Everlasting Love (14 page)

Touched by Zac's candor and warmed by his smile, James nodded. “You're right, you little hoodlum.”

“Hey, watch it with the ‘little' stuff.”

“Right now,” James said, sobering, “I'm glad you're not any bigger. Looks like I'm going to have to pack you out of here on my back.”

“No way.” The boy folded his arms across his chest. “I'll just wait for the water to go down and get me a crutch or something.”

“Then I hope you can swim,” James replied, pointing. “See that line halfway up the wall? That's how deep it's going to get in here.”

Behind him, he heard Roxy's sharp intake of breath. “We have to get out!”

“That's what I've been trying to tell you,” James said. He took her hand and led her back to the cave opening. Water was beginning to slosh in,
wetting the floor in a widening circle. The river was rising even faster than he'd expected. There was no time to waste.

He grabbed the end of the leather rein and gave it a tug to make sure it was still solidly anchored, then leaned out and called, “Megan. You ready?”

When there was no answering shout, James thought his heart was going to pound its way out of his chest.

“Megan! Answer me.”

P
erched above the cave, Megan strained to listen. Several times she'd imagined hearing James's voice, had answered and had discovered she'd been mistaken.

When she heard something this time, she crawled cautiously to the edge of the bank and used the flashlight to signal. “James? I'm here.”

Beside her, the makeshift rescue rope tightened, creaking against the sturdy hickory sapling she'd used as its anchor.

James's voice came to her like a breath on the wind. “I'm sending Roxy up. Get ready to grab her.”

“Okay. All set.”

Reaching over the bank, Megan laid the flashlight on the ground and used her other hand to
steady the leather strap, hoping that if it did slip she'd be quick enough and strong enough to catch and hold it.

Icy, trembling fingers touched hers. Megan clasped her sister's wrist. “Roxy! Hold on. I'll pull you up.”

Where she got the strength to heave the younger girl over the lip of the muddy, undercut bank she didn't know. Everything happened in a blur. Roxanne shot up out of the riverbed as if jumping from a trampoline and landed with a thump and a whimper.

Megan tearfully gathered her into an embrace. “Oh, honey. We thought we'd lost you!”

“Me, too,” the girl said, clinging and shivering. “Oh, Meg, I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay. It's over. You're safe now.”

Pushing herself away, Roxy shook her head so violently, droplets of water scattered. “No. It's not over. Zac's still down there.”

“Don't worry. James—Mr. Harris will bring him up in a minute.”

“But he's hurt.”

Megan's heart lumped in her throat. “James? How—?”

“No, Zac. He was wonderful, Meg. I thought he was just a kid but you should have seen him. He…”

Megan grasped the girl's shoulders. “What happened to Zac? How badly is he injured?”

“I don't know. I think maybe his leg is broken. Mr. Harris said he'd have to carry him.”

This news changed everything. Megan eyed the thin leather reins. How much weight could they bear before snapping under the strain? She gritted her teeth. Reins, nothing. How much strain could her
nerves
take before snapping?

“I prayed and prayed,” Roxy said between sniffles, tremors and jerky breaths.

Taking off the plastic poncho, Megan slipped it over her sister's head. “Don't stop now,” she told the girl. “Only two of us are safe. James and Zac still need all the extra help they can get.”

 

“I won't let you pack me around like some baby,” Zac declared.

James would have worried more if he hadn't sensed fear behind the boy's bravado. “Fine. Well, guess I'll be going. See ya.”

“Wait! You can't leave me here!”

“I don't intend to stick around till I lose my chance of escape. And you won't let me help you, so—”

“Okay, okay. But if you tell the other kids about this I'll, I'll…”

“I don't intend to say one word, except to the police.”

“Police? I didn't do nothin'.”

“We'll talk about that later,” James said firmly. “Right now, you and I have to figure out how we're going to get out of this mess. Any ideas?”

“You said you were going to carry me.”

“Only if you're sure you can hang on no matter what happens. There's a chance we may fall into the river. If we got separated in the water you could be in real trouble.”

“Like I'm not already?” Zac made a face. “You're gonna hand me over to the cops.”

“I never said that. But somebody has some serious explaining to do. A lot of folks have been out searching for you and your girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Yeah, right,” Zac said. “She might make an okay nurse but she's a lousy date. All she did was complain. And it was her fault we were out here.”

“I said, we'll discuss it later.” James lifted the youth to his feet and steadied him, then turned and crouched down. “Put your arms around my neck. When I stand up, I'll grab your knees. You know. Like playing piggyback.”

“I've seen it.”

But you never had a daddy to give you rides, did
you?
James thought.
Of course not.
So many simple things like that were taken for granted by anyone who'd had a so-called normal childhood. Even he remembered enjoyable outings with his parents, especially when he was very young. To children like those who were placed in Camp Refuge, that kind of life must seem like an unattainable dream.

He straightened, his hands on the boy's forearms where they passed around his neck. “I'm knotting the cuffs of that jacket together to help you hang on. Ready?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so.”

James carried him to the entrance and paused. The only way he could use the rope for assistance was to let go of Zac's legs. Whether the injured one was broken or not, pain would keep the youth from gripping with it.

“Hang on a minute,” James said. “I'll tie the shoelaces on your bad foot to my belt so your leg won't wobble around too much, in case I have to let go. Think you can stand it like that?”

“I can stand anything.”

“Yeah. You're tough. I forgot.” And a scared kid, too, he reminded himself. “Listen, Zac, if there was any other way…”

“Just get me out of here, okay?”

“Okay.”

Eyeing the water mere inches from his feet, James steadied the boy's bad leg and reached for the lifeline. Megan was waiting for him at the other end.

In a way, she was his lifeline, too. All he had to do was reach her.

 

“I see them!” Roxy yelled. “They're almost to the top.”

Rain had ceased to fall. Excess water dripped sporadically from the trees. Megan was using the flashlight to check the condition of the bridle, praying that their improvised rescue rig would hold. She shined the weakening beam at the buckles that held the reins to the bit. That connection seemed secure, yet something about it bothered her. If only she could see more clearly.

Though she wanted to be at the brink of the riverbank to greet James, something held her back. She put out her hand. Touched one of the rings on either side of the bit. There was a barely perceptible movement. An instant later, the upper rein broke away!

Amazingly, Megan's fingers were in the right place at the right time. She caught the loose bridle, dropping the flashlight so she could use both hands, and held on for dear life.

Skidding toward the edge of the embankment like a water-skier being pulled behind a speedboat, she tried to dig her heels into the wet ground.

Roxy lunged as she sailed past, grabbing her and knocking her down. Together, they were dragged across the soggy, uneven forest floor. A scrub oak came between them, halting their slide just short of disaster.

Roxy spit leaves. “Phew! What happened?”

“One of the reins broke. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. You?”

“So far. Whatever you do,
don't let go!
”

From below they heard a shout. “Megan, give me a hand. There's something wrong with this rope.”

“I know. Sorry. Can you make it on your own? We're tied up right now.”

To her great relief, he poked his head above the precipice. “What the…?”

“Don't ask,” Megan said. “Just get on up here so we can relax, will you? My arms are cramping.”

James grabbed a cedar sapling and used it to pull himself the rest of the way. “Okay. You can let go,” he told her. “We're on solid ground.”

Collapsing with relief, Megan watched him untie Zac, swing him around to the front and lower him gently. The boy was perspiring profusely and
his eyes glistened. She suspected James was also trying to suppress tears of gratitude. She certainly was.

She and her sister were still prostrate beneath the bushy oak, gasping from their efforts, when James dropped to his knees beside her. “Are you all right?”

“I'm fine. Now,” Megan said. “You're here.”

She reached to caress his beloved face. A smile blossomed. Unashamed of her tears, she let him help her to her feet without protest and stepped into his embrace as if she'd done so a million times before.

James clasped her tight for long seconds, then held her away to gaze into her misty eyes. “I can't believe you two stopped that line the way you did. You're amazing. I owe you, big-time. “

“Well, I don't know about
her,
” Megan said, eyeing her waterlogged sister, “but you owe me plenty.”

Roxy made a sound of unmistakable disgust as she crawled out from under the bush and struggled to her feet. “Hey, don't worry about me, you guys. I'm just peachy. Not hurt a bit. And I can get up all by myself. Don't need any help. No sir.”

Oblivious to the younger girl's sarcasm, James looked fondly at Megan and spoke softly. “I meant it. I do owe you a lot.”

“Good. You can start by paying me off with a decent kiss—for a change.”

“Oh?” His eyebrows arched. “You have complaints about my kisses?”

“How would I know? They happen so fast it's a wonder I even noticed.”

“You noticed.”

Her grin grew so broad her cheeks ached. “Oh, yeah? Prove it.”

James whispered, “Gladly,” and touched his lips to hers. This time he lingered.

In the background, Zac gave a theatrical groan. “Oh, brother.”

Roxy giggled. “Quiet, you blockhead. This is s-o-o-o romantic.”

It took a few moments for the youngsters' words to penetrate the fog of love and happiness surrounding Megan. When she did become aware of their candid comments, she made up her mind to ignore them. That was a mistake. The harder she tried, the funnier everything seemed.

Already at the end of her ability to cope, she lost control and burst into laughter. She roared. Chortled. Guffawed. Giggled. And generally made a fool of herself.

That didn't stop her. Nothing did. She simply
had to laugh, tears streaming down her face, until she was too spent to continue.

“I—I'm sorry,” she finally blurted.

“No problem,” James replied. “I'll just keep trying new techniques till I get it right.”

The silly expression on his face set her off again. This time she regained control faster. “It was a wonderful kiss. Honest. But I certainly don't mind if you want to practice some more.”

“Later,” James said. “It's almost dawn. I want to get back to camp before everybody wakes up and starts worrying for nothing.”

“Good idea.” Megan pointed to Zac and her sister. “So, how are we going to handle those two? They aren't heavy, but I can't see fitting four people on Buckets.”

“Three, at the most,” James declared. “I don't care what you decide to do. I'm walking.”

“I probably am, too. If we can't repair the bridle, I'll have to lead her, especially since we need to pick a smooth path home so we don't disturb Zac's leg.”

James sighed. “Yeah. He's been through a lot.”

“So has Roxy.”

“Does this mean you don't think we should throttle them?” An eyebrow arched to emphasize that he was teasing.

“Not yet. Let's get them back to civilization first,” Megan said with a sweet smile. “Then we'll sit them down under really bright lights and badger them with questions till they break.” She giggled. “You did order extra vials of truth serum, didn't you?”

“Okay, okay. You've made your point. I'm glad to have them back, too. But how do you propose we find out what really happened?”

“Oh, I don't know,” she drawled. “Hey, here's a novel idea. What do you say we
ask
them?”

“You are an optimist, aren't you?”

“Uh-huh. And you should be thankful for it. Anybody else might have figured it was no use and let go of that bridle when the rein snapped.”

“I know. I thought for sure the kid and I were going for a swim. I can't imagine where you found the strength to hang on long enough for me to get my feet back under me. It's amazing.”

“Oh, I think it's a lot more than that,” Megan told him with a deep sigh. “It's almost miraculous.”

 

Riding alone, Zac said very little as they headed for Camp Refuge. Roxy, on the other hand, trotted beside Megan and jabbered incessantly.

“I didn't know Zac was watching me or I'd
have waited,” the girl said. “He followed me out of camp, giving me a lecture like he was my boss or something.”

“What were you doing out in the woods alone in the first place?” Megan asked.

“Well, duh. Running away, of course.”

“But why? Where did you think you could go?”

Roxy waved her scratched, dirty hands in the air. “I don't know. It didn't matter then. I just wanted to get away, so I left.”

“You didn't care how worried I'd be, did you?”

“No.” Roxy's brashness faded. “I didn't mean to hurt anybody. Especially you, Meg. I'm sorry.”

“What about Zac?” Megan asked. “What happened to him?”

She hadn't thought the boy was paying any attention to their conversation till he interrupted with, “I fell. That's all.”

“It is not,” Roxy insisted. “He saved my life. There was this big snake. I almost stepped right on it. Zac pushed me out of the way and knocked me down. We missed the snake but we landed in a heap.”

“That's when he hurt his leg?”

Nodding, Roxy had tears in her eyes. “Yes. By that time I was real lost. We both were. I couldn't just run off and leave him.”

“Of course you couldn't. What happened then?”

“We decided we'd spend the night under a bunch of leaves, only Zac got really cold. I gave him my jacket—I mean your jacket—but it wasn't enough. We were trying to move out of the wind when we saw a place to hide.”