Her eyes opened slowly, and she raised her gaze to his. “Gid’n?”
“I’m here.”
“You came.”
“I did. I’m taking you home.”
“I’m sorry.” Tears came to her eyes. “Sorry.” Her eyes fluttered and closed, then fought to open again. She shivered, and pulled her arms closer to her body.
Her words were slurred, and Gideon was concerned that it might be more than her cold lips as the cause.
“Don’t,” he said in a strangled voice. “Don’t. Don’t say a word. I’m sorry. And we’re going to get home and I’m going to spend every day of the rest of our lives showing you how sorry I am.” He lifted her up and with great effort, got her up onto Penny’s saddle, sitting sideways. He tried to shift Elinor into the same position on Penny’s back that she had been in on Pepper’s, but there was no double pommel or shortened stirrup to help her stay on. “Hold on, Elinor. Can you hold on? I need to get you blankets, and tie Pepper to Penny’s saddle, if he’s able to make it. Can you keep yourself on the saddle?”
“Mm. T-try.” Her eyes had closed again, and her body trembled. “Cold. S-so cold.” Her words were slurred, like that of the drunken miners who would pass out on the bar, back in the days when he worked at the saloon.
He lifted each of her hands up to Penny’s mane. “Hold on. You have to hold on.” Her fingers were stiff, but she clenched them just the slightest bit, so that they entangled in the horse’s mane.
Gideon worked quick, fishing out items one at a time to wrap her in. He started with the knit cap and mittens from Constance. Then he topped the cap with her own wool bonnet, and wrapped the scarf around her neck, tucking it in her coat. He followed that with a blanket around her shoulders, and another wrapped securely around her legs and feet.
Then he led Pepper over to Penny. The tired old horse trudged with every step, but didn’t resist. Seeing Gideon and Penny must have renewed Pepper’s hope that they were close to home. He fastened the reins to Penny’s saddle as fast as his numb fingers would allow.
When he was done, he moved to Penny’s left side and shifted Elinor forward to make room for himself to sit in the saddle, then mounted with some difficulty, and sat behind her. Then he pulled her to him until he was holding her in a sitting position, sideways, her body leaning into his chest. Her head lolled against him, and he tucked the blankets tighter around her. He worked quickly, not knowing how much longer she had. He was worried that she might already lose some of her toes or fingers, from the cold.
She nuzzled into his chest. He tried to get her to talk a few times, but she either didn’t hear him or couldn’t respond.
The snow still fell heavily around them as he gave Penny the signal and they started out slowly. He had put his gloves back on, but his hands were freezing, and he realized his thinking was getting fuzzy. He struggled to find his own horse’s prints in the snow, and follow them back the way he came. If he could get back to where Emmett had turned off, he might be able to find his way home.
The prints were being quickly erased in the snowfall, but they were still discernable. He made his way back along the trail, watching carefully to make sure he didn’t miss where Emmett had turned off. The light seemed to be fading, and he realized that the sun must be setting behind the clouds. If he didn’t get them back soon, the temperatures would drop farther, and they wouldn’t make it. He had some emergency supplies, but Elinor was already so cold that he didn’t think there was any way she could survive the night out in the weather, even with a fire.
He almost missed the turn off, but Penny paused, looking off to the left, and Gideon realized she must have sensed the way Emmett’s horse had gone. He caught sight of the faint tracks, leading past the tree he’d seen earlier, and turned Penny south, down that trail.
He felt a pull behind him—Pepper was beginning to lose his small burst of renewed vigor, and was trying to lag behind. Gideon could feel Penny’s hindquarters strain as she pulled against the lead, giving Pepper a jerk. Penny wanted out of the storm, and she wasn’t going to let Pepper drag her down.
As they meandered down the trail, the tracks from Emmett’s horse faded more and more as they went on. It had been a long while since he’d passed this way, and the never ending snow poured from the sky. Gideon prayed as they rode on, interspersed with short, one-sided conversations with Elinor, in an effort to keep her awake. He wasn’t very successful—he rarely got a response from her, and when he did, it was little more than a muffled mumble.
It wasn’t long before Penny started to slow down. The tracks were almost gone, and the trail they were on was completely covered in at least four inches of snow. They’d passed most of the trees and were now out in the open. They could run right into a fence and not know it until they felt the impact—that was how thick the snow was falling. As the world of white began to sink into a darker world of grey—from the setting sun—Gideon began to fear the worst. They weren’t going to make it. He debated trying to find a place to wait things out, but they’d left the shelter of the trees behind. Should he turn back? He couldn’t think.
At least we’ll die together.
Chapter 34
Gideon held Elinor tighter, straining to see any tree or other landmark through the heavy snowfall. He didn’t know how far from the house they were, and even if they were fairly close, they could pass right by it and never know. He wasn’t getting any response from Elinor when he tried to roust her, and he didn’t know how much longer she had.
The only thing they had going for them was that the wind had stopped, which meant no wind chill. There were no sounds but silence and the hiss of snowfall, and the crunching of the horses’ feet.
Then Gideon heard something—another sound. He stopped Penny, and felt the thump of Pepper running into the back of her. Penny snorted, and then silence descended.
He waited, listening.
There it was again. A quiet sound—the crunching of snow.
Where was it coming from? Behind them? To the side? He turned his head one way, then another, but he wasn’t sure. It was so faint.
Slowly, it grew louder.
A bear? A mountain lion? Wolf? His heart pounded in his ears as he clutched Elinor to his chest. And I thought things were as bad as they could get.
The sound approached faster. It’s definitely coming from in front of us.
Should he turn the horses around? He was afraid if he did, they’d lose their way for sure. And the horses weren’t in any shape to try to outpace a predator. Better to stand his ground, and hope whatever it was moved on by, without noticing them.
Every muscle in his body ached from fatigue and tension as the crunching approached, sounding more rhythmic than it had before.
A dark shape loomed in front of them, and emerged from the misty fall of snow.
“Emmett?” Gideon gasped in relief as he recognized his brother’s silhouette. “You came back? I told you to go home!”
Emmett approached on horseback, his features coalescing from the hazy curtain of snow, revealing a wry grin. “You know I don’t like being told what to do.”
“You’re an idiot. You could have gotten lost! You could have died out here!” Gideon’s chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. The relief mixed with guilt and anger, and he couldn’t express what he really wanted to…gratitude.
“Looks like the only one getting lost out here, brother, is you. You’ve veered off to the west a little too much. You’re heading toward the main road, I think.”
A thrill of fear squeezed through Gideon’s heart. He looked away, choking back the emotions that threatened to overtake him, realizing how close they had been to certain death. “Yeah…well…I could probably use some help getting her down from the saddle when we get back.”
“I figured.” Emmett nodded toward Elinor. “I see you found her. In one piece?” He looked away for a moment, and Gideon suspected his brother was just as choked up as he was.
“Yeah, but we
need to get her back, fast. She’s in bad shape. I can’t keep her awake.”
“My trail is fresh, we can follow it right back, if we’re quick.”
Emmett spun his horse around and Gideon followed him close, down the trail.
Eventually, the snowfall lightened, and they were able to see about ten or twenty feet in front of them—a good thing, since the tracks were getting harder to see in the onslaught of dusk.
When the looming shape of the haystack emerged before him, followed by the larger shape of the barn, Gideon wanted to laugh, in relief. Emmett hopped down from his horse and opened the barn doors, pulling with great effort to slide it open—the snow had drifted against it. Gideon rode inside, and Emmett led his horse in, pulling the door shut behind them. The horses snorted in relief, and the other horses in the barn whinnied a concerned greeting.
Emmett reached up and took Elinor as Gideon slid her down to him, then Gideon dismounted and took her from his arms.
“I’ll get the horses taken care of, you take care of your wife…before she loses the pretty little hands that make us so many delicious meals.”
Gideon managed a wry smile, shaking his head. “I’ll send Clay out to help. The horses will need extra hay and water, and you’ll probably need to soothe them all. Start with Pepper. I’d hate to lose him, after all he’s been through. Oh, and grab a rifle and fire off two shots, so Mrs. Pruett knows Elinor is safe.”
Emmett nodded and turned open the barn door.
Gideon shifted to lift Elinor higher, then slipped out the barn door before Emmett closed it behind him. It was almost fully dark. He saw the glow of a lantern bobbing its way toward him, and walked toward it, meeting Clay halfway to the house.
“I thought I heard the barn door screeching open, and I figured Emmett must have found you. Is she alright?”
“I hope so. Can you bring that lantern into the barn for Emmett? It will be completely dark by the time he’s done.”
“Sure thing. You want me to help him with the horses?”
“Yeah, that would be great. He’s got three to handle, and Pepper didn’t look well at all. He’s old. And one of you needs to run a rope from the barn to the back door, first thing, in case the snow doesn’t let up. I don’t want anyone else wandering out into the wilderness.”
“Will do.”
The light faded away behind him and Gideon followed Clay’s tracks back to the house. He clomped up the back steps, and the door flew open.
“You found her!” Madeline exclaimed. “Get her inside. I have blankets warmed and both stoves burning hot.”
The cozy heat of the farmhouse was a welcome relief. Madeline already had multiple lamps burning, and Grace was sitting in front of the parlor woodstove, playing with a doll they must have brought along.
Gideon hurried through the house, setting Elinor on the settee near the parlor woodstove. Grace looked up with big eyes at the sight of Elinor, slumped on the couch.
“Seepy,” remarked Grace.
“Yes, she’s…sleepy.” Madeline exchanged a glance with Gideon, then lowered her voice. “How sleepy?”
“She hasn’t said much since I started back with her, and she hasn’t opened her eyes again. She was unconscious when I found her, laying on the horse’s back.”
Madeline’s hand flew to her mouth, her other hand unconsciously clutching her belly, and she turned and waddled quickly into the kitchen, pulling folded blankets off the top of the cookstove’s warming closet.
“Let’s take the cold blankets off her and wrap her in these. And we should get off her wet clothes, first, before Clay and your brother come in.”
Gideon pulled off the damp blankets and they worked to peel off Elinor’s outer clothing. Gideon did all the lifting, and Madeline did the unbuttoning and unlacing, since Gideon’s fingers were numb. They removed everything but her lightly-damp chemise. Then Gideon swaddled Elinor in the warm blankets and laid her across the settee, while Madeline stuffed pillows from the bedroom behind her back and head.
Gideon pulled off his gloves and lightly slapped her cheeks. “Elinor? Elinor! You have to wake up.” He kept tapping her cheek and gently shaking her shoulders until finally she moaned and turned away.
“No, Mama, I hate French,” she murmured, trying to curl into a ball. “No lessons today.”
She knows French? Pain lanced his heart, wondering how much he didn’t know about his bride.
Gideon looked up at Madeline from where he knelt by Elinor’s side. “She’s still slurring her words. Do you think there’s something wrong with her?”
“I—I don’t know. Her face may just be numb. But she’s talking, at least. If you can get her to wake up and sit up a bit more, I can give her a cup of tea to help warm her hands.”
Gideon worked on waking Elinor up, rousing her a bit more each time, while Madeline took Grace to sit in the kitchen. “Are you getting hungry again, Grace? Let’s go get you something to nibble on.”
Clay came in the back door, stomping off snow. Gideon heard him ask how Elinor was doing, then there was a quiet exchange between the couple.
At last Elinor opened her eyes, blinking blearily and looking around. “Gid’n?” she mumbled.
“I’m here.” He took her hand, between both of his own and squeezed it gently, her frigid hands chilling his own, but he didn’t let go. He let the little warmth he’d gotten back in his fingers seep into hers.
“Wha’ happened?”
“You got lost in a snowstorm.”
“You saved me.” She closed her eyes again as a fleeting smile curled up the corners of her lips. “I dreamed you’d come ’n’ you did.”
“Don’t go back to sleep, Elinor. We need to get some hot tea into you, and get you warmed up. Open your eyes,” he pleaded.
She struggled, blinked a few times, and managed to keep them open. “Oh!” she exclaimed, as if she had just woken up. “Said…my name.” Her eyes filled with a mixture of happiness and apprehension.
“I did. I called you Elinor.”
She smiled softly. “Mm…’s’most wonnerful thing I ever heard.” She closed her eyes again, a vestige of her smile still lingering on her lips.
“No, please, wake up.” He shook her, and she opened her eyes with a start. “Can you sit up?”
“Think so.”
He helped her sit up a bit more, and Madeline swooped in with a cup of hot ginger tea. “That’ll warm you up. I’ll be in the kitchen with Grace, if you need anything.”
Elinor shivered, clutching the cup weakly in her trembling hands. Gideon helped her lift the cup to her lips so she could drink.
Clay came in and sat in the rocking chair. “I got the rope tied to the back railing, and Emmett should be in soon—I left the lamp out with him.”
“Thanks, Clay. I appreciate it. Hey, when Emmett is heading in, can you grab that rifle off the wall near the back door and hand it out to him? I told Mrs. Pruett we’d give her a signal if we found Elinor safe.”
“Sure thing. Anything else I can do?”
“Uh…maybe see if your wife needs help in the kitchen? I think we’re all set here.”
Clay nodded and went back into the kitchen, giving Gideon and Elinor time alone.
Chapter 35
It was an hour before Elinor was feeling better, and had stopped trembling completely. Gideon stayed by her side for every moment, helping to feed her a small bit of food once she was feeling well enough to try to eat. Her stomach felt shaky too, and sour, but she managed to eat most of her small bowl of stew, half a roll, and a few bites of sweet potato pie.
Madeline had made a sweet potato pie to go along with the stew and rolls, because with her family adding extra mouths to feed, she had been worried there wouldn’t be enough to go around. Elinor was glad—although she ate like a bird, Emmett and Clay ate like ravenous wolves, and Gideon shoveled in his fair share, between feeding her bites, once he knew that she would be fine.
They had examined her toes and fingers, a
nd though she was frostbitten, Emmett said he didn’t think it was bad enough to warrant sending for the doctor.
When they were done with supper, there was nary a crumb left, save for the small portion Madeline held back, in case Elinor got hungry again later.
Everyone else chatted quietly over supper while Gideon sat at Elinor’s side. They didn’t speak much. At one point Elinor tried to apologize—she just had to let him know how deeply she regretted her actions—but Gideon insisted that she just eat. He watched her every movement, and she fretted about what he might be thinking.
Gideon suggested that Madeline and Clay take his and Elinor’s room so they could sleep together, with Grace between them. He said he and Elinor would take the two beds in his sisters’ old room, and Emmett could sleep on his cot by the stove as usual. Madeline took Grace into the large bedroom to put fresh sheets on the bed, once Elinor told her where she kept them, and to put Grace to sleep. Emmett and Clay went out to milk the cow and check on the other animals.
Elinor couldn’t help but wonder if giving the Porters their bed for the night was Gideon’s way of avoiding telling her that he would no longer be sleeping beside her.
Who could blame him? I lied to him—I betrayed his trust. He’s just being nice so he doesn’t have to feel guilty. Once I’m well, he’ll send me on my way. She knew it was one thing to be worried about someone you cared about when their life was at stake, but it was another thing entirely to be willing to live the rest of your life with someone you couldn’t trust. He’d barely spoken to her since she’d started talking again—it didn’t take much thought to figure out what that meant.
When they were alone, Gideon knelt beside her and bowed his head, unable to look her in the eyes. He opened his mouth, but couldn’t seem to make any words.
“You don’t have to say it, Gideon. I understand. And I’m not mad.”
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