by Ronica Black
“Clint…” Her mouth moved but her eyes remained closed.
Krista gripped her hand and felt a small squeeze. Her heart fluttered with excitement. “Aunt Judith? Can you hear me?”
Judith’s lips continued to move. “Kris…”
“Yes it’s me, it’s Krista!” Krista beamed down at her.
“Rae…Kris…Rae.” The words were soft mumblings.
“I’m here, Mrs. Wyler,” Rae said.
Judith’s lips continued for a while longer but her voice never returned. She squeezed Krista’s hand again.
Tears began to fall down Krista’s face as her hope diminished. “Aunt Judith,” she pleaded. “We’re all here. Please, wake up.”
“Judy,” Clinton pulled the pipe from his mouth, “we’ve got to get to that auction.”
A soft cry escaped Krista at his words. He moved from the bed and walked to the closet, where he changed his shirt and belt. Then he moved to the dresser, and when he saw himself in the mirror, his hands flew up to his head of white hair.
“My hair.” A look of ashen shock transformed his face. He hurriedly scooped up one of his cowboy hats up off the edge of the mirror and placed it on his head; then he sprayed on some cologne.
Krista felt her insides burn as she watched him helplessly. Painful sobs ripped through her. Rae placed a hand on her shoulder and wiped away her tears with the other, her own hazel eyes brimming. Krista sucked in a shaky breath and then collapsed in her arms. Rae held her tight, whispering into her hair.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”
Krista clung to her strength, crying into her shoulder. Concerned, Clinton approached and Krista embraced him as well, not giving him the chance to ask any questions. The three of them stood holding one another and crying while just behind them, Judith Wyler passed away.
Chapter Eighteen
The rain fell in fat drops and thunder growled in the distance. Rae stared out the window at the thick, dark gray clouds as a silent ambulance drove away from the ranch for the second time in less than forty-eight hours. She hated the sight of them. Hated the sound of them even more. She turned from the window, thankful that its lights and sirens weren’t on.
Clinton sat quietly in the recliner, staring into the fire. He’d been there for hours, refusing to speak since Judith had passed the day before.
Rae and several friends from the fire department had eventually had to pull him away from Judith, and Clinton had even taken a swing at one of them. He’d stayed by his wife’s bed all night long, holding her hand and talking to her. The ambulance couldn’t make it out until the morning because of the storm and when they’d finally arrived, he wasn’t ready to let go.
Sonja had given him something to help calm him. They’d all sighed in relief when he seemed to fatigue and sat down to stare into the fire.
As Rae studied him, she heard someone emerge from the hallway. Krista limped into the room, eyes pained, carrying the sheets and blankets that had been on Judith’s bed. She had been working diligently around the house since Judith had passed, sleeping only a couple of hours, and Rae could tell her knee was troubling her.
Cautiously, she asked, “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine,” Krista insisted curtly. “Just fine.” She took the bundle into the laundry room beyond the kitchen and disappeared with Jagger chasing her heels.
Rae stared after her, worried. She had expected Krista to continue to cry on her shoulder, to go into her room and curl on her bed and cry herself to sleep, allowing Rae to care for her. But Krista had done nothing of the sort, pushing her grief down deep in a way that had truly surprised Rae. Apparently, they all had their own ways of dealing with pain. Or avoiding dealing with it.
Krista was also back to speaking to Rae like they were virtually strangers. She was firm, distant, to the point. Her coldness bothered Rae intensely, but she wasn’t sure what to do about it, if anything. As for herself, the best she could manage was not to think too much about losing Judith. Yes, she’d been there when Judith passed, she’d kissed her forehead and held her lifeless hand. She’d felt one of the greatest, kindest souls she’d ever known lift and dissipate from the room. It had pained her tremendously, just as witnessing Krista’s and Clinton’s pain had. But she didn’t want to think about it. She couldn’t.
She heard the washing machine start and turned to stare out the window once again. The rain continued to fall and her mind shifted to the other seven people she was concerned about. They weren’t due back until that evening, but she was worried about the rain, knowing they couldn’t do much in this weather. Noon was quickly approaching and she hadn’t heard from Cody. She wondered if they were trying to ride or if they were holed up in their tents.
Hard thumps echoed through the living room as Dwight opened the front door and stomped his feet on the porch, trying to rid them of mud. When he entered the room, Rae could smell and feel the cold rain on him. He closed the door and removed his hat and wet duster coat. He hung them and glanced around the room. At the sight of Clinton gazing listlessly into the fire he shook his head.
“I saw the ambulance on my way in.” Dwight had arrived to pay his last respects shortly after Judith passed, then he’d excused himself and left.
“Dwight.” Krista followed Jagger from the laundry room. “You’re back soon.”
He stroked his stubble and it made a noise like sandpaper. “I couldn’t stay away. You’re my family.” His deep voice shook and Krista crossed to him for an embrace.
Rae flushed, wishing Krista would hug her, but the chances of that seemed remote.
Dwight backed away fairly quickly and wiped at his eye. He spoke to Rae, obviously wanting to change the subject. “You heard from them yet?”
Rae shook her head. “No, nothing.”
“Did you try calling again?”
“All I get is static.”
Dwight stroked his chin and gestured for Rae to step outside with him.
“Wait,” Krista protested. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Rae said. Krista had enough to deal with. She didn’t need to be worrying over the group.
“Don’t give me that,” Krista snapped. “Why can’t you reach Cody?”
Rae retrieved the radio from her belt and handed it over. “It’s the weather. We can’t seem to get through to them.”
Krista took the walkie-talkie and attempted to call. Static whistled in and she got no response. “Shit.” She returned the radio to Rae, wishing again that they could get cellular service out on the trail so they wouldn’t have to rely on the radios. “Why didn’t you tell me? We need to go after them.”
“They’re heading in,” Rae said, wanting to calm her. “I’m sure they’re fine. They can’t be too far away now.”
Krista stalked over to the kitchen table where her laptop sat open. “Well, we can find out.” She sat down and adjusted the mouse. “I left the GPS with Cody.”
Rae wanted to breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least Cody could never get lost, despite the rain. “I didn’t know you had one.”
Krista’s fingers worked furiously. “You didn’t ask.” She studied the monitor. “They’re not moving.”
Rae and Dwight bent to look at the monitor. The flashing red dot wasn’t moving in any direction, which meant for whatever reason, Cody wasn’t moving.
Puzzled, Rae said, “They should be way closer than that if they rode all day yesterday.” She searched the map, focusing on the creek and where the ranch stood relative to the signal.
Dwight rolled the ball of tobacco in his cheek. “They didn’t ride,” he concluded.
Krista lifted alarmed green eyes. “If the signal’s correct, they’re not far from where we left them.”
Rae tried to remain reasonable. She could feel the worry and guilt poring out of Krista. “I’m sure they’re fine. They’re just playing it smart and waiting out the storm.”
Dwight cleared a nervous throat. “Doc, I heard on the radio that
this storm isn’t going to stop anytime soon.”
“What do you mean?” Krista’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “I checked the weather before we started out. There was a possibility of scattered showers only.”
She brought up a Doppler and they all watched it in silence. The green graphic was enormous and moving slowly over the state. A warning ran across the bottom of the screen. Flash flood advisory.
Rae’s face heated. Flash floods in Arizona were notoriously dangerous, and sometimes they seemed to come out of nowhere. Sidewinder Creek had flooded many times in the past. “Oh, no,” she whispered.
Krista shook her head. “Where did this come from?” She grabbed her forehead. “God damn it, can anything else go wrong?” Eyes wide, she looked from Dwight to Rae. “We have to go get them.”
Rae nodded. She was right.
“Cody’s too young,” Dwight said. “He don’t know how dangerous that creek can be. If he knew, he would’ve already moved them away from it.”
Suddenly surging with nervous energy, Rae crossed the room and pulled on her jacket and Stetson.
“Where are you going?” Krista asked.
“To get the horses ready.” Rae glanced toward Dwight, who was already retrieving his own hat and coat. “Unless you want to take the ATVs?”
“They’re not here,” he said. “They’re in for repairs.”
“Damn.” Rae slipped on her jacket hurriedly.
Krista closed the laptop. “Be sure to saddle up Dollar. I’ll be out as soon as I can.”
“Don’t you want to stay here, look after things?” Dwight asked.
Krista placed her hands on her hips. “I’m the one responsible for those people. I’m going with you.”
“What about Clinton?” Rae asked. Krista needed to stay behind, to look after her uncle and to handle the arrangements. She didn’t need to be out in the cold, crazy Arizona monsoon, chasing rookie wranglers. “It could be dangerous,” Rae let out before she could stop herself.
Krista’s eyes flashed. “I don’t need protecting.”
Rae held up a hand. “I know, I know.” She just didn’t want her to get hurt. She cared about her. Too much.
“Good, then it’s settled,” Krista said. “Sonja has already agreed to stay on to look after Clinton for a while, and I’m sure we won’t be gone more than a day or two.”
Krista held Rae’s gaze, as if waiting for her to protest once again. When she didn’t, she turned and headed toward the hallway to pack her things.
Dwight tugged his hat down tight. “She shouldn’t be going.”
“Then you be the one to try and stop her,” Rae whispered, pulling open the door to inhale the cold, wet scent of rain.
“Hell no.” Dwight laughed. “I wouldn’t wish that on the devil himself.”
*
“Any luck?” Adam asked, sinking his hands into his jacket pockets as he glanced up at the leaking gray sky. Dark clouds loomed, heavy-looking and full. He hadn’t lived in Phoenix long, but this didn’t look like an average storm. He blinked as lightning shot through the sky, stabbing the horizon.
Cody sighed. “No, nothing.” He returned the radio to his belt and visibly shivered inside his jacket.
“Think it’s going to pass soon?”
“They usually don’t last this long,” Cody said, obviously troubled. Around them, several small tents shook from the wind and the pelting rain. “This should’ve already blown over.”
Adam kicked at a mud puddle. The rain had yet to stop and it was coming down hard and fast. The desert seemed to be rejecting it, the dirt too hard and dry to absorb the excessive amount of rain.
“I don’t think we should ride in this,” he said, restating the group’s decision to wait the storm out inside their tents.
Cody stared off into the distance. “We may not have a choice.”
“Why?” Adam winced at another flash of lightning. Surely in few more hours the storm would move on.
Cody gestured toward the creek. The water had risen and it was flowing much faster than before. “I don’t know how long the creek will hold out.”
Adam followed his gaze, shocked. Most of the rocks had already vanished under the whipping water. The cattle too seemed concerned and had all moved away. If the creek continued to build and gain strength, the entire area could flood. He swallowed against the sudden lump in his throat.
“I think you may be right.”
Cody stared straight ahead at the water. “Tell everyone to pack up.”
Adam could see the fear on his young face. Yet he was trying his damndest to hide it, and Adam respected him for that. “You got it.”
*
Rae rode quickly, the cold rain smacking her lower face and neck. She could hear Dwight close behind her and she hoped Krista was with him. They’d left the ranch a few hours before and Krista had once again insisted that she needed no help. Unwilling to hear any more, Rae had left Dwight to tend to her.
Her feelings toward Krista were as mixed as ever, and she knew that she wasn’t behaving any better. She’d made love to her, then run away. Then she’d tried to comfort her, holding her in her arms, wanting to be there for her. She didn’t understand her own behavior, so how could she expect Krista to? Krista had every right to be angry at her.
Rae squinted ahead. As strongly as she felt for Krista, she knew it was best to stay away. Neither one of them could afford to be hurt again. Especially now that Judith had gone. It hurt too deep.
Rae turned her head, unable to stay focused. Krista was far behind, once again clinging to Dollar’s saddle horn. Rae slowed Shamrock and Dwight caught up to her. Both horses walked, hooves sinking slightly into the hard, wet earth.
“Don’t even think about it, Doc,” he said.
“She’s too far back.” Rae wiped the rain from her mouth as it thumped onto her Stetson.
“Then we’ll keep her in sight,” Dwight said. “I’m telling you, don’t go back there. She made it clear she doesn’t want you to.”
“Oh, she did?” Rae felt a stinging in her gut.
“I’m afraid so.” He looked at her long and hard. “Whatever the hell you two got going on, I wish you’d get it straightened out.”
Rae stared. “She hates me.”
Dwight laughed as thunder echoed around them. “I don’t think it’s hate that’s got her all worked up.”
“What?”
He grinned “I think it’s love.”
Rae felt her skin heat despite the damp cold.
Dwight’s smile grew. “And by the look on your face, I’d say I’m right.”
Rae clicked at Shamrock and they sped up, plowing through the heavy, wet desert. Dwight was right at her side and his words ricocheted through her mind.
Love. Love?
No.
“You’re wrong,” she said loudly, making sure he heard.
“No, I’m not.”
Rae leaned forward, increasing her speed again. It wasn’t love. It couldn’t be. Love was loss. Love was pain. God damn it.
“It’s written all over the both of you!” Dwight called out, falling behind. “You can run from it all you want, Doc, but you can’t run forever!”
His voice tapered off as Rae and Shamrock surged through the stormy desert. Even though she knew she’d left him far behind, his words still chased her.
*
Krista’s heart pounded in her throat, in her head, in her fingers. She clenched the saddle horn as tight as she could and jerked again when thunder cracked in the near distance.
She’d just turned fifteen that summer and she was out looking for strays with her uncle Clinton. Her horse Sonny was under her, her very best friend. He’d been hers for less than a year.
They were a couple hours out from the ranch when a wall of dark clouds in the distance moved in, preceded by a blowing wall of dust. It was a monsoon but she wasn’t afraid, having been in many before. The freak weather condition was part of Arizona life.
U
p ahead of her, Clinton called out for her to head back before the rain hit and she nodded, holding on to her hat. Turning Sonny around, she lowered her head as they moved against the biting, blinding dust.
Thunder cracked incredibly loud overhead and Sonny took off at a start, frightened. Krista tugged on his reins and soothed him, patting his neck, calming him. The heart of the dust storm hit them as they continued to walk, and soon Krista found it difficult to breathe. She turned Sonny around to put their backs to the storm, and she could feel the dirt assaulting her back and whipping her hair. Lightning flashed, followed by more thunder, and down came the cold rain. Sonny began making noises and stepping in place. Krista did her best to keep him calm but when lightning flashed again, the hair on her arms stood up and she closed her eyes, knowing it was too close.
A monstrous, insanely loud pop exploded directly in front of them. Sonny let out an awful cry and bucked her up and off, sending her flying through the air, landing hard on her side. A groan escaped her and her head pounded in pain. She moved slightly and felt the rock she’d landed on. Warm blood trickled down her temple. She screamed as Sonny continued to buck, out of control. His strong legs came pounding down on her foot. She heard and felt a snap. She screamed louder, tugging her legs up.
As he moved away she focused on her feet. One was turned at an unnatural angle. She shook with terror, shook with pain. What was once a large palo verde tree burned in front of her. The rain pelted the dirt around her, sending up wisps of dust. Her eyes grew heavy and her body grew cold. Lightning shot down again in the near distance, rattling the ground. She flinched, beyond terrified. “Lightning never strikes the same place twice,“ she repeated to herself again and again. As the pain continued to shoot up her body, Sonny came close to her again, out of control, whinnying and bucking. Trembling, she curled herself up into a ball and allowed the tunneling darkness to consume her.