Little Sharpshooter Chap 22

In the morning Trevor smiled when he woke with Randy huddled close to his chest. Bronson was already up. Trevor ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head hoping Bronson wouldn’t hear anything.

Randy rubbed her eyes and smiled sleepily at him. It would never get old how his heart would skip a beat when she smiled. The feelings he had for her swelled in his chest. She always needed him most when they were alone. He was overwhelmed with how much he loved her. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her good morning. She responded by pressing her lips hard into his and moved her body closer.

“All right you two.” Bronson pulled the tarp off the rope. Trevor shaded his eyes as the sunlight bore into them. Randy rolled away and got up in a hurry. Trevor glared at Bronson when he saw Randy’s face flush. Bronson didn’t notice. He chuckled as he rolled up his bedroll and then folded the tarp to get ready to leave.

Trevor shivered, hugging his knees with his bedroll wrapped around him. “We don’t have a fire this mornin’ either?”

“No. I thought about startin’ one but we really need to be goin’. We’ll warm up once we head out.”  Bronson untied the rope from the trees and coiled it in his hands. A slow smile spread across his face as he made the loop bigger. He tapped Trevor’s leg and pointed at Randy where she was cinching up her saddle. Bronson swung the rope around his head. Once she stepped away to get her saddle bags, he threw the lasso and tightened it around Randy’s chest and arms.

“Hey!” Randy scowled at Bronson, trying to pull off the rope. Bronson pulled the rope tighter to bring her closer to him.

“Knock it off.” Randy tripped, her bad her leg gave out, and she fell. She pulled the rope off, threw it at Bronson, and turned away, rubbing her leg.

Trevor was on his feet and he gave Bronson a shove. “Her leg is still bad ya know.” He kneeled beside Randy. She turned her face away from him and wiped her cheeks. Trevor diverted his attention to her leg since she was embarrassed, lifting her skirt to her knees to look her leg over. He couldn’t do much other than rub it gently.

“I’m fine,” Randy said and then sniffed, using Trevor’s shoulder to help her get back on her feet. Her limp was much worse than it had been.

Bronson grumbled as he finished adjusting his saddlebags on his horse and tied the tarp down behind his saddle. “Come on you two. We need to get a move on.”

The trail meandered higher into the hills. Bronson pushed the pace like he had the day before.

“Bronson, I don’t think the horses can keep this up all day,” Randy yelled once Al was by Bronson’s side.

“I’m sure we won’t be doin’ this all day. I’m tryin’ to get ahead before the storms roll in this afternoon.” Bronson didn’t let up.

Trevor was sore from the day before. He’d never ridden a horse so hard for so long. It was obvious it wasn’t about to get any better. Bronson stopped once they got to a stream. It was barely ankle deep but the horses were eager to stop for a drink. Thankfully Bronson let them rest.

Trevor walked his achy legs up and down the soggy mud bank along the stream.

Randy sat on a boulder and stretched out her legs, massaging her injured leg. She was quiet but she usually was since they had been traveling with Bronson. Trevor caught the look of contempt she gave Bronson. He didn’t notice, in fact Bronson never paid attention to her unless he wanted her to perform.

Trevor stopped and folded his arms. He’d gone along with the whole thing thinking Bronson wanted to help take care of Randy. For the moment he was since they were working hard to stay ahead of Clyde. That was if Clyde was going to bother to go after them. But there was some other reason Bronson was doing it. Trevor remembered the exhilarated look on Bronson’s face when he started the first show with Randy. When it was over, he eyed all the notes in his hand hungrily. But what confused Trevor the most was that he gave most of it to Randy to hold on to. Bronson hadn’t asked for it back as far as he knew. But there was plenty of whiskey before they left Sliver City. Bronson always had money in the stores and paid for their meals and his own room in the boarding house.

“Are you two ready yet? The clouds are buildin’ to the west. I don’t think we have much longer before we have to stop.” Bronson mounted his horse and waited for them.

Trevor patted Storm’s sweaty side. He watched Randy to be sure she could mount Al. She ran her hands down Al’s neck. The horse pressed his nose into her chest. Randy rested her head on him for a moment affectionately before she mounted him. When she put her weight into her hurt leg, she stifled crying out. Trevor started to head over to her, but she was settled into her saddle and walked Al a short distance away. They were both waiting for him. Trevor hurried to throw himself on his saddle and in moments he was ready. They were off.

By mid-afternoon dark storm clouds filled the sky like Bronson had said. The wind picked up steadily and it gusted so hard that it nearly blew them to the side of their saddles. Lightning struck often in the distance. It was several seconds before they heard the low rumbles from the thunder. A gray wall approached as they climbed another rise.

“We need to get on the other side of this before the storm is over us. We are too high up and there’s not enough trees here to draw that lightnin’ from us.” Bronson kicked his horse forward.

The horses scrambled up the steep mountainside. Trevor hung on tight. Al and Randy were gaining on him.

The rain didn’t just start to trickle, it came in a sheet of water as if the sky had been ripped open and all the water was falling down at once.

The mountainside was slick in an instant. All three horses strained to climb the trail. They finally made it to where the mountainside flattened out to a wide path that wound around the side of the mountain. Thankfully they didn’t have to go to the top. They were close to heading down the other side. All three of them were soaked to the bone. The horses’ sides heaved as they caught their breath.

A bright flash blinded Trevor along with a deafening boom to the side of them on top of the mountain. Trevor’s horse bolted. Trevor passed Randy just as Al reared and darted forward beside him, but Randy was no longer on Al’s back. Trevor pulled Storm’s left rein tight to turn him in a circle to stop him from running off.

Randy wasn’t moving on her back from the shock of falling. The side of mountain above the path was moving. Mud rolled down the mountain coming right for Randy.

“Bronson!” Trevor yelled with his heart jumping into his throat. Storm stopped to back away from the landslide that took over the path. Randy was in the middle of it. It swallowed her up and slid her closer to the edge where she would disappear down the side of the mountain. Randy was able to grab hold of a scraggily tree.

Bronson surged past Trevor, but his own horse wouldn’t go into the moving mud stream. He swung the rope around his head and the loop landed within Randy’s reach. The moving earth kept coming. Randy was able to grab the rope and had her hand in the loop before she almost completely disappeared under more mud.

“Randy!” Trevor jumped off his horse.

“Get back on your horse! You’ll be swept away with her. I still have her. Get on your horse!” Bronson yelled as he wrapped the rope around the saddle horn and backed his horse up. Trevor did as he was told. He wasn’t sure if the water on his face was rain or tears as he shook all over from helplessness to save her.

The landslide slowed its crawl down the slope as Bronson pulled what looked like a large lump of mud closer to them. He backed up his horse until she was clear of the flow. Trevor jumped off Storm and was by her side, clearing muck off her face. She wasn’t moving and mud covered her everywhere. The rain washed some of it off her face but it wasn’t enough.

Bronson fell to his knees and emptied his water bladder over her face. He sat her up to beat her chest. Randy coughed and sputtered out a mouthful of dirt. Bronson poured more water into her mouth and over her eyes. He used his sleeve to wipe around her nose and mouth.  Bronson squeezed her tight to his chest once she stopped coughing.

“Child! I thought you were dead.” Bronson held her face in his hands.

All Trevor needed to see was Bronson fall apart and he was crying with the old man. Randy reached for Trevor and grabbed hold of his soaked shirt to pull him closer to her. She kissed his face smearing mud across his cheek then held his ear close to her mouth.

“I love you,” she whispered. Tears created little streams through the dirt on her face.

Trevor held her tight. He never wanted to let her go.

Another flash of lightning crashed on the mountain across from them.

“Come on. We gotta find safety.”  Bronson lifted Randy up in his arms and carried her down the side of the hill. The horses took off again from the second strike.

Randy whistled and a skittish Al with wild, fearful eyes, looking in all directions, trotted up to them with Storm and Bronson’s horse not far behind. Trevor ran and slid sideways in the mud when he grabbed the reins of the other two horses. When he led them down the mountain, he spotted a cave not far ahead.

Trevor waved at Bronson. The rain turned into hail as he jogged the horses over to the cave. It was as if it had been carved out just for them. The cave ceiling was tall enough for all the horses to stand under, and just enough room for the three of them to huddle in the corner. The large hail bounced hard off the ground in front of the cave opening and pelted the back of the horses’ legs. Bronson set Randy down. They shivered waiting out the storm. Bronson took the reins from Trevor as the horses pulled in distress. Lightning struck everywhere. Each time one crashed really close, the three of them jumped and the horses stomped, tossing their heads.

Al was closest to Randy. She started to hum softly. Al’s ears pricked and turned in the direction of Randy’s voice.

Trevor hugged his chest and shivered. He watched her rock back and forth humming to her horse.

Lightening struck nearby. Al stomped at the ground, tossing his head, and pulled at his reins. When the thunder died down, Trevor could hear her humming again. Al’s ears pricked once more and he stood perfectly still.

Trevor closed his eyes and listened. Randy’s soft voice filled his ears and his head. The tune was somewhat eerie yet comforting at the same time. He sighed. No wonder the horse was so attached to her. After the scare they just had, Trevor wondered if he would ever be able to live without her.

The rain finally eased and the thunder rumbled a little less violently to the east.  The sun reappeared from behind the clouds and reflected off all the standing water in front of the cave.

Bronson chuckled and then he chuckled again as he led his horse out into the sunlight.

“What’s so funny?” Trevor had been in a trance, lost in his own thoughts.

Bronson pointed at Randy.

Huddled against the wall and fast asleep, Randy was almost camouflaged since she was solid brown from head to toe. It was drying and her hair molded to her head as it hardened. Trevor couldn’t help it. He had to stifle a laugh when he stood, tugging at his wet, muddy clothes that clung to his body. He shook his arms and water splashed everywhere from his sleeves. Randy jumped. She looked at Bronson and then at Trevor. They both couldn’t stop snickering.

“What’s so funny?” Randy struggled to stand but couldn’t. She moaned in pain and held her backside.

Trevor tried to stop giggling. He doubled over, holding his stomach. It was mean to laugh and yet he couldn’t help it. He covered his mouth and left the cave.

When he pulled himself together, he went back in to help Randy, but she was in no mood for him to be nice to her. On her feet, her eyes glassed over with the first two steps she took. “I don’t know if I can ride much longer today.” She leaned into Trevor’s chest. “I’m hurt pretty bad from the fall.”

That’s when it struck Trevor that they might be in trouble.