| Chapter Six I knew it was happening, and I knew what I had to do, but it seemed to me like time had slowed down to a mere crawl. It felt like I was moving through molasses as I reached for the rope hooked onto my saddle horn and positioned it properly within my hands. I raised my arm above my head and began twirling the rope, knowing I had only one chance to get it right, before the water would bear down on Kevin and sweep him away. “Kevin,” I yelled, to gain his attention. He was fighting to gain the ground he lost when Darlin’ had stumbled and I could tell he was scared. So was I. He looked up and our eyes met. He gave me a small nod and kept coming. I gave the rope one final twirl and then let it fly. I watched as the rope sailed through the air and from the corner of my eye, I could see that the rushing water was now on top of Kevin. It crashed into Darlin’s legs and she whinnied loudly in fright as Kevin tightened his hold on the reigns. Come on, I prayed, as I waited for the rope to settle over its target. My heart stopped beating for just that moment and I held my breath as I watched the lasso encircle the saddle horn. Immediately, my heart started beating, I exhaled and Mayhem and I went to work. I pulled tight on the rope, cinching the knot tight and Mayhem began backing away as Kevin held on. “Don’t let go,” I shouted to be heard over the sound of the rushing water. I noticed his hands tightening even more on the leather reigns and sighed slightly in relief. I knew he had to be cold and I knew the strain on his body had to be wearing him out. “Just a little further, Mayhem,” I crooned to my horse as he continued to back up, his powerful muscles straining against the weight of horse and rider. As Darlin’s front hooves touched solid ground, she whinnied and lunged, clearing the rim with a small hop-like movement. Her sides were heaving and she was blowing hard. I slid from Mayhem’s back and rushed to Kevin’s side as he started to fall from the saddle. “Whoa, there. You have to stay in the saddle so we can get going. I don’t think I can lift you back up if you get down,” I said as I pushed him upright. I watched as he weaved in the saddle. “Kevin?” I asked, beginning to worry that he wouldn’t make it the next mile to the cave. He sat up straight and tightened his slack grip on the reigns. “Can you make it?” I asked, as I quickly looked him over. “Yeah, I’ll make it. Let’s get out of here,” he stated as he gently urged Darlin’ forward. I nodded and mounted up, moving over to the side so Kevin could ride beside me. I kept an eye on him and noticed he was shivering and his lips were turning a little blue around the edges, he also had a few cuts and scratches on his hands and one alongside his cheek. I knew he was cold, even though the temperature was in the low sixties. The small creek up in the hills where the dry wash started consisted of ice melt. Somewhere along the way the creek dried up, but every time it rained hard in the hills, the lower dry wash always flooded. I felt so guilty as I watched him shiver. Even though I honestly didn’t think we were in any danger, I knew it was possible and I should’ve turned back. Recriminations piled upon my head and I felt weighted down by it all. I shook myself and called Kevin’s name as I noticed he was lilting to one side. He jerked upright and I murmured soothing phrases to encourage him to hold on. The sky was darkening and I knew that the storm was now approaching our location. I hated to do it, but I had no other choice if I wanted to get him to shelter. “Kevin, we need to go a little faster. The storm’s approaching and we can’t afford for you to get any wetter.” He mumbled something and I couldn’t tell if it was an agreement or an argument, so I slowed Mayhem and Darlin’ followed suit. When the horses were side-by-side, I swung down off of Mayhem and up onto Darlin’ sitting behind the saddle. It wasn’t the most comfortable seat, but Kevin’s larger body occupied the saddle leaving me no choice. I removed the reigns from Kevin’s hands and gigged Darlin’ into a canter. “Just hang on Kev,” I whispered as we rode along the trail. Twenty minutes later, we neared the cave and I slowed Darlin’ to a walk. I dismounted and made my way to the cave’s opening. I stooped down and removed the concealing brush and found the torches my sisters and I always kept out there. I quickly lit one and entered the cave, checking for wildlife. Finding none, I went back out and helped Kevin down and led him into the cave. I moved as far back as I could and eased him down. “I’ll be right back. I have to get the horses,” I told him. He remained quiet and I headed back out for Mayhem and Darlin’. I gathered their reigns and led them into the cave and took them all the way to the back, where there was a deep pool of clear cold water. I quickly unsaddled them, rubbed them down and left them to drink their fill. I knew from past experience that they would find their way back to the front when they were ready. Moving quickly, I took the saddlebags, bedrolls and the one saddle I could carry toward the front of the cave and laid them against the wall. I found my stash of wood and began a small fire. It caught quickly and a soon a bright light and warmth began to pervade the chilly confines of the cave. “Kevin?” I called as I moved closer to him. He stirred slightly and I called his name again. His head came up and I noticed his teeth were chattering violently. Chapter 6 Part 2 |