Ride The Wind (Vincente 3) (34 page)

"You'll kill us both!" the frightened man cried.

"That's exactly what I intend to do, you bastard."

Saber raised her head and tried to cry out, but
her voice was only a whisper. Reese was going
to take himself and Felton over the cliff.

She watched as they disappeared over the
side, and she heard Felton's scream, than a sickening thud. All was silent.

With her waning strength, she tried to crawl
to the edge of the cliff, but darkness overcame
her, and she lost consciousness.

Jake and Zeb had followed Reese's tracks and
witnessed the whole tragedy, but they couldn't
get there soon enough to prevent it from happening. As they ran forward with guns drawn,
they found that they were too late.

Zeb went down on his knees and lifted Saber,
while Jake ran to the edge to see about Reese.

"Did you see what happened?" Jake asked
with tears in his eyes. "I heard a story like this
once. Reese and Saber gave their lives for each
other."

Zeb lifted Saber in his arms. "Don't be so sure
that 'bout that. She's a fighter." The old man's
eyes were misty with tears. "Yes, sir, she's a
fighter. And if I know Reese Starrett, he's a
fighter, too. Go down and get him, boy. We'll take 'em back to the house and send riders for
the doc and Rachel and Noble."

Jake started his descent into the crevice. "I
don't see how anyone could survive a fall like
this. But Reese is a hard man to kill!"

The house at the Starrett ranch was a place of
sadness. Everyone walked around quietly and
spoke in whispers. Neighbors had stopped by to
inquire about Saber and Reese, and even the
governor had sent a letter stating his concern for
them.

Reese had been placed on a cot in the parlor.
He'd suffered broken ribs and a broken arm. The
doctor had concluded that he had a serious concussion but no internal injuries that he could
ten.

Saber was in the bedroom, and she was even
more seriously hurt. The bullet had hit her lung.
As the doctor was removing the slug, she had started hemorrhaging. That was when the doctor discovered that Saber was going to have a
baby. He told Noble that his sister would probably miscarry.

Noble had not left Saber's bedside day or
night. He wouldn't let go of her hand, and he
talked to her and sometimes prayed that God
would not take her away from the people who
loved her.

On the fifth day Reese opened his eyes. Rachel
was sitting beside him, and when he groaned,
she took his hand.

"Try not to move, Reese. You have broken ribs
and a broken arm."

He attempted to focus his eyes, but everything
was a blur. He couldn't remember why he was
there or what had happened. His arm was in a
sling, and there were tight bandages taped
around his ribs. "I'm...thirsty."

Rachel held a glass up to his lips and raised
his head just a bit. "Take small sips. Then later
you may have more."

Obediently he did as she instructed. "What...
are you doing?" Suddenly everything came back
to him in a flash, and he gripped Rachel's hand,
his heart heavy with grief. "She's dead, isn't she?
Oh, my God Saber!"

Rachel forced him back against the pillow, which wasn't hard to do because he was so
weak. "Saber isn't dead, Reese."

His vision was clearing, and he looked into
Rachel's eyes. "You're telling me the truth, aren't
you?"

"I will not lie to you, Reese. Saber is alive, but
she is gravely ill."

He wet his cracked lips. "I have to see her." He
raised himself up, and now no amount of cajoling would make him he down.

"Noble, I need you," Rachel called out, knowing Reese must not get up so soon, or he would
only make himself worse.

Noble was beside her in an instant, and with
their combined strength they managed to restrain Reese.

Rachel spoke to him in a soothing voice. "If
you will he still, I will tell you everything."

Reese drew in a ragged breath and accepted
the inevitable. "I promise. But tell me the entire
truth."

"I will, because I know Noble would want to
know if it were me in Saber's place." Rachel and
Noble stared at each other with tears in their
eyes. Rachel tried to speak, but she knew that if
she did she would start crying, and that would
only upset Reese more than he already was. She
saw the naked fear in Reese's eyes, and she
looked at Noble.

"Noble, please tell him," she said at last.

Noble got on his knees, so he was level with
Reese. "That bullet hit Saber's left lung, Reese.
The doctor removed the bullet, but she's lost a
lot of blood." He lowered his head in sadness
and waited a moment before he could go on. "As
for the baby, the doctor isn't sure he can save it.
She's been hemorrhaging."

Reese closed his eyes, and tears seeped out of
the corners. "Baby." There was torment in his
voice. "Oh, God, she was going to have my baby,
and I didn't know it." His chest heaved with the
emotions that he had kept locked inside for so
long. He tried to rise, but blackness overtook
him, and he fell blissfully into unconsciousness.

It was dark when Reese opened his eyes again.
Rachel was still sitting beside him, holding his
hand.

"Don't talk if you don't want to. We'll just sit
here quietly."

"I want to see Saber."

"You can't get up yet, Reese. But if you will eat
a little, I'll ask the doctor if you can see her tomorrow."

"She's dead, and you aren't telling me!"

"No. I promise you she's not. In fact, the hemorrhaging has stopped, and so far she hasn't lost
the baby."

A sob escaped Rachel's lips when she saw the tears in Reese's eyes. She knew the agony he
must be feeling.

"She's all I ever wanted," he said, unashamed
of the tears that clouded his vision. "Did you
know she jumped in front of me and took the
bullet meant for me?"

"Yes, Zeb told me. He saw the whole thing, but
he couldn't get there in time to help. He and Jake
carried you and Saber home. Zeb also told me
you went over the cliff and took Graham Felton
with you."

"May he rot in hell."

"He's dead, Reese. But by the grace of God,
both you and Saber survived. I have to believe
you will both get well, because you deserve to be
together."

"Where is the doctor? I want to ask him about
Saber."

"He's bedded down in the bunkhouse. But he's
been here the whole time. He won't leave until
you are both out of danger."

"I'll eat," Reese said, turning his head toward
the bedroom where Saber lay, "if you promise I
can see Saber tomorrow."

"I promise. I'm sure just hearing your voice
will help her."

His silver eyes were transparent with tears.
"Did you know that Saber loves me?"

Rachel smiled. "Yes, I have known it for a very
long time."

"I tried to hide my love from her because I
didn't think I was good enough for someone like
her."

Rachel clasped his hand. "She knew you loved
her, Reese. You don't think she would have married you otherwise, do you? She had just been
waiting for you to admit it to yourself and then
to tell her."

He managed a grin. "She's too good for the
likes of me."

Rachel returned his smile. "You just keep
thinking that, but I don't think Saber would
agree with you."

Jake and Noble supported Reese's weight as they
helped him into the bedroom. Reese eased himself down on his knees and took Saber's limp
hand in his. He touched her face, kissed her lips,
and ran his fingers over her hair. "Can you hear
me, Saber?"

Noble nodded for Jake to leave, and then he
followed him out, closing the door behind them.
Noble looked at Rachel, and she could see the
tired lines beneath his eyes. Neither of them had
slept since they'd received word of the tragedy.

"I don't know if she's going to make it, Ra chel," Noble said, pulling his wife into his arms,
needing her closeness.

"I believe she will, Noble. We just have to keep
on believing."

When Jake left, Noble sat down in a chair and
stared at the ceiling. "That this should happen
when she is going to have a baby makes it a double tragedy."

Rachel sat in his lap and laid her head on his
shoulder. "Saber's not the only one who is going
to have a baby."

Noble looked at her questioningly. "Are you
saying that you... that we-"

She thought this was the right time to tell him,
because he had wanted a child so badly, and he
needed to hear something good after so much
tragedy. "I'm saying you're going to be a father,
Noble. How will you like that?"

He smiled and held her tightly. "I like that just
fine. You have made me a happy man, Rachel."
His eyes filled with wonder. "A baby, Green
Eyes. I like that just fine."

Their eyes went to the closed door. "It's all
right if we take a little happiness, Noble. Soon
we will have a little Vincente running around,
and Saber will have a little Starrett who can play
with our baby."

Reese laid his head lightly against Rachel's chest
to make sure she was breathing. He heard a
good, strong heartbeat, but she was so paleand why didn't she wake up?

His hand moved to her stomach, where his
baby grew; the child too, was fighting to live.
"Saber, you are my life. I don't know how I lived
until I met you. Since that day you came crashing into my life, I have never been the same. I
love you. Please open your eyes."

He laid his head down beside her, and great
sobs shook his body. "I love you so. I never told
you that. I never told you that since you became
my wife, I have looked forward to each new day.
When I am away from you, I can't wait to get
home, because you'll be here waiting for me."
He placed a kiss on her hand. "Just the sound of
your voice or the way you hummed when you
went about your work made me happy." He
laced his fingers through hers. "You have to get
well, do you hear me? I need you. Our baby
needs you."

He pressed his tear-wet face against her. "My
heart, my love, I can't live without you."

After an hour passed, Noble and Rachel went
into the bedroom, thinking Reese needed to get
back in bed. They found him curled up with Sa her, his arms around her, his cheek pressed
against hers, fast asleep.

They quietly tiptoed out, thinking it was best
for the two of them to be together.

"Besides," Rachel told Noble later, "I wouldn't
want to be the one to tell Reese Starrett that he
couldn't be with Saber."

Reese came fully awake, feeling that something
was different. He had felt Saber move!

Raising his head, he gazed down at her and
watched her eyes flutter open. For a moment she
looked puzzled, and then she smiled. "Am...I
dreaming, Reese?"

He laughed, his heart feeling as if it could take
wing. "If you are dreaming, I'm in the same
dream."

Suddenly her eyes widened, and her hand
went to her abdomen. "Our baby! Oh, Reese,
have I lost our baby?"

He covered her hand with his and bent to kiss
her. "No. You haven't lost our baby. And you are
going to be all right, Saber."

She touched his face and felt the stubble of a
beard. "You need a shave."

He was afraid to move lest he cause her pain,
so he kissed her forehead and then her lips. "I
love you. Did you know that, Saber Starrett?"

Her smile held all the love she felt for him. "Yes, I know you do. I have known it for a long
time."

He tried to take her hand, and muttered because his arm was in a sling. "Starting today, I'm
going to tell you how much I love you every day
of our lives."

"I'll hold you to that, cowboy." She looked at
his face and saw he was pale. "What are your
injuries?"

"Nothing, considering the fall I took. I have
broken ribs and a broken arm."

"You are really all right?"

He gently touched her cheek. "I am now." He
moved forward and gently laid his head against
her stomach. "To think you are having my
baby." His eyes were filled with pride when he
looked at her. "I hope it's a girl who looks like
her mother."

"And I hope it's a boy, stubborn and hardheaded like his father. It took falling off a cliff
for you to admit you love me."

Noble and Rachel heard laughter from the
bedroom, and they burst in, not knowing what
to expect.

"Noble," Reese said between bouts of laughter, then grabbed his aching ribs, "do you know
what your sister said to me?"

Noble looked confused. "I can't guess."

Reese had another bout of laughter. "She said my baby was going to be hardheaded like me."

All four of them laughed, although later Saber
would wonder what had been so funny. It was
just that life was so good.

Reese had finally admitted he loved her!