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«Stay right here,» Whip commanded. «Do you hear me, you little fool?Stay put.»
«Pre-Pretty —»
«I’ll get him out, but so help me God, if you move from that saddle I’m going to take you to the cabin and tie you to the bed before I help Prettyface. Hear me?»
Dazed by cold and fear for her dog, Sha
«Well, Prettyface,» Whip said as he waded into the frigid meltwater, «you’ve landed yourself in a mighty cold kettle of fish.»
The big dog waved his tale in greeting and watched Whip with clear wolfs eyes. Except for his legs, Prettyface was dry. If the dog was cold, he didn’t show it. He wasn’t even shivering.
Whip bent and ran his hands lightly over as much of the captive leg as he could reach. There were no swellings and only a few scraped places.
«You’re better off than your mistress, aren’t you?» Whip muttered. «Now all we have to do is get your foot out without banging it up any worse than it already is.»
Whip rubbed the dog’s head affectionately as he talked, but there was no gentleness in Whip’s silver eyes as he measured the problem. He pushed against one of the boulders, then another, testing them.
Heavy, damned heavy, but not impossible, Whip told himself.
Prettyface whined softly as Whip tested the boulders again, trying to decide which might be easiest to lift.
«All right, boy. I hear you. I won’t pinch you again.»
Whip gathered up several of the broken branches and jammed them between the boulders as far down as he could on either side of the dog’s captive paw. Then he picked up a water-rounded stone and hammered the branches down between the boulders until the heavy sticks would go no farther.
«That should keep the boulders off your paw,» Whip said. «Now hang on tight, Prettyface. There’s going to be some shoving and swearing.»
With that Whip squatted, plunged his hands into the ice water, and groped around the base of the boulder he had chosen. There was a lot of gravel and smaller stones. He began raking the rubble away from the bottom of the boulder until he could get a better grip on it. He worked quickly, for he knew his hands would soon go numb from the icy water.
«We’re in luck,» Whip said, wrapping his arms around the boulder and straining upward. «There’s a nice little ridge — near the bottom — to hang — on to.»
The words were spoken through Whip’s teeth as he straightened slowly, driving his body upward with his powerful legs while he gripped the base of the boulder. Stone gnashed over stone. Whip’s feet slipped slightly, icy water sluiced over him, but he didn’t let go.
Despite the freezing water, sweat stood on Whip’s face. The pulse in his neck beat hard. His eyes were slitted and his teeth were clenched with effort as he poured his strength into shifting the heavy boulder enough to free Sha
Suddenly Prettyface jerked aside and scrambled out of the creek with a happy yip.
Whip let go of the boulder and straightened, breathing hard and smiling widely. Prettyface was favoring the foot that had been caught, but otherwise was moving well.
«Go home, boy,» Whip said, gesturing down the slope.
The big dog looked toward Sha
«Home,» Whip commanded, wading out of the icy creek.
Prettyface turned and trotted unevenly down the slope toward the cabin.
Whip went to Sha
Yet she was trying to dismount.
«What the hell do you think you’re doing!» Whip demanded. «I told you to stay put.»
Sha
For the first time Whip noticed the ragged back-pack and the haunch of venison that had been thrown aside in Sha
Whip was tempted to get up behind Sha
«Here,» he said roughly.
Whip shoved the backpack into Sha
As soon as Whip put his arm around Sha
Dangerously cold.
Beneath his heavy, loose jacket, Sha
«Son of abitch,» Whip said harshly.
His other arm came around Sha
It was only a few minutes until they reached the cabin, but Sha
Prettyface was waiting patiently by the cabin door.
Whip dismounted, lifted Sha
«I wish to God you had as much sense as you have sheer grit,» Whip said as he kicked the cabin door open.
Prettyface shot through the opening. Sha
It was dead cold inside the cabin. A fire had been laid in the stove, waiting for a match to bring heat and life to the room.
Prettyface didn’t mind the lack of warmth. He simply went to his corner and stretched out on a ragged saddle blanket with a groan of pleasure.
Whip put Sha
That wasn’t fast enough to suit Whip. He was bigger than Sha
It took Whip five tries to light the lantern. When he turned toward the bed once more, his glance fell on the dry goods cupboard that led to the hot spring.
Without hesitation Whip went to the bed, scooped up Sha
Whip set the lantern on the wooden box that served as a table. Golden light spilled over everything as Whip took off Sha
Sha
«Sha
Slowly her eyes focused.
Whip let out a breath of relief.
«You’re going to have a nice, warm bath,» he said. «Then all the shivering will stop and you’ll be fine. Do you understand?»
Sha
«That’s it, honey girl. Keep on fighting the cold. Don’t let it put you under.»
As Whip spoke, he wrenched off his own soaked boots and clothing. Moments later he carried Sha