It's In His Heart (A Red River Valley Novel) (14 page)

C
hapte
r
F
ourteen

“Let me go through this one first so you can see the easiest path to take,” he yelled over the rushing water.

She shook her head vigorously. “Don’t leave me here alone.”

“I’ll be just up ahead.” He pointed to the giant three-story boulder that had broken off the top of the mountain in the early nineties and tumbled down into the river, creating a whole new rapid. The narrow entrance into the rapid between several smaller boulders was the reason it was dubbed “The Eye of the Needle.” After shooting through that, you had to paddle hard right to clear the boulder, then hard left through the last of the jagged rocks and fast water.

“Watch what I do and follow my lead exactly. I’ll pull over on the far side and wait for you to come through.”

He waited for a response, but Ella just stared straight ahead and paddled gently to keep her raft going in the right direction.

“You’ll be fine,” he shouted.

She nodded, her face a chalky white.

“If you get in trouble, use your whistle.”

Coop entered the first rapid through the two tall, jagged rocks. The current took him, and he paddled hard right and managed to clear the boulder without even grazing the side of his raft. As he rounded it, he took one last look at Ella, who was paddling toward the entrance, eyes round and hollow. He glided through the second half of the rapid with ease and banked his raft on the right in a small inlet that was outside the current. He waited.

And waited.

A chill crept up Coop’s spine until it tickled the back of his neck. The roar of the water melted away. Coop stared at the gap in the rapids where Ella should be coming through any second, but it was empty. Just water rushing over jagged rocks.

The seconds ticked by like hours.
Come on, Ella.
His blood pressure spiked.

It had been too long. She wasn’t coming through. Another minute crawled by, and a speck of blue and yellow caught his eye. A wave of panic swept through him like the cold rushing water of the rapids. Ella’s paddle rushed through the Eye of the Needle, drumming against each rock as it tumbled through the class-four rapid.

Coop looked up at the jagged edge of the cliff above him. No way to traverse it. Looking across the river, he figured if he could get across to the other side at a sharp diagonal, then he could walk back upstream on the rocky bank until he found a clearing.

Pushing off, he darted across the river at a steep slant and landed on the opposite bank. The bow of his raft rammed onto the rocky shore, and Coop jumped out. With the water up to his crotch, he pulled the rubber craft onto the bank, stumbling under the current. He grabbed the rocky edge and pulled himself out. Dragging his raft far enough onto the rocks to secure it, he grabbed the first aid kit that was secured, along with a flare gun, in a waterproof bag, and unhooked the survival rope from a ring in the back of the raft. He slung both over his shoulder.

Carefully, he picked his way upstream, looking to the left for any sign of Ella. Every second that passed with no glimpse of her made his stomach pitch harder. He increased his pace, still trying to keep his footing and not fall back into the water himself.

Finally, he made his way even with the giant boulder, and as he moved just past it, he saw the red-and-white raft.

The capsized rubber boat beat against the big boulder, and the sick thudding sound caused Coop’s breathing to seize. Ella was nowhere in sight.

“Ella!” Coop shouted, a searing burn slicing straight through his heart.

No answer. The raft continued to thud against the rock in a hollow rhythm.

He traversed a little farther upstream and craned his neck. He had to reach her. What if she was badly hurt? Or worse?

“Ella!” he yelled again, his voice growing more frantic. A faint trill wafted across the breeze, and Coop strained to hear. It went off again, a little louder this time.

A whistle.

“Ella, hang on! I’m coming for you.”
Thank God.

Coop’s mind zinged as he tried to figure out the best way to get to her. If he entered the river here, the current would shoot him through the rapids again before he could reach her. He waded farther upstream.

Removing the waterproof sack from across his shoulder, he unzipped it and pulled out the flare gun. He flipped the safety switch and raised it into the air. With a pull of the trigger, a flash of orange rose high in the sky. He tucked the gun back into the pouch and secured the strap across his chest again.

Jesus, he should’ve talked her out of doing the race. She’d been so obviously scared, but there were little kids in this race. No way did he think Ella, of all people, would be so paralyzed with fear. But, if she was hurt, or worse . . . Coop’s jaw tightened. He couldn’t let that happen.

And suddenly, miraculously, how much Ella meant to him, how important she’d become, spread through him like warm liquid. He liked having her in his life. She sharpened him. Like iron against iron, her stubborn will kept him in line like no other woman had ever been able to, and it made him a better man. Made him want to be a better person.

He had to get to her before it was too late.

He moved farther upstream and unwound the lifeline that was slung over his shoulder. Before leaving the safety of the rocky bank, he tied the rope around a sturdy boulder, first testing it to make sure it could hold him and Ella both. He hooked the other end to his vest and waded in. His shoes, designed for water activities, gave him more traction against the slippery river rocks. When he was up to his waist and the river current started to overpower him, he plunged into the water and stroked toward the other side, angling his body at forty-five degrees.

Halfway across, the current strengthened and fought him with each stroke. His endurance started to wane. His knee banged against a rock, and pain shot through it, but he kept swimming. Finally, a rock that jutted out of the water just shy of Ella’s raft came within reach and Coop grabbed it. Holding on to it like a buoy, Coop tried to catch his breath.

Ella’s whistle sounded again.

“Ella,” he called out. “I’m almost there.”

When his breathing leveled off again, Coop pushed off and the current grabbed him. He latched on to another large rock and managed to hang on. If he let go on the left side, it would take him through the first level of the rapids and sweep him past Ella, so he used his hands to maneuver to the right, where the current eased. When he got to the right edge of the rock, Coop pushed off and kicked violently, propelling to the right against the current. He swept toward the giant boulder and reached out and grabbed it, latching on by his fingertips. The jagged edge cut into his fingers, but he refused to let go.

With both hands, he felt his way to the left until he reached the raft. He grabbed on to one of the rope handles and pulled it up. Ella was underneath, her head just above water, her back to him. She’d managed to find a small crevice and burrowed into it, out of the grasp of the current.

Relief surged through him.
Smart girl.

Coop pushed the raft over her head. As soon as he pulled it free, the river took it, and it swept through the rapids. It jetted through the Eye of the Needle and beat against the rocks with a series of sick thuds.

Ella’s head hung forward, and he swam up behind her. “Ella,” he whispered gently. “Sweetheart, I’m here.” He gripped her right upper arm, and she screamed.

He looked closer. Her shoulder was partially covered by the life vest, but he could see that it hung limp at her side.

“Ella, can you raise your right arm?” he asked against her ear.

She shook her head in jerking movements.

“Okay, I’m going to look under your vest. Ready?”

She didn’t respond.

Gently, he lifted the edge of her vest. Her body was contorted where the arm connected to the shoulder.

He slid one arm around her waist while still gripping the boulder with the other. “I’ve got you, baby.”

She leaned back against him, and her head fell back on his shoulder. He was cheek to cheek with her. Her eyes closed and her lips blue, she was in shock, and hypothermia had clearly set in.

“Coop, my . . . my arm . . . can’t move it.”

“Your shoulder’s dislocated. Does it hurt anywhere else?”

“I . . . I don’t think so.” Her eyes closed. “But I can’t feel my feet anymore. Do you think they’re still attached to my legs?”

He chuckled. “Of course they are. You’re just cold. The feeling will come back when you warm up. I’m going to tie this rope around you, okay?” He unhooked it from his vest and secured it to hers. “Help will be here in just a minute.”

“I’m cold.” Her entire body shook against him.

“I know, sweetheart.” He held her close against him, but between their two life vests and the freezing water, his body heat couldn’t reach her. There wasn’t much he could do to warm her up, so he anchored her against his chest and wrapped one of his legs around hers. “You’ll be outta here soon, and I’ll build you a fire when we get back to the cabin.”

“That’s . . . nice,” she whispered through chattering teeth.

Coop placed a delicate kiss on her temple. “I should’ve taken better care of you. I’m sorry.”

“You’re here now.” Her voice grew more faint. “In living color.”

Yeah, he was here in the flesh. Alive and well. And Bradley wasn’t, the one who really deserved Ella because he’d been such a top-shelf guy. Coop didn’t deserve a woman like her. She’d been right the other night after the dance. He was terrified of everything she represented because he didn’t think he could be worthy of a woman of her caliber. And even if he stood a chance with someone like her, he’d probably find a way to mess it up.

Coop heard sirens. Help was here.

In Red River, Coop paced the waiting room of Doc Holloway’s office, half of the local residents waiting with him. That was the great thing about a small town. The people might all be in your business, but they were also there to help and support you when you needed it.

The door to the exam room opened, and Doc stuck his head out. About the same age as Coop, Blake Holloway’s nickname didn’t fit his tall, athletic build, but that’s what the townspeople had labeled him, and it stuck.

“She won’t let me touch her until she talks to you.”

Coop was in the room and by her side like a man with superpower speed. The bed was in an upright position, but reclined slightly, and Ella looked at him from under long lashes.

Doc Holloway pointed to the backlit X-ray that was mounted to a view box on the wall. “There’s no broken bone, but the X-ray shows the ball-and-socket joint has dropped anterior and inferior. It needs to be relocated.”

“Okay, speak English.” Ella’s voice was cagey, the pain evident in her expression.

Coop tried to soothe her with a soft look. “Your shoulder just needs to be reset.”

Her magnificent green eyes pleaded with him. “Can you do it, Coop? Bradley used to reset dislocated shoulders.”

Coop speared fingers through his damp hair. “I can do it, but I can’t.” He closed his eyes and pulled in a breath. “I mean, I know how, and have done it many times, but legally I can’t do it now. My license is suspended.”

“But I’m scared. Bradley told me once how painful it is.”

Coop exchanged a look with Doc Holloway. Ella reached for Coop’s hand and he engulfed it in his. Her hand looked so small, so fragile. Small wrinkles from the water still gathered the skin around her fingertips.

“It’s very fast. A split second and it’s over. And the pain you’re experiencing now will disappear instantly. I’ll be right here with you.”

The creamy skin between her shimmering green eyes wrinkled.

“Doc, can you give her something?”

Doc Holloway nodded. “I can give you a small dose of diazepam, Ella. That will take the edge off, but you’ll still feel it. Coop’s right, though, it’s over fast, and you’ll feel much better than you do now.”

Damn it
. She shouldn’t have gotten hurt, and it was his fault.

She nodded hesitantly. “Okay.” Her voice was small, almost childlike, and something inside Coop’s chest thudded.