by Merri Hiatt
“If I can just help one kid like me, it’ll be worth it.”
“I couldn’t be happier for you, Charlie. I can’t wait to tell Purity.”
“She almost blew my cover this morning.”
“I thought something funny was going on, but I was still half asleep and my body ached everywhere.”
“You need to go to the hot springs. They say there’s some kind of miracle in the water there. Cures all kinds of things, including sore muscles.”
“Where is it?”
“Have you been down to the wheat fields?”
Alex shook his head.
“Have Sam show you where they are. There’s a forest right behind them. It’s right in the middle of all the trees. There aren’t any signs or anything.” He leaned closer and whispered, “We’re not really supposed to talk about it. It’s some big secret. But everyone at the ranch knows about it.
Did you ever notice how young Frank and Emma seem? They’re in their seventies, yet you’d never know it to look at them. They can outwork any of the hands. They’re the first ones up and the last ones to bed. I’m telling you, there’s something in the water.”
“I’ll check it out.”
“Don’t talk about it when anyone’s around. And, if you get caught over there, you didn’t hear about it from me.”
“Understood.”
“It’s really good to see you again, Alex.”
“You, too, Charlie.”
Alex made his way back to the stables where he was promptly given the dirty deed of stall cleaning. “How come Purity gets to walk the horses and I get to clean up after them?”
“Purity was here on time, ready to work,” Sam said.
Alex glanced from one woman to the other. “I’m outnumbered. I think I’ll just shut up.”
“Wise choice.”
“Hey, Sam, Charlie told me about a hot springs over by the wheat field. Do you know where that is?”
Samantha looked around to see if anyone had overhead his words. “I know it. No one talks about it. Mums the word. Meet me at ten by the fire pit and I’ll show you the way.”
“What’s all this about a hot springs?” Purity asked.
“I’ll fill you in later,” Alex said. “Charlie’s engaged.”
“I know! Isn’t it fabulous? Sam’s his fiancé.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t ask you if you’d set the wedding date yet,” Pure said.
“We have. October twentieth. We’re getting married here at the ranch.”
“Oh, how perfect.”
“You’re both invited, of course. We’ll be sending out invitations closer to the date.”
“We wouldn’t miss it,” Alex said.
Chapter Eighteen
“We should tell them,” Purity whispered to Alex at breakfast.
“We’re not even supposed to know. What if it’s some little muddy hole in the ground? We should check it out first. If it’s as good as Charlie says, then we’ll bring everyone.”
“But everyone is in so much pain. If this will make them feel better, we shouldn’t make them wait.”
“What are you two talking about?” Courtney said. “The good juice is always whispered. Speak up so we can hear it.”
“They’re not drinking juice,” Jeremy said.
“She means gossip,” Jacob said.
“I thought gossip was bad.”
“It is.”
“It’s not always bad. You can learn a lot from gossip,” Court said.
“You’re not interested in learning a lot,” Brad said. “You just want to know everything.”
“Exactly. So spill.”
“Spill the juice!” Jeremy shouted.
“Spill the juice!” they all began to chant.
“All right.” Alex broke first. “There may be a miracle hot spring on the ranch that can alleviate pain.”
“Sign me up!” Meg said.
“You weren’t going to tell us?” Courtney asked.
“Alex thought it was a good idea to check it out first. It might not even be legit,” Purity said.
“There’s only one way to find out. I’m willing to take the gamble. I thought I’d be more limber now after repairing fence posts, but I’m in more pain,” Bobby said.
“We’ll all go to the spring together,” Alex said. “We’re meeting our guide at ten.”
“That’s only an hour from now,” Brad said. “Just enough time to let our food settle.”
Promptly at ten, the group descended upon the fire pit.
“What part of ‘Don’t tell anyone’ didn’t you understand?” Sam asked.
“It’s a long story,” Alex said. “Will you show us the way?”
“I have a feeling I’m making a big mistake, but yes. I have one of the golf carts, but I don’t think we can all squeeze into it.”
“We’ll squeeze,” Meg said.
“It’s like Jenga!” Jeremy shouted as Meg sat on Bobby’s lap and Purity sat on Alex’s lap. Brad chose the floor of the cart and Courtney scrunched in next to him. Jacob and Jeremy were half lying, half sitting next to Bob and Alex. Diego took up the entire front seat next to Sam.
“Hang on,” Alex said. “We don’t want anyone falling off.”
Sam drove slow and steady, taking a longer route that she hoped would be more private. When she rounded the last bend by the largest wheat field, she stopped the cart. “Everybody out. We’re here.”
They untangled themselves and followed Sam into the woods.
“How come there isn’t a trail?” Court asked.
“It’s supposed to be a secret,” Alex said.
“Not a very good one if everyone knows about it,” Jacob said.
“If you look closely, you’ll see the tree the Double Y is named after,” Sam said.
“I thought the website said it was named after the river. It split twice, making a double y. Since the split happened here on the property, they named the ranch after it,” Meg said.
“That is what the website says. Take a look at this tree.” Sam pointed slightly to her left.
“It has two trunks,” Jeremy said.
“It just looks that way. It’s really one trunk, but it split twice.”
“Making a double y!” Jeremy said, jumping up and down with excitement that he was the first one to realize it.
“This is the only tree on the ranch that makes the double y. The only tree in the world, I suspect.”
They headed into the dense woods, following Sam’s lead.
“Is someone counting how many steps we’re taking?” Meg asked. “How will we find our way out again?”
“I’ll come back for you in an hour,” Sam said. “Just stay put until you see me again.”
“I think I see it,” Courtney said as she watched steam rise from behind a fallen tree.
“That’s it,” Sam said. “You just walk around the tree on either side and you’ll find the hot spring.”
“What makes it hot?” Jeremy asked.
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “Something about where the main water source comes from.”
“There’s a waterfall somewhere around here. Jeremy and I heard about it yesterday when we were riding fences.”
“We heard it,” Jeremy said.
“Maybe there’s some channel from the falls that leads to this spring. I don’t know. Like I said, I’ll be back in an hour. Have fun.”
Sam retraced her steps as the others began stripping down to shorts and t-shirts.
Meg was the first to put a toe in the water. “Oh my gosh, this feels amazing. The water is, I don’t even know how to describe it… soft.”
“And hot,” Courtney said as she slipped in beside Meg. “The bottom is gushy, like mud.”
“It’s gonna slide into our underwear,” Jeremy said.
“We can always take a shower afterward,” Meg said, stretching out and resting her head on her rolled up shirt.
> “I should have brought another shirt,” Purity said.
“I’m a Girl Scout, always prepared.”
“Just take your t-shirt off,” Courtney said. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
“We can’t sit here in our bras.”
“It covers the same thing as a bathing suit, actually more.”
“She’s got a point,” Alex said. “We’re all friends here. Besides, no one’s looking. They’ve all got their eyes closed.”
Purity shrugged, then removed her shirt, rolled it into a ball and placed it behind her head. She, too, sunk into the soft bottom of the hot spring and felt her muscles relax.
Within minutes, the group fell silent. Their bodies felt heavy, almost as if the water held sedative powers. They never fell asleep, but time seemed to be suspended as one by one their muscles lost tension.
They were surprised to hear Sam’s voice telling them to wake up. “Can any of you hear me? Wake up. Get up!”
Brad was the first to open his eyes. “Did I fall asleep?”
“I think you all did. Lucky you didn’t drown.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” Meg said, just… I felt like I was floating.”
“Yes, that’s what it was like, floating,” Purity said.
“I don’t want to move,” Courtney said. “I’ve never felt so relaxed in all my life.”
“Well, you’re going to have to move. I have work to do and I want to make sure you all get back okay,” Sam said.
Nobody even flinched.
“I’m serious. I have to get back to work. Come on. Get up!”
“I don’t think we can,” Alex said. “It’s like my arms and legs are dead weight. They won’t move.”
“Try wiggling your toe or your finger.”
“Okay, I’m freaking out here,” Meg said. “I can’t move anything.”
“Let’s not panic,” Brad said. “Sam, can you reach in here and grab my arm and pull it out of the water?”
Sam did as Brad requested.
The second his hand was out of the water, he could wiggle his fingers. Brad made a fist, then released it. “This hand is perfectly fine.” He tried to move the hand still immersed in the water. “I can’t move the other one.” He reached over and pulled his other arm up. Again, he made a fist and released it. “This is crazy.”
“Pull my arm up,” Court said.
Brad pulled her arms up, then put his hands behind him and pulled his body out of the water until he was resting on the edge of the spring.
One by one, they all followed his motion.
“Look,” Courtney said. “I thought I’d be covered in mud, but there’s not an ounce of mud anywhere on me. And, all the water is dripping back into the spring.” She glanced at her arms. “They’re dry already.”
“What in the heck is this place?” Meg asked.
“I don’t know what it is, but I’ll tell you right now, we’re not coming back here. If Sam hadn’t come along, we’d all still be immobile,” Alex said.
“But, did you notice? No pain.” Bobby jumped up and down and imitated a boxer throwing punches. “I feel like I’m a teenager again.”
“Are you okay, Purity?” Alex asked, realizing that the baby might have been harmed in some way. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about the baby.”
“You didn’t know. We all thought it was just hot water. I feel fine. Great, actually. The best I’ve felt in months.”
They all made their way back to the golf cart. Somehow, squeezing back into their spaces seemed easier. They all felt more flexible and calm.
“How are you feeling, Jacob?” Bob asked.
“Okay.” It was understatement. Jacob felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He couldn’t explain it. It was almost as if the spring knew exactly what each person needed, and then healed them.
“Do you think it’s temporary?” Court asked. “I want to bottle this and take a swig whenever I’m feeling low.”
“I’ve never felt both relaxed and energized at the same time,” Meg said.
“You’re all sort of glowing,” Sam said.
“It’ll be interesting to see if it has any lasting effect,” Alex said. He ran his thumb across Pure’s belly. He still wasn’t sure the baby hadn’t sustained damage. Purity looked more beautiful than he’d ever seen her before. If that was any indication, the baby was just fine.
Sam pulled the golf cart into the area by the fire pit. “Remember, mums the word.”
“I couldn’t tell anyone what happened if I tried,” Courtney said.
“Have you ever been in the hot spring?” Meg asked Sam.
“No, but I’ve heard a lot of stories about it.”
“Good or bad?”
“All good, about healing and curing illnesses.”
“So why do you have that funny look on your face?” Meg asked.
“I don’t put a lot of trust in things I can’t explain. Why does one person get full healing and another one doesn’t? Everyone reports feeling better, but I think it’s a placebo effect. People want it to work, so it does.”
“Then how do you explain that none of us could move our arms or legs?” Purity asked. “That didn’t happen to just one of us, it happened to all of us.”
“Group hallucination.”
“Even I don’t buy that one,” Courtney said. “I’m not that susceptible to suggestion.”
“What if I told you that spring was just a place where water builds up because there’s no drainage? The sun heats it and it stays warm. In the winter it freezes over and basically ceases to exist until the rain comes again in the spring.”
“There’s more to it than that,” Bobby said. “There has to be.”
“Does there?” Sam asked.
Chapter Nineteen
“People are sure fond of telling stories around here,” Meg said as they gathered around the dining room table for lunch.
“I can’t tell what’s truth and what’s fiction,” Bob said.
“I say go by your gut,” Courtney said. “I feel amazing, better than I have in years. I say the hot spring is magic.”
“I’m with Court,” Jeremy said.
“Then why did Sam tell us the other story?” Pure asked.
“To throw us off track,” Alex said. “Charlie made a big deal about the spring being a secret. Maybe they just want to make sure we don’t tell anyone else about it.”
“Who would we tell?” Brad asked. “We’re only here for another week and a half.”
“Do you think the people in town know about the spring?” Jacob asked.
“Don’t know,” Bob said. “Why?”
“I was just wondering.” Jacob thought about the two men who poisoned the cows’ water. What lengths would someone go to to bring the ranch down so they could buy it and have access to the hot spring? If it really did contain some sort of healing power, it’d be worth a fortune.
“I wonder if the water’s ever be analyzed. Seems like that would tell a person what exactly was in the spring,” Brad said.
“Even if it has been, they’re not going to share the results with the likes of us,” Court said.
“Good point. Anyone up for a midnight trip back to the spring to get a sample?”
“We couldn’t find that exact same spot in a million years, let alone in the dark!” Meg said.
“Just look for the double y,” Jeremy said.
“All those trees look the same. Meg’s right, it would be nearly impossible to find that one, specific tree in the middle of the night. It’d be hard enough to find it in the daylight,” Purity said.
“What happened to the She Musketeers?” Brad asked. “I’ve never known you three to turn down an adventure.”
“I’m pregnant,” Pure said.
“I’m sleepy,” Meg said.
“I think it’s a wild goose chase and we’ll end up spending all night looking for that damn tree and never find it,” Court said.
“I’m in,” Bob sai
d.
“If it means gathering evidence to prove or refute the springs’ healing powers, I’m in,” Alex said.
“I’m in!” Jeremy shouted.
The men were about to tell him he was too young, when Jacob said, “Me, too.”
It was the first sign of Jacob willingly being part of the group they’d seen in months.
“Then it’s the He Musketeers on this one,” Bob said raising his fork in the air. The rest of the men raised their forks as if they were warriors about to do battle with an evil lord during ancient times.
“This is not going to end well,” Purity said.
Courtney laughed. “But it’s going to make one hell of a tale to listen to when they get back.”
After lunch, the ranch hands wasted no time in putting the group to work once again. All chores needed to be completed earlier than usual if everyone was going to attend the hoedown.
They all worked diligently, pleased that the aches and pains of the morning had been vanquished by the hot springs.
When they were finished and walking in the door of the ranch hand quarters, Jeremy said, “Where’s the food? We always come in to something smelling awesome.”
“I think there’s food at the hoedown tonight. We’ll just have to wait a bit longer,” Bob said.
“But I’m hungry now.”
“There’s a bowl of fruit on the table, grab an apple or a banana.”
“I could go for a banana,” Court said, following Jeremy. “Anyone else want anything?”
Nobody said anything.
“Well, don’t everyone talk at once. We’ve got peaches, plums—”
“Shut up, Court,” Purity said.
“Shut up? What crawled up your—” Courtney’s words were sliced by the sound of a shotgun being cocked. She turned to see three men standing by the door with rifles in their hands. Their faces were covered with black bandanas.
Jeremy inched closer to Courtney until they were standing side-by-side.
“What do you want?” Alex asked, standing in front of Purity.
“Word’s got out that you’ve been explorin’. That true?”
“We’ve become familiar with the ranch, if that’s what you mean. We’ve worked in most of the areas now.”