A Borrowed Ride

A Borrowed Ride

---

Jimmy shook his head when he saw Kid standing just outside the door, his hands in his pockets, gaze cast down.

"What now, Kid?"

Kid cast up a troubled look. "I know I ain't got no right to ask you for a favor-"

"No, you ain't." Jimmy dusted his hands on his pants, looking out over Kid's shoulder, "but it ain't gonna stop you from askin'."

"Look, I need for you to take my ride."

"Kid, I ain't scheduled for another day or so and...''

''It would mean a lot for me... and Lou.''

Jimmy drew in a long breath and ground his teeth. ''She don't know does she?'' He didn't wait for the answer, didn't need to.

Looking over to the hitching post in front of the stable, he saw Sundance saddle and ready. "Damn sure of yourself, Kid."

The younger man shrugged. "It's just that it’s real important to me."

Jimmy nodded. "Yeah, well, this ain't my doin' so don't get mad at me when things don't go like you've planned."

Kid gave him an impish grin. "Don't worry, this has to go right... I worked real hard on it."

"Rider comin'!" Cody jumped off the corral fence and ran toward them pointing off to the West. "You ready?"

Jimmy tugged on the hem of his gloves and grasped the horn of his saddle and swung up. "Better out there than here." He turned his mount toward the East and waited for the rider to break the edge of the property before he sent his own mount into action.

Kid and Cody stepped back choking on the dust of the two horses as they barreled past.

-----

The trail was blessedly quiet, the miles stretching out before him whooshed by with distracting regularity and he was soon nearly lost in the peaceful rush of solitude.

He was past it before he even realized he'd seen it.

A hat.

Left in the dust.

Now, if he'd seen that in town, it would have been less than worth his notice, but out on the trail, you lose a hat... You go back for it.

Someone had lost it and left it.  That was worth checking.

Swinging his mount around he rode back to check. It was grey, he could tell that from a distance, but the shape is what unnerved him. The brim was flat, not tweaked and turned and bashed in like a drover or other yahoo.

The trail was well travelled and offered no immediate information, so he slid from the saddle and looped Sundance's reins over a low tree branch before bending to pick up the discarded hat.

The instant it was in his hat he knew. "Lou!" There was no sign of her... Her horse. She was on her way home. "Lou!"

He hoped she'd just been careless... Not her, not Lou.

"Answer me, damn it!"

The wind howled past his ear and Jimmy hung her hat from the saddle horn, turning in a quick circle, looking at the ground. "Where's Buck when you need him?" he groused as he moved in an ever widening circle looking for any sign of her.

The wind buffeted his body, nearly throwing him off balance. He wondered if it had been as strong before, but on horseback he'd barely noticed it. Another gust pushed him up against a rocky ledge. "Whoa."

The impact had nearly knocked the wind out of him and the sharp pain in his side was probably the first hint of a cut. "I wonder if-"

He heard a horse, the distinctive plaintive whinny of a horse in pain. God help him, it was coming from somewhere below him.

Turning onto his belly he leaned out over the edge and looked down. "No."

Visible amongst a pile of pale limestone rubble was Lou's horse, barely moving her legs, her head lifting over and over in a sad attempt to stand.

"Lou?" Still no answer. He hoped and prayed that she'd done the unimaginable and left her mount behind.

-----

The rope hanging from his saddle got him most of the way down. He had to jump the rest of the way and he tried not to let it bother him that he'd have to figure out a way back up that didn't involve wings.

Jimmy tried again. "Lou?"

Lightning answered him with a pain-filled whinny.

"Sorry, girl... I know, it's got to hurt." And it should, from a quick look two of her legs were broken, one shattered. "Oh man..."

"She's in pain."

Jimmy's head swung around and his mouth went dry.

"Don't say it, Jimmy... Don't... Please."

He picked his way around the rubble and knelt down beside her. "What don't you want me to say? That I'm gonna get you out of here and back home? Why shouldn't I-"