She didn't wait for agreement, just spun for the door and took Jericho's waiting hand. He already held her bag and his rifle and was propping the door with his foot.
As soon as she cleared the stoop, she charged into a run. He matched her, stride for stride, tugging her faster at times. They paused in the woods long enough to retrieve his horse. In the clearing, he tied the animal to the back of the wagon beside her gelding. She climbed onto the seat and freed the team’s reins, then released the brake as Jericho joined her there.
He took the reins and urged the mules forward to turn the rig around. The animals moved impossibly slowly. She tried to use the time to question Jericho about how close Naomi’s contractions were coming, but he seemed to know almost nothing.
Despite his urging, the mules kept a steady walk. Dinah gripped the seat to keep from yelling at them to hurry. Naomi might be hemorrhaging at this very moment.
She straightened. “I’m going to ride. Bring the wagon behind me.”
He frowned at her and reined in, but she didn't have time to wait. As she jumped from the bench, his voice called behind her. “Take Pinto. Your gelding looks injured.”
She’d forgotten. “Thank you.” She yelled the words as she jogged back to the animals. Her gelding would get the care he needed as soon as she made sure her sister and the babe came through the birth alive and well.
Please, Lord. Keep my sister safe. The baby too. Childbirth could be deadly even under healthy conditions. But giving birth so early. And on the side of a mountain…
Jericho’s bay and white gelding barely flicked an ear as she fumbled to untie the reins and leaped onto his back. But when she turned his head and dug in her heels, the horse plunged forward.
No wonder Jericho loved this horse. Pinto handled easily, turning with the slightest bit of pressure. His powerful stride covered far more ground than her own horse’s. She had no doubt if she asked him for more speed, he would deliver abundantly.
When they reached the Mullan Road, she turned the horse up the slope and urged him faster.Protect us from a fall, Lord. The last thing she wanted was to injure Jericho’s mount the way her own gelding was hurt, but every second might make the difference for Naomi’s life.
How much farther?
She strained to find the section of fallen trees where they’d turned off the road. Would she recognize it? Especially at this speed?
She shouldn’t have worried. Or perhaps she should have worried more.
Naomi’s anguished cry alerted her to her sister’s location long before she reached the turn-off.
Panic flared through her.God, help Naomi. At least Naomi still lived.
She pulled hard on Pinto’s reins when they reached the edge of the road where other horses stood. After leaping to the ground, she reached for her medical case. But she’d left it in the wagon. No matter. Jericho would bring it.
She spun and jumped over the logs that blocked the way to her sister. When Naomi and the others came into sight, she slowed so she didn’t disturb a contraction.
Naomi lay curled on her side, in almost the same position Dinah had left her. But the guttural cries tearing from her throat showed exactly which part of childbirth she’d reached.
The final stretch.
She must be pushing. Or perhaps fighting not to push.
Gilead and Lillian knelt in front of Naomi, and even little Sean sat behind her. The boy jumped up at Dinah’s approach, and all three looked like she’d just arrived to pull them from a nest of rattlesnakes.
If only she had such a magic ability to fix this situation.
Gil and Lilly scrambled back as she drew near, and she dropped to her knees by Naomi’s side. “I’m here. Tell me what’s happened. Are you feeling the need to push?”
Naomi gulped in air frantically. Breathing far too quickly as she fought through the pain.
“Take deep, long breaths. We have to slow your inhales.” As she spoke, Dinah moved her hands over Naomi’s belly to check the position of the babe. “Breathe in slow… Now out slow…” She used her voice to show the speed she meant.
The babe was definitely in the birth canal, maybe even already showing.
The moment Dinah stopped talking, Naomi’s breaths came hard again. She helped her count through each breath as she shifted Naomi’s skirts to see if the babe had already entered the world. Gil had backed away with both children, giving them privacy.
Dinah glanced up at them. “Jericho’s coming with the wagon. You might want to meet him. Lilly, can you stay in case I need help?” The girl didn’t look as frightened as the fellows. Her determined nod proved her courage.
While Gilead and Sean made a wide half-circle around them, Dinah focused on her sister again. This contraction had finally subsided, and Naomi lay limp, though still breathing heavily.
