A band of Indians has been moving up on them from the other side. Harris slowly lowers the rifle and switches to his binoculars. Five warriors have moved in on foot and behind them the steam from more horses can be seen. Counting quickly, he soon realizes a band of thirty or more warriors is slowly closing in around the campfire. He grins in the dark and slowly crawls backward. Time to go.
“The next time I find her, she will not tell me no.” He kicks his horse and rides for the Snake River.
Chapter 13
“Pa, look!” Ten-year-old Billy runs through the back of the wagon and points out across the field at a horse eating dewy grass as the sun rises over the field.
“Get back inside!” His father grabs his rifle while his wife takes the reins of the wagon. Billy grabs the pistol his mother hands him and tells him to watch the back.
Trent Hardley and his family are part of a group traveling in a wagon train with a flock of sheep. There were ten families travelling together, all determined to homestead land to raise their families and flocks on. Today had been the Hardley families turn to go to the nearest town for supplies.
Trent trains his rifle on the horse and waits for the morning glare to die down. Squinting against the sun, he shields his eyes and realizes a rider is slumped over the saddle of the horse.
“Billy, stay here, it could be a trick.” Melody grabs the second rifle and keeps an eye out. “I’ll go check.”
“No, Trent, what if,” she starts to say, but he squeezes her hand gently.
“Just a quick check, he’s probably just asleep.” Trent jumps down and walks quickly through the field, his rifle is trained on the man and horse the entire time.
“Easy,” he soothes the horse who glances at him, only to go back to eating. Trent stares at the soldier and notices the stain on his leg spreading out and calls out to him.
“Are you okay?” No response. Trusting his wife to cover him, he lowers the rifle and reaches up, shoving the hat back, releasing a rain of caramel colored hair.
“Oh, my Lord!” Melody whispers and lowers the rifle. “Billy get the medicine bag!”
Trent touches the woman’s shoulder and finds to his relief that she’s breathing but is burning up with fever. When he tries to pull her from the horse, he realizes she had tied her hands to the saddle with the reins.
Not sure about the extent of her injuries he grabs the bridle and pulls the horse gently back to his wagon, leaving her in the saddle.
A few minutes later they have removed her from the saddle, laying her in the wagon, and tied the horse to the back of the covered wagon. “She’s burning up with fever, Trent.” Melody glances worriedly at him, not saying what they are both worried about, disease.
“I know, let’s get her comfortable and head back to the homestead.” They work quickly and are soon riding again. Billy sits watching the woman and chews on his lip.
Kimani opens her eyes and stares up at the white canvas top above her, before turning her head to the side. Billy stares open mouth at her. “Mom! she’s awake!
Melody crawls into the back and takes her hand. “What’s your name?”
“Rivers...” Getting to the Ranch is all she can think of.
“Rivers is your last name?” Melody asks softly.
“W… water?” Kimani can’t keep her eyes open, the sun is too bright, and chills are racking her body. Melody grabs another blanket and covers her with it while whispering to Billy to give her the canteen.
Kimani drinks with the help of Melody and collapses back on the blankets. “Can you tell me your name, Miss Rivers?”
Kimani frowns and struggles to stay awake, “Vanessa,” she murmurs and starts coughing.
“Easy, Vanessa, it’s’ going to be okay, just sleep,” Melody wets a cloth and presses it to her forehead as her eyes clothes. “Hurry, Trent,” she urges her husband.
“What happened to her, Mama?” Billy asks.
“I don’t know, but we will take care of her,” Melody promises.
An hour later they are pulling back into the homestead, surprising everyone in the camp. “What’s wrong?” Trent’s father asks.
“We found an injured rider,” he says, pulling to a stop and setting the break.
Melody leaps down and starts snapping orders. “We need hot water, boiled. She’s fevered, and we don’t know the extent of her injuries. Take her to our cabin, Trent.”
They all gather to watch as Sutton climbs inside to help Trent carry her out. Kimani sleeps through it all. Only groaning when they hit her leg.
“Dear Lord, what happened to her?” Trent’s mother gasps, following Melody to her cabin with Billy and two other women.
The cabins are simple two-room structures built from the local trees and materials at hand. “We don’t know,” Trent answers and carries her inside, laying her on Billy’s bed, before turning to his Father.
“That horse belongs the military and the last I looked they don’t let females in the army, Pa.”
“Nope. I’ll go through the bags.” He turns, and leaves followed by Billy.
The women get to work quickly, heating water and gathering supplies, while Melody cuts the shirt from her body, followed by her pants.
“Oh, my God,” Lea, Melody’s friend whispers.
“Her name is Vanessa Rivers,” Melody says softly. The bruises rain over her body, purple ribs, scratches, cuts litter her body. Even her scalp is bloody, but her leg has them all gasping. They remove the bandages and one corner has broken open, allowing it to leak but the remaining stitches held.
“Lea, can you start on her hair,
