Mia was smiling as she set the phone on the table. Her heart felt light imagining her mild, mannered uncle chasing baby pigs around the yard and rescuing Earline from the mud. She was so happy for him.
Feeling better than she’d felt in a really long time she pulled on her coat and went to the stable to check on her horse and make sure she was set for the icy evening that was approaching.
“Hey, Jubilee. How you doin’ girl? I know you’re happy not being cooped up in the trailer.” Jubilee nickered and nudged her with her soft nose in answer. Mia gave her a hug.
They’d lived far too many hours of the year on the road. Mia, living inside the cramped quarters of her apartment in the horse trailer and Jubilee in the back quarters. The rig was nice and one of the perks from having the trailer company as a sponsor. But in order to maintain the status she needed to keep a sponsor like them on board and for providing the gorgeous trailer, she’d needed more traveling time and appearances than she normally would. They’d helped make it possible for her to support herself through the last three years and she’d done what she needed to do to maintain their support. She hadn’t had it that first year and it had been rough. What she’d been able to afford on her own was a very old trailer with living quarters for her the size of a tea bag.
“We made it okay, girlfriend,” she said, giving her friend another hug and a pat on the head before she began putting fresh hay in the stall and then filled her trough with water.
Sleet was starting to come down outside as Mia emerged from the barn. The weather report had said it was only going to get worse. She was ready though. She had a nice warm fire going in the hearth and soup cooking on the stove. She could easily transfer the soup to the heavy pot that would stay warm on the hearth if the electricity went out. Cowboy cooking was one thing Uncle Huey had taught her. She could have made that soup from scratch using the fireplace as her stove if she’d needed to.
Pulling her coat tighter she dipped her chin as she moved carefully toward the back porch. Her knee was doing better and she’d left the brace off, testing it again. But she realized now this might not have been the best time for that. She certainly didn’t need to slip down.
Cold, icy sleet stung her cheeks and the wind had picked up. A howl sounded somewhere in the distance. Mia halted. Was that the wind or had she really heard something howl. She turned to scan the surroundings. The howl came again and this time she knew it wasn’t the wind. But the wind caused her once more not to know from which direction the sound had come.
The shed?
She took a step toward the small shed that sat at the back of the property. The barbed wire fence that separated the yard from the pastures was just behind the building. Not too far from the fence was a gully that cut through the property. Mia had always wanted to play in the gully as a child, but her parents had been very diligent in warning her away from the place. It really wasn’t that deep, but it could have been dangerous for a child.
The howl came again and for a moment she thought it was coming from beneath the shed. Then she realized it wasn’t. It was coming from the gully.
The sleet was worse now, and her face stung from the tiny, icy pelts that were hitting her and wetting down her hair. She should have worn her hood.
Her knee was starting to hurt as she slipped through the top two rungs of barbed wire and started toward the small ravine.
She reached the edge and looked down at the small stream that cut through the bottom of the gap twenty feet or so below her. Cow trails weaved their way down the slope creating natural paths through the underbrush. And somewhere down there the mournful cry of a dog…she was pretty certain, called to her.
She bit her lip as she contemplated the situation. The animal obviously needed help.
But could she get down the slope without hurting her knee?
And when she got down there what would she find?
Mia didn’t know the answer to either of these questions. All she knew was that she had to help the animal making the sad, wailing cry for help.
“You can do this,” she muttered as she navigated the slick grass, carefully placing her boot down on an area that had a little grip.
The problem, her hands. They were shaking from the cold as she used a small tree to steady herself before taking the next step downward on the incline. “There, that wasn’t so hard to do—” It was the second step she didn’t make.
Her foot hit a slick, muddy spot on the slope and before she could grab the tree, or even a clump of grass she was falling. And then rolling. Her hip hit the ground as she tried hard to throw her legs up rather than let her knees twist in the process.
When she came to a halt at the bottom of the gully, one booted foot was in the water along with half her body the other half was sunk into the thick mud as if she was about to make a mud angel.
She groaned, lifted her head and looked down the length of her body. No blood and guts but, she wasn’t totally certain she could move. She held her head out of the mud, glad that at least seemed possible. And then she heard the growl.
Not a howl, but a menacing, angry growl…
Ty was leading the colt he’d been working back to the stable when his phone rang. Phone service in the Mule Hollow countryside was spotty at best so he wasn’t surprised when the crackle of a bad connection greeted him. “Hello,” he said, though with the way the line was garbled he doubted he would be able to make out who was on the other end of the line. The sleet that had started falling wasn’t helping.
He thought he heard a voice so he tried again. “Hello, you’re not coming through.”
“Ty…hel-…mud…growling, help—” Ty struggled to make out even the little he understood as he focused on “help” the one word from a familiar voice that he’d know anywhere.
“Mia, do you need help?”
“Y…” the line went dead.
Instantly, Ty was moving toward the stall. He let the horse inside then jogged down the center of the stable and out into the falling sleet. He yanked open his truck door, jumped in and had it cranked in a half a second and heading down the lane. He drove as fast as he dared on the ice slickened roads, knowing that he needed to get there fast but that landing in a ditch and having to dig himself out would only cost him time in the long run. Instead, he drove fast but safe as he made the ten mile drive to her small ranch.
His adrenaline was in overdrive as he brought the truck to a skidding halt and then jumped from the cab and jogged up the slick steps. Knocking on the door he wasn’t surprised to see that she wasn’t inside. Or if she was something was wrong. Just in case that was the problem he twisted the door handle and when it swung open he stepped into the house. A warm fire welcomed him in the fireplace and the scent of something warm and delicious filled the air. “Mia. Where are you?” He called but received no answer. He tried to hold the panic down that was clawing at him. She was a capable woman who’d been living on her own, fending for herself for several years now–she was okay.
But no matter how many times he’d tried to reassure himself the garbled message worried him. Outside again, he headed toward the barn. The sleet was stronger now and the severe weather warning that had swept in had worsened in the last fifteen minutes.
Everything in the barn seemed fine. Mia’s rodeo horse munched fresh hay in its stall. It looked as if Mia had taken care of the horse not long ago. So that was a good sign.
He strode outside into the sleet again. “Mia,” he yelled into the wind as he studied the landscape. Then he saw the very faint tracks on the ground. He saw them coming into the barn and going out. He followed them, grateful the slushy sleet hadn’t covered them up completely. He stood where there was a marking…as if she’d stood there and then turned. He crouched down and studied the markings harder. And then he saw another track. It was heading toward the shed. He stood and scanned that area and sure enough he could just make out a very few faint tracks.
“Mia,” he yelled again. And kept yelling as he jog
ged to the shed. He yanked open the door but there was only garden tools. He shut the door and walked around the small building and then he saw the track beside the fence.
“Mia,” he yelled again, and slipped between the barbed wire to the other side as his insides twisted. A faint sound rode the wind.
He called her name again and started jogging toward the trees making out a boot print every few feet.
“Ty.”
He heard his name as he reached the edge of the gully and scanned the muddy, steep slope. There, he spotted her laying near the small stream.
Relief and worry intertwined as he started down the steep slope. He thanked the Lord for answering his prayers as he went. He was almost to her when he heard the growl and saw her lift her hand in a palm out, halting motion. He slid on the incline grabbing a tree to stop himself as he saw, not a look of pain on her face but of warning. She was covered in mud but there was a small smile playing across her lips. He was certain he also saw pain in her eyes. She pointed and through the icy rain he saw a dog. It was soaked and hard to make out much except the snarling teeth that were exposed as it watched him warily. And beside it, he thought he saw movement…puppies? Yup. Tiny, very newborn puppies that weren’t going to make it too long in this weather.
“I can’t move…very well,” Mia said, her voice hoarse. “Knee’s tweaked a bit.”
“You hold tight. I’ll get you out of there and then I’ll worry about the little family you’ve found.” He moved cautiously down the path, moving so that he made a wider arch and came in from Mia’s feet rather than her head. Hoping if he could come in from as far away from the scared mama pooch that she might keep her distance and continue to warn them away without choosing to attack. If she did attack he’d throw himself between it and Mia, but at the moment there was no reason to not be cautious.
He reached her, and placed his hand on her boot. “So, can I lift you?” he asked keeping one eye on the dog.
“Yes, I might yelp, but maybe not. I’m just warning you in case I wimp out on you. L-lift me anyway. Laying here in the mud i-isn’t doing me or my knee any good. I can’t believe I did this.”
Hearing her teeth chattering had him wanting to hurry but he needed to move with caution.
“Where’s your brace?” He just noticed it was missing.
“At…house.” She closed her eyes.
Ty could see pale blue tinging her skin. He had to get her out of here. Scooting slowly up beside her he placed his back to the scared dog then slipped his arms beneath Mia. She opened her eyes and met his. She was shivering. “Ready?”
She gave a weak nod. “Ready.”
“Here we go.” He lifted her and stood in one movement, thankfully the dog chose only to growl. “Good, mama,” Ty said, soothingly to the dog. “Keep watch on those babies and I’ll be back.”
Mia rested her head against his shoulder and nodded. He wasn’t sure her not grunting or crying out was a good sign or a bad sign. She was shivering uncontrollably as he held her close and started up the hill.
Unable to get through the fence once he made the long rough hike up the slippery slope he walked down the fence line until he reached the gate. It took him a few minutes longer but he didn’t have to put Mia down as he unhooked the chain holding the gate closed and that was good. He didn’t see any cattle around so he didn’t bother closing it again. He’d come back later and close it. Right now he was only worried about getting Mia inside the house.
“How are you doing?” he asked as they crossed the sleet slickened yard.
“I’ve been…better,” she said, stuttering some but with a smile in her voice even as cold as she was. “But…I could be a whole lot worse.”
“I’m just glad I got your call.” He didn’t want to think about what might have happened if she hadn’t been able to get hold of him or someone. He was thankful she’d had her phone with her and been conscious and able to use it.
She looked up at him and gave a weary, brave smile. “I am too.”
Chapter Twelve
“Heat. Now we’re talking,” Ty said as he carried her through the back door into the kitchen. “When you get out of those cold, wet clothes you’ll feel better.”
Sleet clung to both of them. Mia had been concentrating hard to control the shivers as Ty carried her up the hill and home. Now that they were inside and she felt the warmth from both the furnace and the fireplace she was more than a little grateful.
In the time it took for the poor man to come to her rescue–a rescue she’d thankfully been coherent enough to remember. She’d felt his concern as he’d reached her and had completely appreciated him as he’d carried her out of the gully.
She was so cold at the moment that it was hard to appreciate anything but the warmth of the kitchen. There was the pain in her knee but she’d pretty much tuned it out with the numbness from the cold.
“Can you sit in a chair? We need–you need, to get out of those clothes.” “I can sit there, in the kitchen chair.” She was shivering almost uncontrollably and understood the need to get the wet coat off and the clothes.
He pulled the chair out with his boot then carefully set her down. Every muscle hurt and she had a feeling she was in for a few rough days, however, she didn’t feel like she’d hurt anything other than her knee and her pride.
“My, robe is hanging on a hook in my closet. First r-room on the right up the stairs.”
He didn’t hesitate as he left the room and she could hear him taking the stairs and making quick work of it. She started trying to unzip the jacket but her hands were shaking too much. And there was mud everywhere.
He returned with her fuzzy red robe in his hand. “Here, let me help with that,” he said, laying the robe on the table, he then knelt in front of her and unzipped the jacket. His beautiful eyes were grave with concern. “You’re a mess but I’m not exactly sure how to work this.” He tugged on the sleeve and pulled the sloppy, muddy wet jacket from one arm and then helped peel it from the other. Then he removed her boots and socks.
She appreciated his concern for her modesty but she was in a pickle. “I can get the shirt off by myself, but these soaked jeans are going to be tough.”
“You get that shirt off and slip that robe on and we’ll get those pants off.”
She had to fight the smile that his determination caused in her. If she hadn’t been so stinking cold she might have laughed. He left the room and she managed to get the shirt unbuttoned and off. Most of the mud went with the coat and there wasn’t much left under the shirt. Just cold damp skin. She tugged her robe on and then stood, keeping her weight on her good leg. Her legs were weak and shaking but she managed to wrestle the soaked jeans down around her thighs before sinking back to the chair. She called Ty back into the room. “Sorry, this is all I could manage.”
One day they’d laugh at this…but not right now.
“Okay,” he knelt down and met her gaze with shadowed eyes. “You hold onto your robe and I’ll peel these things off and chunk them in the wash room.”
She did just what he said and was relieved after he was able to literally peel them off and drop them at her feet. He left the room and returned in a moment with two towels. He handed her one and she used it to pat her legs dry.
“Let me wrap your muddy hair in this towel then I’ll carry you to the living room where the fire is. We need to get you warmed up now that the wet gear is gone.”
Within moments he had the towel around her head and he’d lifted her into his arms again. This time she was fully aware of every tense muscle as he carried her into the living room. The lights were on and the fire was crackling in the fireplace as he eased her onto the couch. There was a throw blanket draped over the back of the couch and he tugged it down and around her. Then he fluffed the pillows.
“Are you feeling warmer?”
She nodded. “Better.”
He placed a hand to her neck and felt her skin and her insides warmed at his touch. She was definitely star
ting to come out of the chilled state.
“Is that soup I smell?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be right back.”
He left the room and she leaned her head back on the pillows and snuggled deeper beneath the blanket. She hurt all over but her knee miraculously didn’t seem to be as bad as she’d feared. She just felt tired. And her mind was overrun with thoughts of Ty.
“Here you go, this will help warm you up.”
She opened her eyes and found him sitting on the edge of the coffee table again, holding out a bowl of steaming soup.
“Did you know you were going to have an accident and need this soup? That’s pretty intuitive.”
She chuckled and sat back up. “Thank you, and no, I’m not that good. I just knew with the ice storm coming that hot soup was the perfect thing to have in case the electricity went out and I found myself camping by the fire.”
“That works too.” He handed her the warm bowl and the heat instantly radiated from the bowl through her chilled hands. When he cupped his hands over hers as she took it from him butterflies filled her.
Oh how she could get used to having this man around. If only…
“If you’re okay, I’ll go out and see if I can help that mother dog and her pups. I’m afraid it might be too late, but I can’t just leave them out there.”
Her heart warmed more. “Thank you so much. I don’t know how you’ll manage. Poor thing she was being so protective of them despite being exposed to the elements and so cold. She might attack you.”
“I’ll manage. You stay put and I’ll be back shortly.”
She watched him go. Certain that if anyone could help the little mother it would be him. Maybe he was a dog whisperer too. The thought made her smile. He could whisper to her any day.
She took her first bite of the soup and let the warmth slide down through her. This was exactly what she needed while she waited on Ty to return.
The heat helped knock the arctic freeze from her brain and slowly but surely she began to feel human again. By the time Ty returned at least an hour later she was feeling more like herself. He on the other hand was soaked but as far as she could tell he didn’t appear to have any dog bites.
Ty: Contemporary Western Romance (New Horizon Ranch Mule Hollow Book 4) Page 8