Reclaiming Yancy Read online

  “You’ll work with me. I have a child with a muscular disorder. The volunteers will get the kids over to the horses. Today we’ll spend getting horses and children comfortable together, so they’ll ride only a short time.”

  Gen followed Yancy over to meet Marcus, an eight-year-old child with a buzz cut, who looked anxiously at their approach. They each introduced themselves. Marcus lowered his head and said, “Hi,” quietly.

  Yancy stooped down to meet him in the eye. “Are you ready to have some fun? I hope you like horses.”

  Marcus looked at her through his long lashes. “Yes, ma’am.”

  Yancy took his hand, and they all walked over to Honey. Marcus, after some encouragement from Yancy, stroked the horse’s neck. She showed Marcus how to brush her, then handed him the brush. “Here you go. If you are relaxed with Honey, she will be just fine. She likes kids, and I think she likes you, Marcus.”

  Marcus took the brush and, with halting muscular movement, moved it over the mare’s neck and back. He grinned up at Yancy, and she cheered him on with a smile.

  As he groomed Honey, Yancy gently and patiently worked with the boy. She made many positive remarks about his progress and joked with him easily, and his tight face began to relax into a smile.

  When the children had finished the grooming, volunteers helped them get acquainted with the horses by leading them around the barnyard. Yancy taught them how to behave around horses, warning them not to walk behind their horse, or to make loud, sudden noises. She showed them the different names of horse’s anatomy. The children walked their horses in a line for several loops around the perimeter of the corral, until Yancy felt they all were comfortable. Next, each volunteer helped their child to saddle and bridle their horse, and led them to the mounting block to boost the child up and settled into the saddle.

  When it was Marcus’s turn, Yancy watched him make his ungainly way onto the mounting block, while his eyes got wide. He looked to Yancy, who gave him a thumbs-up. “You’ll do great. Honey rides like a dream and she won’t do anything bad. She’s very gentle.” Yancy steadied Honey, and helped Marcus to move his small legs onto her back.

  “Now sit up very straight, and let me get these stirrups fitted just for you,” she said as she placed his feet into the stirrups and shortened the leather strap into the buckles. “You look just like a cowboy.”

  Marcus grinned back at her.

  The mounting of ten children onto horses took some minutes. As soon as each child was situated atop a horse, volunteers led the horses around the edges of the corral in single file. They spoke gentle words of encouragement to the small riders.

  Marcus began to giggle after the first circuit around the corral. Yancy looked up and smiled. They all rode at a tranquil walk for about ten minutes, with most of the children smiling, and some even giggling, the longer they rode.

  As the time ended, the horses were led back to the mounting blocks and the children were helped to dismount. Many of the children were talking eagerly, some merely grinning widely. They all took off saddles and bridles, haltered their horses to tie them to the corral fence, and began to groom them.

  When Marcus had finished with Honey, he turned with a big grin, and told Yancy shyly, “Thank you, Ms. Yancy. That was fun!”

  “You are so welcome. I hope to see you next week, Marcus. You make a very good rider.”

  Marcus beamed and made a small shaky wave as he was helped back into the New Hope bus.

  Yancy made a few comments to Nicole, the New Hope staffer leading the group, until all the children were aboard, then she waved the bus off.

  She turned around to the intense gaze of Gen. Yancy wondered how long she had been Gen’s subject. She felt herself blush.

  As the roar of the bus subsided and other cars were leaving, Gen walked to Yancy with a smile. She stroked Yancy’s arm and gazed at her with tenderness. “You were very good with that boy.”

  Yancy resettled her hat, looking down at her boots. “Thanks. It comes easy to me, being with new riders.”

  Gen shook her head. She leaned in to kiss her lightly.

  Yancy heard a throat clear nearby. Kate walked up to them. “That went well, don’t you think?”

  “Sure. Yeah.” Yancy was distracted by Gen’s closeness.

  “Better get these horses loaded up then.” Kate laughed.

  “Sure. Yeah.” Yancy finally turned to Kate. “Oh, I’ll help.” She jogged to get Kate’s horses into the trailer.

  The sky had darkened over the morning. Now, blue-black clouds roiled over the valley. Lightning flashes had been seen for some minutes in the distance, but were closing in. Thunder rolled, then clapped loudly, startling everyone. Both Kate and Yancy looked up and scowled as lightning lit up the swiftly growing gloom. As another very loud thunder clap resounded, the horse Kate was leading balked at getting into the trailer.

  “C’mon, now, Monty.” Kate gentled her horse. The horse backed away, his hoofs dancing with fearful energy. Kate patted his mane, keeping the lead short, giving her horse time to calm before trying to lead him into the trailer again.

  Just then, Connie came running into the yard, yelling, “Kate, Kate!”

  All eyes turned to Connie, who looked like the devil was chasing her.

  “I just got a call from your ranch, they couldn’t reach you on your cell.”

  “Darn. I turned it off while we were with the kids.” She took the phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen. “I’ve got two messages from Nathan.”

  “There’s been a lightning strike at your ranch. The horse barn is on fire!”

  Yancy glanced at Kate and yelled, “Let’s go in my truck. We can finish loading your horses later.”

  Kate quickly led Monty into a stall in the barn. She and Yancy both sprinted for Yancy’s green truck and sped off toward Martin Ranch in a dust cloud.

  aaAA

  Gen was left startled by the fast-moving events, standing with Connie in the yard, right as rain began to patter around them.

  “I’ll get my medical kit and get out to the ranch. I imagine they’ve already called 911 for fire and medical emergency.” Gen ran to her Camry and opened the trunk to check her medical kit. “Connie, please call Jim McDonald and see if he can get some of the clinic staff out to the Martins’. And please call Roxie.”

  When Gen was two miles from the Martin Ranch, she saw smoke billowing upward in black plumes. Chaos reigned in the driveway. The county fire truck pumped a stream of water from its reserve tank onto the remaining skeletal roof of the horse barn. Two horses were corralled in a fenced pasture upwind of the fire. Gen scanned the ranch yard searching for either Yancy or Kate, but she glimpsed Roxie on the periphery of her vision, watching the barn intently. Gen ran toward Roxie, who, when she saw her, jogged to meet her.

  “They’re in there!” Roxie screamed over the cacophony of people’s yells and shouts, and the pattering sound of the rain that was now falling at a clip.

  “Who?”

  “Kate went in to get out more horses. Then Yancy followed her in. The fire chief tried to hold them back but they flew in anyway. Damn it!”

  Gen put an arm around Roxie’s shoulder. “How long have they been in there?” She backed Roxie away from the fire. Between the spray from the fire hoses and the pelting rain, they both were getting soaked.

  “I don’t know. It feels like hours, but maybe a couple minutes is all. I hope this rain helps douse the fire.”

  Firemen with oxygen tanks entered the barn. More pieces of the roof suddenly fell in from the center of the structure in a huge crash. Sparks flew high into the air. More firemen arrived in another red truck, hastily moving ranch hands and others who were watching back from the conflagration. A white Babcock County ambulance van pulled into the driveway and three medics hopped out.

  Roxie yelled to them that Kate and Yancy were in the barn. One fireman looked at her incredulously. “Don’t worry, Roxie, we’ll g
et them out.” He comforted her with a hand on her shoulder, then turned back to the barn to run with others wielding spouting hoses.

  “Kate!” Roxie screamed. Gen gently stroked Roxie’s arm.

  They finally saw two firemen emerging from the dark smoke, guiding Yancy, who held the reins of an Appaloosa whose eyes were wild with fright. They guided the horse past the yard to the pasture away from the barn. Kate followed with another two skittish horses, trying to calm one as it reared up. Both women were covered with soot. Kate had a bandana tied across her nose. When the horses were settled, Roxie and Gen hurried to their side.

  “What the hell were you doing? Are you hurt?” Roxie ran her hands over large holes burnt in the right arm of Kate’s shirt. Kate’s brother Nathan was soon at their side with another horse.

  “I’m fine. A little burn on my arm.” Kate took Roxie into her arms and gave her a tight hug.

  Yancy was coughing. Gen sprinted to her with her medical bag. “Yancy!” She took her pulse, then put the stethoscope to her chest. Yancy sat wearily on the ground.

  Medics from the emergency ambulance brought up a stretcher. Gen said, “She’s got some smoke inhalation. Get her to the hospital.”

  They belted Yancy onto the stretcher.

  “I’m fine.” She struggled to get up amidst the coughing. “I don’t need any damn hospital!”

  “Let me see you.” Gen walked to Kate and looked at the burns on her arm. “You need to get checked out at the hospital for treatment for some of those burns. Get in the ambulance with Yancy.” She looked around and found Nathan behind her. “How are you, Nathan?”

  He had his hat off, wiping sweat and soot from his face with a red handkerchief, panting from the exertion. “Just a little winded. We got all the horses, that’s the main thing.”

  Gen shook her head. “You may have saved the horses, but we’ve got two medical casualties. Let me check you out.” She looked him over and checked his heart rate and lung sounds with her stethoscope. “You seem to be all right.”

  One medic walked with Kate and assisted her to sit in the ambulance. Two others trundled Yancy’s stretcher into the back of the ambulance. One of them climbed into the driver’s seat. Gen could hear Yancy still cursing from the back of the ambulance.

  “I’ll follow with my car. Gen, you can come with us.” Roxie ran to her Prius and started it.

  Nathan climbed into the passenger seat. “The fire’s under control. The rain will keep things from flaring up. Nothing more I can do for the barn, but we lost all our expensive hay. At least the horses are all okay,” he said with an exhausted sigh.

  aaAA

  By the time Roxie had pulled into Babcock County Hospital on the far southeastern end of the county, the ambulance had disgorged its passengers. Roxie, Nathan, and Gen scurried into the waiting area of the emergency department and were told in which exam rooms to find Kate and Yancy.

  They located Kate sitting on the exam table, a physician assistant treating the burns on her right arm. The PA looked up when they entered the room, and then turned back to her ministrations on Kate’s arm. “She has some second- and third-degree burns. I’ll have her ready to be released in an hour or so.”

  “Oh, my God, Kate.” Roxie sat heavily in a chair in the corner of the exam room. Nathan looked on from the doorway as the PA finished up the treatment. Roxie’s face was strained, then more relaxed when Kate flashed her a grin.

  Gen saw Yancy’s exam was taking some time. The emergency room doctor had called in a consult, teleconferencing with a white-coated man via a video link in the room. “I’m Dr. Gen Lambert,” she introduced herself to the on-call doctor, a medium-build, African-American man.

  He nodded to her. “Dr. Lambert, I remember you from the barbecue. I’m Brandon Tyler. The guy on screen is Dr. Raphael Gonzalez, a pulmonologist from the U. Medical Center, giving me some points on treating smoke inhalation. I’m about to do a bronchoscopy to see if any particles are in the bronchioles, and he will be watching via telemetry. You’re welcome to suit up and assist.”

  “Yes, I’d like that.” Gen glanced down at Yancy, who seemed to be sedated but still awake. “We’re going to look at your lungs. It’s very important that no solid particles have gotten in. That would be big trouble down the road.”

  Yancy nodded. Her eyes drooped.

  After the bronchoscopy, they wheeled Yancy into a patient room on the main medical floor of the hospital. Gen, Nathan, Kate, and Roxie waited outside while the nurse got her into the bed, arranged the IV pole, provided water on the bedside table, and walked out, motioning that it was okay for them to come on in.

  Kate entered first, her arm bandaged. Her clothes were smudged with black, the right shirt sleeve cut off, her short hair in disarray, and her cheeks still sooty. As she came up to Yancy’s bedside, she said quietly, “Hey, buddy. How’s it going?”

  Yancy croaked in gasps, “I’m fine, they say my lungs look good…but they want to keep me...overnight observation.”

  Roxie hung on Kate’s left arm, and was bleary-eyed. She stroked Kate’s back with her hand, then leaned in and gave Yancy a kiss on the cheek, but her look was fierce. “I could kill you both.”

  Yancy gave Kate a look of puzzlement. “The horses.”

  “She knows about the horses. How we love them more than anything.” Kate looked sheepishly at Roxie.

  Roxie glanced from Kate back to Yancy. “You both are cut from the same damn cloth. I swear if you—”

  Gen finished her sentence. “You won’t have to do anything, Roxie. I will beat you to it, and they won’t like what I will do to them both.” Her face scowled, her arms were crossed over her chest.

  “Hey, Doc,” Yancy quietly greeted her.

  Gen squinted at her silently.

  Kate looked at Roxie. “Maybe it’s time for us to skedaddle.”

  “We hear you’ll be released tomorrow, barring any problems. We’ll be back to get you then.” Roxie touched Yancy’s arm, leaned down, and kissed her.

  “See you, buddy.” Kate made a little wave in the doorway.

  Nathan said, “Take care.”

  As they left, Gen moved to the side of the bed, her arms still crossed at her chest. She looked expectantly at Yancy.

  Yancy smiled widely, trying to hold back another cough but not being successful. She wheezed out. “Now, I can see that you are pissed…but I have some good news for you, Gen.”

  Gen squinted her eyes, “Oh, really. What, pray tell, might that be?” She breathed in and out audibly. “Did you win the Roy Rogers Hero Award?”

  “Hey, that’s funny.” She inhaled a huge raspy breath. “At least I wasn’t singing like Dale Evans.”

  “No, not at all.”

  “No.” Yancy inhaled again, sending her into another fit of coughing. “Sorry.” She got control over her breathing. “I got my physical exam the other day…I thought you would be proud of me.” She looked at Gen with her best winning smile.

  Gen put her hand over her mouth, containing a grin. “I’m so glad for you,” she said flatly.

  “You know…squeezing boobs…spreading the legs…stick in the arm.”

  Gen merely nodded.

  “Geez, can’t you give me a small reward or something?”

  Gen pretended to think deeply, then shook her head. “You are one exasperating person.” Her hands rattled Yancy’s bed frame. “Why should I give you a reward for something you should be doing anyway? What about running into a burning barn, you and Kate together? Where is your sense of survival, Yancy?” Tears welled in her eyes.

  “Please, don’t cry.” Yancy pulled herself up in the bed to a sitting position and reached out for Gen. Gen collapsed into her arms, shaking with emotion. Yancy stroked her back tenderly.

  After a minute or two, Gen pulled back, sniffling, and reached over to the bedside table for a tissue. “Damn you. You could have been killed.”

  Yancy swallowed hard. “I�
�m a screwup, Gen.” Her eyes found Gen’s. “I’m so sorry. I never want to cause you pain.”

  Gen drilled her eyes back into Yancy’s. “I don’t know if I’m strong enough for you.”

  “What?” Yancy paled.

  Gen backed away from the bed, turning to the wall. “I’m not sure we are cut out to be together.”

  Yancy attempted to get up from the bed, beginning to let down the bed rail.

  Gen caught her. “No way. Get back in that bed.” She pushed Yancy’s chest back down.

  Yancy grasped her hand and held it tightly. “Gen, please. Look at me.”

  “I can’t.”

  The room was silent for several beats.

  Very quietly, Yancy asked, “What are you scared of?”

  Gen looked up at Yancy, her eyes wide with surprise, and held Yancy’s gaze steadily. Finally, she said, “God help me, I’m afraid of losing you. I can’t lose you yet, I barely have you.” Gen covered her face and let out more sobs.

  Yancy grabbed both of Gen’s hands and brought them to her mouth, kissing the palms lightly and stroking them. Gen looked at Yancy, afraid she would break from the contact.

  “Gen. Gen, you have me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  On Sunday afternoon, Yancy was released from the hospital. Roxie had come to take her home while Kate and Gen were at the ranch. Because it was Connie’s day off, Kate prepared to grill steaks and chicken. Gen made side dishes and Yancy’s favorite Oreo ice cream dessert. Yancy was released from the pulmonologist’s care, but he cautioned her to be careful of the potential for lung infection.

  Roxie and Yancy entered the great room, Roxie holding onto Yancy’s arm.

  “The conquering hero has arrived,” Roxie announced as she got Yancy ensconced on the couch.

  Gen came around the kitchen island wiping her hands on a dish towel, scrutinizing Yancy’s face. She walked to the couch, leaned down, and planted a chaste kiss on her lips. Roxie went out the patio door to find Kate at the grill.