Shaker blew them back. They refused to obey. He galloped up, dismounted as Betty and Sybil came in. He saw blood on the snow and wanted to kill Clay himself.
“Leave him.Leave him!” The pack obeyed with outraged reluctance.
Clay, although badly torn, lurched for his mount, who had scrambled to his feet and was standing still. As Clay vaulted for his horse, Gray, riding faster than he had ever ridden in his life, caught up to Clay, leaned over, and knocked him down.
Walter jumped off Rocketman before his horse even stopped, tearing through the snow to Sister, blood seeping through her fingers as she clutched her throat.
Betty and Sybil took their cues from Shaker, who was standing stock-still. Walter was a doctor. If he needed them, he’d ask. Meanwhile, the pack, snarling as they watched Clay stumble toward his horse again, needed to be held in check.
Gray turned. As he did, Edward rode up. The two men got off their horses and grabbed Clay. Without a word Edward put his crop across Clay’s throat, tying his hands with the long thong so that if he moved he’d choke himself.
Dalton Hill and Isabelle could be seen in the distance, riding for all they were worth to reach the trailers.
Ben Sidell didn’t bother chasing them. He plucked out his cell phone, giving his officers the particulars.
Sam and Xavier stopped beating the crap out of each other. They crawled up on their horses and rode up to the debacle.
Ben arrived.
“Surface cut, thank God,” Walter said to Ben as he tenderly untied Sister’s stock tie, rewrapping it around her neck as a bandage.
“Jesus Christ, Sister, you a rodeo queen or something!” Ben cursed out of admiration and relief.
She nodded, and Walter put his arms around her. She couldn’t speak.
Tedi, also on foot now, having handed her reins to Ronnie, came over to see if her dearest friend needed help. She stopped a moment, the picture of Walter embracing Sister filling her with emotion. Tears spilled over her cheeks.
To herself she thought, A son has come home. To Sister she said,“Janie, Janie, let me help you home.”
“I can ride back,” Sister croaked. Her throat hurt from the cut and from the fight. She half whispered to X and Sam, “Thanks boys, well done.”
“My God, you’re a hardhead.” Tedi threw back her head, laughing as the tension leached out of her, laughing because they were still alive.
“Good hounds,” Shaker’s voice trembled with emotion.
“We want to go to Mom,”Diana implored Shaker.
The pack inched toward Sister. Shaker, knowing them as he did, walked on Showboat to his master.
“I can still kill him!”Dragon sang out.
Cora came up to Sister, looking up at the woman.“Youokay?”
That did it. Tears flooded, and Sister knelt down as her hounds gathered around her, kissing her, rubbing up against her. Lafayette bowed his head as he, too, nudged her.
“The best friends, my best friends,” Sister cried, hugging and petting each hound.
By now everyone in the field was crying, even Xavier and Sam. Xavier looked at Clay. A lifetime friendship smashed, but another saved. He sobbed. He had at that moment realized how much he loved Sister, as did Ronnie.
“Sister, why don’t we walk back to the farm?” Shaker found his voice at last.
She replied in a loud whisper,“I can ride. Walter can fix me up later, right?”
“I’ll ride with her. Looks worse than it is, Shaker.” Walter cupped his hands for Sister’s left boot. Tedi held Lafayette, who nickered happily when he felt her familiar weight on his back.
Tedi turned to the field, her voice strong.“We’re calling it a day. Your master is determined to ride back, so we’ll ride with her.” She paused, searching out each concerned face, then broke into a smile even as the tears ran down her face again. “She’s bullheaded, but I love her.”
Everyone started talking at once as sirens could be heard roaring down Soldier Road.
By the time they reached the kennels, four squad cars had Dalton and Isabelle penned in by the trailers.
Walter insisted that Sister sit down in her kitchen. The girls took the horses even as Sister complained in a hoarse voice that she needed to count her hounds.
“You can do that later.” Walter took charge.
Betty kissed Sister on the cheek.“Shaker, Sybil, and I can handle it. I’ll be up when we’re done.Youtake care ofyou, Sister. There’s only one Sister.”
Tedi, Edward, and Gray followed Walter up as Sister grumbled that she didn’t need an escort, she was fine, et cetera, et cetera.
Once Sister was seated on the kitchen chair, Raleigh and Rooster, smelling her blood, whimpered and came over, sticking to her like glue.
“Go lie down,” she croaked.
“If I lick you, you’ll heal faster,”Raleigh promised.
“Ugh.”Golly jumped on Sister’s lap.“Dog licks, yuck. Ican do better.”She put her paws on either side of Sister’s neck as Walter unwound the stock tie.
“Golly, you need to get down,” Sister told her.
When Golly wouldn’t budge, Tedi reached over, picked up the cat, and placed her on the floor.
“I’ll get even,”Golly threatened as she joined Raleigh in his bed.
Edward, holding Sister’s black frock, realized the front was sopping with blood. He put the coat in the mudroom, making a mental note to take it to the dry cleaner’s.
Walter unbuttoned the front of her white shirt, also covered with blood.“Sister, you need to take this off. I want to make sure you don’t have other injuries. When your adrenaline gets high like that, sometimes you won’t feel a broken bone for hours.”
Sister looked at Edward and Gray.“I’m not really all that modest, but I do ask you men to remember that Britney Spears doesn’t have anything that I don’t have; I’ve just had it longer.”
They laughed at that, then Edward said,“Gray, why don’t we go to the library? Walter, if you need us, you know where we are.”
“I do.” Walter waited for her to remove her blouse, then gingerly pulled off the long-sleeved silk undershirt.
Tedi watched as Walter felt her ribs, the bones in her neck and arms.“Clay landed a couple of good ones.”
“Yeah, but the frock is heavy.”
“Mmm, you’ll have some bruises.” He pointed to red marks on her chest, a large one on her back where she hit the ground.
Tedi drew closer.“They’ll turn a fetching shade of black, then purple, then burgundy.”
“Peachy.” Sister felt her neck sting where it was cut.
“I’m going to wash this. You’ll feel it,” Walter warned her.
Tedi brought over a bowl of warm water, went into the downstairs bathroom and brought out a washrag and a towel. Sister closed her eyes when Walter washed it, the wound bleeding anew as the caked blood was rinsed off.
“Stitches?” Tedi inquired.
“No.” Walter checked to see how deep the cut was. “She was lucky. Keep it clean. It’s going to continue to seep blood. Wrap a soft gauze around your neck. You clot up quickly enough, but every time you take the gauze off it will seep a little. I’ll bring over some antiseptic.”
“What about Neosporin?” Tedi asked. “She’s got that upstairs.”
“It will help.”
“Oh, just slap Betadine on me,” Sister suggested.
“If you want to walk around with an orange neck, that’s okay by me.” Walter squeezed her shoulder. “Take a long hot bath once we’re all out of here. The sooner you get in the bathtub, the better. It will help the thumps and bumps,” Walter ordered. “And when you’re finished put some ice on that chest bruise.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Tedi offered.
“I’m not crippled.”
“Not yet,” Tedi replied slyly. “And while I’m here, we can indulge in girl talk. You can tell me why Clay attacked you. I’m assuming you knew more about that fire than the rest of us.”