“He cooked underneath the wagon.”
Naomi wondered where he found dry wood, but she wasn’t surprised. Colby could do anything except communicate with his heart.
Colby’s rain-soaked face peered around the flap at the front of the wagon. “Are you ready to eat?”
Naomi wondered why water dripping from the end of his nose only served to make Colby more handsome. It wasn’t fair. His face ought to be so unattractive that a silly woman like herself wouldn’t fall in love with him. Yes, she’d admitted she loved him. She’d had two days with little more to do than try to convince herself that she wasn’t in love with him. She had failed miserably.
“We’ll eat only if you eat inside the wagon with us,” her father said to Colby.
“I can eat under the wagon.”
“No, you won’t.” Naomi was determined no one, especially Colby, would think she was nursing a broken heart. “You’ll eat with us, or none of us will eat. That includes you, too,” she said to Ben before he could lodge a protest.
“I agree with Naomi,” her father said. “Now come on in. There’s nothing in here that won’t dry.”
It was a tight fit. The bed of the wagon had been filled to the height of five feet with furniture, trunks, and boxes. The mattresses had been placed on top. There was enough room for three people to sleep side by side, but hardly enough space to sit up. Ben climbed up with his sister and father. After handing up plates of steaming beef stew, Colby chose to stand just out of the rain.
“Thank you,” her father said to Colby. “This is a real treat.”
“I confess I had a reason,” Colby said.
“It’s the river,” Ben interjected.
“What about it?” their father asked.
“It has risen overnight,” Colby said. “With all the rain we’ve been having, it’s going to rise still higher.”
“Can’t we wait until it goes down?” her father asked.
“It could take a week or more,” Colby said. “We don’t have enough food and clean water to last that long. But there’s another danger.”
“Indians,” Ben intoned.
“Indian attacks aren’t as prevalent here as they are a hundred miles back,” Colby said. “Being backed up against the river, we could be surrounded and cut off.”
“Is the river really high?” Naomi asked.
“It’s normally only a few yards wide with a rocky bottom that makes crossing easy. Now it’s so high we’ll have to swim the stock across.”
“That doesn’t sound hard,” her father said.
“It’s the rapid current that we have to worry about.”
“Well let’s not worry about it yet. I want to enjoy my breakfast.”
Warm sunshine and a trickle of water in the river wouldn’t have been enough to enable Naomi to enjoy her breakfast, not as long as Colby was only inches away. His presence made the air crackle with energy that reached out to everyone around him, an energy that had an especially powerful effect on her. It was like something tangible that wrapped itself around her making it impossible to ignore him. And she needed to ignore him. She wanted to ignore him. It was cruel that he had accomplished so easily what she couldn’t despite her struggles.
How could three of the most important men in her life act like nothing had happened to her? Men were usually blind to emotional turmoil, but how could they not realize the significance of the silence, of the distance between them?
Maybe the rain was a godsend. Sibyl or Laurie would have known immediately something was wrong and wouldn’t have been satisfied until they forced it out of her. Naomi didn’t like the prospect of having to explain that she’d lost her heart to a man who told her he didn’t believe in love. How stupid could she be? Had she been hoping her love would change his mind?
No, because she hadn’t intended to fall in love. She hadn’t even thought it possible. Which just went to show that being intelligent didn’t mean you had common sense.
“Thank god you made coffee,” her father said as he took the last swallow from his cup. “Now I feel like I can face anything.”
That anything proved to be quite formidable. Everyone had gathered to stare at the torrent of water that should have been a quiet stream.
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait?” Norman asked.
“Colby has already explained why we can’t wait,” Morley Sumner said. “I say we get started before the river gets any higher.”
“Are there any strong swimmers in the group?” Colby asked. “I only need one other.”
Several men glanced at the river, others at the ground, but his question was met by silence until Ethan stepped forward.
“Do you think you can swim against that current?” Colby asked him.
“If you can, I can.”
Naomi struggled to keep from raising a protest. Ethan was a good swimmer, but he was tall and thin, nothing like Colby’s powerfully muscled body.
“We have to swim ropes across,” Colby explained. “Once we attach them to something solid, we can start with the stock. In the meantime, collect all the empty barrels you can find. We will need those to help float the wagons across.”
Naomi hated the feeling of helplessness, but there was nothing she could do as she watched the men tie lengths of rope together while Colby and Ethan stripped down. Clothed in nothing but underwear, the contrast between their bodies was even more apparent. Her body tensed, words of protest primed to leap from her tongue when her father spoke.
“Colby won’t let anything happen to Ethan,” he assured her.
“What if Colby can’t take care of himself?”
“I haven’t seen anything yet that man can’t do.”
That’s because he hadn’t tried to swim a rain-swollen river. Colby was still human, which meant he had limits. Much to her embarrassment, she found herself thinking about the breadth of his shoulders and the muscles that rippled across his back, rather than the dangers of the swim. She should be thinking about her brother’s safety rather than the powerful arms that had held her in a tight embrace. And the last thing that should cross her mind at this moment was the generous mouth that had kissed her into surrender. What was wrong with her that she had let a man who didn’t believe in love cause her to tumble head over heels? She was almost relieved when the two men waded into the churning water.
Will they make it?
The question thundered in her brain, but she was determined to remain confident regardless of the difficulty. It wasn’t easy to do when the current swept both men off their course.
Ben grabbed for his father’s hand. “The river’s carrying them away, isn’t it?” Fear made his voice weak and unsteady.
“The current will make it harder and take them longer to cross, but they’re already making progress. The ropes will keep them safe.”
Naomi was grateful for her father’s calm reassurance. It enabled her to tell herself her father had a much better understanding of the situation than she did, that if he felt confident Colby and Ethan were safe, then she needn’t worry. Still, it was hard when Ethan was swept farther down the river than Colby.
“The current is strongest in the middle,” her father explained. “It’ll get easier as they get closer to the far bank.”
If they got closer. Their strength would give out while the river flowed on relentlessly. Colby’s hands knifed through the water with a rhythmic precision that changed only when he had to dodge a piece of floating debris. As the minutes rolled by, the current fought them to a standstill. Naomi moved closer to her father until he took her hand in his. His fingers gave her a squeeze of reassurance, but neither of them took their eyes off the swimmers.
“Colby’s out of the worst of the current,” her father announced.
“What’s he doing?” Ben asked.
Rather than continue across the river, he tu
rned downstream.
“He’s going to help Ethan,” their father said.
“How?” Ben asked.
Ben didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Upon reaching Ethan, Colby swam next to him.
“He’s blocking the current,” their father explained. “It’s easier for Ethan to swim in Colby’s wake.”
Their progress was slow, but their approach to the far bank was steady. Everyone sighed with relief when Colby waded out of the river. Naomi thought he looked like some kind of god emerging from the water. Ethan’s safe arrival was cause for spontaneous applause.
Naomi wanted to sink down to the ground and cry with relief. It was the realization that this was only the first step in a difficult and dangerous crossing that stiffened her back and hardened her resolve. This was not the life she’d expected, definitely not the life she wanted, but she wouldn’t let it defeat her. Thousands of other women had succeeded. There was no reason she couldn’t as well.
Once Colby had secured the ropes to a large cottonwood tree, he waded back into the water and swam across. Once out of the water, Colby came directly to Naomi.
“I want you to swim Shadow across,” he said to her.
Naomi was too surprised to speak, but her father wasn’t.
“She’s not an experienced rider, and she’s never tried to cross a flooded river.”
“All she has to do is hang on. Shadow knows what to do. I’ll be on your horse next to her. I’d rather she be safe on the other side before we start taking the wagons across.”
Once Shadow was saddled, Colby lifted Naomi into the sidesaddle. “Hold on to his mane. Whatever you do, don’t pull on the reins. Don’t worry about the current. The ropes will keep you from being swept downstream.”
Naomi had never learned to swim, and she’d only started riding a couple weeks ago.
She struggled to hide the fear that was making her nauseated. The other women would be watching from the bank. None of them knew how to swim, and most had never sat on a horse. If Naomi showed fear, it would make it more difficult for them when they had to cross the river in their wagons.
“I’m ready.” She’d never uttered a greater untruth.
Shadow waded into the river without hesitation while Colby had to force her father’s horse to brave the current. She felt a moment of near panic when Shadow started to swim. Only his head remained above water. The force of the current hit her with stunning impact, and she groped blindly under water to keep her hold on Shadow’s mane. Her leg curled around the pommel hardly seemed sufficient to keep her in the saddle. She was in up to her bosom in the cold, angry river.
“Lean into the current,”
Colby’s presence reassured her, but her father’s horse was fighting to return to the bank. By the time they were in the swiftest part of the current, she and Shadow were several yards ahead.
She was on her own.
The current repeatedly carried Shadow against the ropes, but each time the powerful stallion found the strength to pull away. Naomi kept looking back to see how Colby was doing. That’s why she missed seeing the tree branch headed toward her.
“Watch out!”
Colby pointed upstream at what looked like a small tree branch.
“Most of it is underwater,” Colby called out. “It could be a whole tree.”
Naomi’s breath caught in her throat. There was nothing she could do to stop the branch—or tree. Could Shadow swim fast enough to get ahead of it, or should she try to stop him and hope it would pass ahead of them?
“Get on the other side of the ropes,” Colby told her. “They’ll hold the tree long enough for you to get past it.”
Shadow swam with powerful strokes toward the shore, his eyes straight ahead. He didn’t see the tree branch or respond when she tried to nudge him back toward the ropes. When Naomi leaned forward to reach for the reins, she nearly lost her balance. Holding on to Shadow’s mane with all her strength, she managed to catch up the rein. Once she regained her balance, she pulled to the left. When Shadow didn’t respond, she pulled harder. He moved closer to the rope, but it was still out of reach.
“Pull harder,” Colby shouted.
Over the noise of the rushing river he sounded far away. She was going to have to do this herself.
She pulled on the rein, keeping the pressure up until Shadow came up against the ropes. With a sigh of relief, she reached over, grabbed hold of the double ropes, and pulled.
Nothing happened. The weight of the ropes plus the weight of the water they’d absorbed combined with the pull of the current made them too heavy for her to lift. The ropes might as well have been made of iron.
“Try again,” Colby called from behind her.
“They’re too heavy.”
“I’ll lift it out of the water back here. That’ll help.”
Colby had brought his horse up to the ropes. He leaned over and grabbed hold of the ropes. For an instant she thought he wouldn’t be able to lift them, but with a grunt, he raised the ropes about two feet out of the water.
“Now you try.”
The branch was almost upon her. If it was attached to a tree underwater, it would tangle Shadow’s legs and both of them would drown. She grabbed the rope and pulled with all of her strength. After a moment’s hesitation, the water released its grip, and she was able to lift the rope.
“Hold it over your head and push Shadow downstream.”
It was all she could do to hold the rope out of the water. She didn’t have any strength left to force Shadow to change direction, but the branch was headed directly toward her. She had only seconds left. Using both hands and summoning all her strength, she lifted the ropes over her head and Shadow’s. She immediately dropped the ropes and pulled hard on Shadow’s rein. He pulled downstream just as the limb caught on the ropes.
Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, Shadow started to struggle.
“His feet are caught in branches underwater,” Colby shouted. “Pull him farther downstream.”
She tried, but Shadow’s head went underwater, and she was swept away by the current.
Eighteen
Naomi didn’t know if most people’s lives passed before their eyes when they were about to die, but hers didn’t. Instead, she was furious that something as temporary as a swollen river and a submerged tree could take away her chance to live, marry, and grow old watching her grandchildren. It was a senseless waste, and she didn’t intend to accept it.
She thought Colby was shouting something, but she couldn’t hear because her head kept going underwater. The weight of her clothes was pulling her down.
“Grab Shadow’s tail.”
That didn’t make any sense until she realized Shadow hadn’t drowned but was swimming several yards down river. She didn’t know how to swim, but she had watched Colby and Ethan cross the river and had seen how they used their arms. Doing her best to imitate them, she started toward Shadow.
The river swept her closer to Shadow but not near enough to grab the tail she could see floating on the water behind him. Colby was too far away to help. She knew what she had to do. The only question that remained was could she do it?
She was not going to die in this muddy river. If Colby could cross it three times, she could cross it once. Focusing all her energy, she forced her arms to cleave the water as she’d seen Colby do. Muscles that had never been called upon for such strenuous activity screamed under the strain. Each breath was more painful than the last. The frigid river leached the heat from her body and turned her fingers numb. She choked on mouthful after mouthful of muddy water, but she didn’t give up. Her only chance was to get close enough to latch on to Shadow’s tail before she was swept down the river to a cold, wet grave. The weight of her waterlogged clothes pulled against her, but she fought back, kicking with all her strength. Calling upon the last of her strength, she pus
hed through the swirling water and reached for Shadow’s tail.
She was able to grasp a few hairs, but she needed a firmer grip if she expected him to pull her out of the river. Going hand over hand, she reached a point where she had a secure grip on his full tail. Now all she had to do was hold on until Shadow reached the shore.
But they had been swept past the open spot on the opposite bank. Now the bank was lined by trees with floodwaters swirling several feet up their trunks. If her skirt got tangled in the trees before her feet could reach ground, she’d be stranded.
She didn’t know what caused her to look around. When she did, she saw Colby swimming toward her. What had happened to his horse? Why wasn’t he headed toward the shore instead of toward her?
She could hardly believe it when she realized Colby was catching up with her. He came up to her on the downstream side.
“Let go of Shadow’s tail and hold on to me.”
“Why?” Fear told her not to let go.
“He’s going to avoid the trees and wait until he finds an opening downstream. We need to get out as soon as we can.”
Her hands felt like they were locked onto Shadow’s tail. They refused to respond to her signal to let go.
“You can let go now,” Colby urged. “The current will bring you to me.”
It took all her willpower to release Shadow’s tail. Almost immediately the water carried her up against Colby.
“Grab my waist, and don’t let go until I tell you.”
That wasn’t easy because he was a big man and he was kicking with his feet. She grabbed hold of his long underwear and hoped they didn’t rip.
Oddly enough, now that she started to feel safe, events from her past flashed through her mind. She remembered her mother’s smile, a sunny day when the whole family went berry picking, the time her mother made her a bright yellow dress to wear to church, the time by the creek when Colby kissed her, her father’s look after her mother died. She had no doubt her father had loved her mother the way she loved Colby. If she only knew how to make him believe.
When they reached the trees, Colby guided her to one with a small trunk. “Hold on. I’ll look for a place to climb out.”
To Have and to Hold (Cactus Creek Cowboys) Page 24