Ryan (2 page)

Chapter Two

Unaware
of her surroundings, Gracie tried to open one eye and then the other. The
metallic taste in her mouth told her she was injured. She remembered the coach
tumbling down into the ravine.
Her father.
Where was her father? She tried to get her feet
but her body hurt so
bad
. She had no idea how long
she’d been unconscious.

Dark
clouds where gathering overhead and she could hear thunder rumbling out to the
west. Or at least she thought it was west. She had idea where she was or what
direction they’d been heading now she could no longer see the road.

She
used the trunk of a tree to steady herself and slowly got to her feet. She put
her hand on her head, feeling something sticky. She looked at her fingers as
she pulled it away.
Blood.
Yeah, her head hurt and she
felt sort of dizzy.

Despite
the pain and wooziness she had to find her father. Gracie made her way back up
the side of the hill. She made such little progress and what she had gained was
lost again when she slipped back to where she’d started.

Damn.
She knew her father wouldn’t like her using that word but that’s all she could
think of. If there was ever a need for a cuss word now, that was it. He’d
understand.

 
She yanked up her dress and petticoat and held
them with her hands and gave getting up the hill one more
try
.
She spotted one of the steamer trunks by a fallen log. It didn’t belong to her
and her father. She scanned the area and then heard a woman’s voice.

“Help
me, please someone.”

Gracie
knew the voice had come from her left.

“Hello,
where are you?” called Gracie.

No
answer but then she saw a boot and leg poking out underneath a piece of the
carriage.

Gracie
walked closer and saw the lady who’d been fanning her face. Her head had blood
streaming from it and her clothes were ripped. As Gracie sat down to be with
her, she could tell by the vacant stare to her eyes that she’d just passed.
Gracie had seen her own mother’s eyes and face look just the same when she’d
died ten months ago.

She
reached over and closed the lady’s eyelids. She stood and looked around. She
spotted another piece of the carriage to the left. She walked over to it,
seeing her father wedged underneath.

“Pa,”
she said falling to her knees. He looked straight at her but she could tell
like the lady, he had passed too. She burst into tears and laid her head down
on his body.

First her mother and now Pa.
How ironic that
he’d decided they should go west to start a new life. If they’d stayed in
Wisconsin he’d still be alive. She kissed his forehead while hearing a clap of
thunder, and then some rain fell onto her cheek. She reached inside the
carriage and saw one of the lady’s shawls wedged under the seat. She pulled it
out and laid it over her father’s chest. She refused to cover his face. She was
realistic enough to know that he had passed and he wouldn’t be waking up
anytime soon, but she couldn’t bring herself to treat him like a dead man.

Another clap of thunder.
She stood and
looked around, seeing more of their luggage scattered and one of the horses at
the bottom of the ravine with the driver lying close by. His leg and neck were
at such a strange angle that she guessed the driver had died instantly.

She
knew she couldn’t stay here. Nightfall would soon set in. The rain would get
heavier, causing mud to form and she had to get back to the road where someone
might see her and she’d alert them to what had happened. She’d get her father’s
body taken out of the wreckage and see to it he got a decent burial.

Money,
she’d need money to do that but their bag was nowhere to be seen.

She
pulled her shawl up over her head, suddenly feeling her headache getting worse.
She was hungry and thirsty. Maybe she could find some food in the part of the
carriage that had broken away.
A lady’s tapestry bag sat by a
rock.
She lifted it and opened it, finding some candy but little else.
She put it into her pocket. It would be better than nothing.

She
bent down one more time, kissed her father on the cheek.

“Goodbye
for now Pa. I love you. I’ll bring back someone who will lift you out of here
and you’ll be buried someplace nice. Somewhere you dreamed about us living.”

She
promised herself she wouldn’t but she broke down and cried. Her mother always
told her it was better to get sorrow out rather than to hold it in.

Feeling
the rain falling more heavily, Gracie stood. If she headed to the right it
looked less of an incline and maybe she’d make it to the top a lot quicker.
 
She took one last glance at her father and
then made her way to the shrubs and started her climb. She dug the heels of her
boots into the rocks and dirt while feeling her back get pelted with rain.

She
fingered her mother’s necklace. She’d told Grace it would always bring her luck
if she wore it. Right now she needed all the luck in the world.

Why
this had happened she didn’t know. Another thing her mother had always said,
there was a reason for everything. It might not be evident straight away but
you’d find out one day why something was supposed to happen to you. Remembering
that would give Gracie the strength to find help.

She
climbed to the top of the ravine, feeling the rain pelt even harder against her
body. She’d been so hot all day and now she felt chilled to the bone. Maybe it
was shock. In a few hours it would be completely dark. The thought of being out
here alone scared her, but she had to be brave. She’d walk as far as she could
and then when she could do longer see she’d find somewhere to sleep until it
got light again.

****

Wolves
had howled all through the night. Gracie huddled under the rock crevice she’d
found and pulled her shawl around her shoulders. Now that the sun was coming up
over the horizon she’d start her day’s journey while it was still cool. She dug
out the candy and ate it. Hopefully she’d find a stream or lake where she could
take a drink and quench her thirst. Maybe luck would be on her side and another
carriage would pass by.

She
stood and made her way to the dirt road from the same way she’d entered the
rock formation the night before. She’d memorized two rocks sitting on top of
one another so she could find her way back out. She set off, never feeling as
alone as she was right now. She only wished someone else had survived too.
Someone to talk to while they walked together to find the nearest
town or house.

Sing,
that’s what
she’d do. She’d sing as she walked. She remembered every single one of the
songs her mother sang to her each night before Gracie went to sleep.

A
tear ran down her cheek, burning where the cuts and abrasions were still
open.
 
Gracie wiped the hair from her
face. Yesterday it had been tied up in a bun to keep her cool, today it was all
over her face and a tangled mess.

Her
feet began to hurt just a few hours into her journey. She hadn’t seen any water
source and another coach hadn’t made an appearance. She stopped and looked
around. No towns for miles, just another ravine, a canyon, and beyond that a
mountain range.

She
wanted to stop but had to keep going. The more she walked, the closer she was
to getting to somewhere she might get some food and water.

After
another two hours Gracie had to take a rest. Not only was it getting hot but
her mouth was dry. She didn’t even have any saliva to wet her lips. She pulled
her shawl over her head hoping that would shield her from the sun but instead
it made her feel like she was being boiled alive.

One
more hour and Gracie knew she had to give up walking.
At
least for the day.
 
She wanted to
cry. She was crying wasn’t she? Obviously she was now so dehydrated that she
didn’t have enough liquid in her body to produce tears.

Gracie
sat down under a tree. Her tongue was so swollen she couldn’t even move it to
lick her lips. The skin on her face was taut and she was sure if she had any
food in her stomach, she’d vomit it all up. She gave three dry heaves and then
slid down on the ground.

Tired,
she was tired. She just needed to sleep and she’d be able to continue her
journey tomorrow. Tomorrow she’d find help. She folded up her shawl and set it
under her head. When she closed her eyes, her mind started to drift. She was
dreaming that she was
back
home, her parents were
alive, and everything was how it used to be.

Chapter Three

Ryan
sunk his heels into the side of his horse encouraging it to go faster.
 
He hoped to have a good ride before it got
dark forcing him to turn back to Grantsville. He’d always loved riding and now
it was an escape from the responsibility of being the sheriff. Him, Daniel
Patrick Doyle, being elected sheriff!
Second generation Irish
immigrant who had fled the Great Famine.
 

It
sure was turning into a beautiful early evening. The sun was setting, cooling
things down by the second. If he wasn’t mistaken he sensed another storm was
brewing over the mountain range.

He
encouraged the horse to venture higher up into the hilly part of the ravine.
Birds sang out their evening song and Ryan loved the solitude.
So different to Grantsville with its dirt and noise.
Grit
you could taste in your mouth when it hadn’t rained.
Music
and whores’ giggles coming from the saloons.
The fights he had to
constantly break up. Fighting over a lost game of cards or who was going home
with one of the few single ladies in town.

Yeah,
not enough women to go around town and that
was
the
problem. They had to attract more ladies to settle the area and
raise
the next generation of homesteaders and copper miners.

The
horse climbed higher up onto the dirt road but then stopped and reared up as if
something had spooked it. Mountain
lion,
bear or wolf
maybe, but Ryan saw nothing.

The
horse reared up again, this time almost throwing him to the ground but Ryan
held on tight.

“Steady there boy.
Nothing to be scared of.”

However,
he spotted something ahead, what looked like a pile of clothing by a rock. No,
not just clothing, two feet adorned with brown boots stuck out from underneath
a skirt.

He
slid off the horse, stroked its mane and encouraged it to walk with him.

“You’re
going to be fine. It’s a lady lying there that’s all. I think she needs our
help.”

The
horse nodded its head up and down almost slipping its reins from Ryan’s hand.

He
walked closer to the lady and looked down.
 
She was a young lady probably not more than maybe twenty. Pretty dark
curls clung to her cheeks. Didn’t look like she was breathing and just what the
hell was she doing out here in the middle of nowhere all by herself?

Ryan
fell to his knees and touched her arm. “Miss, you okay?”

No
response and she wasn’t moving.
He guessed something was seriously wrong. He leaned in toward her mouth trying
to hear if there was the slightest sound escaping her lips. At first he
couldn’t hear a thing but then he heard a little gulp of air. Her breathing was
shallow, too shallow for his liking.

She
was in trouble and if he didn’t get her back to town, to the doc, she’d surely
die.

He
scooped her up but thought about how he was going to ride the horse and hold
her secure at the same time. She chose that moment to open her eyes.

She
shook in his arms. “
It’s
okay, miss. I’m not going to
hurt you.”

Her
skin was pale, waxy almost. “I’m…”

She
couldn’t get the words out and he could see her lips were cracked and dry. She
was dehydrated.

“Sit
down here. I have some water in the canteen.”

Ryan
reached under the saddle bag and pulled it out. He took off the top and offered
it to her.

Her
hands shook and she wrapped them around his as he held the canteen to her lips.
After taking a gulp of water she began choking.

“Slow
down and you’ll be just fine honey,” said Ryan, patting her on the back.

She
swallowed again but then was clearly too weak to hold the canteen any longer,
even with his help. It slipped from her hands. Ryan caught it before it fell to
the ground, spilling the rest of its contents, and secured the top.

“When’s
the last time you ate?” he asked her.

She
didn’t respond. Her eyes fluttered and it looked like she was going to pass
out. He guessed it was a long time ago.

“I’m
going to take you into town and get the doctor to look at you, but you’re going
to have to ride on the horse with me.”

He
knew he wouldn’t have time to ride back and go get the wagon. It was going to
be dark soon and he doubted she’d survive that long. Ryan had to act quickly.
He lifted her up in his arms.

“Put
one leg over the saddle honey, and we’ll be back in town before you know it.”

Her
boot got stuck on the top of the horse’s saddle but then she finally managed to
slide her leg over. Ryan quickly mounted the horse making sure she didn’t slip
off while he did so. He put his arms around her, securing her between the front
of his saddle and his body. She was shivering and cold.

He
pulled on the reins, willing the horse to go as fast as it could down the path
it had traveled up less than ten minutes ago. Once they were back on flat land and
on firmer footing he’d make the horse go as fast as it could.

Ryan
sensed time was of the essence. He’d seen his fair share of people close to
death and he was pretty sure this young woman was hanging by a thread. Splatters
of rain began to fall as the horse neared the edge of the canyon.
 
Dark clouds gathered above them.

“Go
boy, go,” shouted Ryan, pulling on the reins as soon as they cleared the rocks
and sage bush.

Ryan
tried to shield her body from the rain as best he could. Her fingers dug into
the saddle like she was scared of slipping so he moved his body in closer to
her, squeezing hers with both his arms.

“We’ll
soon be in Grantsville. My name’s Ryan Doyle and
I’m
the sheriff. I know some people who will take good care of you.”

She
leaned forward like she was about to pass out. So he held her even tighter
while hoping he wasn’t hurting her in any way.

He
was pushing the horse as much as he could. Any faster and the poor thing would
collapse and the young woman would die.

Ryan
saw the outskirts of town coming into view. He’d never been so glad to see it
in all his life. Thank god he’d chosen tonight to take a ride up in the ravines
and canyons or this poor young woman would have died up there.

He
wondered what she was doing there all by herself. How long had she been up in
the mountain area? Hopefully she’d survive and be able to tell him everything
that had happened to her.

Ryan’s
shirt and pants were soaked through to his skin. He was sure the young woman
was in the same condition and hoped she didn’t catch pneumonia.

The
main street of Grantsville came into view. He was home and he prayed he’d been
quick enough in saving this young woman’s life.

He
didn’t hesitate about where he was going to take her. Maggie McGuire’s place
was the most obvious choice. Once he got her safely inside there he’d go get
the doctor.
 
Some might think that a
whorehouse wasn’t the most appropriate place for a young woman but Maggie was
the nurturing kind and she’d know exactly what to do.

Ryan
pulled the horse up outside Maggie’s and slid off it, all the time holding onto
the young lady. She fell into his arms. He lifted her up and carried her,
stepping up onto the sidewalk and into Maggie’s place.

A
few of her girls were sitting drinking with some customers. Everyone looked at
him.

“Is
Maggie around?” he asked.

“Out
back,” said one of the girls.

“Go
get her and hurry. The poor girl’s at death’s door.”

The
girl got up and ran out back and soon Maggie was standing there.

“For
heaven’s sake Ryan, don’t you just stand there, bring the girl upstairs.”

He
took the stairs two at a time. Maggie opened up one of the rooms and he gently
set the girl down on the bed.

“Where
did you find her?” asked Maggie.

“Up in the canyon.
She was
laying
by a rock.”

“You
go get the doc and I’ll get her out of these wet clothes. Hurry now. If I’m any
judge this girl’s not got much longer to live.”