Desert Dreams
Into the West
Episode #4
by
J.A. Campbell
Desert Dreams
Into the West #4
An Echelon Electric Short eBook
First Echelon Press Publication / July 2011
All rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2011 by J.A. Campbell
Cover Art © Karen L. Syed
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eBook 978-1-59080-775-0
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For Devin
As always I want to thank my support group. I couldn't do it without you guys: Shanah, Nicole, Mardel, Devin, Angela, Deidre, Adam, Sabaska, and Kira.
I also wanted to thank Jen Wylie and Sean Hayden. Your help and support through this whole project has been invaluable. Thank you so much. Allison, thank you very much for your first hand info on the Navajo. All mistakes are, of course, mine.
One
"How is she?"
"She'll live. She keeps asking for you."
The voices pulled Tina out of a disturbing dream. She floated in water she kept swallowing while her cowboy kept telling her to swim.
She tried to roll over and go back to her dream, but something heavy kept her from moving.
"Tina?"
"Hmm? Sleeping…" Tina tried to push the hand away but instead it held hers. She sighed and tried to wake up the rest of the way. "What?"
"You should wake up, Tina. You've been asleep for a long time."
The voice sounded familiar. It made Tina feel warm and happy. She blinked her eyes a few times. Two people hovered over her in the dark. One wore a cowboy hat. She blinked a few more times, trying to clear her eyes. She raised a hand and tried to rub her eyes, but someone grabbed it.
"You're hand is covered in salve, you don't want to get that in your eyes."
"Rowe?"
"Yep."
Tina could imagine the cowboy's smile, but she couldn't see anything in the low light.
"I will leave you two." The other person got up and left.
The flash of light from the opening door momentarily gave Tina a view of her surroundings. She lay in a small hut of some sort. The heaviness she felt came from a pile of blankets. How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered was getting onto Beau after she fell off.
"What happened? Is Beau okay?" She tried to sit up. Rowe supported her shoulders.
"They found you wandering in the desert. Beau is fine. You were dehydrated, and really sun burnt, but they said you'd live. You wouldn't have, if they hadn't found you."
Tina frowned, bits and pieces of her ride coming back to her. She'd gotten lost in the desert. She'd come to look for Rowe and couldn't find the way to the ranch. Obviously someone had found her, and gotten Rowe. She had something she needed to tell him.
"Can you drink this?" Rowe held a cup out to her.
Tina's hands shook and she felt very weak, but she managed to wrap her hands around the tin mug and hold onto it. Lifting it to her lips was a little beyond her though Rowe scooted around until he sat behind her and took the cup from her hands. Tina leaned against his chest, a hot flush running through her core.
She enjoyed leaning against his chest while he helped her drink the cool water. She finished the water but didn't try to move away from him.
They sat in silence for a while before he spoke. "What were you thinking?"
Tina's happy mood evaporated at his harsh tone. She tried to pull away from the cowboy, but he put his arm around her before she could. She didn't have the energy to fight him. She leaned back against his chest in defeat. He didn't seem to mind having her there either. He continued to hold her tightly, almost protectively.
"I needed to find you."
"You almost died." His tone was gentle this time and Tina thought maybe he wasn't mad at her, just scared. "Besides, Eli told you not to come back."
Tina tilted her head back so she could look at him while they talked. Her breath caught in her throat at how close he sat. He looked down at her. It wouldn't take much for her to reach up and touch her lips to his. She blushed, remembering the softness of his lips. How he tasted like the desert. Tina looked away hoping the darkness of the hut hid her blush.