“Well, hello, Miss . . . ?”
She blinked. “Banfield. Mimi Banfield.”
“Nice to meet you, Miss Banfield.”
“Call me Mimi.”
He scanned the space. It was tight. So much so that there was no way he could lower himself farther without creating chaos. Those were some mighty nervous serpents. He glanced at Mimi. “You can call me Jackson.”
“Thank you.”
It was an airy, wispy nod to propriety. She was as nervous as the serpents. One wrong twitch and snake and woman looked ready to launch. That could not happen.
He noted her left arm rested awkwardly against her side, obviously injured. He added that complication to the threat of the snakes, the distance back to the top, and the match’s dying sputter. Getting her out wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d hoped.
“You’ve got yourself in a bit of a tight spot here, Mimi,” he started conversationally.
“I know.”
That extra shimmer in her eyes might be tears.
“Lucky for you, I’m good in tight spots.”
Her smile wavered along with the match flame. “Lucky me.”
“Yes. Is your arm broken?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Good.” But it was likely going to slow her down. He nodded to the near-burned-down match. “Blow that out and light another.”
He didn’t need to tell her to be careful. The warning rattle of the nearest snake did that for him. For a few seconds the well was plunged back in darkness, leaving Jackson with nothing to focus on but the memory of her face and the harsh reality of her breathing. For sure her voice wasn’t the only attractive thing about her. She had a pretty face, oval in shape with a cute nose, a slight pout to her lips, and beautiful round, expressive eyes. He’d bet those eyes would be even prettier when not full of worry. The match flared. She was still holding herself together. Admiration cozied up to interest.
He kept his voice easy as he said, “I’ve got some bad news for you.”
Her chin dropped a notch. There was a long silence. She looked at the nearest snake. “You can’t get me out.”
Hell, she thought he’d leave her? “Oh, I’ll get you out, but I need to leave you for a second to do it.”
She licked her lips, looked up to the daylight shining so far above, and then back at him, her gaze traveling down until it settled on the knife sheathed in his boot.
“Leave me the knife at least.”
“I am coming back, Mimi.”
The sulfur was burning dangerously close to her fingertips. She didn’t blow it out. It was as clear as day she didn’t believe him.
“Please.”
“First, blow that match out and light another.”
She hesitated. He knew why. There weren’t that many sulfurs in the tin. “Damn it, woman, I swear to God I’m coming back down and dragging your ass out of here.”
A trio of gasps filtered down from above. Did no one follow orders?
“I told you kids to stay back!”
“But—” Kevin protested.
“Do as you’re told!” Mimi snapped.
A snake hissed. Another gasp, then the faint thuds of retreating footsteps filtered down as the match blew out. Darkness returned in an oppressive blanket. Jackson untied the knife sheath from around his calf as the next match flared. Mimi’s anxious gaze met his. He nodded toward her lap. “Just like we did with the matches. Let me drop the knife to you. It’s going to be heavy. Whatever you do, don’t jump.”
He dropped the sheathed knife in the center of her skirt. She squeaked as it landed, but she didn’t jump. The slither of a snake over loose rock sounded unnaturally loud in the tense silence.
“Don’t use it unless you have to,” he warned. “You’re a bit outnumbered.”
She clutched the knife in her hand and nodded.
“I’ll be back in five minutes, then we’ll get you out of here.”
“Promise?”
“On my mother’s grave. Now, stay calm and start counting.”
Her “To what?” pulled him up short.
She wanted something concrete to hold on to. He glanced up and did some quick calculations. “To a thousand.”
“Fine, but you’d better be back by the time I get to nine hundred and ninety-nine.”
He smiled at the threat and started back up the rope. “Or what?”
“Be late and find out.”
He grinned. A sweet little thing like her didn’t have much to back up a threat, but he bet she’d be inventive in the trying. “You do tempt a man, honey.”
Smiling at her groan, he started back up. He’d made it only halfway when another rattle, too close to be just an echo, sounded. He stopped. The dark made it impossible to tell where it originated, but it was a pretty safe bet there was a ledge nearby and there was a rattler coiled up on it, pissed at having its afternoon nap disturbed. Shit.
Mimi called from below. “Are you all right?”
As right as anyone expecting a snakebite could be. “Right as rain.”
Taking a breath, he kept climbing, expecting to feel a lethal bite any second. It didn’t come. With a lunge he cleared the last foot and dragged himself over the edge. He collapsed on the ground, fear and relief roiling in his stomach.
The kids jumped him before he could take a breath. “Where’s Mimi?”
“Waiting on me.”
“You didn’t get her out,” Tony stated flatly.
Jackson pushed himself to his feet. “My original plan needs adjusting.”
“You said you’d get her out,” Melinda Sue accused, her lower lip wobbling. Beside her Kevin stood, his expression stony with the effort not to cry.
“And I am.” Going to the tree, Jackson untied the rope. He motioned to Tony. “Bring Lady over here.”
Tony didn’t hesitate. As he handed Jackson the reins, he said, “You will save her.”
It wasn’t phrased as a question and Jackson didn’t take it as one. “Yes, and Lady is going to help me.”
He tugged the rope over his shoulders. The other end he tied off at the saddle horn. He tested it twice, putting all his weight behind it. Mimi and he were both buzzard food if the knots or the chest strap gave. When he was satisfied, he patted Lady’s neck and handed the reins to Tony.
“This is very important, Tony. When I yell go, I want you to walk her away from the well, slow and steady. No stopping for anything. Just keep a steady, even walk. Think you can do that?”
Tony nodded.
He motioned to Kevin. “Come here, son.”
He liked the way the boy didn’t hesitate. “Stand right there by the well. When I say go, I want you to make sure to tell Tony to pull. If I say stop, fast as lightning you’re going to tell Tony to stop. All right?”
Both boys nodded solemnly.
The pixie piped up. “What about me?”
“You, I want to watch and make noise if anyone comes.”
The little girl nodded. He didn’t trust her for an instant.
“It’s very important that you stand up on the porch and watch for help. Just in case we need it.”
She nodded with the same determination as her brothers and sprinted for the porch. He should have thought of giving her a job sooner. Lady turned her head and snorted at him. He scratched her nose just above the bridle. “A good time to show me that sass would be when I tell you to pull.” Rubbing her velvety nose, thinking of Mimi sitting amidst those snakes, he muttered, “This is too important for you to be contrary.”
Lady tossed her head and did the prancing thing she did with her feet when she was feeling good. Tony jumped.
“Don’t worry, kid. That just means she’s set to go.”
Tony didn’t look convinced.
Jackson ignored his uncer
tainty. “Everybody ready?”
From their respective positions, they nodded. Jackson clapped Tony on the shoulder.
“Then let’s get Mimi out.”
The weight of the children’s expectations followed him as he eased the loose rope back over the edge and then swung a leg over the wall. He hoped like hell the stone wall didn’t crumble, the snakes didn’t bite, and the rope didn’t break. As if sensing his doubt, Kevin asked, “Are you sure this will work?”
He forced a smile as he grabbed the rope and lowered himself in. “Yep. Got it all planned out.”
Jackson held the smile until he couldn’t see Kevin’s face anymore and then he let it go, his skin crawling anew. He hated snakes and hated small spaces, and here he was facing both, all because he’d gone and got curious.
“Not smart, Jackson,” he muttered to himself, lowering himself hand over hand. “Not smart at all.”
He made it past the point where he’d assumed the ledge was without a single warning rattle going off. Maybe it had been an echo after all.
“You still sitting pretty down there, Mimi?” he called softly.
Her “You came back” was a breathy expulsion of air.
“Told you I would.”
“Yes, you did.”
“I always keep my word.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“Good.” He lowered himself a few feet more. “Let me know when I’m just above your head.”
A minute later, he felt a tap on his boot. “Stop.”
“I want you to light another sulfur for me, honey.” She did. Putting his weight in the loop he’d set in the rope, he ordered, “Now hold it up high.”
The faint light revealed two big rattlers too close for comfort and the others a few feet away.
“Is that high enough?”
He drew his revolver from its holster. “That’s just perfect.”
He pulled back the hammer. “For the next couple seconds, I’d suggest not moving.”
Her eyes grew huge. “What are you doing?”
He took aim at the snake on the other side of her. “I’m going to take out a few of these creatures. It’s going to be loud. Real loud.”
“You could shoot me instead!”
That brought a chuckle. “I’ve missed a time or two in my life, but I don’t feel like today’s going to be one of those times.”
“Oh, my heavens!”
“Pray all you want, but whatever you do, don’t drop that sulfur and don’t you jump.”
He fired. She screamed. The rattler’s head exploded. Mimi screamed again. A second snake struck. He blew its head off right before it bit. Its tail whipped in a death spasm, filling the well with an unholy rattle. The rope jerked, tossing him to the right.
“Hold, God damn it!” he hollered up the well.
A second later, through the ringing in his ears he heard Kevin echo, “Hold, God damn it!”
The rope lurched once more and steadied. Snakes slithered in a panic, bodies slipping over bodies as they bit and fought, looking for the enemy. As if death wasn’t all around, Jackson smiled at Mimi. “See, honey? Easy as pie.”
Mimi looked at him blankly and then motioned to her ears. “I can’t hear you.”
She didn’t need to hear to know what it meant when he held out his hand. She placed hers in it with the quiet dignity he’d noticed before. Her hand was dainty and feminine, without a callus, but there were a few bumps he bet were blisters.
“Ready to go?” he mouthed, drawing her to her feet.
Watching the snakes nervously, she nodded.
“Put your arms—arm—around my neck.”
She hesitated. The snakes were taking advantage of the hesitation to fill the empty space around them. It was only a matter of seconds before they attacked.
“Hurry, honey.”
“Will it hold both of us?”
“I don’t see why not.” If he discounted their combined weight, and the roughness of the wall rubbing against it, they were clear. And if he ignored the possibility of a snake sitting on a ledge halfway up ready to take a bite, they might make it out of here. Shaping the words clearly, he ordered, “Now, put your foot on mine and let’s leave these snakes to their fun.”
Her foot topped his and her good arm went around his neck. She smelled of honeysuckle, of all things. Not giving her a chance to change her mind, he locked his arm around her waist and called, “Go, Tony.”
The order was repeated. The rope lurched. They swung. Snakes struck. He felt their fangs hit his thick boots before they fell harmlessly back. Jackson used his free leg to bounce them off the wall. The rope slid a little faster. Time limped as they were hauled up, leaving him nothing to do but hope. Hope the rope wasn’t being too chewed up by the wall. Hope that damn snake halfway up had only been an echo. Just the thought of those fangs sinking into Mimi’s soft flesh made him sick. She’d never survive. He wrapped his arms around her, tucking his shoulders in, shielding her as best he could. If God was paying attention, there wouldn’t be a snake.
A minute later, he knew God wasn’t paying attention. The biggest snake he’d ever seen was perched eye level a foot from his face on a ledge too small for its thick coils. A deeper shadow amidst the shadow. And it didn’t look happy. Slowly, it pulled into a tight coil.
“Damn!”
“What is it?” Mimi asked, stretching up.
“Grab the rope above my head with your good arm, and for God’s sake, don’t let go.”
She did as he said, and the move brought her face even with his. In spite of the danger, he couldn’t help but notice she had very kissable lips. Keeping his eyes on the snake, he yelled, “Fast, Kevin. Tell Tony, fast.”
“But you said slow.”
The snake coiled tighter, head poised, tail shaking so fast the rattle sounded like a steady roar. And they were sitting ducks.
“Go!”
The rope lurched as they were yanked up level with the snake and then just stopped. Shit! Jackson saw the rattler’s intent a second before it struck. Kicking off the wall, he spun them so his back whipped toward the snake.
In that second, that split second in which time slowed to a morbid crawl and his focus narrowed to the dirt-scuffed cheeks of the soft woman with the pouting red lips and pure sass attitude, Jackson realized he didn’t want to go out with his boots on and a heroic devil-take-the-hindmost smile. No, he decided as Mimi’s eyes widened and her full lips parted in a gasp as she looked over his shoulder. He didn’t want that at all. Not when he could finagle a reality sweeter than his unfulfilled dreams. Mimi’s eyes flashed to his. Blue. Her eyes were a deep summer sky blue.
Nice.
The snake struck. It was hard to sort the first impact from the second. Jackson didn’t even try. Accepting his fate, he leaned in and stole his last kiss.
Three
It seemed like they flew over the wall, bound together by the strength of her savior’s arm, by the desire to live, by the hope of a miracle. Mimi felt every thump as the stone hit Jackson’s back just as she felt the jerk of his body when the snake struck with that horrible rattle. The expulsion of his breath hit her soul. Leather dragged over rock in a hiss as evil as the snake’s. Sunlight flashed and disappeared as they spun. He was bit. They were doomed. And then . . .
They hit the ground with another jarring thump that drove the breath from her body. Jackson didn’t move after that, and she was afraid to. So they lay there, not moving and not talking. Which was so odd because the man hadn’t shut up since she’d met him. But he was silent now. Everything was. Morbidly and completely silent, as if even nature was afraid to take the next breath for fear of what it might reveal. Only the sun showed life, burning through the back of her blouse like heaven on the brink of hell. Because it was all going to go bad in a minute when the shock wore off. She knew that
. Jackson was strong, but no one was that strong. And there was always a price to pay for heroics. All she had to do was wait for it. She hated waiting.
She couldn’t even feel the ache in her arm for the ache in her soul. She was very afraid Jackson was dead. That was completely unacceptable. She’d sworn the day she’d escaped from Mac’s den of inequity that she was only going to be responsible for good things happening, from there on out. She wiggled free of the rope, leaving it where it flopped around her legs.
Apparently, that promise had had a life span of a year, because here was Jackson—this man she didn’t even know—who’d refused to let her give up. Who’d braved snakes and a muddy pit in the ground to save her. Who was about to die, and she hadn’t even thanked him. But she had managed to sass him. To make light of his efforts. Because she hated looking weak. Dang.
“Mimi! Mimi!” Screams of her name shattered the silence. The children. How could she have forgotten the children? Bracing her good arm beneath her, she pushed up, jostling her injury. Pain from her elbow swarmed over her. Her vision blurred.
“Mimi?”
Blinking rapidly, she quickly mustered a smile. Taking a breath that felt as shaky as her smile, she soothed Kevin’s concern. “I’m right here.”
Kevin skidded to a halt. “We thought we’d lost you.”
“I promised you I wouldn’t leave you.”
There was a moment when she felt the weight of his fear heavier than his gaze. Then he nodded. “I know.”
But he didn’t believe her. Yet.
“Is the pretty man all right?” Melinda Sue asked, plopping down beside her.
Tony put his hand on the child’s shoulder, stopping her from throwing herself into Mimi’s arms. His solemn gaze raked over her. “Are you all right?”
“I think so, except for my elbow, but I’m not sure about Mr. Jackson.”
Promises Decide Page 3