddle horn with both hands.

  “How are you holding up?” He knew he sounded worried.

  “I’m fine. Stop worrying about me,” she answered, without her usual steam.

  “You may as well just say ‘Stop breathing,’ because worrying about you is the one thing I won’t stop doing.”

  “Okay. I get it. Just help me find Jed. There have to be tracks here somewhere. He had to have come across, didn’t he?” She was pleading with him, frantically searching the dimness.

  They were losing light fast. He’d packed a flashlight in his saddle bag, along with other emergency supplies, and he climbed down from his horse and shone the light at the ground. “Stay here with the horses. I’m just going to see where his tracks come out before we lose all light.”

  Thankfully, Diana nodded and took his lead rope. “You’ll be okay?”

  “Yes.”

  She was becoming more cooperative, and that made Andy nervous, so he hurried, skirting the edge of the dam, searching for tracks until he found them coming out of the north end. He was back in his saddle in no time.

  “Found them just over there.” He took Scarlett’s lead rope again, and Diana let him, so he knew he had to hurry.

  They had gone half a mile up an old logging road when they heard something. Shadows were closing in, so it wasn’t until they were almost on top of Red that they saw him, and the stallion jerked his head from the bushes he was munching on and backed up, skittish and wild eyed, as if ready to bolt. Andy grabbed the dangling reins and murmured softly to the frightened horse.

  “Andy, what if Jed’s lying hurt somewhere?” Diana said. “It’s almost dark. We’ve got to find him.”

  Andy pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. He dialled Jed’s number, but it went right to voicemail, and the automated message said the mailbox was now full.

  “Jed!” he shouted, and he listened as he tucked his phone away but heard nothing. He could hear Diana breathing heavily behind him. “Hold him,” Andy said as he climbed down and handed his reins to Diana. He ran his hand over Red, the young stallion Jed had been riding. “He’s got a gash in his side. The mud is thick on his legs and coats up to his belly. Bridle’s broken, too.” The stallion shied away when Andy touched his side. Then it tried to rear up and kick. Andy knew it wasn’t just the fact that Red was young and spirited—he was spooked, and Andy could feel him trembling, heart pounding so hard that he might bolt at any moment. If he did, there wouldn’t be a damn thing Andy could do.

  “Whoa, easy, boy.” He kept his tone even, encouraging the horse. When he had the horse calmer, Andy took the halter and lead rope off Sugar and put it on Red. He had to loosen it a fair bit, as Red was a big horse. Then he took the reins from Diana and climbed back on Sugar.

  “Andy, are you sure you can take him with Sugar?” It was getting dark, and Diana was fast becoming an outline beside him.

  “Sugar’s fine with this big guy, but it’s getting too dark. We need to head back and get a search party. Start out at first light.”

  He didn’t need daylight to see how stiff her shoulders went or how she was barely staying in the saddle.

  She seemed to gather a second wind. “No. You go. I’ll stay out here all night if I have to. Jed, where are you?” she shouted in a voice close to panic. And then she was sobbing. She tried to hide it, but he could hear the soft keening.

  “I’m not leaving you alone, okay? We’ll stay and keep going, but I need you right behind me, and you’ve got to listen to me, Diana.”

  She nodded, and he could barely make it out.

  “Thank you…. Just, thank you,” she stammered, crying. He could tell she was fighting her tears as she sniffed and used her sleeve to wipe her eyes.

  “Let’s go up the logging road to the meadow before we cut into the grove that winds up the mountain. If I recall, there’s an opening there with heavy mud from the forest that the sun can’t penetrate.” He was thinking out loud, but he had no idea which trails Jed rode or which ones he took his riding groups on.

  “That sounds like the one. Jed was talking about taking this group up to a place he calls Blue Meadow. There’s a lake up there, flat open grass, great spot to camp. I went once with him. I’m pretty sure that’s the way we went.” Diana pulled her collar up.

  It was getting cold, and though Andy had his leather gloves on, Diana’s hands were bare. He kept glancing back as she followed close behind. Every few minutes, Andy shouted for Jed and they listened quietly. When they reached the top of the logging road and angled right down the narrow trail, it was getting almost too dark to see. He knew the horses could see in the dark, so they could find their way home, but Sugar hadn’t been on this trail in a long while. Red was starting to jerk and pull on the lead rope, and he kicked out at Diana’s horse. Scarlett neighed and moved back, prancing out of the way a little too quickly.

  “Whoa, it’s okay, girl.” Diana did her best to calm Scarlett, but the horses were all becoming agitated. Andy pulled off the halter and let Red go, and he
bolted the other way. He then turned his horse and raced to Diana’s, grabbing her reins and holding Scarlett as she, too, tried to bolt after the stallion.

  “That’s Jed’s horse. We’ve got to get him back,” Diana shouted frantically, trying to free her reins from Andy’s grasp.

  “No, Red will find his way home. I’m not risking you. You’re barely sitting up, so don’t push it, Diana, because if I decide to turn us around and head back, there’ll be little you can do about it. And I can make you…” He had been barking at her, but something made him stop before he could finish. He had heard something.

  Diana must have, too. “Andy, did you hear that?”

  “Jed!” he shouted. When he listened, he heard it again: someone calling. “Keep shouting so I can find you,” he yelled, dragging Diana’s horse behind him and not letting her have the reins.

  “Over here.”

  There was no mistaking Jed’s voice. Andy looped the lead rope from Diana’s horse around his saddle horn and grabbed the flashlight from his bag. He spotted Jed against a tree about forty yards ahead, wearing just a long-sleeved shirt and sitting awkwardly. Blood was caked down the side of his face.

  “Jed, you’re hurt!” Diana screamed, and she struggled to get down. Andy hopped to the ground and grabbed her, lifting her out of her saddle. She wobbled for a second before racing as fast as she could to the man she loved. She was on the ground beside him, and Andy tied both horses to a tree, grabbing the medical kit from the saddle bag. He approached Jed carefully, as Jed was staring at him with a murderous look. He knew why.

  “What the hell is my wife doing out here and on horseback!” Jed was slurring his words, and Andy wondered if he had a head injury.

  He hunkered down beside him. You can kill me after we get you out of here.”

  “No one’s going to kill anyone, Jed,” Diana said. “You think I wasn’t going to come after you? And I suppose you lost your phone again, didn’t you? Your head’s bleeding!” She pressed her hand to his forehead and kissed him.

  “It’s just a cut. It’ll be fine. I hate those damn cell phones. Always slip out of your pocket. Hey, Diana, you’re trembling. Take it easy. It’s going to be okay.” Jed pulled her against his chest and winced.

  Andy shone his flashlight at the gash on Jed’s head. “Head injuries bleed a lot. It’s just a small cut, but it made a hell of a mess of your face.” He didn’t miss the way Jed leaned heavily against the tree and the odd angle of his right leg. “Is it broken?” Andy asked, noticing the two branches with long strips of bark peeled as if Jed had been trying to fasten a splint.

  “Pretty sure. Hurts like hell,” Jed said roughly.

  “Anywhere else?” Andy asked in an unusually calm voice as he rested his hand on Jed’s shoulder.

  “Yeah, I think I busted a rib.”

  Andy chuckled, and Jed grinned like a mischievous boy. They were both reminded of the trouble they had gotten into as boys, like the time Andy was ten and Jed eleven, when they took out his father’s prized stallion and mare and road bareback, pretending they were Comanche warriors, sticking feathers in their hair and racing through the woods. It was a wonder neither had been killed, but Jed had been thrown from that stallion and had broken his arm. Andy knew his uncle Rodney had been hard on Jed, working him like a hired hand after his arm healed. Andy had worked hard, too. He had cleared so many stalls for months that he was sure his father had saved a bundle on the hired hands.

  Andy pulled out his cell phone. “No service.”

  “What? How are we going to get him out of here?” Diane said frantically.

  Andy ran his hands through his dark hair, which was a little on the long side. He really needed a haircut, but he’d been considering letting it grow past his shoulders and tying it back. After all, wasn’t that what pirates did?

  “Best thing would be for me to go for help, but I don’t want to leave you two out here alone. If I splint your leg, do you think you can sit in a saddle?” he said.

  Jed scowled. “The day I can’t sit in a saddle will be the day you’re tossing dirt over my grave.”

  “Don’t talk like that.” Diana had grabbed the water bottle and dampened a rag in her pocket, and she used it to wipe the dried blood from his face. “Here, take a drink.”

  She was such a fiery thing, and she had a way with Jed that no woman ever had. Andy sighed. Just being with the two had a sharp ache expanding in him, and he felt as though he were on the outside, looking in on something wonderful. And he wanted it.

  Diana tried covering Jed with her jacket, but he wouldn’t take it.

  “Put it back on. It’s cold out here, Diana. I mean it. The fact that you’re even out here is bad enough. I told you I don’t want you on the horse anymore. You’re too close to delivering. You’re risking the baby.”

  Andy untied the blanket rolled up behind his saddle and searched for something to tie the splints with. He’d have to use the long strips of gauze to secure the splint, as he didn’t have enough of the elastic tensor bandages used for sprains.

  “Jed, I am so mad at you,” Diana said. “You scared the life out of me. You’re not going out alone with that stallion again. I’ve been riding Scarlett up until last week, and I know what my limits are—I was careful and wouldn’t risk the baby. But I wasn’t going to sit back and do nothing.” She dabbed his cut a little harder than was necessary.

  “Ow, Diana, ease up.” Jed reached up and held her shaky hand. Diana was doing everything she could to stay strong, but with the pregnancy hormones and the fact that her husband had scared the life out of her, her lips trembled, and Jed pulled her against him despite his sore ribs. He closed his eyes, pressing his lips in her tousled hair.

  “Okay, let’s get this over with and get you down to the hospital.” Andy draped the blanket around Jed’s shoulders and picked up the two sticks, setting one on each side of his leg. He could see the break even through Jed’s jeans. It was bad, just below the knee, and Andy didn’t need to say anything about how badly it was going to hurt. Beads of sweat covered Jed’s forehead, mixed with the dried blood. He stared hard at Andy to get on with it.

  Andy tore strips from the gauze and slid them under Jed’s leg. “You want a stick to bite down on, because I’m fresh out of bullets?”

  “Just get it done.”

  Andy anchored the sticks with five strips. Jed swore under his breath as Andy tied them, and Diana moved closer, touching him, his shoulders, his head. She spoke softly and reassuringly, telling him over and over how much she loved him.

  When Andy finished, Jed sagged against the tree, trying not lean on Diana, but even Andy could see he was close to passing out.

  “Listen up, Jed. I’m going to get you on Sugar. Do you want me to tie you on?”

  “Hell, no. I can sit just fine. Just get me on her.”

  The even tone didn’t fool him. Jed could barely lean against the tree.

  “Diana, after I get Jed on my horse, I’ll get you on yours, and then I’ll lead both of you down. It’ll be slow, and as soon as we’re in cell range, I’ll call for help.” She nodded, and he could see how grateful she was and the tight hold she had on Jed. “Jed, put your arm around my shoulder.”

  Jed did, and he swore a blue streak while Andy supported him, managing to get him up and sitting on the saddle. Jed was sweating and refused the blanket and Andy’s coat, although he shivered from shock and held the saddle horn as any greenhorn new to riding would.

  Andy wasted no time in helping Diana into the saddle, and he took the lead rope for both horses and started walking back the way they had come.

  They were halfway down in the black of night. Andy shone his flashlight, but it was hard to tell which way to go. Each time Andy shone the light back at Jed, he could see that his face was filled with pain he tried to hide, but he held on and stayed on the horse. Diana had been awfully quiet, and she hadn’t jumped into the banter Andy kept up with Jed. Andy was damn worried about his cousin; he suspected a h
ead injury and wondered how long Jed would be able to hold on.

  “Oh no!” Diana groaned.

  “Diana, what’s wrong, baby?” Jed asked, uneasiness creeping into his voice.

  Andy stopped the horses and walked back to her. She was leaning heavily, gripping the saddle a little too tightly. When he shone the light on her, her face was pinched tight.

  “Diana … what’s wrong?” Andy touched her leg and could feel how tight her muscles were.

  She was gasping and breathing as if she’d run a mile. “I think I’m in labor.”

  “What!” both Jed and Andy shouted.

  “How can you be in labor? The baby’s not due for a few weeks!” Jed shouted. Diana ignored his temper.

  Andy yanked out his cell phone again, but it still showed no service. “Diana, can you hold on up there? We’ve got about another hour.”

  “Yes, but hurry. I don’t want to have the baby out here in the woods,” she snapped.

  “I don’t want to be delivering a baby out here, either,” Andy shouted back. “Let’s go. You both hang on.”

  Andy got the horses moving again, hurrying as fast as he could, the light bouncing on the logging road they’d reached. He yanked out his cell phone and nearly shouted in relief when three bars showed. He quickly called for help, and as he hurried down the logging road, he could hear the sirens in the distance.

  Search and rescue met them thirty minutes later at the base of the logging road. Jed shouted and swore when he was helped off the horse, and then he and Diana were both loaded into a waiting ambulance. Jed stared at Andy and said, “Thank you,” which, coming from Jed, a man who could say everything with just a glance, struck Andy harder than a sledgehammer in his gut and meant more to him than all his horses. He loved them a lot, but he loved his cousin more.