Page 104 of Wrangled

“Remember how many creeks we crossed to get here? Most of them are probably like this.” I reached into my saddlebag, and pulled out my satellite phone. I fired it up, then punched in the numbers.

Teague answered instantly. “I was about to call you. There are reports of flash floods near Billings, but some are closer to home.”

“I know, we’re looking at one.”

“Already? How’s the weather?”

“Not a goddamn cloud in the sky.”

“But there was heavy rainfall in the east, about six hours ago. I think you should come on home.”

I sighed. “That might prove a little difficult,” I said dryly. “We’re on the wrong side of the creek.”

“Aw fuck.”

This wasn’t my first experience of flash floods, but I didn’t remember one this severe. “It can’t last that long. A few hours maybe.”

“So what are you gonna do?”

“We’ll wait it out. We’ve got water, and I think there are a couple of protein bars in my saddlebag. Plus, we have…bed rolls, in case we can’t get back tonight.”

Yeah, that sounded totally plausible.

Teague chuckled. “Oh my, that was forward-thinking of you.” He paused. “Itwasforward-thinking, right?”

“You hush. If the floods haven’t receded by nightfall, we’ll have to stay here. I’m not gonna risk riding back in the dark.”

“No, you’re not. You’ll break your damn neck. Stay safe. Remember your Boy Scout days.”

Before I finished the call, I chuckled. “I was never a Boy Scout.” I twisted to look at Toby. “We’re gonna wait it out. Nothing else we can do.”

“In that case, can we wait it out by the lake? At least there are trees there for shelter if we need them.”

It was a good idea. We headed back up the trail toward the lake, and skirted around it until we found a spot where we had shelter beneath trees. I got off Rusty and tied him to a tree, and Toby did the same with Lightning. I stood at the lakeside once more, gazing out at its calm waters.

“I didn’t expect to see it againthissoon,” I joked. “And before you ask, no, we arenotgoing swimming again.” I was trying to make light of the situation. We weren’t in any real danger. The waters would recede, but it might take a while, and in the meantime we’d be okay under the trees. If we were still there by nightfall, I’d make a fire.

Toby hunkered down at the water’s edge. “I thought you’d changed your mind about this afternoon.”

“Why would you think that?”

“One minute you’re telling me to be ready, the next… You kinda disappeared on me.”

“Ah.” And just like that, my chest tightened a notch or two.

“Paul was worried about you,” he added.

“There was nothing to worry about. I… I just had stuff on my mind, that’s all. Something I had to work through first.”

He stood and walked toward me. “Did it have anything to do with that girl? The one Butch was talking to?”

I stared at him. “You don’t miss much, do you?”

He smiled. “No. It comes with the job description.Doms see stuff.It says so in the rule book. Didn’t Kevin ever tell you that?”

I chuckled. “Once or twice. He didn’t miss much either.” But that had been a comfort.

It seemed Toby was looking out for me too.

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