Unexpected Hope (Book 2 in the Red Valley series)

Chapter 19

"Levi, I need to speak with you when you get a minute." Tuck said as he stood in the kitchen three days after he and Cole had talked to Andy about the things happening around the ranch. Just as he'd expected, no other rancher had reported anything suspicious. He knew it had to be William, now he just had to find him. So far nobody had been hurt. It was actually more annoying than anything else.

"Is it something that we need to talk about right now or can it wait?"

Tuck cut his eyes over to Hope, gave a slight nod, then said, "No. Just when you get a chance."

"OK then. I'm, almost done with breakfast then I will be out to the barn in a few minutes."

Tuck nodded, plopped his cream colored cowboy hat down on his curly brown hair, and then turned back to Hope. "Ma'am, Ellie," he said tipping his hat then walked back outside.

Levi sat back down at the table with his wife and daughter and finished eating. He was just standing up to go outside when Hope stopped him. "Levi, will you go for a ride with me this morning? I'm dying to ride Whinney, I haven't been able to all winter, and I won't be able to in another couple of months."

He was going to say no, that he didn't have a good feeling about it. The words were forming in his mouth, then he looked down at her. Dammit! One look into those violet eyes and he was putty in her hand. He could deny her nothing. "Alright, just a short ride, I don't want you over doing it. I'll go on out to the barn and get Whinney saddled. Why don't you get a heavier shawl, it's still a little cool."

Hope jumped up from her seat and threw herself into her wonderful husband's arms. "Thank you! I'll be out in just minute." She said almost jumping up and down. Oh, it had been so long since she'd ridden. Riding was something you could do year round in Savannah and she was definitely not used to being cooped up inside all winter long.

"Oooohh, I want to go too. Please." Ellie said as she bounced up and down in her chair.

"No, not this time. I want you to stay here with your grandpa. Her lip poked out in a pout, but Levi stopped her from saying anything. Kneeling down in front of her, he took both of her tiny hands in his. "You and I will have lots of time to ride together. Hope won't be able to ride in another month or so, and then the baby will be here. So it will be you and me. OK?" He must have pacified her because she got up, put her breakfast bowl on the counter, then went in search for her grandpa.

"Tuck, what's on your mind? Did you find something?" Levi asked his foreman.

"Yeah, we found more missing cattle and more sections of the fence down in the west pasture." Tuck reported.

"But you still haven't found any clues as to who is doing this?"

"No." Tuck said with a deep sigh. "But sooner or later they'll get too confidant and screw up. We'll catch them."

"Alright. I'm taking Hope for a ride this morning. We'll go to the east pasture since our visitor was in the west one last night. I think it will be OK."

"It should be. Is she riding Whinney?" Levi nodded. "I'll go get her if you'll get the saddle."

Ten minutes later Levi was giving Hope a leg up. Oh it felt so good to be back on her horse again. Riding was one of the few pleasures she had in her life. Almost immediately Whinney started to paw and prance around. She'd always been a little spirited and it had been a long time since she'd been ridden. She was mad at Hope and letting her know it. She leaned forward and patted her neck comfortingly then spoke softly into her ears. After a moment Whinney settled down and she and Levi started off at a slow gallop. Hope laughed as the wind rushed past her face. She untied her bonnet and pulled the pins from her hair, letting it fall in silky curls down her back.

Levi sat back watching his wife closely, the last thing he wanted was for her to get hurt somehow. It was obvious though that she was a skilled on a horse and she'd had Whinney for several years, so the horse and master knew each other well.

They hadn't gone more than a hundred yards or so when Whinney began to throw her head up and down with displeasure. Hope slowed the horse to a trot hoping to calm her down but that only seemed to irritate the beast more. She began to sidestep then buck and rare up. Hope tried to stay calm and keep her seat, but that was becoming more and more difficult.

She squeezed her knees together as hard as she could then leaned forward as much as possible. She was frantically trying to hold on to the reins. Then the unthinkable happened. The reins were ripped from her fingers and she felt air under her where the saddle should have been. She felt herself tumbling through the air, heard screaming, then pain exploded in her head and body as she struck something hard. Instantly blackness consumed her taking all the pain with it.

Levi had dropped back a little to scan the distance thinking he'd seen something metallic flash. When he turned back around Hope was struggling to stay on the horse, and then she was tumbling through the air. He jumped off of his own gelding and ran the short distance to her. Just as he was reaching for her the horse twisted, hitting Hope with her back hooves. Her scream died as she landed in a crumpled heap.

He was on his knees beside her still body, with shaking hands he gently rolled her over, brushing her hair away from her pale face. Seeing the rise and fall of her chest, he began checking her body for broken bones. The thundering of hooves behind him came to a skidding stop as Tuck and Skip jumped down to join him on the ground. "Skip go get Doc Baker, NOW!" Nodding, the younger man said nothing as he jumped back on his horse, kicking him into an all-out run to town.

"What in the hell happened, Levi? We heard screaming and hauled ass here."

Both men stared in shock as they watched Whinney lovingly nuzzle Hope and neigh as if asking for forgiveness. "I don't know. The horse was a little antsy and then she just went crazy, bucking, and rearing. Hope tried to stay on and God help me, I tried to get to her but I was too late." Gently he slid his arms under her knees and shoulders lifting her and walked to his waiting horse.

"Here, let me hold her while you mount up." Levi, unable to speak just nodded and ever so carefully laid his wife into the foreman's arms. Once he had his seat, he reached down and retrieved his wife, settling her in his lap, then made his way back to the house as quickly as he thought was safe. Behind him, Tuck grabbed Whinney's reins and headed back to the barn to try and figure out what in the hell had happened.

By the time he pulled up to the house, Levi had his emotions back in check. He dismounted as carefully as he could, not wanting to injure her any more than she already was. Harold opened the door just as he approached, "Where is Ellie?"

"She's in the kitchen drawing, I just happened to walk by on my way to get something out of my room when I saw you. What happened Levi? Why is Hope unconscious?"

"Set some water on to boil and bring me plenty of bandages, then I want you to pack a bag with several changes of clothes and have one of the hands take Ellie to Cole and Grace's house. Do not tell her what's going on. When you're done, come upstairs and I'll explain everything." Taking the stairs two at a time, he continued on to their room.

Tears clouded his vision as he sat in a chair beside the bed and watched his beautiful Hope lay on their bed still unconscious and pale. He removed her clothes and decided not to redress her, knowing that Dr. Baker would need to examine her. He knew that she'd lost the baby, there was just no way that she couldn't have. Pain ripped through his chest at the thought of having to tell his wife, not to mention his own acute sense of loss. "Dammit where are they!" He mumbled to himself.

A few minutes later footsteps thundered up the stairs and down the hall. When the door burst open, he fully expected to see Dr. Baker, but instead Grace Weston stood there with the good doctor behind her. "Ellie's with Sally at the Double C and will be fine. She had no idea." Grace replied to his questioning look. Then, as an afterthought, she continued. Cole's out in the barn talking to Tuck, trying to figure out what happened." Levi simply nodded.

"What did happen? Doc Baker asked as he looked down at Hope lying unconscious on the bed.

"We were riding and she was thrown from her horse. I'm pretty sure she was kicked in the head, she's got a lump the size of Texas, and a small cut. I cleaned it as best and I could with hot water." Levi took a deep breath swallowing hard. "And I'm pretty sure she lost the baby." He said in a choked voice.