The Secret Truth at Dare Ranch (14 page)

"Dani?” 

Lexie turned
her head at the sound of Mitch's voice. "What are you doing here?"

Dani
pulled herself from Lexie’s arms and sat up. "Daddy," she said with a
smile in her voice. She yanked back the covers and patted the bed. "Come
sit with me."

Mitch
smiled and his gaze slid to Lexie. Warmth floated to her toes. Lexie rose from
the bed and laid her book on the nightstand. She walked to the window and
looked out at the storm. "It's getting worse."

He
sauntered over to the bed and lay down beside his daughter. Water droplets
sparkled in his hair and his face appeared flushed. Dani giggled, laid her arm
over Mitch’s chest and snuggled in. Mitch patted her back and looked at Lexie
over Dani’s shoulder. "I came by to make sure you and Dani were okay. I
went down to the barn first and checked on the horses. They're a little
skittish because of the thunder and lightning but otherwise they're fine.”

A
little bit of the worry Lexie constantly carried lifted from her shoulders. "Thank
you," she said softly.

"You're
welcome.” Mitch exhaled a deep sigh, turned his head and closed his eyes.

Mitch
stayed until Dani fell asleep, her breathing steady, with a slight snore
issuing from her lips. Carefully, he shifted her body to the mattress and
pulled the covers over her. Then he leaned over and kissed her on the temple.

For
a moment, Lexie allowed herself to believe Mitch was serious about staying in
Chimney Rock and being a father to Dani. What would it be like to have Mitch to
lean on, to stand beside her through good times and bad?

A
pounding noise echoed from downstairs, followed by the repeated ringing of the
doorbell. Adrenaline shot through Lexie's veins.

Together,
Lexie and Mitch raced down the stairs, but Hattie already had the front door
open. Skinny Martin stood in the doorway wearing a bright yellow slicker. Water
dripped from his rain coat and hat. Mud streaked his boots and jeans. Concern
blanketed his thin, sun-worn face.

Lexie stepped
forward and gripped his upper arms. "What’s happened?"

"Barn’s
on fire. Two cows already drowned in the river."

# # #

Lexie
whirled and walked toward the hall closet. In a few seconds, she’d donned her
slicker, popped a hat on her head and started through the door after Skinny. Lightning
glimmered illuminating the darkness for just a few seconds and thunder crashed
through the open doorway.

Mitch
grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you’re going?"

She
looked up at him. "After my horses and cattle. I’ve got to save them."

He
shook his head. "No, I'll go. It's too dangerous. You stay here with
Dani."

She
jerked her arm free from his hold. "I have to go, Mitch," she said in
a firm tone. "Those horses and cows out there need me. I could lose
everything.” Lexie turned and raced out of the door into the storm.

Hattie
stepped forward and touched Mitch's arm. "I'll take care of Dani. You go
help Lexie."

He
intended to. He would help her save what he was trying to take.

When
Mitch stepped off the porch, rain needled his face and stung his eyes. The wind
stole his breath. He stopped briefly to fill his lungs with air. Lightning
streaked like a neon finger over the sky, quickly followed by a crack of
thunder. At his feet, the ground roiled in a sodden mass of water and mud.

Mitch
squinted against the rain and ran toward the barn. Fire licked over the worn
wood. He had just reached the enclosure which led to the barn when Lexie
streaked inside the burning building. Fear stabbed him in the gut and swam
icily through his blood. Skinny followed close on her heels.

"Damn
it," he growled and ran after her. Intense heat and flame like living
orange tongues, flickered and danced around him. He shielded his nose and mouth
from the smoke that threatened to choke him. "Lexie!" he yelled
through the noise of rain and wind. Around him, horses whinnied in fear. Suddenly,
he spotted her next to Aspen’s stall. She struggled with the latch while the
fire hissed around her.

Mitch
rushed over and brushed her hands away from the latch. "Get outside,"
he yelled. "Skinny and I will take care of the horses."

But
his words were ignored. She’d already started toward the stalls of the other
horses. Mitch stripped off his coat, threw it over Aspen’s head to shield his
eyes from the fire and led him out of the barn. He jerked the coat from the
horse’s head and slapped him on the butt.

Aspen
tore through the gate and out into the rain-filled pasture. The air crackled
with the sound of burning wood and the sizzle of rain as it washed over the barn
walls. Around him, thunder boomed and crashed.

Mitch
saw Lexie step out of the barn with a cloth thrown over Morning Star’s head. She
whipped the cloth from the mare’s head, turned swiftly and headed back into the
barn. A beam fell across her path in a burst of sparks and flame. Mitch’s heart
slid into his throat.

Lexie
leaped away from the fallen beam, then darted around it. Mitch rushed in after
her. By the time all the horses were free, the rain had nearly smothered the
fire.

Lexie
ran over to Skinny with Mitch at her side and gripped his arm. "I'm going
down to the river," she yelled against the roar of wind and rain. Go up to
the house and tell Hattie to call everybody we know who has a horse trailer. The
horses can't run loose in this weather.” Lexie turned and raced toward her
truck. She jerked open the driver's side door and slid inside.

Mitch
hurried around the truck and climbed in on the passenger side. Lexie cranked
the engine. The truck's wheels spun in the mud before the vehicle lurched once
and they headed across the pasture toward the river.

Fear
still gnawed at Mitch's nerve endings. He ripped the dripping hat from his head
and slapped it against his right thigh scattering raindrops. "Jesus, Lexie,"
he growled. "You could have been killed."

"I did
what I had to do," she stated in a curt tone without looking at him.

Frustration
formed a tangled knot in his stomach. The rain washed in sheets across the
windscreen while the wipers beat in a frantic, thumping rhythm. "You put
your life at risk and in that moment you allowed yourself to forget about
Dani," he said not bothering to temper the cold, harsh tone of his voice.

Lexie
jerked her head and glared at him before yanking her attention back to the
front of the truck. "I never for one moment forgot about my daughter.” Her
voice grated with anger. "It's because of her I went into that burning
barn.”

He
slammed his fist against the passenger door. "It's because of your
insatiable need to save this place that you ran in there. Not because of Dani!"

Suddenly,
the rushing river glowed ahead of them in the truck's high beams. Mitch watched
a cow struggling in the middle of the river while another small calf barely
moved with the water rushing around them. Lexie brought the Ford to an abrupt
halt and they both climbed out of the truck.

# # #

The
wind stole her breath while rain pelted her body. The cows' movements slowed. Lexie's
heart nearly stopped beating. If she didn’t pull them out soon they would die.

She
scrambled into the flat bed of the truck and bent over a large, steel box
mounted behind the front cab. She threw open the lid, grasped two coils of heavy
rope and pulled them out. Without closing the lid on the box, she jumped down from
the truck and raced toward the river. Before she reached the river's banks,
Mitch’s arms clamped around her waist stopping her.

"Are
you crazy?" he yelled. "You could be killed."

She
struggled against his hold then jerked her head around to stare into his eyes. "I
have to do this," she cried. Desperation and fear fueled her determination
to save what was left. "If I don't rescue those cows it's all over!"

But
wasn't that what he wanted, she thought before understanding dawned. He needed
the ranch and all of its assets in tact to obtain top dollar for the foundation.
That was the only reason he was here helping her. So why had she begun to care
for him?  "Let me go!  Please," she cried.

"Damn
it," he shouted and dropped his arms from her waist. Before she could run
to the river, he grabbed one of the ropes she had in her hands and tossed her the
opposite end. "Tie this onto the hitch on the front of the truck," he
yelled over the wind and rain. "I’ll wade out and tie the other end around
one of the cows. When I signal you, get in the truck, put it in reverse and
step on the gas."

Before
he could head for the river, Lexie grabbed his arm. "Wait. Let me tie a
lead rope onto you."

After
the lead rope was tied, Lexie watched Mitch wade into the icy water. In a
moment, he was waist deep. A chill racked her body just watching him. The water
must be frigid.

He
stumbled and slipped under the water. Lexie watched in horror as the waves
swept over his head.

She
planted her feet and tugged as hard as she could on the lead rope. Mitch's
weight combined with the river's swift current threatened to pull her arms from
their sockets. Just as her strength began to fail and her fingers loosened on
the rope, Skinny ran up in front of her. He gripped the rope and pulled. Mitch's
head broke through the water's surface.

Thank
God.

Lexie
dropped the rope and ran to the banks of the river. "Are you okay,"
she shouted across the water at Mitch. He gave her a wave and plowed through
the water toward the cows.

By
the time he reached the cow and one calf, they barely moved. The cow's body hung
limp where she was wedged between two large boulders and the calf lay still in
the water with his back against a rock. Lexie watched for what seemed an
eternity while Mitch worked to secure the rope around the cow's body.

He
turned and signaled to Lexie. She ran to the truck, slammed the gear into
reverse and pressed on the gas pedal.

Immediately,
the rope grew taut. Mitch shifted behind the cow and pushed against her hind
quarters. Lexie listened to the roar of the truck’s engine as she pressed
harder on the gas pedal.

Finally,
the cow slipped free and moved her legs in the water. Lexie kept the rope taut until
the cow scrambled up the muddy bank. Skinny ran to the cow, untied the rope and
tossed the end back to Mitch.

He
grabbed the rope then headed for the calf. Lexie hoped he wasn't too late.

The
calf's legs moved slightly but she feared it was only from the movement of the
river and not from any sign of life. Mitch tied the rope around the calf and
signaled for Lexie to step on it. In a moment, he was free. Lexie leaped from
the truck to help Mitch and Skinny pull the animal from the water.

She
kneeled by the calf and stroked her hand over him. His eyes were open and
staring. The end of his tongue protruded slightly from his mouth. "Damn it.
That makes three," she said while emotion choked her.

Lexie
raised her head and looked at Mitch. His eyes shone with compassion while rain washed
over his face and through his hair. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and
cling for dear life. She wanted him to tell her he wouldn't take the ranch but deep
inside she knew he would.   

He
grasped Lexie gently by her upper arms and helped her to her feet. "Come
on, Kitten," he said next to her ear. His arms closed around her and she
leaned into his warmth. "Let me take you home."

# # #

He
wanted to comfort Lexie over her loss in any way he could...if she would let
him. Would she push him away, shut him out and refuse to accept his solace? He
hoped not because her misery over losing the barn and the cows had ripped into
his heart.

Mitch
threw another log on the fire and a flurry of sparks danced up the chimney. When
they'd arrived back at the house, Hattie had thrust a steaming cup of tea into Lexie's
hands and Mitch had sent her straight upstairs to take a hot bath. For once in
her life, she didn’t argue. He was thankful that Dani had slept through the
brunt of the storm.

The
night had turned colder and sleet tapped lightly against the windows. The
ground would be frozen by morning. Lexie fretted on the way home about the
horses. When they drove past the burned out barn, they were both relieved to
see some neighbors loading the horses into trailers. At least they would have a
warm, dry place for shelter until a new barn could be built.

Lexie
was already making noises about doing it herself. He’d be damned if he would
let her stand out in the cold tomorrow and hammer boards together after what
she'd been through tonight.

He’d
changed out of his wet clothes and Hattie put them in the dryer. She'd found
him one of Mason Dare's old robes and some heavy socks to wear until his
clothes dried.

Mitch
sprawled on the sofa with his feet propped on the coffee table and waited. He
heard Lexie's footsteps pad down the stairs. In a moment, she stood in the
doorway of the den. She looked warm, soft and cuddly, wrapped up in her pink chenille
robe. Matching bedroom slippers covered her feet. She'd twisted her hair into a
loose knot and a few damp tendrils curled about her shoulders. There were
shadows under her eyes and sadness etched her mouth.