by Maira Dawn
Wade laid on the ledge and inched his way closer to Jesse, kicking up dirt as he did. Dylan sat behind him, holding onto his legs. Wade needed him, it would be quite a reach to the boy.
Wade inched himself out far enough the entire top half of his sweaty body hung past the dirt-covered ledge, suspended in the air. His heart thumped against his ribs as he forced himself to stretch further and further out. The gap between Wade and Jesse almost closed.
Jesse's pale face went whiter as he looked from Wade to the ground far, far below.
"Don't look at that, Jesse," Wade said. "Look at me."
Jesse zeroed in on Wade's face.
"Good boy. Now reach out one of your hands."
Jesse swung his head back and forth so aggressively Wade worried for his safety. "No! No, I can't!"
"You can."
"Don't make me, please, don't make me." Jesse's fingers whitened on the stone as he gripped tighter.
Wade's body shook with the strain of staying horizontal over the drop for so long. If he didn't get Jesse off that rock soon, he wouldn't have the strength left to do so.
"Jesse, you're tougher than a hungry mountain lion. You ain't gonna let this little ole mountain beat you down now, are ya?”
Wade continued coaxing Jesse until the boy's hand loosened on the rock.
Wade heaved his body out a little more. Behind him, Dylan uttered a loud groan and scrambled to keep them both on the ledge. Wade’s heart sunk as his hands flailed in the air, the cliff too far behind to grab onto. When Dylan found his footing and steadied, Wade released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.
I ain't doing that again.
Wade stared at Jesse. "Now, boy!"
Jesse's arm flew outward. Wade locked onto it. He wrapped his big hand around the boy's arm and shoulder, peeling him from the large stone.
Jesse latched himself to Wade, eyes bulging with fright. Wade couldn’t help but to bend downward. He put one hand against the shelf of the mountain and prayed his brother had the endurance to get through this.
The entire side of Dylan's body blazed with pain. The sudden addition of Jesse's weight taxed him. His arms became knotted ripples of muscle.
Jesse and Wade hovered over the edge, while Dylan struggled just to keep them there, to drag them back seemed impossible.
Dylan called himself every sort of name trying to pump himself up. It's just a man and a kid. You can do this.
"You got this, little brother?"
Dylan set his jaw, grinding his teeth. You're gonna do this, you ain't got a choice! He planted himself and leaned back, dragging his brother with him.
Dylan bellowed a string of curses along in a low groan as his world filled with red, burning pain. Inch by inch, he hauled his brother and Jesse up over the ledge. He felt the slice and pop of one, two, then several of his stitches.
Blood seeped then soaked the side of Dylan's shirt. There was a gasp from Skye above him.
Dylan ignored it. He ignored everything except the triumph he felt with each small millimeter he moved his brother.
At last, Wade was close enough he used his elbows and knees to muscle himself up. Lastly, he pulled Jesse over the ledge.
Jesse ran to Dylan and clung to him as the man tousled his hair and squeezed his shoulder.
Wade glanced at Dylan. "I had my doubts for a minute there."
Dylan grunted. "Only a minute? I must've done better than I thought."
The two brothers stared at each other before grasping each other's arms.
Wade looked Dylan over. "Ya look like crap."
"Let's just get this done."
They lifted Jesse onto Wade's shoulders. From there, Jesse reached up to Skye and was pulled to safety.
Trembling with relief, Skye wrapped her arms around Jesse's dirty body, holding him tight to her. Her sobs returned but this time because of her joy.
Jesse clenched Skye as they hugged and rocked, wadding her shirt in his hands as tears rolled down his face. "I'm sorry."
"Jesse, it wasn't your fault, it just crumbled. You're okay now. That's all that matters."
Jesse stood and awkwardly scrubbed his face. "I didn't mean to call you Mommy. That's what babies do."
"It's okay, honey," Skye reassured him, "I know it scared you."
"I was so scared. I thought I was a goner!"
"You're safe." Skye gave Jesse another hug before peeking over the edge again.
Wade knelt so Dylan could step on his shoulders. Shaking, Wade slowly rose. Dylan grabbed the lip of the cliff and pulled himself up. Not without cost, though. His face twisted even though Skye did her best to help him. Once on solid ground, Dylan bent holding his side.
Skye couldn't imagine the anguish this re-injury caused him. Watching his struggles as he dragged Wade and Jesse to safety had made her sick to her stomach. Dirt still caked her fingernails from gripping the grass as she had watched and wished there was a way she could help them.
Skye gasped at his blood-soaked shirt. "Oh, Dylan!"
"Let's get Wade up here, then we'll look at it," Dylan grunted as he lowered himself into position to haul Wade up.
"I'll help."
"You ain't strong enough."
"I just helped you." There was no way Skye would let Dylan do this by himself. "I can do something to help."
Dylan scooted to make room for her. The two reached down but were still short of spanning the gap to Wade.
"Jessie, get the blanket," Skye said. Jesse ran for it.
Wade looked up at them. "Uh, not sure the boy is gonna make it back with that. The ledge is feelin shaky."
"Jump!" Dylan ordered.
Wade leaped and grabbed onto Dylan and Skye's hands as part of the ledge crumbled. The weight was far more than Skye expected. She cried out as her arms exploded in pain, first from the jerk, then as they continued to stretch beyond their normal limits.
"Skye?" Dylan's eyes wavered between her and Wade.
"I can do this." Skye gritted her teeth. Even as she spoke, her half of Wade's brawny body unbalanced her, and she started to slide toward the cliff's edge.
Dylan swiftly moved one hand to grip Wade's arm below Skye's hold. Jesse leaped onto Skye's back for added weight and to offer what assistance he was able.
Once Skye felt secure, she glanced at Dylan. "I'm good now."
"Are you sure? We can't lose any more ground, I ain't gonna be able to -- to pull him up if we do." His voice broke.
"It's okay, Dylan. We can do this."
Dylan and Skye began to worm their way backward. Jesse took hold of Wade's shirt and pulled.
Once Wade was lifted high enough, he dragged himself onto solid ground. The four flopped back onto the grass, gasping.
Skye was the first one up, crawling to Dylan and examining his reopened knife wound.
Her face paled when she saw the blood soaking his shirt and dripping onto the green below him. Skye slowly peeled his t-shirt back to see what she already suspected, many of his stitches were ripped. Dylan had a hollow, bloody socket in his midsection.
Skye hadn't seen the injury the first time around, and it was more than she wanted to see now. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and sent Jesse for the cloth napkins she brought to the picnic. They would help stem the stream of fresh blood.
Wade knelt beside Skye and laid a hand on his brother's shoulder. Worry for Dylan covered his face.
Thirteen
Promises
Dylan grit his teeth as he tried to sit up. Skye put her hand to the middle of his broad chest and pushed.
"Stay down," she ordered.
Dylan winced and fell back. He suffered more than he was letting on if he obeyed without objection.
When Skye applied pressure to the jagged wound, Dylan closed his eyes and grunted his discomfort. It took some time, but the bleeding stopped.
Wade ripped the blanket into strips, and they used it as bandages. Then, Skye insisted Dylan rest before they started home.
After the bre
ak, Skye packed up the picnic supplies. "Wade, can you and Jesse carry this?"
"Sure thing."
She turned to Jesse. "You go with Wade. But don't get too far ahead of us, baby, we may need your help."
Jesse's nose and forehead crinkled. "You know I'm not a baby."
Skye hugged him and ruffled his hair before turning his face up to her, "What I know is that right now I can call you whatever I want. Baby." Then, as he rolled his eyes, she kissed the top of his head.
As Jesse and Wade moved away from her, she called out, "Wade, watch him!"
"Me? Don't worry. I ain't gonna let him fall over any cliffs."
Skye huffed and pasted her mouth shut. In her heightened emotional state, nothing helpful would come out of it.
"Your brother!" she grumbled to Dylan.
"Yeah, well, he already did his good deed. Seems he's only capable of one a day."
Skye laughed in agreement. It had been an enormous good deed, and she needed to be content with that.
Skye put her sore arms around Dylan to help him get up. Both of them let out a groan. Tremendous relief and gratitude flooded Skye's face. She tipped her face up to Dylan and said, "Thank you, Dylan, thank you so much!"
With a solemn glance, he nodded, acknowledging her appreciation. "I'm here. I'll always be here," he said, reminding her of the promise he made her after that first call to her father. She laid her head against him for a moment as they looked out over the view one more time.
The sun was setting. A bit of orange color lit up the sky, bathing the trees in that special glow that only happens in late autumn.
It's beautiful.
But it was as if Dylan looked at an entirely different scene. "I hate this place, I've always hated it, and now this!"
Skye raised her head and stared at him. Dylan almost trembled with strong emotion.
"Why? Dylan, you said it would be a fine place for a picnic."
"You seemed to want to come here."
"Not if you hate it." Skye tipped her head. "You come up here all the time."
"I come up here cause I can see the town, not cause I like it."
Skye glanced from one side of the overlook to the other. "Why do you despise it so much?"
Dylan twisted in her arms, working up courage, but his nerve left him.
He blew out a forceful sigh. "I just hate it, okay. Not everything needs a big discussion. I don't want to talk about it right now. Maybe someday, just not —“ He finished his sentence by rubbing the back of his neck as he shook his head.
Skye squeezed Dylan's arm. "It's okay. You can tell me when you're ready. No hurry. Now let's get home."
Dylan relaxed, and he pulled Skye a little closer to his side as they made their way down the path home.
After arriving, Skye got Dylan settled on the bed. "Who should we get to help with this? Since we don't know what we're doing." She waved her hand toward Dylan's side.
"Nah, no sense in that. Wade can handle it."
Skye settled her hands on her hips. "Dylan. Not to knock Wade's skills, but you need someone to examine this.”
"There ain't anybody. We were guessin then, and we'd be guessin now. No reason to drag someone else over here."
"Dylan!" Skye said but gave up when his steely gaze told her he'd decided. Throwing her hands in the air, she offered her services, such as they were.
But after seeing Dylan jerk with every bit of stone Wade fished out, Skye gave her weak knees a break and went to the living room to sit. A girl could only take so much.
Jesse looked fascinated and horrified as he watched the two men until Skye called him over to her. "How are you?" she asked as she turned him round to check.
"I got a couple scrapes." Safe, Jesse now felt rather manly about his dangerous adventure and pointed out his injuries with pride.
Skye played along with him. "Okay, well, we certainly don't want infection setting in these bad boys, we better clean them up."
Once everyone was patched and cleaned up, they came into the living room and sat down. Skye looked around the room, her eyes warm with appreciation they had all made it through another day.
"Until everyone is healed up, and I mean mended to my satisfaction, I want promises we will stay in and around this cabin. No matter what brilliant ideas I come up with!"
They all snickered and laughed but were sincere in the assurances they gave her.
Fourteen
Something About That Woman
The boy had long since gone to bed, and Wade was out on watch. Dylan sat in the living room, examining the smooth, light brown wood of his bow for any small cracks or twisting before waxing the string.
In the kitchen, Skye mixed up a batch of chocolate chip cookies as a surprise for Jesse with some chips Wade scrounged from one of the neighbors.
These last few days had been quiet ones. Dylan's side continued to heal. He stayed close to the house as he promised. He was eager to be well enough to get back to his routine and smart enough to know he wasn't ready yet.
The days restricted to the cabin brought him into closer contact with Skye, and the feelings he tried to tamp down stirred stronger in him. Dylan ducked his head as he glanced at Skye.
Something about the woman drew him back again and again. Dylan frowned and turned his attention back to his bow, determined to ignore her. It was nothing. They were cooped up in this tiny place was all. Sure, they talked a lot. But she was right here if he wanted to talk. And her, well, she yammered on all kinds of nonsense he couldn't get away from. Dylan smiled, remembering some of her earlier nonsense. It's not all that bad.
The light clang of metal bowls made Dylan, almost unwillingly, glanced her way again. Most of Skye's chestnut-brown hair lay in a long, low ponytail that lightly skimmed her back as she moved. Thin tendrils drifted against her neck and cheeks as she reached into an upper cupboard for some forgotten item.
Tonight, she wore a long, blue dress. Something about it reminded Dylan of clothing his grandmother would've worn. But it didn't seem matronly at all on Skye's generous curves. His gaze skimmed over her again. It looked dang fine was what it looked.
Skye confidently moved as she went about her work. Dylan wondered if that was what attracted him. It was a trait he admired. Even when the girl learned something new, she had this sure way of going about it. Like she just knew she would get the hang of it.
When Dylan first brought Skye to his cabin, he'd thought her confidence only a part of her unwillingness to acknowledge what went on around her. And Lord knew she liked to ignore troubles.
But he'd soon figured out it wasn't an over-confidence to her situation, but a certainty she would do her best. He admired that. He had from the beginning. Dylan's mind drifted to one of the first times he'd seen her.
He and Wade had been in town, leaned up against the rough brick exterior of the local diner watching the people of Colton go about their business. The scent of Salisbury steak wafted to Dylan. What he would've given for a little cash to sink his teeth into the rich meat and potatoes smothered with gravy. He'd been so hungry; he could almost taste it.
Bored or nervous, Dylan chewed at his thumbnail as Wade pointed out different people who amused him. Wade's laughter barked out, again and again, causing more than a few people to glance their way. Wade's laughter could carry a fair distance.
Dylan snorted his amusement over his brother's comments as he looked over the busy street. For them, coming to town held the same entertainment as going to a movie did for those with more money.
He and Wade usually stuck to the mountains, away from the judgmental eyes of the townsfolk. Though the Cole family had been around as long as the hills Dylan grew up in, their good reputation had waned several generations ago, and now, it was nonexistent.
Their Dad ended it.
Dylan noticed the anxious glances thrown their way. He looked at his brother and himself, seeing their lazy stance and torn clothing from the passersby's point of view.
They we
ren't doing anything to make the family's reputation any better, they never had.
Dylan lowered his head and practically snarled as he stared down a suit-clad man who challenged him with a long look. Only after the man tightened his grip on the woman beside him and hurried along was Dylan satisfied. He scoffed. Who'd want a skinny thing like that anyway?
Dylan sometimes wished the Coles weren't looked down on, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. Colton branded Dylan and Wade troublemakers long ago, and it wasn't likely to change anytime soon. Only on the mountain did the world make any sense to them. There, they found freedom from petty laws they barely understood and a community that understood them.
Still, they needed to come down for supplies now and again, which was last week. This week they came about the sickness.
Word on the mountain was that there was one almighty flu fanning out across the area and it had the brothers curious. Now they were here, there was no doubt the rumors were true. Sick people formed a line out the Doc's office door at least twenty deep, and some looked like they were hanging on by a thread. Coughing, many sat on the ground, their weakened bodies bowed, as they waited.
Dylan watched as the townsfolk actively avoided looking at the long line of Doc Kinder’s patients. People were scared of the disease.
"We need to find out more about this flu," Dylan said, "so we can tell the others." Wade nodded in agreement.
It was then, the door to the coffee shop on the other side of the street burst open. Dylan pushed himself straighter against the wall.
It was her.
Skye didn't see him, but his eyes tracked her as she tapped her way down the sidewalk. Dylan didn't know what drew him. She wasn't the type of woman that usually caught his eye. He found high-heels ridiculous, her outfit too professional for his taste, and her face and hair overly made up. Still, he couldn't help wondering what a change in clothing and a little mussing up would do.
Wade noticed Dylan's unwavering stare Skye's way. "Little brother," he laughed, "that woman ain't for you."