Chapter Twelve

Spending most of the afternoon waiting for Kyle to ride in and a replacement to ride out had left Flynn irritable. By the time Lou came into view he was acting as ornery as a polecat and the fact that Connor had sent him the runt of the litter didn’t improve his mood.

Lou had her collar up high and her hat down low in an effort to cover as much of her exposed face as possible. She pulled up to Flynn and started to dismount the unfamiliar horse. Uncomfortable riding the big mare, she was ready for a few minutes on solid ground. Flynn was already mounted up by the time she hit the ground.

“What do you think you’re doing, Lou? We have to get moving, there’s no time for breaks now.” Flynn shook his head and made a mental note to throttle Connor when he got back.

Lou was surprised by Flynn’s harsh manner, but remounted the horse. “Sorry, boss. I’m just not used to this horse. She’s not as tame as mine.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to bond. There’s a lot of fence to check as well as all the pastures. Did Connor tell you about the coyotes?”

“Yep. Said we should bury any dead stock.”

“Does he think I don’t know what I’m doin’ out here? The way he acts sometimes you’d think he was the only one ever to have a sheep ranch!”

Lou watched as Flynn started out and she fell into an easy pace behind him. This might be easier than she thought if he chose to keep muttering to himself. They rode and checked the pastures until the sun began to set. They found only one dead ewe, but the occasional patch of bloody soil was evidence of other kills.

Flynn watched as Lou stooped to replace a low fence rail. He knew his mood was putting a scare into the boy and he felt bad. He was actually a little curious about the quiet ranch hand. All the other guys said Lou was nice enough, but he hardly ever talked. Few knew more than his name and the fact that he was good on a horse. “Had much experience with coyotes, Lou?”

Keeping her head focused on her work and her voice low she replied, “Can’t say I do.”

It was going to be harder to draw him out than Flynn thought. “They’re pretty slick animals. They’ll start to come out pretty soon, especially with the full moon tonight. It’s easier for them to see the animals. All those storms killed off a lot of the wildlife and they’re teaching the young cubs to hunt now. Unfortunately, that means our stock is their next meal.”

The idea of spending the night with Flynn was bad enough, but she hadn’t thought about the coyotes roaming in the dark. Mounting the unsteady horse again, she asked about their options. “We’re sleeping out here, with them, tonight?”

“It won’t be a problem. They almost never attack humans and the fire will ward them off. We’ll just have listen to them howl all night.”

As if on cue, the first howl went up as the coyotes began to plan their evening attack. Indigo was instantly spooked by the infamous cry of the wild animals and she reared up. Lou held on to the reins and tried to bring the frightened animal under control. Unable to communicate with the horse like she could with Lightning, she felt herself slipping from the saddle. Indigo returned all of her legs to the ground and tried to buck Lou off as she turned to run towards home. Lou tried to jump clear of the raging animal, but her left foot was caught in the stirrup and she fell to the ground only to be dragged across the rocky field.

Several lengths ahead of Lou, Flynn was unaware of the trouble until he heard Lou’s piercing screams as Indigo took off in a run. Turning to investigate, he was shocked by the sight. “Lou! Lou, hang on! I’m coming!” He turned Pacific, his trusted palomino, and took off after the tangled horse and rider. He could see Lou bouncing across the hard earth and knew it wouldn’t be a pretty sight once Lou was freed. He had to get Indigo under control quickly, so he could remove the boy’s foot from the stirrup.

Lou was beginning to lose consciousness after repeated blows to the head and thought she might welcome the blackness if it meant she wouldn’t feel the pain shooting through her entire body. Where was Flynn? Why wasn’t he helping her? Disoriented and unable to hear anything over the sound of Indigo’s hooves tearing up the pasture, Lou didn’t know that Flynn was closing in on them, fast.

Pushing Pacific to his limits, Flynn brought the horse along the right side of Indigo and grabbed the reins. Bringing the two blowing horses to a sudden halt he jumped off and raced to where Lou lay unconscious and still attached to the saddle by her left foot. He could tell, just by looking, that Lou’s ankle was broken. The hat and glasses he always wore were long gone and his entire face was caked with blood and dirt. Flynn could tell the boy was still breathing by the raspy breath escaping his cracked lips. He figured a few ribs were broken as well and after cutting the leather strap connecting the stirrup to the saddle, rather than trying to remove Lou’s leg, he undid the wool coat to check for broken bones that may have punctured the skin. The buttons undone, he was totally unprepared for what he found when he pushed the coat open.

A gold charm rested against the boy’s shirt. It looked so similar to the one he had given Louise years ago that the memories that flooded in made him feel like he was being kicked in the gut. Shaking his head to clear it, he tried to focus on the present situation rather than the past. Finding no blood on Lou’s shirt, he was drawn back to the necklace. It was the same Celtic cross, but this one was on a black shoelace and not the gold chain he had once worn.

A closer inspection of the cross revealed his grandfather’s initials engraved into the back. A rush of nausea swept through his body as it all began to make sense. Grabbing for the canteen on the saddle just above his head, he used his sleeve to gently wipe dirt and blood off Lou’s face. There was no mistaking it now and he couldn’t imagine how he’d never seen it before. Carefully pulling the still unconscious Lou into his arms, Flynn began to cry as he rocked his friend. “Sweet Jesus, Lulu. What have you gotten yourself into this time?”

It took several hours but Flynn used the light of the full moon to bring Lou home. After securing her ankle as best he could, he had cradled her lifeless form in his arms during the long ride back to the ranch. Unaccustomed to visitors in the night, everyone at The Double K was woken by the sound of the two horses entering the yard. Liam, Shannon, Fallon and Connor all stumbled onto the porch of the main house while the hands all left the warmth of the bunkhouse to check out the commotion.

Seeing Lou’s unconscious form in her brother’s arms was more than Fallon could bear and she fainted into her husband’s arms. Shannon rushed to aide her daughter while the men rushed to help Flynn.

“Did the coyotes get him, son?”

Flynn didn’t know where to begin. “Dad, this ain’t a him.” He knew he wasn’t making any sense by the look on Liam’s face. “Dad, its Lulu. You know, Louise McCloud!”

“What are you talking about, Flynn? Did you hit your head?” Connor couldn’t make any sense of the boy’s ramblings.

Flynn just glared at his brother-in-law and turned back to his father. “Dad, I’m serious. Look at her, it’s Lulu. She’s hurt real bad, Dad. Indigo spooked when she heard a coyote howl and Lulu got dragged for about a quarter mile before I could catch her. Her ankle’s broke, but what’s worse is she’s not waking up.”

Holding her sobbing daughter in her arms Shannon couldn’t believe they were going through this again. She clearly remembered the girl’s fall into the frozen creek three years before. “We need to get Shane. He’ll take care of her.”

Flynn began to dismount as his father and Connor carried Lou into the house. Turning to face the confused ranch hands he sought out Henry Biggs, the next fastest rider in the bunch, after Lou. “Henry, I need you to ride into town and get that damn doctor brother of mine! Tell him I could care less what time of the night it is and he better put himself on a horse and ride out here like the devil himself is after him. Do you understand that, Henry?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get him.”

As the boy ran to the stable Flynn called out one last instruction. “Make sure you tell him Lulu’s life depends on it!” Turning on his heel, he raced into the house to check on her.

Liam and Connor settled Lou into Flynn’s bed and stepped out into the parlor so Shannon and Fallon could check some of her wounds before Shane arrived. The memories of the accident three years before had both women shaking.

“Fallon Malone O’Shea, you knew about this! You knew Louise was here all this time and you didn’t tell us. What were ye thinkin’ child?”

Fallon carefully rubbed at the dirt caked onto Lou’s hands. “I couldn’t tell you, mama! She made me promise and if I told you, she said she’d leave.”

Shannon just shook her head incredulously. “What would possess her to do such a thing?”

“She never really told me, but I know there was some trouble after she ran away from the orphanage. I also know she felt so guilty about not being in touch and for not being around when Kiley died. That’s part of why she wanted to hide. She didn’t think everyone would want to see her.”

“The nonsense this girl thinks of. When she wakes up I have half a mind to take her over my knee.”

Looking at Lou’s bruised and broken body, Fallon couldn’t avoid the fresh tears. “This is worse than last time isn’t it?”

Shannon knew the seriousness of Lou’s injuries and wouldn’t soften the blow for her daughter. “I think it might be, but Louise is a fighter. She always has been, so I won’t expect anything less this time.”

Shane entered the room flushed and breathless from his frantic ride from town. He had taken Henry’s horse and left the boy to bring Charlotte out in the wagon. Sending Fallon to join the rest of the family, Shane kept his mother back to assist him.

Immediately upon her return to the parlor, Fallon collapsed into her husband’s waiting arms. Flynn watched the scene, but felt no sympathy for his sister. He was angry that she had kept this from him and even angrier that it was her idea for Lou to ride the fence with him.

“Flynn! Stop pacing before you wear your mother’s rug down to the quick.”

“Dad, what’s Shane doing in there? He’s been with her forever.”

“Flynn, it’s only been a few minutes. The lass is hurt pretty bad and he’s got to check her over.”

Staring out the window, Flynn could see that all of their hands were still awake and waiting for word of their friend. “The men are all still up. I guess I should go talk to them.”

“I’ll go.” Connor released Fallon and stepped forward. “I feel like it’s my fault. I let him go and put him on that horse.”

“Her you idiot! Lou’s a her, not a him! And it is your fault! Even as a boy she was too little for the work!”

“Flynn! Calm yourself, son. You got no right to jump on Connor. We’re all at fault here, includin’ Louise. She presented herself as Lou and we treated her like that.”

“Are you saying she got what she deserved?” Flynn could not believe the attitude his father was taking. “That’s like saying Kiley deserved to die in that fire."

Liam had never hit any of his children before, but in one instant his hand was back and across Flynn’s face. Both men were equally shocked and instantly remorseful. Liam pulled his youngest remaining child into an embrace and let him cry for the injured girl who possessed his heart. He kept his voice low and spoke only to Flynn. “She came back to us for a reason, son. God’s not ready for her yet, you understand?”

Flynn just nodded his head and clung to his father like a small child.

It took over an hour for Shane to completely examine and treat Lou’s wounds and when he emerged from the back of the house he was met by tired and worried faces.

“She’s one lucky girl. She must be a cat with nine lives because she’s gonna make it through this scare too.” Shane heard the air rush back into the room as his family released the collective breath they were holding. “You were right Flynn, her ankles’ broken and she cracked three ribs, but other than the cuts and bruises she’s gonna be fine.”

“Is she awake?”

“She started to come to, but I gave her something to sleep. She’s gonna be in a lot of pain for a while. It’s gonna be a nasty headache, but she’ll be up and around again soon.” Shane watched the color return to everyone’s faces. “Would someone please tell me what she’s doing here?”

“It’s a long story, Doc.” Flynn shook his brother’s hand, in thanks, as he walked past him to see Lou.

Shannon was still washing the dirt from Lou’s face, hands and hair when Flynn opened the door. Standing beside her and looking at Lou’s sleeping figure he wasn’t sure if he should weep with joy or strangle her. Taking the wet cloth from his mother he kissed her gently on the cheek. “You go rest mama, I’ll finish up here.”

“You be gentle with her.”

Flynn knew his mother was referring to her inner wounds and not her outer ones. “I will.”

Standing in the doorway, Shannon watched her son, no longer a little boy, tenderly wash Lou’s face. “You love her, don’t you?”

Never looking up from his task he nodded his head. “I do. I always have.”