Cherry Springs

Chapter 14

Duke was too late to intercept the man who had knocked Anna from her horse. He saw her fall, fear sinking into the pit of his stomach. He hoped she was okay. He had to protect her.

He struggled with the man who had done it, engaging in hand-to-hand combat, shoving him to the ground, stealing his gun from the holster, and aiming it. The second man yelped in pain, clutching his opposite shoulder. "That girl shot me!" he called out in a gravelly voice, then began to slump in his saddle. His buddy, breaking free from Duke's grapple, rode to his aid. They galloped off towards the stolen cows in the distance.

Duke let them go; he had enough to protect. He would get them later. When it was quiet, he dismounted and ran to Anna, kneeling beside her. Scooping her into his arms, he found her lighter than expected. She lay limp, unconscious. His stomach churned with sadness.

"Anna?" he asked, checking for bullet wounds. How could he have let this happen?

As he rode with her slumped in front of him on the horse, he was determined to get her to safety. He laid her down on the bed, watching her, waiting urgently for dawn to call the doctor. The moments that passed were the slowest of his life. He got up and paced, too restless to sit. How could he have taken her with him, and without any backup? It was so stupid. He marveled at how brave she'd been, no, too brave, recklessly so! She clearly didn't understand the danger she had put herself in.

He realized how much he had grown to care for her. She was his student in ranching, but she was more than that. Being around her made him feel lighter than he had in years. They had laughed more.

She looked so delicate, sleeping there. Her round cheeks, red lips, soft brown hair. How he hoped she would wake up.

At dawn, he saddled up and rode for the doctor.

"She's hit her head and looks like she has a sprained left arm," said Doctor Swenson, examining her and squinting behind his wire-rim spectacles. "But she should recover just fine. Just let her rest a bit."

Duke watched her all night as she slept, or at least he thought he had, as dreams and thoughts mingled. He opened his eyes with the fluttering of dawn's light. He must have dozed off.

Her eyes fluttered open as well.

"Anna! How do you feel? You really charged right at them. I was amazed," he said, staring into her large eyes.

"I feel like I've been trampled by a horse," Anna groaned, her limbs stirring under the sheets, her hands freeing themselves.

"You were knocked off your horse and lost consciousness," he explained. "Before that, you were so brave. I didn't think you had it in you."

"When I was young, we had some ranchers come by. They took the women hostage and we were tied up, helpless. The men had to bargain for us. I..." she paused, tears in her eyes, and her hands balled into fists. "I just hated that feeling so much. They stole our cattle, and I would never have let that happen. The women weren't taken seriously, yet my brother and father caved out of fear. I vowed to never feel that fear again. I never want to feel that helpless."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said sadly. "That must have been awful."

Anna looked away, her lips stiffening. She was a brave, headstrong woman, trying to do things for herself. That kind of girl he had never met before, never thought existed. It sent a rush through his heart. She had been through so much, known life more than he had realized.

Still not looking at him, she said quietly, "Maybe it's time to focus on finding my brother."

"Let me help you," Duke urged. "And we won't be chasing after those cattle rustlers either. I'll go with the sheriff, get a group of ranchers, interested parties, together. This town will band together."

She sat for a moment in silence, looking like she was trying to stay strong, as if her voice would break if she spoke.

"I'll take you home," Duke said softly. "So you can rest up in your own bed."