by S. Cook
“I’m thirsty,” I answered in a dull voice.
“I’ll get you some ice in just a second. I bet you’re probably hungry, too.”
“I am.”
Starving in fact.
“They brought you in this morning. You’ve been asleep since you got here. I have to say, you’re in good shape for someone who spent the night in icy water. Your lungs are clear, and you don’t have any broken bones. You had a few nasty scrapes and one cut that needed stitches, but other than needing a tetanus shot, you’re okay.”
“That’s good news, I guess,” I said soberly.
I closed my eyes against the harsh white light in the room, and let my head fall back against the crinkly hospital pillow.
Unlike in the movies, I remembered everything.
Every small detail.
I remembered the shadow of Mustang falling and disappearing beneath the muddy water’s surface. I also remembered the way his ghostly image and his voice appeared to me, giving me the strength to fight my way out of the flood.
It was all for nothing.
Now, I was alive and empty inside.
I almost wished I’d never met Mustang in the first place if fate was only going to take him away, ripping him out of my arms and out of my heart.
I knew on some level that there had to be a reason, a purpose in all of this, but for the life of me I couldn’t figure out what it could be.
Hadn’t I been a good person?
Hadn’t I even found a way to use the ranch to help other people?
Was it too much to ask that I be allowed to keep the one person who’d made me happier than I’d ever been?
I’d already endured more than I should’ve had to, losing my dad to a horrifically violent crime.
Why did I have to lose Mustang, too?
“Of course, it’s good news,” the woman said cheerfully. “The fact that you're finally awake is even better news,” she continued with a big smile.
“Why is that?”
“Because now I can go tell your husband that you’re awake,” she answered. “Maybe then he’ll get off our backs and quit hounding us every two minutes. He’s been parked outside in the hallway since they brought you in.”
My husband?
“I think you have me confused with someone else,” I said, frowning.
“You’re not married to that big hunk of muscles with the tattoos and the gruff voice?” she asked.
My heart jumped, and a lump formed in my throat.
I raised my eyebrows and asked, “Mustang? He’s really here?”
He’s alive! It wasn’t a dream.
“Yes.” the nurse answered. “He’s not your husband?”
“Not unless I missed the wedding.”
The nurse laughed, opened the door and spoke to someone in the hallway. I heard pounding footsteps that sounded like someone was running, then he was at my side.
Mustang appeared beside the bed and took my hand from beneath the sheet.
He held it tight in his without speaking.
I struggled to speak and couldn’t find the words.
“Hey there,” he said softly, placing a kiss on my lips before stepping back and grabbing the chair beside the bed.
He pulled it over close so that I didn’t have to turn my head to see his handsome face. An angry red slash above his eyebrow glistened from ointment, but otherwise, he looked fine.
Better than fine.
I’d never seen anything that looked so good.
I was still too confused to speak. I’d seen him get carried away by the flood, and then in the morning was certain it was his ghost that helped me through.
Yet here he was, warm, gorgeous and very much alive.
“Hey, yourself.”
“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Are you hurt?”
“I don’t know,” I started to cry even as I smiled at him.
“Now, now, no crying,” he said, suddenly concerned. “It’s all over. You’re okay.”
“How is this possible? I saw you fall,” I began, doubting my own memory of the incident. “And then...”
He nodded and leaned down to kiss the back of my hand.
“I did fall, then I went along with the current for a while. I slowly started veering towards an overturned tree and wedged myself between it. I couldn't see you, and I guess I must’ve passed out from exhaustion. The sound of the helicopter woke me up again. I saw it was hovering upstream so I knew they had spotted you in the water. That’s how I found you again.”
“What happened then?”
“You were hoisted up into the helicopter. Then they hauled my big ass up too. They brought us both to the hospital here.”
I shook my head with no recollection of most of that.
“I thought you were dead and that I’d lost you forever.”
“I’m not. I’m right here,” he said, taking my hand in his and holding it firmly as I shook with the sobs I was trying to hold back.
“I’m sorry, I can’t stop crying,” I began, still overwhelmed from the emotional strain of being alone and wanting to die, to being so overjoyed that Mustang was alive and real.
“No more tears, baby. I’m fine,” he assured me. “Unless it makes you feel better to cry.”
“That’s not why I’m crying,” I said, laughing as I wiped at the tears with the back of my other hand.
I lifted it and gestured to the hospital room and the building.
“You’re inside a building!”
Mustang laughed too and whispered, “The next time you want me to come inside, promise me that you won’t try to die. Just tell me, and I’ll come in. There had to be an easier way than this to fix my broken head.”
“Nope, no more dying for either of us. Indoors, outdoors, I don’t care. We’ll pitch a tent, live under a rock, whatever. Just as long as you’re still there.”
I smiled at him and was a little bit shocked to realize I meant it.
Every single word.
The city woman who once lived in a home with stainless steel appliances would give up everything just as long as it meant a lifetime with Mustang.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised me. “I’m here. I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”
He stood to lean over me and kissed me again, lingering with his lips pressed against mine. I reached up and put my hand on the back of his neck, refusing to let him go.
“I love you, too, Mustang,” I said after finally releasing him.
We both laughed at the sudden increase in speed from the heart rate monitor that beeped near the head of my bed.
The nurse rushed back into the room.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
We both laughed sheepishly.
I tilted my head at Mustang.
“The big hunk of muscles with tattoos gave me a kiss. We might’ve gotten a little carried away.”
The nurse gave Mustang a disapproving look.
“She needs her rest,” she ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said solemnly. “I hear you loud and clear.”
He winked at me as soon as she turned her head.
“For now,” he leaned over to whisper in my ear.
Chapter 23: Mustang
The next day, we walked out of the hospital, and rode out with Tina to survey the damage to the ranch. The main house was destroyed with pieces of it scattered in a winding line where the waters were beginning to recede.
It would be a while before the water would be completely gone and the rebuilding could start.
“Wow,” Tina said grimly as she glanced out at the ruins in front of her. “I didn't expect it to be this bad.”
“Well,” Leah said, refusing to be brought down by the whole incident, “the good thing is I hadn’t completely fixed it up yet. I don’t have a ton of stuff to replace, and anything I lost will be covered by insurance.”
“Wow,” Tina said with a sad smile.
“What?”
“Leah is far from normal,” I pointed out.
Leah rolled her eyes at me and smiled.
“I couldn't agree with you more,” Tina said. “You have such a big heart, Leah. An incident like this can really knock people down. It’s amazing how you’re just taking it in stride.”
“I’ve already been through the worst,” Leah said. “This is nothing compared to how it could’ve turned out, how I thought it had turned out.”
She looked up at me with a pointed expression.
“I spent a long, torturous night thinking Mustang was gone. Houses and material things don’t compare with that kind of pain. Things can always be replaced, people can’t.”
I placed my hand on her shoulder, and made a silent vow to her, and to myself that I would never allow either one of us to feel that sort of pain ever again.
“Thank goodness your horses were free and able to make it to higher ground,” Tina said. “If they’d been trapped in the barn...” Her voice trailed off, leaving unsaid the horrific thought.
The horses were skittish and hadn’t returned yet, but I’d spotted them standing up on the ridge overlooking the ranch.
“At least we know they were safe and still are,” I said to Tina. “They’ll come down from the upper ridge when they’re ready. If not, we’ll go get them. In the meantime, there are plenty of places for them to graze higher up.”
The rescue workers in the area had advised us to stay on the higher ground of the ranch too, just until the water level went down. They didn't want us to get ourselves into trouble again.
“You’re both welcome to stay over at our place until this water washes away and you can get something set up,” Tina offered. “We have plenty of room.”
Before I could open my mouth to say something, Leah shook her head and said, “Thank you, but no.”
“Are you sure?” Tina and I asked at the same time and Leah looked at us both as if we were crazy.
“Yes,” she answered with a frown. “We’ll be just fine out here. It’s great to have a roof over your head, but it’s not the only way to live. Mustang has been living without a roof for years.”
I smiled at her and squeezed her hand, because now she got it.
After Tina left, we carefully made our way to my cave. We were pleasantly surprised to find it relatively intact. The winds had blown all the loose things away, but my blankets and a few cooking supplies were still there. Much to my relief. Having a few basics would make things easier.
“Don’t look so worried,” Leah said to me.
“What do you mean? I’m not worried.”
“Your expression suggests otherwise,” she said and crossed her arms.
I let out a long sigh. Living alone in a cave was one thing, but bringing Leah to stay in a cave with me was something else entirely.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go stay at Tina’s? I’m okay with being inside again, so it won’t be a problem for me. We can go.”
She walked over to me and placed her hands on my chest.
“I’m sure. The ranch is my home, our home, and this is where we belong. So what if we don’t have a house right now? We’ll manage. I can do it. We can do it together.”
I smiled slightly and brushed her hair off her face.
“You’re right, this is our home, but I want you to feel safe and warm.”
She smiled, took both my hands and wrapped my arms around her.
“This is where I feel the safest and the warmest, Mustang. We could be anywhere in the world, in any living conditions and it wouldn’t matter. As long as you’re with me, nothing can hurt me.”
“I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know, and that is what I love about you,” she said. “You never left, not when I told you to, or when the water tore you from me.”
“Nothing on this Earth can keep me from you,” I said to her, never being as honest as I was right at that moment.
She nodded and kissed me full on the mouth.
Over the next month, I started to secretly rebuild the main house. I usually worked at night and early mornings.
I’d even put up a ‘No Trespassing’ sign just for her benefit.
She wasn't allowed to see what I was getting up to.
I wanted it to be a surprise, especially since her birthday was coming up soon. I was working hard trying to finish it on time, and even though she was dying to know what I was doing, she kept herself occupied with other things.
I wasn't sure what they were exactly, but as long as it helped her to pass the time, I was happy.
The morning of her birthday, I woke up beside her in the cave and watched her sleep.
She was nestled in the wool blanket on the ground and a lock of her hair had fallen across her face. She looked younger these days and more youthful with a golden tan.
Happier even.
Her skin wasn't the only thing that glowed though. She radiated from the inside, and it made me happy to see her content with herself, and her surroundings.
Sure, it had taken a few months on the ranch to get to that point. Every possible thing had gone wrong for her.
But she was finally happy.
I could tell.
And so was I.
“You’re staring at me,” she said softly, without even opening her eyes and I suppressed a laugh.
“Busted,” I answered simply. “How did you know?”
She opened her eyes and looked at me.
“Staring is creepy.”
“Even when I do it?”
“Yes, but not as threatening.” She smiled and leaned forward to kiss me. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” I smiled in return.
“What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
Because I worked on the house in the mornings, I usually wasn’t there when she woke up.
“I have something to show you.”
“Oh, no. What did you do this time?” she asked with a fake cringe.
“Trust me and get dressed.”
“Okay, if you insist,” she said with a frown and threw the blanket off her.
It took her a few minutes to get dressed and to tie up her hair into a ponytail.
“I’m ready,” she announced. “Is this acceptable attire for whatever it is that you want to show me?”
“Yes,” I said with a nod and held out my hand to her. “Let’s go.”
Up until this point, I’d insisted that she stay away from the house. When we arrived there, she took a deep breath.
“It’s okay,” I said to her with a reassuring squeeze of her hand.
She stared at the “No Trespassing: This Means Leah” sign that I had erected alongside the dirt road that led to where the main house used to stand.
She turned to me with an unamused expression.
“First of all, that sign needs to go.”
I chuckled.
“Obviously,” I agreed and led her along the path. “Unless I plan on living here alone.”
As we rounded the corner, the new house came into view and she stopped abruptly in her tracks. She drew in a sharp, surprised breath.
“What is that?” she asked.
“This is our new home,” I answered simply. “Let’s go check it out.”
She let out an excited shriek and grabbed my hand, practically dragging me down the path.
She was clearly excited and there’s no wonder. She’d been living under the overhang with me for almost two months now. Even though I knew that she enjoyed sleeping pressed up against me at night, I realized that she missed the comforts of a real home too.
Our time had been amazing; we cooked together over a campfire, ate our meals under the stars, and made love often.
As great as it was, I won’t miss it.
I knew the future would be even better for the both of us now.
“Are you ready to go see it?” I asked her.
I smiled and led her down the path.
She frowned when she saw the other sign that I’d planted in the ground closer to the house.
“Honk before passing this point,” she read. “What does that even mean?”
“You’ll see,” I said, and led her further down the path.
When the house came into view, her eyes widened. The sun reflected off the windows and she gasped at the sight of her new house.
Our new house.
“Mustang,” she whispered, realization of all that I’d been doing hitting her full in the face.
“That had better not be tears in those pretty eyes of yours,” I teased quietly.
“I’m done with the tears,” she said as she shook her head.
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, the girl who used to cry over silly things like bats and wet laundry is gone. I came up out of that water knowing what was really important in this life. Even though everything had been taken away, I still have what’s important. All I need is you.”
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” I said.
“But this,” she said and motioned to the house, “is just so beautiful, I can’t help myself.”
“Come on, I can’t wait to show you everything.”
As we approached the house, she said, “Ah, now I get it.”
“Get what?”
“The sign, about honking first.”
She waved a hand at the house.
The entire house was made of glass situated within its wood frame. The oak beams stood like a skeleton supporting large paned windows on every side, with skylights making up most of the roof.
“It’s stunning,” she said. “Why so much glass though?”
“I figured this way, I could stay inside too. When I’m inside the house, it’s almost like being outside with the glass everywhere.”
“So that means that you’ll stay with me? In a bedroom and everything?”
“That’s the plan. I’m really going to try,” I said a little less confidently, but still with a note of hope in my voice. “I can’t say it will be easy, especially at first. You’ll need to be patient with me.”
“I’m not going to push you,” she said. “You take all the time you need, and if it ever gets to be too much, just go back out to your rock until you feel safe again. You can go alone if you need to regroup, or I’ll pack up my sleeping bag and go with you. We’ll do whatever we need to make this work.”