Colorado 01 The Gamble (43 page)

We were waist high when Brody was there, he
lifted her up in his arms and troughed through the water with long,
determined strides. Max’s arm went along my back, hand under my
armpit, holding me close as he turned us and part walked, part
dragged me back to the bank.

Brody had Mindy on her back and he was on
his knees at her side, bent over her, ear to her mouth when Max
hauled me out of the river and we made it to them.

Then his torso shot up to straight, his eyes
going to Max. “She ain’t breathin’.”

Without hesitation I dropped to my knees and
thanked all that was holy I volunteered to go to that First Aid
class, even though at the time I could have done without it because
my caseload was heavy. Now, if this ended better than it looked
like it would, I was personally going to hunt down my instructor
and give him a huge, bleeding, kiss.

Positioning my hands like I was taught, I
put them to Mindy’s chest and counted out loud with each
compression.

Then I moved to her mouth, opened it, stuck
my finger inside to make sure nothing was there, tilted her head
back, pinched her nose, put my mouth to hers and exhaled my breath
into her body.

Back to the chest compressions, counting
down.

Then I moved to Mindy’s mouth, pinched her
nose and exhaled.

Back to the compressions.

Back to Mindy’s mouth.

Then back.

Then back.

And again.

And again.

“Goddammit, Mindy,” I shouted when she lay
there lifeless, no longer counting out loud with my compressions
but doing them all the same. “Don’t let him beat you!”

Then I went to Mindy’s mouth.

Back to the compressions.

And back.

And again.

“Nina,” Max whispered, dropping down beside
me in a squat, I felt his hand at my back.

I looked up to see Brody standing; his hands
were both on the top of his head. He was staring down at Mindy and
me, his expression ravaged.

I ignored Max and Brody and bent to Mindy’s
mouth.

Then back to the compressions.

“Baby,” Max was still whispering.

“When’s Jeff getting here?” I snapped then
went to Mindy’s mouth.

Then back to the compressions.

“Nina, honey,” Max whispered, my eyes went
to him, I felt my heart in my throat, the tears in my eyes and I
kept up the compressions.

Mindy choked.

My head jerked down and she was
choke-coughing, the sound both heinous and beautiful, her hands
lifting weakly before falling away and I moved her to her side as
water flooded out her mouth.

“Get it out, darling,” I cooed, bending
close to her, pulling the wet hair from her face and neck. “Get it
all out.”

Liquid poured from her mouth and she kept
choking, tipping her head forward, curling into herself after it
was all gone.

“Mins,” Brody was now squatting and he
pulled her torso into his arms when she was simply spluttering.
“Babe,” he whispered, his hand cupping the back of her head,
pressing it to his neck as his other arm held her close.

Jeff ran up to us. “Jesus, fuck, is she
okay?”

Brody looked up at him. “Call an
ambulance.”

“No,” Mindy whispered, her voice rough,
“no.”

“Babe, Mins, we gotta –” Brody started.

“They all know about me,” Mindy said weakly
into his neck. “They know everything. They all know. I don’t want
them to know this.”

“The house,” Max ordered, squatted and put a
hand under Mindy’s knees, an arm at her back and stood, pulling her
out of Brody’s arms and lifting her, striding away, still talking.
“Jeff, you drive her to the house, Nina will ride with her.”

“I’ll ride with her,” Brody declared as Max
climbed the steep incline with Mindy in his arms as if he did it
every day for his workout. Brody and Jeff managed it too. I slipped
and slid but not as badly as I did coming down.

“You take the ATV back with me, Nina’s got
her,” Max ordered as he made it to the top and marched to the
police vehicle.

“Max –”

Max stopped and turned to Brody. “Trust me,
Nina’s got her.”

Then with Mindy in his arms, he used his
hand to open the door and slid Mindy in the back. Without
hesitation the moment Max stepped away, I climbed up next to her
and pulled her into my arms. She didn’t put her arms around me but
she cuddled closer.

I looked at Max and nodded. “We’re
good.”

Max closed the door. Jeff slid in the front,
turned the ignition and reversed down the narrow track so fast, all
the hairs would have risen on my head if I wasn’t concentrating on
Mindy.

“You with me, sweetheart?” I asked her but
she didn’t respond.

Jeff found a clearing he could execute a
three-point turn in and he did so then raced down the narrow,
one-lane track.

“Mindy, darling, you with me?” I
repeated.

“Yeah,” she whispered.

I snuggled her closer, moved my lips to her
ear and there I promised on a whisper that was only for her, “You
and me, we’ll find a way to make you feel clean. You and me. Yes?
We’ll find a way.” My arms tightened around her and I finished.
“Just not that way.”

She didn’t answer and I smoothed the wet
hair away from her face, down her back, my other arm holding her
tight.

We made it to the front of Max’s house at
the same time the ATVs came into view, proving Jeff wasted no time
getting us home. My door was pulled open and I jumped out, Jeff
reached in and his arms went around Mindy but I didn’t watch.

I turned and ran to Mom who, with Cotton,
Steve and Becca were running down the steps as Max and Brody both
shut off their ATVs at the bottom.

“Thank God,” Becca breathed but my eyes were
on my mother.

“Mom, run up to Max’s bathroom and run a
warm bath, okay?” I asked, she nodded and ran into the house. I
looked to Cotton. “You know a doctor who’ll come out here but won’t
talk in town?”

“Yeah, darlin’,” Cotton replied, eyes glued
to Jeff and Mindy.

“Call him,” I ordered and turned to Jeff.
“Take her upstairs.”

Jeff was already nearing the door. I
followed Jeff in the house and up the stairs and Max and Brody
followed me.

Jeff set Mindy on her feet in the bathroom
where Mom was on her knees beside the tub, her hand under the
faucet, her other hand controlling the taps.

“Can you stand, honey?” Jeff asked gently
and Mindy turned her head away but her legs buckled and Jeff’s arms
went back around her.

“I got her,” Brody said, pushing
forward.

The bathroom was not small. It had good
space, a bathtub, separate shower, sink built into a marble-tiled
vanity and a sauna.

Still, with Mom, me, Mindy and three hulking
mountain men, it was a close fit.

“Boys, out,” Mom demanded before I could do
it.

“
She’s my sister and I don’t even know
who
you
are,” Brody
shot back and my eyes went to Max.

“Brody,” Max said low and came forward
too.

I went to Mindy.

“That’s my Mom, Brody, and we have this,
okay?” I asked, nodding to Jeff that I had Mindy when my arms went
around her and she transferred her weight to me.

I had to brace my legs but I took on Mindy
as Mom got to her feet and moved in our direction.

Brody stayed planted.

I looked to Max and said, “Max, darling, get
Brody to give us some time and send Becca up here, please?”

Max nodded and put a hand on Brody that
Brody shrugged off.

“She’s my sister!” he shouted and Mindy
flinched in my arms.

“
Brody, man, pull your shit together and
think about the last twenty minutes. Nina’s fuckin’
got
this. Yeah?” Max was still
talking low.

Brody glared at him. Then he glared at me.
Then, when Jeff silently moved out, Brody followed him.

Max’s eyes stayed on me until I nodded to
him, he nodded back and then he followed Brody.

“Okay, Mindy, sweetie, I’m Nellie, Nina’s
Mom and I’m going to help you, all right?” Mom said to Mindy. “Now,
let’s get these wet clothes off, sweetheart. Can you help us?”

“It won’t work, I can’t get clean,” Mindy
told Mom but she slowly lifted her arms, her wrists limp, hands
dangling and I held her upright as Mom pulled off her sweater.

“
Your problem, sweetheart, is you’re trying
to get clean when you already
are,
”
Mom informed her and then bent at her feet.

Becca came in and I could tell she had been
crying and was currently on the verge of returning to her
tears.

Feebly, Mindy’s eyes went to her friend.

“I’m sorry,” Mindy said.

“I’m sorry too, sorry I didn’t take better
care of you,” Becca replied, keeping her emotions together, moving
forward, dropping down to her knees to help Mom with Mindy’s shoes.
“Let’s get you warmed up.”

They got off her boots, socks and jeans
but when Mom moved to the tub and Becca moved to her undies, Mindy
cried, “
No!
”

“We gotta get you warmed up,” Becca told
her.

“No! I don’t take them off, just to change
them. I shower in them,” Mindy said and at this horrifyingly sad
news my eyes went to Becca to see hers were on me.

“Then in you go with your undies on,” Mom
decreed, moving from the now filled bath to Mindy.

We helped her in and I said to Mom, “My
shampoo and conditioner are in the shower stall, can you get
them?”

“Sure thing, Neenee Bean,” Mom replied
before scurrying off.

“I’m not strong like you,” Mindy mumbled and
I looked from Mom to her and dropped down to my knees by the
tub.

“What, darling?” I asked.

She was shivering in the tub, her arms
crossed on her chest, fingers curled around her shoulders, eyes
glued to her toes.

“You’re strong. I’m not.”

“Mins,” I whispered and her head twisted to
look at me.

“You don’t let anyone walk all over you.
I’ll never be that way.”

If she hadn’t already broken my heart, that
would have done it.

“We’ll talk later,” I told her. “Let’s get
you warm.”

Mom handed me my shampoo and conditioner. I
set it on the side of the tub and I moved down the tub to grab the
hand spray in order to get to work on Mindy’s hair.

“I’ll get this, you go get out of those wet
clothes,” Mom said, bending toward me.

“I’m fine,” I replied. “Mins, lean your head
forward for me, will you?”

Mindy did what I asked but Mom got
closer.

“Sweetie, you’re soaked through and
shivering, go change your clothes, you can come back to Mindy in a
second.”

Mindy turned toward me and her eyes hit me
but I smiled at her, realizing for the first time I was, indeed,
shivering mostly because I was chilled straight through to the bone
likely because I’d been in a snow melt rushing river and also
because of all that had recently transpired. I also realized then
that my clothes felt like they weighed a ton.

I ignored all of this.

“I’m fine,” I replied on a small, trembling
smile to Mindy. “Head forward, my lovely.”

“Nina –” Mom started and I turned and locked
eyes with her.

“
Mom. I’m.
Fine.
”

Mom stared at me a second, straightened and
I felt her presence move away. It took me a couple of tries to get
the hand spray working because my own hands were trembling so
much.

I distractedly heard Mom say, “Max,” but I
was able to get the hand spray working so my concentration went to
getting the water warm.

“Cover Mindy,” I heard Max’s gravelly voice
say from not too far but not too close.

“Gotcha,” I heard Mom reply and then she was
for some reason holding up a towel lengthwise beside the tub,
getting right in my space.

“Mom, you’re in my way,” I told her.

“Hand me the spray, Nina,” Becca said,
coming in behind me.

“But –” I started, Becca reached in, pulled
the spray out of my hand and then I was going up.

I twisted my neck to see I was in Max’s
arms. “Max! I’m washing Mindy’s hair.”

“You can do it after you change,” Max
replied, walking out of the bathroom and into the bedroom.

I saw Brody, back to the room, his clothes,
likely Max’s clothes, were dry and he was standing at the
railing.

Max walked me directly to my suitcase.

“
Max, seriously, I’m
fine
.”

“You’re tremblin’.”

“I’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, you will, after you get some dry,
warm clothes on you.”

“Max!” I snapped.

“Shut it, Duchess,” he clipped back then put
me on my feet.

I no sooner got steady when his hands were
at my sweater and it was over my head, it’s sodden weight lifted
clean away and I felt like I’d come out from under a boulder.

Even so, I breathed, “Max,” and looked over
my shoulder at Brody, who still had his back to the room.

When I turned back Max was digging through
my suitcase.

“Bra off,” he ordered quietly when he turned
to me.

“What?” I breathed again.

He lifted up a clean bra. “Wet bra off, dry
bra on.”

“Brody’s here,” I hissed.

“Brody’s not thinkin’ about your body,” Max
returned.

This was definitely true.

I twisted my hands behind me and unhooked my
bra. Max handed me the new one before the wet one fell away and
he’d already turned back to my suitcase and was again rummaging
when I clumsily slipped it on.

When he was facing me again, he had my
heaviest sweater in his hands and he gave it to me then his hands
went to my jeans.

“Can you get your boots off?” he asked as
the button came undone and the zip went down.