Dearest Irish by Lyn Horner
In this scene...Choctaw Jack has kidnapped Rose Devlin and is conveying her north toward the Indian Territory. They've run into bad weather in this scene.
She watched Jack study the rapidly approaching storm clouds and heard him exchange a few words with Tsoia. Glancing at her over his shoulder, he said, “I don’t like the look of those clouds. We need to find shelter fast. Here.” He tossed Brownie’s reins to her. “Ride hard and stick close.”
She watched Jack study the rapidly approaching storm clouds and heard him exchange a few words with Tsoia. Glancing at her over his shoulder, he said, “I don’t like the look of those clouds. We need to find shelter fast. Here.” He tossed Brownie’s reins to her. “Ride hard and stick close.”
Astonished by his sudden trust in her, she nodded
mutely. When he and Tsoia kicked their mounts into a gallop, she did likewise.
Before long, rain began to pelt them, growing heavier by the minute, forcing
Rose to blink fast to see where she was going. Mixed with the rain were small,
stinging pellets of hail that made her hiss in pain and bend low over Brownie’s
neck as she struggled to guide him after Jack.
The wind screeched like a banshee, blowing sheets of
rain sideways, slashing at her like knives. The hail stones grew larger, the
pain they inflicted more intense. Brownie let out a piercing neigh when an
especially big one smashed into his shoulder, and Rose had all she could do to
control him. He was in a near panic, as were the other horses.
Where was the shelter Jack sought? Was there any to
be found out here in the middle . . .?
Pain exploded through her head, radiating from above
her left ear. Seeing bursts of bright colors, she swayed precariously in her
saddle. Instinctively, she grabbed her saddle horn to keep from tumbling off
the galloping horse. Somewhere in her stunned brain, she realized she’d been
struck by a large hail stone.
She had no memory of screaming, but she must have
because Jack was suddenly there, scooping her from Brownie’s back with an arm
around her waist and swinging her onto his lap. “It’s all right, I’ve got you,”
he shouted above the raging storm.
Huddled against him, she
felt the beating of his heart beneath her ear and, despite the terrible
pounding in her head, she took comfort from his rock-solid strength. The rain
and hail continued to beat at them, but in her groggy state, Rose trusted Jack
to bring them safely through.
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