by Tina Beckett
Images, hard and fast, raced through her mind. An outing with her brothers, her father, their mother. The joy of the occasion. She didn’t even remember where they’d gone that day, but the sense of safety, security, of family overwhelmed her, and she sobbed into her hands.
The pain, the grief, the loss flowed through her and the rock-solid shell around her heart shattered.
That was the last time she remembered them together. And happy.
Ben had pushed her on a swing.
Collin had carried her on his back.
Patrick had played tag and chased her around the park.
The pain she’d held back would no longer be ignored. After the storm of tears passed she rested her forehead on the steering-wheel and caught her breath. All this pain, these memories were thanks to Duncan.
The sound of tires crunching on gravel alerted her that she wasn’t alone. Panic emerged on the heels of Duncan’s warning in the alley last night. She was on a back road in a place she didn’t know. She straightened and wiped her face with her hands, now alert.
A black sedan pulled up behind her. Red and blue lights flashed from the grill of the slow-slung car and a police officer emerged from the vehicle.
“Great. It’s always something.” She rolled down her window.
“Are you okay, ma’am? You’ve been pulled over for some time.” The man took a wide-legged stance a few feet from the car and rested his right hand on the weapon at his hip. It was probably just habit, as she’d seen many cops take the same pose in the ER.
“Yes. I’m fine.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. “I’m… I was just…resting…for a bit.”
“Resting?” His dark eyes narrowed. “Are you impaired?”
Only by emotion. “Am I what? No.” She blinked and looked down, wondering what to tell him that didn’t include her whole life story.
He gave a long-suffering sigh, as if he’d been through this many times before. “Registration, ID, and proof of insurance.”
Silently, she handed the items to him.
His brows went up and the expression on his face changed.
“You’re Duncan’s girl?” He relaxed his stance and handed her paperwork back. “Yeah, for sure, you’re Duncan’s girl.”
“How do you know that?” This time her brows raised in surprise.
“Rey told me.” He grinned. “It’s a small town and cops talk, you know?”
“I see. Yes. Well. Hi. I’m fine. Really.” Maybe knowing Duncan would get her out of a ticket she didn’t need.
“Now, that’s not true.” He gave her that cop look again.
“Why do you say that?” Was she that obvious? She didn’t deny it, but she wanted to know how he knew.
“Easy. Pink nose. Pink cheeks. Swollen eyes.” He clucked his tongue. “Unless you’re having an allergy attack, something’s wrong.”
“Oh.”
“Did you and Duncan have a fight or something?” He gave her a brotherly look.
“No.”
“Men can be a pain, you know. But you ladies have to forgive us. It’s our nature.” He gave a shrug that said it all.
“Your nature?” That was a new one. Now they could blame everything on their DNA.
“We want to be right all the time. So, whatever he did, cut him a break. He can’t help it.” He patted the window frame twice and stepped back. “Have a good day.”
“Okay. Thank you, Officer…”
“Gutierrez. But my friends call me Tito.”
She smiled, unexplained relief in her belly. “Thanks, Tito.” She held out her hand, and he shook it.
“Mucho gusto.” Nice to meet you. He nodded, then returned to his car and drove away, leaving little swirls of red dust in his wake.
Maybe there was something to small-town living she hadn’t seen before. She’d spent years running from one big city to another. If an assignment became too easy, too familiar, too tempting, she headed off to the next one.
Looking ahead to the small town of Hatch, she was beginning to wonder if her travel-nurse plan was a good one any longer. She pulled back onto the road with a renewed buoyancy of spirit, with a flicker of hope in her soul that she didn’t have to run any more.
But Tito was wrong.
She didn’t have to forgive Duncan, and she wasn’t going to.
He’d been right all along. She just hadn’t been able to face it.
After a few wrong turns and a few course corrections, otherwise known as U-turns, she found her way to the ranch.
But something was wrong.
Something was different.
An unusual and chilling quiet cloaked the land around the casa. When she’d been there before there had been activity and noise everywhere, but not now.
Something was very different.
Everything looked the same—the house, the grounds, even the tire tracks through the chili field was familiar—but her senses were on alert. Maybe it was her ER nurse experience or the personal protection classes she’d taken. Learning to be aware of her surroundings had saved her a time or two, and her senses were on high alert now.
She knocked on the front door, but there was no answer. No Lupe coming with open arms to greet her. No Rafael to loom over her. No goofy nephews causing chaos. Mysteriously absent was the persistent fragrance of cooking.
And no Duncan. If he were here, wouldn’t his truck be parked in front?
Then a sound she never wanted to hear caught her attention.
She ran toward the sound of a screaming child. “Where are you?” The sound echoed off the buildings, and she ran in circles until she figured out where it was coming from.
Underground.
“Oh, God.” It must be one of those old wells Duncan had told her about. Racing forward, she dropped to her knees beside what looked like a bunch of old wood stacked up. Lying on her belly, she pushed aside the planks to see into the dark. “Hello?”
The crying stopped for a moment. “Señorita? La Irelanda hada?”
“Yes, Alejandro, it’s me.”
He began screaming and crying at the top of his lungs and Rebel nearly broke down too. Determined to save this little boy, she pulled out her cellphone and dialed Duncan.
“Hel—”
“Duncan, it’s Rebel. We need your help!” Quickly she explained what had gone on.
“Where are you?” The confidence in his voice calmed her a bit.
“I don’t know. Somewhere behind the machine shed.” She rose up onto her knees, looking toward the main house, and relief struck her as she saw him come out into the yard. She waved with one hand. “I see you.” She stood, waving her hand.
“I can’t see you. Where are you?”
She placed the phone on the ground, jumped up and down and waved with both hands. “We’re over here!”
Duncan responded to her voice and saw her disappear. Fear like he’d never had twisted in his gut and sliced like a knife through his heart. She’d fallen into the hole, too. Prayers that he’d long ago forgotten moved his lips, and he whispered to the saints for strength.
“So, where is she?” Jake asked, scanning the horizon with his hands shading his eyes.
“Go get the backhoe and bring it behind the machine shed. There’s an old homestead site there, and I think they’ve fallen into the old root cellar. We’re going to need the horse sling, the winch and cable.”
“What—?”
“Just do it!” Duncan raced to where he’d last seen Rebel, running as fast as he could, and his heart felt like it was going to burst. Panic set in when he couldn’t see her, couldn’t find her. “Rebel! Where are you?” He cupped his hands and kept calling for her. He didn’t know if she didn’t hear him or couldn’t call out. Hastily, with hands shaking, he dialed her number. Maybe it was still above ground and he was close enough to hear the ring. If it wasn’t on vibrate.
Dammit. After two tries, he finally got it right and heard the faint music. Listening intently, he moved around, g
oing closer, hanging up and ringing again until he saw the pile of wood that was supposed to have covered the hole from one of the original homes built on the ranch. There was no way she could have known it was there. “Rebel?” He skidded to a halt and fell to his belly, then scrambled to the edge of the opening.
Below was a scene he never wanted to see again. Rebel lay crumpled up, with Alejandro shaking her shoulder and crying.
“Alejandro?” The boy looked up, frightened but not hurt.
“I’m coming to get you. Don’t be afraid.”
“La mujer? La hada?”
“She’ll be okay, too, but you have to help me.”
The little boy nodded. “I help.”
Though Duncan didn’t know how at the moment, he knew he had to get them out of there before the whole room collapsed on top of them. The vibrations of the backhoe reached him and he stood, directing Jake. Workers arrived, hurrying after the heavy machine, and Duncan derived some comfort from having such a knowledgeable group coming to help. Pedro raced ahead of the group, his face distorted with worry and fear. He gasped for breath, trying to question Duncan in between breathing.
“Pedro, calm down.” Duncan motioned for the other men to come closer. “We’re going to need the ropes and pulleys set up. Strap it to one of the horse harnesses and use the backhoe to be the support.” Everything was done quickly and Duncan looked over the edge again.
Rebel was rousing. The little Superman patted her shoulder and spoke to her softly. Duncan noticed spots of blood on the back of her shirt and hoped she wasn’t badly injured. With that kind of fall, it was hard to predict.
“Rebel. Honey, are you okay?”
She turned at the sound of his voice then winced. More slowly, she pushed her hair out of her face and looked up at him. “Duncan? How did I get here?”
“You fell into the hole when you called me to help get Alejandro out.” He paused to take a breath and calm himself, but his heartbeat thundered in his ears. “Can you tell what kind of injuries you have?”
That information was necessary to ascertain before putting her into the harness. If she had serious injuries, they’d have to get the rescue squad and dig her out.
“I hurt everywhere. My back is scraped, but I don’t think I’ve broken anything.” Experimentally, she moved her limbs, testing for injuries, then shook her head. “No, everything seems okay.” She took a gasping breath that sliced through his heart. “I’m scared, Duncan.”
“Don’t worry, darling. I’m here, and I’ll get you out.” One of the men called to him. “Hold on. I think we’re ready up here. I’ve got a horse harness I’m going to lower down to you. Put Alejandro into it first, then we’ll get you up right after.” Though it nearly killed him to do it this way, the child had to come first.
“Okay.” She nodded, as if trying to convince herself of the plan. “Okay.” Crawling to her knees, she slowly rose upright, swayed, then caught herself. “Just a little dizzy.”
“You’ll be fine. Once we get you topside, you’ll be fine.” And he would be too. Everything was in readiness, and the harness was lowered down to her. Though her hands shook, she was able to get it loosely around the boy. He was so small Duncan was afraid he’d fall out of it. “Hold on tight and up you go.”
Duncan gave the signal and the men began to pull the boy up. As the rope sliced through the ground at the edge of the opening, dirt and other debris were dislodged and fell down onto Rebel’s head.
She cringed and turned away from the dust and dirt, coughing as she tried to breathe. In seconds, though, Alejandro was topside and Duncan untangled him from the harness. Pedro fell to his knees and hugged the boy between kisses and curses.
Duncan lowered the harness down to Rebel. “Put this on somehow and we’ll get you out.” His heartbeat faded away, his breathing faded away, the sounds of the machine and the other people faded away until all that was left was Rebel. “Come back to me, darling.”
Flinching from pain, Rebel was able to get the thing mostly around her torso and gripped it with both hands. She looked up at him and her eyes met his. The trust, the need in them humbled him. It all came down to this moment with Rebel putting her life in his hands. He couldn’t, wouldn’t let her down. Never again.
“I’m ready. Get me outta here.” She gave a thumbs-up signal and Duncan signaled the men. They hauled on the ropes, pulling and easing Rebel up through the opening. Dirt and more small rocks rained down on her as the rope dug into the dry ground.
The second he could touch her hair he knew she was going to be okay. And so was he. “I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Helping her over the ledge and onto the ground, he reached for her, and he wasn’t ever going to let go again.
“Oh, Duncan.” She reached out, still tangled in the harness, and he brought her against him. He was trembling inside. He couldn’t help it. The fear he’d had in the last thirty minutes was like nothing he’d ever experienced in his life. And he never wanted to go through that again.
“Oh, my God, Rebel. Are you okay?” He pushed her away from him to look at her. She was a mess. Scrapes and scratches covered her face and arms, and dirt and dust covered everything.
“I think I’m okay. My head is starting to hurt, though. Where’s Alejandro? Is he okay?” She clutched Duncan’s arms, her eyes wide.
“He’s okay. He raced off to his father, so I think he’s okay.”
“Good.” She nodded and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Can we go to the house now? I need to sit down.”
“Yes.” He unbuckled the harness and ropes as the men gathered around, smiling and laughing, offering good wishes and many thanks for her finding Alejandro. Someone gathered up the ropes. Someone else got the harness and Jake drove the backhoe to the machine shed while everyone else followed them to the house. Lupe met them at the door with a screech and a litany of orders that everyone scrambled to get going. “What happened, mija? Oh, you are such a mess.”
The tremors he felt from Rebel intensified, her eyes fluttered, and he knew she was going into shock. Moving quickly, he scooped her up in his arms and hurried into the house.
“Lupe! Have one of the boys get my kit from the plane. I need warm blankets and a bottle of whiskey.”
“Whiskey or tequila?”
“Both.” In a Scottish-Hispanic household both libations were always available.
Lupe gave orders to the women of the household and before he could even get Rebel settled down onto the couch someone had arrived with pillows, an electric blanket, a heating pad and a bottle of electrolyte water.
Judd arrived with his medical kit, and Duncan’s hands trembled as he tried to start an IV in Rebel’s hand. He missed the vein and the IV blew.
Lupe placed a hand on his shoulder. “Take a breath, mijo. It will be okay. You have the power in your hands to heal her. It’s not like before. Give her your love, and it will all be fine.”
Duncan nodded and, without looking up, he addressed his nephew. “Judd, go get a bit of the herbal mix we use on the horses. She’s gonna need some.”
“Seriously? The stuff for the horses? It stinks. Really bad.” He stood, though uncertainty remained on his face.
“Just go.” Judd raced off and Duncan took that breath Lupe had suggested, releasing the tension in his shoulders and his hands. He did have the power to heal her and it was right in front of him.
Focusing again, Duncan successfully inserted the cannula into a vein in the back of Rebel’s wrist. Relief swept through him as he connected the IV fluids, letting them infuse quickly.
A small hand appeared on his arm. Alejandro stood tearfully beside him, and he hadn’t even noticed. Duncan put his arm around the boy and drew him closer.
“La hada, she bad hurt?” Alejandro spoke in soft Spanglish. Duncan could see the little man adored her.
“La hada is hurt bad, but she’s going to be okay.” Duncan hugged Alejandro, who tried to hide a wince. “Let me see your arm.”
Alejandro sho
ok his head and looked down, holding his left arm across his middle.
“Alejandro, es bien. I want to see if you have any injuries.” He took a breath, trying to calm the fear and adrenaline racing through him. “You’re not in trouble, entiendo?”
Tears welled up in the boys eyes as he looked at Duncan. “My fault.”
“No, it’s not your fault la hada is hurt. She came to rescue you with her magic. Sometimes when the magic runs out the fairy has to rest a while, entiendo?”
“Sí, entiendo.” Still downcast, Alejandro held out his arm to Duncan. A purple bruise had begun in the middle of the forearm. Probably broken, at least deeply bruised, but they’d need an X-ray to determine it, which meant a trip to town.
“Lupe? Can you take him to the kitchen and get him some of your special hot chocolate and some ice for his arm?”
“Come, Alejandro.” Lupe held out her hand to him, but he refused to take it.
“No. Stay con Rebel. Por favor?” Trembling, he made the request to remain in the living room with Rebel, the only woman who had put her life on the line for him. Even at his young age, he knew how special she was. Even if she wasn’t a magical fairy.
“Okay. Lupe, can you bring those things in here for him?” Duncan nodded to the end of the couch at Rebel’s feet. Alejandro climbed up carefully and placed one hand on her foot, patting it gently.
A groan from Rebel and a twitch of her arm indicated she was coming round, which was a good sign after the trauma she’d sustained.
“Can you sit?” Duncan knelt beside her and put an arm behind her shoulders. As careful as he was, she winced anyway.
“Oh. Ow!” She sat up abruptly and put a hand to her forehead. The second her legs hit the floor Alejandro scooted closer to her, not touching, but needing her nearness to comfort him. Pedro plopped into a chair across the room, and dropped his face into his hands.
“Easy, love. Take a few breaths.” Though Duncan understood there was an unofficial rule in medicine that you never treated those you were emotionally close to, he didn’t give a damn.
With Rebel lying limp and in pain in his arms, he would trust no one else to care for her, even if they had been in Albuquerque in their own ER.