Chapter 7 #2
I might not know what to do with a guy like this, but apparently my body did, because all of a sudden, I was anything but cold. My cheeks burned from blushing, not from the wind or the cold, but was I about to explain that to him? Nope.
He got us both back on the horse, and we took off once more. I held on and this time tried to cover my hands with his shirt as much as possible. He didn’t seem to mind it. I also hid my face in his back again which helped a ton with the wind that seemed to be growing colder by the minute.
As we stopped for the second time, he sighed, looking up to the sky.
“I had planned to stay here for the night and finish up tomorrow. I usually take a day and a half, sometimes two or more to get out to that location. If we continue on we’ll be riding through the night but should arrive back at the ranch by morning.”
“I’m guessing it’s going to get a lot colder through the night.”
“Yes, but I’m not sure that snow is going to wait for us.”
He dug into the saddle bag and retrieved a couple of protein bars, passing one to me.
“Thanks.”
“It’s not much, but it will sustain us at least.”
“Can Clementine make the ride?”
“I think so. She hasn’t showed any signs of fatigue or anything to be concerned about. If she does though, we could still get stranded out here. At least here we have a den to sleep in tonight. The next closest is still a good four-hour ride and not a direct line to the stables.”
“This is all new to me. And I’m not used to having to make decisions like this. So I’m going to have to trust you know what’s best for us.”
His jaw was tight, but he nodded.
Something wet hit my cheek, and I looked up into the sky. The first snowflakes were already falling.
“Let’s chance it. I have a feeling this is going to get bad quickly.”
Back on the horse we went. We didn’t stop quite so soon this time but instead continued on well into the night.
All my trust was in this man I’d just met to get us to safety.
It was insane. I could only imagine he was channeling his wolf sight to see what was ahead.
When I looked around me, all I saw was darkness.
I was so tired. My eyes kept drifting shut as I hugged him a little tighter, though I was struggling to hold on. My arms felt heavy and my body exhausted. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go on.
“Stop,” I finally said.
“We can’t,” he yelled back at me.
“Please.” I was ready to beg if I had to.
Finally, he heeded my warning and slowed Clementine to a trot.
“Bathroom break?”
“What? No. I’m falling asleep back here and struggling to hold on.”
He stopped the horse and helped me off.
The snow was actually falling now, making the entire situation all the more miserable.
“We can’t stop, can we?”
“No. We still have a few hours before sunrise and this snow is already sticking.”
I nodded and stretched.
When I yawned, Cruz suggested I do some jumping jacks or something. I felt ridiculous as he grabbed my arms and started moving them up and down.
“I can’t do your feet for you,” he teased.
I gave him a couple of hops. Satisfied, he got us situated back on the horse and off we went.
My thighs were killing me and I was pretty sure the pain of that is what kept me awake enough not to fall off.
Tears pricked my eyes as the sky began to lighten.
“It’s not that far now,” he assured me, yelling over the wind.
The storm was picking up quickly, making it even more miserable. But thankfully, just as the sun was rising, Cruz pointed out a civilization just up ahead. A large red barn was now visible.
“We can do this,” I cheered, but Clementine didn’t agree.
She started to wobble.
“Oh no,” I cried as I slid off her backend.
Cruz jumped off her next and then immediately started checking on her. I had no idea what to look for, but whatever he saw seemed to satisfy him.
“She’ll be okay, but she’s done.” Turning to the horse, he lovingly caressed her and spoke softly. “You did great, girl. Just a little further now and you can rest.”
He took the reins in one hand and wrapped his arm around me with the other.
“We’re going to have to walk the rest of the way.”
It didn’t look that far to me, but it took an hour to close the distance.
By the time we arrived at the barn, I was dead on my feet.
“Incoming,” someone yelled as we approached.
A few other cowboys seemed to come out of nowhere. They were all staring at me, and I started to freak.
All I wanted was a warm bed and long nap.
What if they recognized me?
Things could get crazy quickly. I’d seen it happen on numerous occasions.
They started running toward us.
My heart raced as I began to panic.
What was I going to do?
The snow trying to stick to the ground was slushy and my foot slipped as I stumbled forward, lost my footing entirely, and went down face first into the snow. My cheek landed in some mud. It gave me an idea.
If I was covered in mud, surely they wouldn’t recognize me. So, I rolled my head to the side to cover more of my face.
That’s when I smelled it.
I screamed.
“It’s not mud!”