“Em, this trip was exactly what I needed. I needed the shakeup and the change of scenery. I needed the challenge and the dare to do something out of my comfort zone. Sure, right now things are uncertain and this wasn’t part of the plan but we’ll get through it, okay?” I sounded so sure that things were going to work out in our favor and I was surprised that the reason for the confidence was because I really believed everything would be okay. I didn’t just have faith in Cy and his brothers, I had faith in myself and in her. We would figure it out, and once we were back at the ranch and then eventually back at home, we would have this amazing story to tell.
She moved away slightly and the expression on her face changed from traumatized to wistful. “Did you see the way Sutton jumped over the fire pit so he could cover me? They grow them pretty amazing up here, don’t they?”
All I could do was nod in agreement. They did grow them pretty goddamn great out here in the wild, wild west. Not quite cowboys were filling in for the fantasy cowboys just fine.
Sutton and Lane worked on getting the rest of camp broken down and packed up while Cy and Grady took up watch on either side of the camp, each holding a loaded weapon as they watched the trees with unwavering eyes. I did my best to bandage Webb but the injury to his shoulder was far worse than the wound on Cy’s arm. The bleeding didn’t seem to want to stop, and every time he moved his arm he turned several shades of green and made retching noises like he was going to be sick. He didn’t look all that great, and when Sutton ordered us all to mount up so we could go our separate ways, it took both Emrys and I on either side of the man to help him to his feet. The green shade under his skin turned a waxy gray and he pitched forward almost taking both of us to the ground with him.
Cy made his way over to us and reached out to brace Webb on his good shoulder, his expression tight and concerned. “Are you going to be able to ride with that shoulder, kid?”
Webb tried to straighten and shake Emrys and me off either side but as soon as we let go he swayed forward. The only thing keeping him upright was Cy’s hand on his chest.
“Once you get me in the saddle I’ll be okay.” His voice was strained and he kept blinking his eyes like he was having a hard time focusing on the man in front of him.
“Can’t put you on one of my horses if you don’t think you can keep control of him. That’s too dangerous for you and the animal. We’ll have to double up.” He sounded grim.
Lane instantly objected to the new plan. “You can’t ride double and push hard for the ranch. That’s too much strain on you and Edgar which also means you’ll be moving slowly. You’ll be a sitting target if those guys with the guns decide to take you off the mountain permanently.”
Grady interjected that he could ride with Webb but he was still a big man and nowhere near as proficient and skilled on a horse as Cy was.
“Not sure we have another option, Lane. It’s our job to get everyone back safe and we can’t leave him behind just because he can’t ride.” Lane opened his mouth to protest further but then snapped it shut again when he realized that the options were indeed limited.
I looked at Em and then at Cy. Before I even started speaking, he was shaking his head in the negative and glowering down at me. He knew I was about to go all in when it came to risk taking. There was no time to think how it could all go wrong because there was only one option that made sense. “I can ride with him. I’m not a giant like you, so it’ll be easier on the horse and it means you wouldn’t have to travel as slowly.” I was also handy enough in the saddle that I could control the animal and keep Webb from falling off.
“No.” Cy barked out the word the same time Em did, both glaring at me.
I pointed at Webb’s nearly white face and his shaking hands. “Look at him. He needs medical attention and we all need to move. There isn’t time to discuss all the pros and cons.”
“I won’t be able to keep you safe.” His voice dipped low and the raw agony in his words made my heart tumble and my stomach clench.
I took a step toward him and reached up so I could hold his handsome face between my hands. “You’re going to have to trust me to take care of myself and you, Cy. We don’t have a choice. Get that man on the horse and then get us the hell out of here.” I could sound like a badass when I needed to and my determination to make this happen must have been clear because he didn’t argue with me. He gave a jerky nod and pulled away, snapping at Lane to help him get Webb up on his horse.
Em tugged on my elbow and urged me to turn until I was looking at her. She was worried but she was also proud. That was pretty much how I was feeling about it all, so I hugged her and told her, “I’ll see you back at the ranch.”
She moved away but it was apparent that she didn’t want to let me go. “Promise?” We’d been each other’s support system for so long that it was unfathomable to think about rushing off into a life-changing race for shelter without having the other to lean on.
“Promise.” The word was whispered, slightly shaky, because I’d never broken a promise to her and I hated to think that one this important would be the first one.
Lane and Cy muscled Webb into the saddle then placed me in front of him much more gently. I could feel the tremor in the younger man’s arm as he placed it around my waist. Cy gave me one last, hard look and then swung up into his own saddle, hardly looking like he’d taken a bullet himself. We had already wasted what little time we had so there were no drawn out goodbyes as the horses started to move in opposite directions from one another. The Warner brothers all shared a look before heading off their own ways. I gave Em a little wave that she returned with a sad grin. Life was uncertain, and there was no better reminder that things might not work out the way you wanted them to than saying what might be your last goodbye to someone who means everything to you.