Page 72 of Steadfast

The rope pulled taut around Oakleigh’s waist, and she heaved with all her might. The adrenaline coursing throughher did little to reinforce her waning strength as the rope slipped through her gloves.

“I’m sorry, Mia, hold on.” Oakleigh whipped the gloves off, grasping the slick nylon rope with her frozen hands. She felt it bite into the tender skin of her fingers. Mia’s progress up the cliff gave her the boost she needed. Before long, Mia hoisted herself over the ledge and collapsed beside Oakleigh in a heap.

“Are you all right?” Oakleigh asked, her lips trembling. She hoped Mia would assume she was simply cold and not notice the fear in her eyes.

Mia simply nodded as she struggled to catch her breath. She untied the rope from her waist and hurled it down to Paisley.

Oakleigh felt the strong tug as Paisley prepared to climb. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the rope with her numb, tender hands.

It was all too late as water surged through the valley, sweeping every tree and boulder in its path. Oakleigh pressed her boots against the wall of sandbags, hoping for the leverage she needed to haul Paisley to safety. Her heartbeat raced with panic as she watched the sandbags tumble over the eroding side of the cliff. Without anything to support her in place, she was jerked forward and dragged toward the ledge.

She scrambled to jam the heels of her boots in the soft earth, leaving ruts as she went. Clawing for anything that could stop her from sliding, she swiped at the long pasture grass, but its roots simply pulled away in her hands. With nothing left, Oakleigh grasped the rope with all her might. It sliced throughher fingers, becoming slick with a mixture of blood, water, and mud.

“Oaks! Don’t let go!” Paisley cried while dodging falling rocks.

Teetering on the edge of the precipice, she looked down at her sister and saw her terror as the water rushed below her feet. Oakleigh clenched her eyes shut, as the dirt beneath her gave way.

Lord, help me. Please.

The chaotic wind and rain went silent, fading around her. Her mind went blank, her strength failed, and she felt herself wrenched over the cliff.

“I’ve got you! I’m not going to let you fall.”

When she thought all was lost, Oakleigh felt an arm around her, holding her fast.

It was Mia.

Her best friend anchored her, as she always had throughout their long friendship.

“You know we take all of our trips together, Oaks, and this isn’t going to be one of them,” Mia reassured as she pulled her back to secure ground.

Together they worked to bring Paisley up the side of the cliff. She clambered over the edge and crawled on her knees beside them in the mushy, wet field.

Oakleigh gasped, attempting to fill her exhausted lungs as she collapsed into the grass. Salty, hot tears of relief ran fromher eyes as she allowed the torrential rainfall to wash over her. No one could tell she was crying, and she preferred it that way.

“Let’s go home,” she said, finally able to gather the few words she had left.

Oakleigh scanned the dark and expansive property.

There was still no sign of Lil’ Slim.

She would have a lot of explaining to do when Maeve got home. It was a conversation that she dreaded with every fiber of her being. She had failed in every sense of the word, and the damages were mounting.

They had miles to walk ahead of them. They were all injured and tired, but Mia most of all.

“Can you put any weight on that ankle?” Oakleigh asked.

“I can try?” Mia attempted to stand. With a cry of pain, her knee buckled beneath her.

Paisley caught her, allowing Mia to immediately take her weight off her injury. Oakleigh took the other side as they began their hobbling journey across the pasture.

Oakleigh’s gashed, bleeding hands began to throb in the cold air. The pasture seemed endless, and the walk soon felt like it would be impossible.

“Oh yeah, Audrey,” Oakleigh remembered. She grabbed for the walkie that she expected to be clipped to her belt loop. To her dismay, it was missing. In the midst of the chaos, it must have tumbled into the ravine below and been swept away by the rising water. Their only option was to continue the long trek toward the ranch house.

Oakleigh’s throat felt as though she had swallowed knives. The shouting had left her voice raspy and weak. From the thick silence between them, Oakleigh sensed that Paisley was still furious, yet she had no energy to deal with more conflict.

They stumbled along as the wind battled against them and the rain beat down on every side. Shambling through the pitch blackness of night, they finally caught sight of the darkened ranch house in the distance. Even though the power was out, it was still a welcoming sight. Callaway Ranch stood like a beacon in the midst of the storm.

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