Page 24 of The Winter Rogue
“It's Louanne!”She looked truly distraught.
“What's wrong with the little mare?”Drew did not understand—what could have happened to the reliable little mare?
“She's just wandered in from the woods, riderless!”Polly pulled him into the kitchen, her hands frantic.
“What was she doing in the bloody woods?”None of this was making sense.
Polly sighed.“Drew, you bloody dolt!Billy noticed Louanne was missing after we finished breakfast with John.We believe Lady Charlene took her for a ride, which was of no concern until Louanne just appeared without a rider in sight.Something must have happened to Lady Charlene!”
Drew's stomach plummeted as Polly's words sank in.Charlie was missing.Possibly injured somewhere out there in the snow.“Bloody hell!”
“Finally you’re getting there—yes, bloody hell!”Polly opened the side door of the kitchen and shoved him out into the biting cold.
There he found Billy straightening up from a full inspection of the horse.“I don't see any injuries.Something must have spooked Louanne to cause her to rear up or buck Lady Charlene—unless she climbed off herself and the mare got away from her.Either way, Lady Charlene is stuck somewhere out there in this snow and the temperature is already dropping.”Billy looked over Drew's shoulder and pointed to the other side of the house.“And I suspect we are in for another dumping of snow before the madness of this storm is done.”
Drew looked back and spewed some choice words normally heard on the deck of one of his ships.“Get Mars saddled.”He ran back into the house to throw on warmer clothes and gather a few blankets for when he found Charlie.
He had to find Charlie.
Ten minutes later, Drew was bundled up and headed out in the direction Louanne had apparently come from.It would be like finding a needle in a haystack, but he had to find Charlie.There was no other option.
Fortunately, he quickly realized two things.The first was that Louanne had left tracks in the deep snow, so he had an easy trail to follow.The second was that if he didn't find Charlie soon, the next snowfall would soon start to cover those tracks.
Drew checked his pocket watch once more, looked at the sky and then back at the mare’s tracks.Evidently Louanne had not taken a direct route home.She'd wandered around, perhaps distressed.But her tracks remained clear and about forty minutes later he found both the end of the tracks…and Charlie.
Drew slipped from Mars' back and knelt in the snow next to the only woman who had pushed past all his barriers.His heart lurched in his chest, but he pushed the panic, the emotions, the need for her aside.
This was not the time.
Right now, what Charlie needed was his focus and attention to get her out of the snow and back to the warmth of Glenn Ivy.
Touching her face, Drew exhaled slowly.She was ice cold.Fear lanced through him.Her lips had a slightly blue tint to them and she was barely shivering.He knew from a lifetime of traveling, including to cold climes, that neither indicator was good.Picking her up and carrying her to his horse, he hesitated.Mounting with a woman in his arms would be not only difficult but dangerous to all involved.He took Mars' reins and started walking.There was a fallen log a little ways back that he could stand on and mount Mars safely while holding a still unconscious Charlie.
Once he found the log, he carefully set Charlie down on the ground and stepped on the log.He tried to rock it back and forth and found it did not move.The log was sturdy enough.Next he gathered the blankets from Mars' back and swapped Charlie's sodden cloak for the warm, dry blankets.Then, with her in his arms, he clambered onto the log and onto Mars, who amazingly held still for the entire orchestration.He had earned extra oats tonight.
Settled on the horse, Drew made his way carefully back to Glenn Ivy.He'd been walking Mars at a careful pace for about thirty minutes when Charlie shivered and made a noise.
Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him from where she lay across his lap.“D-Drew?”
“Good evening, Sleeping Beauty.I'm very glad to see you awake.”Drew smiled down at her, though he was sure it looked as strained as it felt.
Her eyes widened as if everything had come back to her in a rush.“Oh no!The mare I took is out here somewhere, we have to find her!”
Drew loved that her first concern was for an animal, not herself.“Louanne returned to the manor, that is how we knew something was amiss.I came in search of you immediately.”
Her lashes lowered as another shiver wracked her body.“I suppose I'm going to get a lecture about taking your horse without permission.”
Drew chuckled softly.“Eventually there will probably be a lecture about that, among other things, but now is not the time or place.Rest easy.We are nearly home and then I can get you warmed back up.You've been out in the cold and snow for hours.”
She seemed to look around them and wrinkled her nose.“Is it terribly late?”
“Not terribly.It must be around two or three in the afternoon.”His stomach rumbled.“I'm afraid I missed luncheon in order to mount your rescue.”
She snorted.“I'm afraid I missed luncheon to be available to be rescued.”
Drew laughed as his heart did a cartwheel in his chest.She was safe, and appeared to be none the worse for wear.Or so he thought.“I assume nothing is broken.I was so concerned with getting you home, I forgot to check you properly.”
She paused for a moment and wiggled each of her limbs.“I don't seem to be damaged anywhere beyond a slight ache in my head.I think I was just knocked unconscious when the mare reared and I lost my seat.”
