The Gambler (18 page)

Abigail turned to glare at him. "Then send
away for a doctor. I'm sure there's plenty willing to set up
practice here. This isn't the only baby I plan on having and Sarah
will be having her own babies before long."

Sarah blushed and something in her eyes when
she turned toward the door seemed to sparkle. Was she keeping a
secret about her own pregnancy? Emmaline seemed to think she was.
Sarah smiled and crossed the room toward her. "I hate to send you
on another errand but Edna Pierce is the only person in town who
knows the most about birthing babies. She lives past the old hotel.
You can see her house when you get to the ruins. Would you mind
fetching her?" Abigail yelled, "no," from the bed but one look at
Morgan's face said it all. His wife wasn't getting her way this
time.

Emmaline ran all the way to Edna's. Upon
meeting her, she knew why Abigail protested. The woman was brash
and bossy and Emmaline decided right then and there to never be in
Abigail's position. They made it back to the house just as the
storm picked up, dumping snow so fast Emmaline could barely
see.

When she was able to get Sarah's attention,
she led her to the hallway so they could talk in private. "The snow
is really starting to fall now. Shouldn't we head back?"

Sarah looked troubled and glanced back into
the bedroom. "I really don't want to leave her. With Edna here
she's stressing." She sighed and gave Emmaline a soft smile. "Would
it be too much to ask if you went home alone? I don't want to risk
going to tell Colt I'm needed here and not be able to make it back.
Can you tell him when you get there?"

Emmaline agreed and only realized when Percy
was hitching up the wagon for her at the livery stable that she'd
never driven a wagon before. It didn't look hard and she wanted to
go home, to Tristan, too badly to worry about it. The worst she
could do was steer them into a ditch but surely she could keep the
horses in a straight line.

She was headed out of town, her nerves a bit
rattled, when she realized she was in over her head. Guiding the
horses was as easy as pulling the reins but the snow covered the
road. She wasn't even sure she was going in a straight line anymore
and her nervousness closed her throat, caused a knot to form there
and sweat broke out on her brow. "You can do this, Emmaline. There
isn't anything you can't do." She whispered those words to herself
half a dozen times. The snow still fell so blindingly fast that she
was looking at her feet more than anything to keep the wind out of
her face.

The wagon jumped as they hit something and
looking over the side showed her nothing. The horses were having a
hard time pulling now that the snow was accumulating and even
though she wasn't the praying kind, she did so now. It would be a
miracle if she made it back to the ranch.

This wasn't just a snow storm. The
blizzard-like conditions told her that much. The wind-driven snow,
the chilly blast of air and the stinging ping of ice pelted her
face as she tried to get the horses to move faster. She should have
never left town.

Glancing back over her shoulder showed her
nothing but a white haze of snow. She wasn't sure she could get
turned around and make it back. If she lost sight of the road, she
was as good as dead.

Chapter Eleven

It was near dark when they finished the last
of the chores and when they stepped outside, saw the amount of snow
on the ground, they started to worry. Tristan's heart nearly
stopped when he realized Emmaline and Sarah still weren't home and
it didn't take much coaxing to get Colt to saddle his horse and
join him in a trip to town.

"Sarah wouldn't have risked coming home in
this storm. My guess is they're warming themselves by Morgan's fire
and driving him crazy as we speak."

Tristan nodded his head, hoping Colt was
right. He hadn't been in the midst of a winter snow storm like this
in so long, he nearly went numb ten minutes after leaving the
ranch. Living in hotels and always finding himself in more pleasant
climates had spoiled him. He wondered how Emmaline was handling it.
He'd never spent a winter in Idaho so had no idea of their winter
climate but he couldn't imagine she was happy. Being isolated with
no way to leave would make anyone uncomfortable.

They reached town just as darkness fell. They
left the horses at the livery stable, intending to just stay and
wait out the storm with everyone else but the moment they walked
into Morgan's house, Tristan had second thoughts. Abigail was in
labor and Morgan was pacing the hallway like a caged animal.

Sarah met them with smiles but frowned a
second later. "Where's Emmaline?"

Tristan's heart skipped a beat. "What do you
mean, where's Emmaline? Isn't she here?"

His new sister-in-law's eyes widened. "No.
She left over an hour ago."

Fear gripped him so hard he had trouble
breathing. "Left how?"

"She took the wagon." He turned, headed down
the stairs and could hear hurried footsteps behind him. "She said
she could drive the wagon herself. She was just so worried about
getting home I told her to go."

Tristan stopped at the foot of the stairs and
turned to look at her. "Are you sure she was headed home? Did you
see her leave town? Which direction did she go?"

Sarah didn't know but told him again how
badly she wanted to return to the ranch. He made it all the way to
the front porch before Colt grabbed his arm and stopped him. "She
wouldn't have left, not in weather like this." He stepped in front
of him and waited until Tristan looked at him. "She tried to make
it home and just got off course, is all. We'll find her."

They hadn't passed her on the way into town
which meant she'd strayed from the road. They saw no tracks in the
snow and Tristan had a bad feeling. If she was lost in the
storm…

Within minutes, Colt had every available man
he could find in town running for the livery stable. Horses were
saddled and they were on the road, heading back to the ranch in
total darkness. They spread out, making a path of riders fifteen
horses wide and started back toward the ranch.

Tristan had his doubts she'd gone this way
but Colt convinced him she wouldn't try to leave again, not in the
storm. He still had the land deed and common sense told him she
wouldn't leave him without it which meant she was just lost. The
prospect didn't ease his mind. Lost in a snow storm was dangerous
even for those who knew their way around these parts. If she'd
gotten lost, it was hard to tell where she was.

* * * *

She was lost. Emmaline knew it the moment she
saw the forest of trees in front of her path. Her pulse raced, the
ice mixed with snow still falling felt like small daggers slicing
into her face and a bubble of fear skated along her back until her
eyes watered. She pulled the collar of her coat up again and turned
to look behind her.

Nothing. She could barely see the back of the
wagon and knew she was in trouble. How had she gotten so far from
the road? And which direction did she go to get back to it?

She flicked the reins, tugging them to try
and get the horses turned. They balked, the snow almost too deep
for them to pull the wagon again but when it jolted and started
moving, Emmaline sent up a silent prayer and hoped she could find
the road again.

The wagon was facing away from the trees when
it tilted to one side. The horses nickered, jerking as they tried
to pull the wagon and Emmaline's shocked gasp was barely a whisper
on the wind as the rein were jerked from her hands. The wagon
tilted again and she was falling. Her foot, caught under the
footboard when the wagon fell, held her in place and the audible
crack of splitting bone as her leg broke cause a sharp scream to
pierce the silence.

She lay stunned on the ground, ice pelting
her face and sitting up to grab her leg caused tears to spill from
her eyes. They froze to her face as she lifted her skirt. The sight
of her bone sticking through her leg was nauseating and she fell
back onto the ground and ignored the sleet and snow falling onto
her. The world spun, the dizzying sensation lasting for long
moments. She swallowed and tried to take shallow breaths.

Her thoughts drifted to Tristan as she turned
her head to keep the sleet from biting into her face. She could see
the horses, both of them struggling against the wind and snow
drifts. The wagon was on its side, jostling with their every
movement. If it fell on her….

Biting her lip, she sat up, waited for
another dizzy spell to pass before dragging herself closer to the
wagon. The wind was buffeted and Emmaline wondered if anyone would
find her before she froze to death. She slid next to the wagon,
bracing her back against the overturned buckboard and waited.
Someone would find her soon. Tristan would come looking for
her.

The pain in her leg throbbed, her skirt
soaking up blood at an alarming rate. She put her hand above the
break, not sure what else to do. The world became fuzzy again, her
vision blurring and she slumped to one side.

Tears came unbidden, her body racked with
shudders as she cried. All the things she'd ever dreamed of were
lost to her now. She'd never have a family. Those blonde hair,
blue-eyed babies she'd pictured were a distant memory and as the
world turned gray before her eyes, her last thought was of Tristan.
She never got the chance to tell him she loved him. Now, he'd never
know.

* * * *

It was near midnight when Tristan heard
someone yelling in the distance. His heart slammed against his
ribcage as he stopped, turned his horse toward the sound and set
off in that direction. He met Colt halfway there, the look on his
brother's face as grim as he knew his own was.

The number of men collected in one area grew
and as he drew closer he could see why. The wagon was on its side,
the horses pawing at the ground and nickering.

He jumped from his horse, ran through the
nearly knee high snow and rounded the wagon with his heart
pounding. The moment he saw her, his knees gave out. She was
slumped against the snow, her skirts stained red with blood.

"Emmaline." He crawled to her, lifted her in
his arms and pushed her hair from her face.

"Is she breathing?"

Tristan lowered his head, feeling the warmth
of her breath on his face. "Yes." He lifted her skirt, peeling back
the bloody layers. "Her leg's broken." Her skin was cold and her
breathing labored. "We have to get her home, Colt." When he looked
up he saw the concern on his brother's face, he didn't have to ask
why. He knew. He could lose her without her ever having to leave
town.

* * * *

Muted voices, the feel of hands on her body
and the pain blocked everything out moments later. Emmaline
screamed until her throat was raw, until her limbs shook and
everything went black again.

Dreams assaulted her and she whimpered as
Jensen Cooper grinned at her, his angry words as harsh as his
grabbing hands. The images flickered, Tristan's comforting voice
chasing away the nightmares and coolness bathed her face. Her
eyelids fluttered and she could see him, his jaw dusted with
whiskers as he smiled at her.

The disjointed dreams slipped away and a loud
noise was what woke her. The room was bathed in muted light, the
air stifling hot. Emmaline swallowed against the dryness in her
mouth and lifted her arm, pushing the blankets away. She blinked,
turned her head and that's when she saw him. Tristan. He was
slumped in a chair by her side, his hair disheveled, his jaw
unshaved and the clothes he wore were so wrinkled she wondered if
he'd slept in them.

She tried to sit up but failed. She laid
staring at Tristan for long moments before she noticed he was
holding her hand. She looked at their entwined fingers and wondered
what he was doing sitting by her bed. She moved and remembered
instantly. Pain throbbed through her leg and it all came back in
blinding flashes. The storm, her trying to drive the wagon home and
getting lost. The accident and knowing she'd probably never see
Tristan again. Seeing him now, tears of gratitude and love filled
her eyes. He'd found her.

Squeezing his hand, she blinked the tears
away and smiled when he opened his eyes. He bolted up, his eyes
widening and the smile he gave her caused her heart to skip a
beat.

"You're awake." He stood and eased onto the
edge of the bed, his free hand lifting to cup the side of her face.
"When I said you can't leave me that means dying too. I'll never
let you go, Emmaline."

She smiled and licked her lips. "Good. I
can't mine all that gold by myself."

He stared at her uncomprehending before the
look in his eyes brightened. He laughed before leaning down to
place to soft kiss on her mouth. "You have a gold mine?"

She inhaled a deep breath and shook her head.
"No. You have a gold mine. You stole my land, remember?" It didn't
take long for all her secret to come out and by the time she'd told
him everything, her eyes were heavy and she couldn't stop
yawning.

Tristan kissed each of her eyelids, then her
lips and just as she drifted off to sleep, the words I love you
whispered in the breeze. She smiled at his whispered declaration
and let sleep claim her.