Colin shrugged and finished off the last of his meal. “It would be a welcome rain. The summer has been hot and much drier than most. The sheep are suffering for it.”
“Are we headed in that direction, do you think? Toward the storm?” She wasn’t particularly fond of traveling into those lightning strikes.
“That we are.” Colin stood and held out a hand to help her to her feet. “Mayhaps we’ll get lucky with a shower today.”
Right. Lucky. The only thing she could imaginethat would be more uncomfortable than a day spent on horseback would be a day spent on horseback soaked to the skin.
“No rain. Hear that, whoever controls this stuff? No rain.”
Her poor, tired leg felt like an anchor when she lifted her foot into the stirrup, enough so that she didn’t make a sound of protest when Colin fastened his hands around her waist and boosted her up onto her mount. She even managed a mumbled “Thanks.”
It didn’t take long to realize he’d been right. They were on a direct course to intersect with the storm.
Colin allowed his horse to drop back next to hers for long enough to point out what passed for rain gear in this century. “You’ve a woolen there under yer pack. If we do hit the rains, wrap it over yer shoulders and head. It’ll keep you dry for the better part.”
They hadn’t ridden much farther before the ground shook with the next peal of thunder, almost at the same time as the sky lit up around them.
“Hey,” she called, urging her horse to pull even with Colin’s. “That was really close. We need to get away from these trees. It’s a very bad place for us to be in a storm like this. Trees and lightning are not a good mix.”
The look of irritation he cast her way was well deserved, she’d admit. She realized there was little he could do but to keep moving them forward. Still, that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to point out the obvious when she felt it needed pointing out.
Another crack of thunder rumbled so close by, she could swear she felt the hairs on her arm stand on end.
“This is so not a smart place to be,” she called out.“Isn’t there a house or a castle or a . . . a something around here we can go to? Isn’t there at least a—”
She bit off her words as just ahead of her he pulled his horse to a sharp stop, holding up his hand as if to silence her.
“Do you smell that?” He’d pushed up in his saddle, his head pivoting to scan the horizon in all directions.
She breathed in deeply, noticing for the first time that both their horses were testing the breeze as well.
“Smoke? Is that smoke?”
“Fire,” he confirmed, pointing behind them toward the haze gathering in the direction from which they’d come. “I’d hazard a guess the lightning has struck dry tinder back there.”
A wildfire?
“What do we do? Are there any people we should warn?” Now that she was aware of the fire, the smell of smoke seemed much stronger than it had only seconds before.
“We ride. Stay close to me and keep up. The river crossing is no too much farther ahead. Once we make it across, we’ll be safe.”
“We might be safe, but what about the people who live around here?” Surely they needed to be warned.
“There are no people around here, Abby. We’re in the middle of miles of nothing but blessed nature. Now quiet yer blethering and concentrate on keeping up with me.”
Almost before she could think, he was two lengths ahead of her.
“Ride, woman, ride!” His words floated back to her, their urgency unmistakable.
Her horse pawed the ground and jerked at his reins,not the least bit pleased with her delay. She urged him forward, leaning low over his neck as he raced to catch up with Colin. The trees slipped past much faster than she found comfortable, but the scent of the fire was stronger now than ever and she gave her mount his head, allowing him to go as fast as he wanted.
Colin led them on until they reached the water’s edge, a river too wide and too deep to be crossed. They followed the river downstream, maintaining the fastest pace the land would allow.
Abby fought down the panic building in the back of her throat. The smell of burning wood surrounded them, stinging her eyes and nose even as a dull roar behind them increased in volume. A glance over her shoulder showed billows of smoke rising into the air.
She took it all back. There was nothing she wanted to see more than rain. Nothing except maybe the river crossing Colin had promised.
Colin’snot too much fartherseemed to take forever to reach but there ahead of them, at last, was the place he’d sought.