Page 9 of The Drifter's Bride
“You will come back,” she said firmly, as if more to herself than him, but he answered her anyway.
“I will come back. You should be able to see me the entire time.” Addison hesitated for a moment before nodding and handing the lead over to Lukas. He walked around the bush and found the horse creek-side, happily munching on grass. She was lucky the horse hadn’t slid down the embankment or taken off with the lead wrapped around her arm. He quickly felt the horse’s legs but couldn’t feel any inflammation.
“Is he alright?” Addison called from behind the bush.
“Well, he is a she, and there doesn’t appear to be any swelling, so that’s good.” Large drops of water hit his shoulders as the clouds released their promised rain. “We need to get out of here.” He eased around her and rubbed his palm over the horse’s muzzle before guiding it quietly back to his horse and looping their reins together. At least it wouldn’t wander away. Now he needed to free the lady’s foot. The sky shuddered as thunder shook the trees.
“Lukas!” Addison called out, and he could hear the alarm in her voice.
“I’m right here, Miss Aland. I’ll be right back to you.” He stroked both horses and pivoted to return to her. Hopefully, he’d be able to slide her backwards and ease her foot out. He’d bet his favorite hat, she had been trying to pull it straight up and that just wasn’t how holes worked out here.
“Oh!” She startled as he crouched down beside her, and he wondered what she’d been so focused on that she hadn’t seen him.
“Let’s get you out of here and back to the big house before the storm gets worse.” He spoke far more confidently than he felt.
“How can I help?” she asked, sounding calmer than she had when he first arrived.
“Are you hurt anywhere other than your foot?” He needed to know before he decided on the best course of action.
“I hurt my shoulder when the horse jerked earlier. But it’s not as bad.” She shrugged, only to grimace instead.
“Alrighty then. This is going to be a little awkward since we’ve just met and all, but on my honor, this is only to get you free.” He warned her, while shifting to plant his feet in a deep squat. At least moving her would be easier than lifting the pregnant heifers out of the ditches, which he’d done twice today.
“What are you going to do?” The words had just escaped her lips before she shrieked as Lukas slid one hand behind her back and the other under her legs, stepping away from the hole and setting her down gently. “Oh!” Addison blinked up at him and he grinned.
“See, I told you it’d be quick. Can you put pressure on it?”
Addison took a step and let out a cry. “I don’t think so.”
Lukas swept her up and carried her towards the horses. “We need to go before you get soaked.” The drops were coming faster now. Her arms reached up around his neck and her head rested under his chin. He closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the feel of her in his arms.
She fit perfectly.
It was as if God had designed his arms to be the exact size to hold her.
She gave a little whimper, and he felt her move closer as the rain began its cold barrage. She said her horse had gone lame, so Hickory was just going to have to play nice with the lady.
Lord, I hope she’s who she said she is,he thought. At least he knew for sure it wasn’t Lolly. He’d be a liar if he didn’t admit he had been waiting for her to pop up in Flat River, though perhaps Peter would be enough to keep her from returning.
Setting her atop Hickory, he realized she’d had the foresight to grab the lantern, and it was dangling from the hand that was not gripping his shoulder. Taking it, he looked down at her legs; they were scratched, but they didn’t look overly damaged.
“Hold on to the saddle horn. Hickory is a good horse, but he doesn’t like fidgety riders.” He guided her hand to the horn, making sure she was settled before he rounded the horses to pick up their reins. He watched her wipe the hair out of her eyes and grab the saddle horn once more.
With a quick nod, he tugged on the reins and guided the horses down the path, praying the rain wouldn’t get any heavier.
Chapter Five
Addison tried to maintain a grip on the saddle horn, but with the rain, it was harder to keep her fingers wrapped around the wet metal. Her dress was heavy on her legs, but the cold fabric provided relief to the scratches from the brambles and thorns. She was afraid to squirm on the seat in case she slid off. She didn’t want the handsome cowboy to have to rescue her again if she landed face down in the mud.
She gave a little giggle at the thought. The rain was still coming down slowly in big fat droplets that soaked her skin. She would be lucky if she didn’t catch her death of cold by the time she finally got back to Uncle Weston and Aunt Ingrid’s house.
A loud crack filled the air, and a lightning bolt forked across the sky.
Addison saw it hit a tree in the distance, and the earth beneath the horse rumbled its dissatisfaction. Another fork hit, and the sound of bark exploding caused Addison to jump in her seat. She clung tighter to the metal horn.
“Did you hear that?” she called to Lukas.Of course, he heard it silly,she thought.He’s right there.But when she looked up, he was no longer in front of the horses. “Mr. Arkin? Where are you?”
The clouds thundered once more, and the fat droplets became a sheet of water, drenching her. Addison raised her face to the sky, wondering if God was punishing her for wandering away from home. Suddenly, she felt something behind her. Turning, she saw Lukas on the horse, pushing her forward. “Put your legs over mine. We need to go. We aren’t going to make it to the Chapmans, and I need to get you out of the cold.”
