11 Chapter 10

Chelseaville December 1975

The winds howled and screamed maniacally through the night as the late storms rushed into Alabama a few weeks before Christmas. While it bought destruction, some believed it was the great showers of the heaven before the season, but Harrison reserved a couple of unholy references for the troubling storm that annually did not fail to ruin his ranch.

Grabbing his jacket off the couch he ran out to his chestnut mare to rally up the horses at the paddock who were now terrified and galloped misdirected further into the pasture away from the barn. When Harrison jerked his mare to a halt by the barn his face dropped in relief at the sight of the cattle mooing and bawling safely in a cluster. Grappling his reigns, while the cold winds scraped his cheeks like icicles, he rode into the pasture where he vaguely saw Rose, a black mare whose eyes were glinting as she neighed in horror at the winds circling the paddock fiercely.

Harrison squinted his eyes and saw a few more horses were whizzing around madly trying to escape the shrieks of the winds. He knew wading into the now lightless pasture was suicide with his fifteen horses galloping around in a frenzy. Harrison's eyes filled with discomfort and fear knowing he could not possibly rally up this terrified lot all by himself with the rest of the ranch workers gone away for the holidays.

The storm was worsening as he felt snow drops begin to pellet against his face and body. His mare, Nyx, brayed and swished her tail violently sensing Harrison's fear radiate through her. Harrison tightened the reigns and relaxed his shoulders realising the last thing he wanted was to be stranded in a wild storm with his own mare tizzy. He held the reigns on one hand and stroked Nyx's mane with the other,

"Hold on little bit longer, girl," he said sternly to her, but the mare who had learn to catch the softness in his undertones slowed the braying down to a low neigh. He did not have much choice hence without thinking further he kicked the side of his saddle lightly. Just as Nyx began to hop into a gallop, a sharp voice echoed through the storm that made Harrison pull back the reigns too soon, that Nyx neighed angrily. But he was too bothered by the voice that he pulled the horse around and saw only darkness and snow pelleting in a hail, blurring the dark void further. He assumed it was the wind and turned back towards the paddock, where the neighing was growing louder. Before he could make a move, a far off gallop became louder and clearer as it ascended towards his direction, until a shiny coated steed halted a couple of feet away from him. He could not make out who it was until the night glint fell upon the rider's face.

"Hope?" Harrison shouted over the howls as a face emerged. Pulling down a winter cape off her head, Hope trotted on her bay over to Harrison.

Before his mind could even articulate how she winded up in front of him, a maddening fury raged in him faster to find her amongst this deadly storm.

"What on earth are you doin' here?" He shouted over the screeching of the winds.

"I'll take the right, you go around!" said Hope ignoring his questions and nodded at him who was lost and infuriated.

"Wh-No! It's too dangerous, there ain't enough people to round em' up!" He shouted, feeling the pellets hit his face mercilessly.

"Which is why you deciding to walk in by yourself is such a brilliant idea?!" She spat back impatiently.

"Dammit Hope, now's not—

"We are not letting these creatures hurt themselves." She stated finally and before Harrison could stop her she galloped past him into the paddocks. The moment she disappeared into the darkness, something went off unconsciously in him like a fail-safe switch and before he could even think Harrison pulled the reigns and hurled Nyx after her.

*****

In less than an hour Hope and Harrison led horse by horse into the barn. It was a near escape and as much as he wanted to enlighten Hope of her rashness, he couldn't ignore the fact that he could not have saved his horses without her terrifying charm that calmed the horses- a task that would require all his men, was performed by herself alone. He knew this could not be pulled off by themselves, which was why he went after her, but once he rode into the core of it all—where the mares were galloping wild, nearly missing crashing into Nyx , where his eyes searched frantically for Hope, a surprising terror climbing up his chest while palms drew blood as he clutched onto Nyx's reigns trying to hold her down—and did find her, he did not expect to find her so ethereal as she rode gallantly by a tumultuous mare and slow her down to a flowing halt. Amidst the chaos, a short laugh of relief escaped him as he watched in disbelief.

Eventually Hope made a few strides around the pasture with Harrison beside her, and once the horses calmed down the worst was over as they led the horses into the barn in a trail. However, the storm carried on, raging maddeningly. Once the horses were led into their stables Harrison peeped outside and saw the night was a thick blur of snow pellets turned into a thicker storm, which meant going back to the cottage was out of the question unless he wanted to wind up in a far corner of the town by morning. As Hope and Harrison secured themselves and their mares in the barn, he insisted her to spend the night at the barn stating that travelling back home on horseback would be hell. She did not object.

The barn was capable of withholding a mild storm, but this storm carried an icy breeze along with it, and even though Harrison was strict on not having any heating equipment about the barn, the night's weather forced him to pull out the emergency kerosene heater buried beneath the cattle shed. He opened the latch on the hay ground, grabbed the lamp and turned to walk back but he stopped hesitantly and took a few blankets he had saved for the occasional sick cattle and closed the latch.

Hope tied her bay on one of the horse stalls and crouched by a haystack to rub her palms against the kerosene heater. The barn was in low happy moos and neighs as the animals settled themselves into the warmth within the vast coverage. After inspecting the animals for injuries Harrison closed the last horse stall, watching Hope in awe and confusion.

"Knit those brows further and you might not see the two of them again," Hope said her eyes focusing on the heat radiating off the heater. This time he was not appalled or stirred by the discovery of his gaze on her, instead he shook his head and walked towards her.

"How did you know?" He sat down on the ground beside her and leaned his back wearily against the haystack behind him.

"I just thought you'd need help is all," she shrugged. He titled his head to her disbelievingly and saw her frozen face thawing into a pinkish glow, her eyes intently resting on the glowing red wires of the heater. He relished her usual oversized sweaters were not helping her as her chapped lips were now quivering. He turned to the blankets he had flopped on the haystack beside her, unused and picked one.

He placed the thick woollen blanket on her crossed corduroy lap, which made her shift her focus to him.

"You're cold," he stated.

Hope raised her eyes and pulled the blanket around her as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"What were you thinkin', when you rode out into the storm like that?" He asked in a stern tone, that he was not aware of.

"Hm what was I thinking?" She said in a mock tone, "oh yes, the horses, mares and the whole lot of you miserably helpless in the storm, and I was right wasn't I?' She asked breaking into a cheeky smile. Harrison quickly looked back at the heater and sensed his shoulders falling behind him, just like when he forced himself into a freezing shower at night after his too many glasses of scotch.

"Thank you Hope," he said in a hazy voice, and turned to look at her almost forgetting she was with him, "for coming, but please don't butt dive into a paddock full of mad horses again."

Hope frowned.

"I don't intend to for a very long time," she snuggled into the blanket and Harrison's lips unconsciously curled into a smile.

"Who'd ever thought a Crawford and a Mayfield would be stuck in a barn?" He asked in an airy tone, laying his head back against the haystack. Hope looked at him half amazed to see a Harrison Crawford who was not holding anyone at gun point.

"The universe can surprise you," she replied affirmatively. Harrison turned to mock her, but the twinkle in her eyes struck him before his thoughts could, and he felt his eyes tracing her glowing face and he could tell she knew.

There it was. The fear that crept up through his ribs into his chest. He felt terrified just the way he did back in the pub, when the girl before him had thrown her head back and sung as if the world shone for her. But he was exceptionally tired and dazed, he did not have it in him to stand up and escape and even if he wanted to he could not, and it was not the storm- having her closer to him was beginning to feel terrifying and peaceful like a soft petalled thorny rose across his cheek. He did not know if he was aware of his actions as he leaned his head to the side towards her eyes; Harrison lowered his eyes and Hope, who was too taken back felt hers following his which she thought was out of weariness. Harrison's shoulders slouched and he felt his strings loosening, vague memories of a freezing shower seeping through his veins. The storm howled and whooshed against the barn, but neither could hear.

"You're falling asleep," Hope whispered, seeing his face tipping towards her face. Harrison shook his head lightly, brows drawn up helplessly.

"Tired...," his voice trailed as the remaining vision of him succeeded in finding her face, watching him in wonder. When Harrison's coarse face fell against hers like crashing onto a pillow, he could not articulate what he was trying to do, but he was not lost for long as he found her lips on his, along with a warm sweet breath, which crumbled his insides. Groaning slightly in shock, he pulled back in pain with his eyes still shut.

Hope felt his minuscule trembles against her arms that she took his arms as if it were required, and put them around her. The Feeling of her on him was inflaming that he sensed a surge of fire spread through him wildly until it slowly faded away into a sweet comfort. He pulled her closer into him, her chest against his and for a second he thought she would pull away, but instead her hands responsively circled his neck until she fell against him.

As he laid against the haystack with Hope's arms lacing him and his face buried in the crook of her neck, he stayed still afraid to stir the moment. Her slow breathing thrummed against his ears rhythmically and neither uttered a word. Words seemed senseless. He ached to understand what she was doing to him, what about her made him so helpless.

He understood why women threw themselves at him and he had had his fair dose of damsels to save, but in all his wildest dreams he had never felt this crippled at the hands of a woman.

"What are you doin' to me, Hope..." Harrison rasped into her neck mindlessly, clutching her hand in his lacerated palms, as if he were holding onto dear life.

Hope did not know better either; all she knew was that she could not leave. She held him tighter against her neck, like a mother possessively embracing her child, afraid of what she could not tell or feel.