Read Online Her Dearest Enemy by Elizabeth Lane - Free Book Online Page A

water, all four legs braced solidlybeneath her heaving body.
    “Oh!” Harriet was beside herself. The tears spilledout of her eyes and flowed freely down her cheeksas she flung her arms around the mare’s neck andpressed her face into the sleek, wet hide. “Brandon!Can you see her? She’s up! She’s all right!”
    “I see her.” Emotion roughened his voice. “Get herout of the water before she slips and falls again. Thencome over here. I think I’ve figured out a way to getthis damned buggy off my leg.”
    The mare needed no urging. She lunged up thebank to stand on the narrow road, next to the big geldingwho was her harness mate. The two horses nuzzledeach other, both of them nervous and agitated.
    Wet and half-frozen, Harriet struggled throughthe swirling creek to reach the overturned buggy. Inthe beam of moonlight that penetrated the shadowsbeneath it, Brandon’s face was as pale as marble. Hewas in worse condition than he’d let on, she realized.
    “Here.” He thrust a coil of waterlogged rope intoher shivering fingers. “I managed to grab this beforeit floated away. Tie one end to the front axle—that’sthe one above my head. Is Captain still wearing anyharness?”
    “His collar.” She glanced toward the road, wherethe two horses stood in the lee of an overhanging ledge.
    “Fine. Use the collar to anchor the rope around hischest—be careful of the way you rig it, you don’twant to choke him. Let me know when you’re readyto pull. I can help lift and guide it from…here.” Aspasm of pain passed across his face. “Can you reachthe axle?”
    Harriet strained upward, grateful for her height.“Yes…I’ve got it.” She looped one end of the ropearound the buggy’s stout front axle and tied it snugly.Then she slung the coil over her shoulder and staggeredtoward the rocky bank. With every step sheprayed that the rope would be long enough to reachthe road. Otherwise she would have to coax the geldingback into the creek and risk breaking its legs onthe slippery rocks.
    She reached the bank with rope to spare. Yes, itwould be all right, she thought as she clambered upto the road. All she needed to do was to rig the ropeto the gelding’s collar and let the horse’s strengthmove the buggy off Brandon’s leg.
    And then what? She had no medical training. Ifthe break was a simple fracture, she might be able tosplint it well enough to hold while she helped himout of the water, but if the break was as bad as shefeared…
    She would cross that bridge when she came to it,Harriet resolved. First catch the horse and attach therope; then move the buggy; then do what she couldto see that Brandon was safe and comfortable and,finally, get some help. Only when she broke themountainous task into smaller steps did it all seempossible.
    The hulking bay snorted and laid back its ears ather approach, warning her to be careful. “Easy, Captain,”she murmured. “Easy, boy, I’m not going tohurt you.”
    Both horses seemed skittish. But then, they’d justsurvived a fearsome ordeal, Harriet reminded herself.It would take some time for them to settle down—time that, for Brandon’s sake, she could not afford.
    Slowly she uncoiled the remaining length of rope.If she could slip the end of it beneath the paddedleather collar and tie it fast, the first step would be accomplishedand she could get on to moving the buggy.
    As she moved closer, the gelding snorted, stampedand backed against the cliff. Now she had the horsecornered. It would just be a matter of—
    From the ledges above, a blood-chilling screamshattered the darkness. Harriet’s heart dropped intoher stomach as she realized what she was hearing.Merciful heaven, how could she have forgotten aboutthat mountain lion?
    Panic-stricken, the horses plunged this way andthat. Whinnying in terror, the mare wheeled on herhind legs and bolted up the road. The gelding followed,its big body slamming Harriet hard against thecliff face.
    As the sound of hoofbeats faded in the