by Rose, Amelia
“I did NOT complain about the humidity!” she argued, laughing once again when she realized he was having fun at her expense. “And I’ll have you know that I did break a nail but it was very painful. I broke it all the way down to there,” she pointed out, gesturing to the middle of her nail bed before mumbling. “It hurt a lot.”
“Oh, I’m sure. It was a devastating injury. I truly don’t know how you pressed forward!” They laughed again, until Laney pressed a finger to her lips and reminded them both that Oren was resting. He had stirred briefly while they talked, and finally woke long enough to ask for something to eat. Laney looked to Axel, not trusting her own judgment enough to make that decision, at least not where her brother’s life was concerned. Axel nodded, and Laney fetched some dry crackers from her pack.
“Here buddy, see how these stay down. Mom always brought us crackers when we didn’t feel good, I guess they’re supposed to settle your stomach or something.” She broke the squares into smaller pieces and held them out, letting him decide whether to take them or be fed like a baby. He opted to be fed, leaning back and closing his eyes as he slowly chewed each piece.
“We’d probably all better get some sleep. With any luck, they’ll have the rescue crew here by dawn and we’ll get a nice ride out of here,” Axel suggested, arranging the area around them by kicking some sticks and larger rocks out of the way. He brushed aside some soggy leaves to keep their bedrolls as dry as possible, then helped Laney cover Oren with a real blanket, keeping the heat retaining blanket on him just in case.
As they settled in, Oren had already fallen back into a deep sleep, Laney’s jacket still beneath his head. Laney looked across her brother’s disheveled, matted hair to where Axel lay on the other side of him. She tried to call up his features in her mind, trying to remember him from school and feeling somewhat ashamed that she couldn’t remember someone who obviously remembered her.
Chapter Nineteen
Well before dawn, the sound of the horses whinnying frantically woke Axel and Laney. In the low light from the dying campfire, they watched as the horses pulled against the tethers were Laney had tied them to a tree on the far side of the creek. They stomped their hooves against the ground, followed by one quick yelping sound as a powerful foreleg connected with some kind of animal.
“Coyotes!” Axel yelled, scrambling up and throwing off his blanket. He raced for the fallen log without stopping for his boots, but found that the water had receded enough for him to wade across. He quickly slogged through the waist deep water, stumbling once as a stone moved beneath his foot, drenching him. When he reached the other bank, he ran towards the coyotes, waving his arms and yelling loudly.
Laney stayed frozen in place as the entire event unfolded, and Oren stirred and woke up when Axel yelled. Her arms went around her brother protectively as she hushed him, promising him everything was under control.
Axel soon returned, leading the frightened horses through the cold water and back to the safety of their side of the creek. They splashed lightly as they fought against the unsure footing beneath them, but quickly reached the bank and ambled up its side, pressing themselves against the solidity of some nearby trees for comfort. Axel came over to the fire, breathless from the adrenaline and from his warm, sleeping body’s reaction to being immersed in the ice cold water.
“Here, take this,” Laney suggested, sliding the emergency blanket out from beneath Oren’s thicker wool blanket. He was awake for now, and tried to hand over his top blanket too, but Laney wouldn’t hear of it. She wrapped the emergency blanket around Axel and stepped inside its edge, letting her warmth combine with his to fight the chill. He leaned against her gratefully.
“Well, that sure was a surprising way to wake up, although the aroma of coffee and pancakes would have been my choice!” he said brightly through chattering teeth.
“What would make coyotes come right up to where people were sleeping? Shouldn’t they be scared of humans?”
“That’s what those fires are for around the herd, but remember, those cowboys stay up through the night and walk the perimeter. That’s more than likely what keeps predators away. I guess with that creek between us, those coyotes weren’t too scared of our little campfire.”
Oren sat up and reached for some of the wood, placing it on the fire and bending down slowly to blow on it. His movements were slow and uncertain, but his mind was still reactive as he got the fire warm and blazing again. Laney smiled at him, in awe of his ability to come back from a near tragedy and think of ways to help.
She wrapped her arms more tightly around Axel until his shivering began to slow down. He smiled gratefully, casting an apologetic look at her clothes that had been soaked once again due to the clumsiness of guys who kept falling into the water.
“Sorry about that. Bet you’re ready for a real shower and a chance to burn that outfit, huh?” She only shrugged.
“It’s just clothes. For some reason, they don’t matter quite the way they used to.” She waited a minute before speaking, this time intent on telling Axel the truth. “Ever since you told me we’d met before, I’ve been wracking my brain trying to remember you. But I couldn’t, and then I figured out why. You didn’t look the same back then, did you?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, his confidence crumbling faster than the wood crackling in the fire, he shook his head.
“No. I looked a whole more like your little brother over there, no offense, Oren. Even though I grew up on a working farm, I’d always been that guy nobody notices unless they’re in the mood to mess with someone, the skinny kid with his face buried in a book, the one that people picked on just because they knew they could get away with it. And I thought I put all that behind me when I went off to school. I was in a whole other state, all the way on the other side of the country, and I had earned a scholarship to a great school to be a part of a great pre-med program. Once you get to college, high school just doesn’t seem so important somehow, and the people are less focused on picking on a weakling. But then you showed up, and you made me remember what it was like to be that kid who didn’t feel comfortable around pretty, popular girls.
“So that’s what did it. The way I’d used to feel about myself came rushing back at me, and I realized that I was never going to be anyone but the skinny nerd, at least not to myself even if other people didn’t think of me that way, if I didn’t do something about it.”
“You might have gone a little overboard,” Laney said kindly, pointing to the thick ribbons of muscle that wound around his upper arms and the tattoos that moved whenever he flexed. “But why would you change yourself because of some random stranger’s reaction to you? A completely idiotic stranger, I must add.”
“It wasn’t your reaction, Laney.” Axel looked away again, not wanting to hurt her feelings but not wanting her to see the hurt on his face, either. “It was that you didn’t have a reaction.”
“What do you mean?”
“I was invisible. I was a nobody. I would rather be hated and laughed at than not exist to someone, someone who was standing right in front of me. So I decided to make myself more noticeable, and this is the end result.”
“But do you like looking this way? You know, the fit body, the tattoos, the different clothes… is that who you wanted to be?” Axel only shrugged. “You shouldn’t have to be someone else just because I was too stupid and self-absorbed to see you. I know you didn’t change for me, but you did change because of me. And I’m so sorry. You can’t know how sorry I am.”
“It’s all right. In a lot of ways, I’m grateful. I certainly wasn’t happy being invisible, and even though I can’t say my change has brought joy and light and all that crap into my life, now I know that I’m at least here. People see me, for better or worse, I exist.”
His last words were like a punch in Laney’s gut. She’d known disappointment in life, but she’d never before come close to understanding what it must be like to not be worth anyone’s time. She had always been so vibr
ant and energetic, full of personality, as people kindly put it. She’d never stopped to think about how some people simply… weren’t.
It was impulsive and uncharacteristic, but Laney slowly moved forward and put her hands on Axel’s shoulders, looking him directly in the eye. She watched for him to pull away from her, to reject her for having been so cruel to him, even unintentionally. Instead, his eyes pulled her in, begging her to come closer. She leaned towards him, her lips hovering only a hair’s breadth from his.
“I see you now.”
Laney pressed her lips to his and waited, praying he didn’t pull away from her. He not only didn’t turn away, he clung to her, his hand reaching for her waist and securing her close to him. He returned her kiss as forcefully as she did, finding release in the feelings he’d kept buried for so long, freed from the hurt after finally speaking to his catalyst face to face and confessing the pain he’d carried.
“Ewwwww, gross,” Oren said in a weak voice, intentionally interrupting them. They separated but laughed, Axel’s hands still holding Laney close in his arms.
“Seriously? You haven’t spoken to us in hours, and that’s how you choose to let us know you’re okay?” she demanded happily, shooting her brother an exasperated look that clearly told him he could interrupt her any time.
“You know, if he doesn’t want to see me kiss you, I could always put him back in the river,” Axel offered, winking at Oren. Laney shook her head.
“No, he’s had enough of swimming for a while. I guess we’ll just have to save the kissing until he’s not around.”
She left Axel’s side and came to sit by her brother, gathering him up in her arms and sliding him next to her, keeping him close by. They waited together for the sunrise, and the rescuers who would hopefully be there soon.
Chapter Twenty
“Do you promise I get to come back and ride some more?” Oren asked tearfully, not sure who to believe. The paramedics who’d strapped him to the gurney had made it sound like they just had to take him in for evaluation, but once the needle for the IV went into his arm, he was afraid it was much worse than they made it sound. His dad nodded, putting a reassuring hand on his arm.
“We just have to get you checked out, buddy. That’s all. If the doctor gives you go ahead, I’m happy to come back out here and finish this thing.”
“But what about Mom? She was crying before.”
“She was just so happy that you were found. You scared us, you know that, right? What happened to make you get separated in the first place?”
“I don’t know. I know I didn’t feel good and I felt so tired, but then when the horse just went its own way, I couldn’t make it stop. It just kept going the other way. I tried to yell to somebody, but nobody heard me, I guess.”
“Well, you’re good now. You got overtired and you had a reaction to your medicine. Remember, you’ve got to look out for yourself, even if that means missing out on something for a little while. Got it?”
Oren smiled at his dad and said he understood, but it was Laney who really felt the sting of her dad’s admonishment to her brother. It had been up to her as the big sister to make Oren take care of himself. Saying she didn’t know better was no excuse, and she knew it.
“I’m really sorry, Dad. It’s all my fault. I told him he could ride if he felt like it, and I should have checked with you first. I had no idea his medicine could make him feel like that.”
“It’s okay, kiddo,” her dad answered, but his tone didn’t match his words. He seemed disappointed in her, and she knew he had every right to be. She’d screwed up, mostly because she didn’t know her own brother all that well. “He’s here now, safe and sound. That’s the important thing.”
He pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, giving her some kind of hope that all could someday be forgiven.
“At least you didn’t lock him in the cellar,” Axel whispered in her ear, making her smile. He cleared his throat and spoke louder. “Mr. McGrady, I’m not sure you remember me. I actually met you at the Pentian campus a year or so ago.” He held out his hand to Laney’s dad, who took it and shook it firmly. “Will you be going with your son in the ambulance? Or will Mrs. McGrady be going?”
“Uh, I hadn’t really thought about it. I guess my wife would prefer to go with him, she understands his prescriptions a little better than I do.” He looked embarrassed at having to admit that his wife was the one to care for Oren while he was usually at work for his son’s appointments.
“I’m asking because we’ll have three horses to take back to the drive, four if we manage to coordinate retrieving Oren’s horse from the ranger station before we reach the turnoff. Are you able to ride back with us? Both of you?” he asked, looking at Laney again.
“Let me talk to my wife and make sure she thinks Oren’s really okay, and then we’ll be happy to. Now I just need to figure out how to break it to your brother that you get to ride back to rejoin the cattle drive while he goes to the hospital for a day or two of jello!” He went off in search of his wife while Laney looked after him.
“I don’t deserve to get to go. I should have to go with Oren. If he doesn’t get to ride, it’s not right that I get to.” She shook her head sadly, knowing this would crush him.
“He’ll be fine. I promised him he can help Mason rope a few cows the next time one of ‘em tries to bolt.”
“He’ll love that. Thanks. Really, thank you.”
“Seriously? I get your baby brother a sweet job chasing down a stampeding cow and throwing a rope around its neck while riding a horse at breakneck speed, and that’s the only thanks I get?” He grinned devilishly at his description of Oren’s new role on the drive.
“Oh really, sir? Just what kind of thanks do you think is appropriate for putting my brother in harm’s way, possibly endangering his precious little life while he loves every minute of it?” She blinked her eyes innocently, waiting for his response, the one she knew was coming. Instead of answering, Axel stepped closer and slid his arms around her waist, kissing her firmly on the lips. When he finally pulled away, he was the one to look deep into her eyes and whisper his thanks.
“Darn, I never got to use my free name calling,” she said with a grin before kissing him once again.
“And I hope you never do!” he replied, taking her hand and leading the way back to the ride.
Chapter Twenty-One
The weary group of riders rounded the hillside that had stretched out in front of them all day, mocking them with how close it seemed while still being so far away. All day long, different members of the group, veterans and newcomers alike, had stared at the sheer rock face of the hill and watched it taunt them, knowing it was their final destination of the day.
A weak cheer went up from the group when the line of cattle made its way to the west of the hill and began snaking downward, following a beaten-down path that countless herds and riders had traveled for literally hundreds of years. Their spirits were lifted a little by the knowledge that they were taking part in a living history, walking over the eroded footsteps of the cowboys who’d come before them. This was what made it all worth it, for both the riders who would be returning to the ranch and the ones who would be returning to their real lives soon, putting this experience behind them but treasuring it all the same.
Spaced throughout the line of riders and stretching in their miles’ long queue, the static of the radio sounded suddenly and a deep baritone voice came through the speakers. Those closest to the radios could hear it more clearly, while those who were scattered around the herd only caught snippets of the noise.
“You’re in our sights, Carson Hill. Welcome to camp, let’s bring these cows on in. Over.”
Without warning, various riders along the route came tearing past the herd at unfathomable speed, their horses carrying them over the grassland and down the hill path as though they had taken flight. Members of the group looked around in wonder at what had caused so many riders to take off from th
eir posts, racing to the front of the line.
The riders pulled up on their reins and came to a stop at the camp, the herd and the city people forgotten for a moment. Casey was the first to jump down from the saddle and tear across the camp to where his father stood waiting, a broad grin on his face as his oldest son grabbed him in a bear hug. Casey was quickly joined by his brothers and several other riders, all astounded at seeing Bernard in their camp.
“What are you doing here?” Carey asked, a huge smile nearly splitting his face in half. They waited for an explanation, all too excited to ask.
“I’ve never missed a cattle drive in all these years, and I’m not gonna miss this one, either. Well, at least not all of it. I’m gonna ride in with you all tomorrow and get these cows where they’re going!” He put aside the cane he’d been leaning against and put his arm around his sons’ shoulders.
“But how did you get here?” he demanded, looking around at what felt like the middle of nowhere.
“Miranda set it up!” the old man replied, pointing to his daughter-in-law. She just smiled and gave him a small wave before ducking behind another rider. Casey left his father’s side and came to stand in front of his wife, disbelief written on his face.
“Surprise?” she said quietly, trying to gauge his reaction. Casey hugged her to him and kissed her before answering.
“I can’t believe you did this, this is amazing! I hated leaving him at the ranch, knowing how much he loved being a part of all this, and I’ve carried this nagging feeling with me in the back of my mind this whole time.” He blinked rapidly to keep his emotions from getting the best of him. “I’m so happy he gets to be a part of this. I swear, honey, this is the best gift you’ve ever given me.”
Miranda laughed from within the grip of his arms. “This? I’ve been married to you for seventeen years and given you three kids, and I’ve worked your family’s cattle ranch since before we were even married, and THIS is the best gift I’ve ever given you?”