Ballard listened carefully, struggling to hear over the wind and rain. Finally he realized what had alerted Shelton—voices. Someone was coming their way. Ballard tried to keep his hopes from rising too high as he hurried on.
Suddenly he saw Clover coming through the trees. Despite his worry, and the anger that always comes with such concern, he had to smile. Clover and her mother were oblivious to everything save the tracks on the ground. They walked along hand in hand, water dripping off their bonnets, bent slightly forward. He was sure that if he did not speak up soon, they would walk right into him.
“Clover,” he called, and laughed when she and her mother screeched in surprise.
Clover was so pleased to see Ballard, she sprinted across the last yards that separated them and flungherself into his arms. Her mother quickly followed, grasping Ballard’s arm as if it were a lifeline. The trail they had been following had been growing dimmer with each drop of rain and Clover had begun to fear that she and her mother would be lost again.
“We are so glad to see you,” said Agnes. “We can go home now.”
“Aye, and when we get there, we can have us a wee talk about what possessed ye to go for a stroll alone in the woods.”
“We were doing just fine,” Clover protested as Ballard took her hand and started to drag her along. “Unfortunately, a bear came and we forgot to mark our trail. Of course, that would have been a little difficult while we were running for our lives.”
“So ye did meet the bear.” Ballard could see no outward signs of injury on either woman.
“Oh yes, we met the bear. We were just headed back home when he ambled up to us.”
“Ye were bloody lucky, lass.”
“I was surprised that we outran him.”
“Heletye outrun him. Ye were lucky in that ye met a bear who wasnae hungry or in a bad temper. He was just playing with ye.”
“Playing?” Clover stumbled over a rain-slick root, but Ballard gave her very little time to regain her feet before dragging her along.
“Aye—playing. A bear intent on catching ye can do so with ease. They dinnae always want to, though. We are nae their first choice of a meal.” He nodded grimly at the women’s wide-eyed expressions.
“Thank God he had a full belly then,” Clover murmured.
“Now we must get to some shelter.”
Even as he spoke, thunder crashed and both women screeched at the deafening sound. They barely had time to recover when a tree only yards in front of them was split by lightning. Ballard got Agnes and Clover out of the way just before the smoldering tree crashed to the ground. He spared only a moment to assure himself of their safety before joining Shelton in throwing mud on the fire that was struggling to life in the stump.
“Does that happen often?” Clover asked as he returned to her side.
“More often than I like,” Ballard answered as he resumed tugging her along.
Clover tried harder to keep up with Ballard. They had suffered some harsh storms in Pennsylvania, but she could recall none as fierce as the one raging around them now. The house was just coming into view when she heard another crash. Ballard cursed.
“Did ye hear where that came from, Shelton?” Ballard asked, looking around.
“It hit near here again?” Clover asked, sure that it had, yet hoping Ballard could assure her that it had been far away.
“Aye. Over there,” Ballard cried, pointing to a knot of trees right behind his barn. “It caught. Ye can see the smoke.”
Within minutes Shelton had urged everyone from the house and they had established a bucket brigade. The rain was easing already and Clover knew they could not count on it to douse the flames in those trees. Her arms ached as she pumped water from the well near the stables and passed bucket after bucket to her mother, who handed them swiftly down the line to Ballard who threw the water on the flames.
By the time Ballard declared the fire out, Clover was trembling with weariness. It took her a moment to realize that the rain had stopped and the dampness she felt on her face was sweat. She pumped a little water into her hands and splashed it on her cheeks and forehead. When Ballard reached her side, she shivered and stood a little closer to him.
“Are you sure the fire is out?” she asked.
“Aye, but Shelton, Lambert, Adam and I will keep a close watch all through the night. Ye did weel, lass.”
“We have bucket brigades in Langleyville too, you know, although I have never manned one.”
“I hope ye dinnae get much more practice here either.”
“I wholeheartedly share that hope. You live in a very exciting place, Ballard MacGregor.”
“It does keep a mon alert.” He kissed her on the tip of her nose. “I think we need to have us a wee talk about what ye can and cannae do—for your own safety of course.”
She smiled up at him. “Of course. Shall we have this talk over a good meal? I am absolutely famished.”
Ballard laughed and escorted her into the house, the rest of the family trailing wearily behind them.
