Sheltered(30)

This farm was built on small hills for natural irrigation. The runoff flows down to the creek and out to the bigger river on the outskirts of the county. That way, when big storms like this roll up, the crops don’t get washed out. But the creek can turn dangerous in seconds because of the force of the water. When a thousand acres flood and it all runs down at the same time to the same place, it might as well be a tidal wave for what it can do.

My lungs are burning and my legs ache as I run as fast as I can down the muddy slope to where I took Blair earlier today. It’s still almost impossible to see, but there’s a break in the storm as lightning sparks in the sky and I can see all the way down to the creek bed.

“Blair!” I shout as I spot her holding on to the fence post we tied the horses to this morning.

The creek has already flooded to the point where just the top of the fence post sticks up, and it’s getting higher and higher.

“Hold on, I’m coming for you!” I look around to find something to tie off to when I see Diamond behind me. “Good girl, good girl,” I say, as she stands still in the storm and lets me take her bridle off her head. My hands are shaking as I unbuckle it and tie it around my waist.

“Hold on, Blair!” I shout as I wade through the mud and water rushing past me.

It feels like it takes hours as each step brings me closer to her. But I won’t give up. I would lay down my life for her, but today is not that day.

“I’ve got you,” I finally say, when my hands reach out and grab her. “Hold on to me, Cricket!” I shout over the rain as her limp body tries to cling to me.

She’s all out of strength, and I use the bridal around my waist to tie the two of us together. “I don’t let anything happen to you. I’ve got you, it’s going to be okay.” I say it to her, but I’m saying it to myself, too. I’m reassuring both of us that she’s going to be all right.

My feet are heavy in the mud and the water is up to my waist as I trudge out of the creek. But when I finally make it out, I see lights coming towards us.

“Ryker!’ I hear Johnny’s voice and see a couple of the farmhands behind him. “Oh god, Blair, is she okay? What happened?”

“She got stuck in the flood. Call the doctor,” I say, carrying Blair to the Jeep. “And Diamond got out,” I say, nodding towards the horse that walked back up the hill and under a tree.

“I’ll take care of her and then come up to the house,” he says, opening the door for me so I can climb in.

He takes out his walkie-talkie and tells Lily to call the doctor. The other guys take care of Diamond as I grab the coat on the seat next to me and cover Blair up with it in my lap. After that I hit the gas and head for the house.

She stirs in my arms, and I thank god with every breath in me that she’s alive.

“You’re okay, Cricket. You’re safe.”

Her head leans back and she looks up at me. “You saved me,” she croaks out.

“Shhh. Don’t talk right now. Save your strength. We’ll get you home and the doctor can look at you. Then you can have a nice hot bath.”

I kiss the top of her head and pray that she didn’t do major damage to herself. I didn’t see any broken bones right away, but that doesn’t mean anything. When I think about the fact that I could have kept on sleeping, or not gotten there in time, a lump forms in my throat.

“You can’t do that again, Blair. Please, Cricket. Don’t ever do that to me again,” I say, pulling her tight in my arms.

“I promise,” she says softly.

I can just make out the words as the rain begins to slow and we reach the house.





Chapter 15





Blair





I shiver in Ryker’s arms as he carries me up the stairs. I hold on to him with a death grip, never wanting to let go. I bury my face in his neck, trying to get closer to his scent. I don’t care that we’re both soaked and covered in mud. I need to feel him close to me. He doesn’t seem to care either. He only holds me tight.

I thought I was going to die. That’s all I kept thinking while I was holding on to the fence post. My life flashed through my mind, along with all the decisions I’d made that led me to this point. I saw clearly that the life I was trying so desperately to run back to wasn’t really there anymore. And even if it was, I didn’t want it. Not after all Ryker has shown me.

It was stupid to try to escape. I knew it the moment I slipped out the back window downstairs, but I felt like I had to try. Ryker was scaring me. The way he looks at me, the way he touches me, it’s all too much. I couldn’t think straight being next to him, but the second I walked away I knew it was a mistake. With every step that led me away from the house, the desire to run back to it and back to him grew within me. That only scared me even more, so I made myself keep moving, even if it wasn’t what I really wanted to do.

I’d tried my best to ignore him after our horseback ride in the orchard, but my resolve had been slipping all afternoon. Everything he does is to make me happy, which is what really scares me. I’m so easily slipping under his spell, and I don’t really know anything about him. I still have thoughts about him being involved in some weird black market dealings or something. I can't let myself fall for someone capable of kidnapping me. That would be freaking crazy.