He stood, hands on hips and listened, hoping they were close enough to hear him.
“Help, please, help me.” A child’s voice mixed with the roar of the rushing torrent of water. Nathan’s stomach clenched, and he ran toward the voice. Holly sat at the edge of the swollen creek, clinging desperately to Tom, the pressure of the water pulling at his legs.
“Back up, honey; I’ve got him.” Nathan nudged her out of the way and leaned down to slide his hands under Tom’s shoulders and pull him further up the bank.
Tom screamed in pain, and Holly whimper beside him.
“Sorry, mate, just hang on.” Nathan lay the man on the grass. He knelt beside him, checking for blood before pulling Holly into his chest and stroking her wet hair, trying to calm her. “Hell, Tom, what happened?”
The older man grimaced in pain, his face gray and drawn. “Damned calves. They bolted into the river...ahh...thought we were gonna lose them. Sorry, Nathan. Shoulder...pulled it out when the horse shied.” He closed his eyes and groaned.
Holly moved in Nathan’s arms and looked up at him. “Tom’s horse threw him in the water. I had to get him out, and I tried really hard, but he’s too heavy for me.”
“You followed him into the water, Holly?” Nathan tried to keep the anger from his voice, remembering how it scared her.
“Yes. He’s my best friend.” She leaned down and put her hand on Tom’s head, stroking his brow. “I couldn’t let him drown.”
“I don’t know whether you’re the bravest little girl I know or the silliest for putting yourself in danger.” Nathan cupped her face in his hands. “Tom is lucky he has you, Holly.”
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “I know that.”
Nathan shook his head and grinned in spite of the situation. Life through a child’s eyes is so much less complicated. “Can you stay with Tom while I bring the truck down?”
“Yes, but don’t be long. I’m cold, and Mum will be worried.”
Your mother is going to get the biggest rocket of her bloody life when I get Tom sorted. “I’ll be as quick as I can. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Silly man, where would I go?” Holly looked up at him with the running down her face as she clutched Tom’s hand. In that moment, Nathan was lost. Somewhere in his empty, burned heart, this brave little girl had nicked a vein and carved her name in capital letters. Libby really had no idea what Nathan was going to do to her. She had some serious explaining to do, letting this child go so far from her in this weather.
Nathan ran back to the truck and carefully backed it up to Tom. He opened the back doors and arranged empty feed sacks into a makeshift blanket.
“Tom, mate, you’re going to have to help me here. I can’t get you into the truck by myself.” Nathan helped him sit up with Holly holding his arm as best she could to halt movement. Once Tom felt steady enough to stand, Nathan put his arm around the man’s back and leaned him into his body, lifting him to his feet. “Steady mate.” Tom blanched and wavered. “Holly, climb in the back, and when I lift Tom up, I want you to hold his head so he doesn’t fall back, okay?”
“I can do that.” She scrambled into the back of the truck and held her hands out, while Nathan hoisted Tom onto the tailgate. Once they had him resting comfortably, Nathan got in the front and started the engine. Slowly, he drove up the bank and headed for home.
The thunder of horse’s hooves made him slow down. Winton and Josh pulled up alongside the truck, grins of relief on their faces when they saw Holly and Tom in the back.
“We went right past here and didn’t see them.” Winton’s look of relief took the edge off of Nathan’s anger.
“They were farther down on the edge of the river. Hard to see. Go and grab the horses and take them back, will you? They’re back down there a little ways. I’ll have to take it slow, but tell your mother I’ve got them. I think Tom’s dislocated his shoulder, but Holly is okay. She pulled him out of the river when his horse shied, chasing bloody calves.”
“Sure thing.” Josh nodded, and he and Winton headed off to collect the horses and give Libby the good news.
For what seemed like an eternity, they sat and watched for any signs of life. Two dark shapes appeared through the rain in the darkening afternoon as Libby was cradling her now cold coffee.
She jumped up from her seat as soon as she spied them in the distance. With a cry, Libby looked out to see, the boys leading two extras horses, Puddin’ and Tom’s big bay horse.
Her heart in her throat, she ran to Josh and Winton, clutching at their wet clothes, touching their faces to reassure herself they were standing there. “Where are they? Are they okay?”
“Tom’s hurt, Mum.” Josh was quick to reassure her. “Not seriously, I don’t think, but Holly’s okay.”
“Nathan is bringing them back in the truck.” Winton gave her a wobbly smile then Josh to the shed and dismounted. Libby followed them, but kept turning in the direction they had come, looking for Nathan’s truck and the rest of her family.
“What happened?” She wiped the rain from her face as she helped them tie up the horses.
“Tom was chasing a couple of calves that bolted across the creek, and his horse shied and threw him. Nathan thinks he’s dislocated his shoulder.” Josh loosened the saddle.
“Where was Holly while this was happening?” Libby couldn’t slow her heart down.
“Don’t know. Nathan found them. He was on his way in when we saw them.” Josh shrugged. “She was sitting in the back of the truck beside Tom, holding his hand.”
Libby spun around at the sound of the truck creeping through the rain toward them. She rushed over and
