Pushing the herd along the river Alex and Stevie discuss his recent engagement to Fiona.
Well he discusses it , Stevie just seethes at every word that leaves his lips.
"You're not saying much?" He pushes.
Barely containing her discomfort and venom she replies. "You've known her for five days and you reckon you're going to spend the rest of your life with her. I've known the local farrier longer than that and I sure as hell wouldn't marry him."
...
"What's that supposed to mean?'He grumbles.
"Read into it what you want." She replies.
"You're supposed to be happy for me Stevie." He remarks.
"Yeah right if you say so..." She retorts.
...
A steer takes off away from the herd and two others follow.
Stevie pushes Banjo up and begins to give chase.
Her anger at Alex drives her forward and her jealousy of Fiona clouds her thoughts.
In a fraction of a second Banjo loses his footing and they both fall hard.
...
At full tilt he rolls quickly and she is thrown tumbling nearby.
His hoof clips the side off her head as his frightened calls alert Alex.
Stevie can't breathe and she's unsure if she's winded or just holding it, everything is happening so fast and then...
Snap! Snap! She hears a loud noise as a red hot poker like pain thrusts itself into her lower leg.
She hears a scream and thinks perhaps it's hers and then blackness and nothingness.
...
"Stevie!" Alex yells as he rides towards her.
Banjo has stopped rolling just short of the embankment and is struggling to stand nearby.
Throwing himself from his mount Alex calls."Stevie! Can you hear me?"
"Stevie!" Again he calls his heart having shifted to somewhere between his chest and his mouth.
Blood seeps from a scratch across the side of her head.
...
He brushes the hair from her face and again calls. "Stevie wake up! Open your eyes!"
Without thought he leans over her and kisses her.
"Oh god Stevie please wake up!"He urges panic rising as each second ticks by.
She begins to move.
"Don't move Stevie" He orders.
"Lie still!" He demands.
...
Her face is covered in dirt, the blood trickles slowly from her head.
Pieces of leaves and twigs are threaded through her red curls.
Blinking she opens her eyes.
"Alex." She whispers pain and emotion evident.
...
He smiles and whispers. "You scared me Stevie."
She cries.
"Stevie where does it hurt." He asks.
"Everywhere." She replies softly.
...
"Can you move?" He asks.
Grimacing she sits with his help.
"My leg Alex."She states.
He moves to her leg and grabbing his pocket knife slits her jeans.
"It's broken Stevie no doubt about that." He says.
...
"What about Banjo?" She asks.
"Let me deal with you first and then I'll look at the horse."He growls.
Quickly he fashions a splint and ripping his shirt into shreds wraps the leg up firmly.
"You've been working out.' She quips.
...
He grins and says. "Even with a broken leg you can still manage to perve on me."
She laughs but again grimaces and replies. "If I wasn't in so much pain I'd enjoy it more."
He tilts his head slightly and with a puzzled look asks. "So you like how I look?"
"What's not to like." She replies.
...
"Since when?" He asks.
"Since when what?" She asks.
"Since when have you liked looking at me?"
Grinning she says. "Since the day Claire introduced us."
...
He looks deeply into her eyes.
She feels him searching her soul.
Reality stabs her in the heart.
He's engaged.
She averts her eyes and says. "Alex is Banjo alright?"
...
His eyes don't leave her.
Time shifts backwards.
He rises and moves over to her horse.
Blood drips from a wound on his chest.
He's holding his hind leg awkwardly.
Alex's heart sinks.
...
"Ease up there Banjo, whoa. Easy big fella." Alex soothes as he removes the saddle and saddle cloth.
Walking back over to Stevie he says quietly. "I have to put him down Stevie, his hind leg is broken."
"No Alex." She growls angrily.
She scrambles to her feet pain ripping through her.
...
Alex moves over to his horse and undoes the clip on the rifle sheath.
Stevie has hopped towards Banjo.
Pain pushing her to the edge of passing out.
"Easy boy easy, steady." She soothes.
Gently patting his face she whispers softly to him.
The horse is agitated and in obvious pain but with shock and a broken heart Stevie only sees her Banjo , her horse and a damn fine horse at that.
...
Alex arrives and says. "Stevie."
"No Alex you can't please don't take him. He's all I have left."She begs.
Alex places his hand on her shoulder and says. "Stevie he's in pain, you don't want him to suffer. It's the humane thing to do."
Anger rises in her and she yells with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Then bloody shoot me too. Anything he's feeling I'm feeling ten times worse. Go on shoot me Alex, take my pain away. It's the humane thing to do."
...
He's shocked by her outburst.
A broken leg is painful but she's had breaks before.
When they were on the circuit and she was always so tough.
He doesn't understand.
...
Gently he asks her to move and before he cocks the rifle she tries to grab it from his hands.
He raises his arm to stop her and she over balances.
Watching in slow motion as she stumbles backwards he reaches out to grab her.
He feels the cloth of her shirt rip and then slip from his grasp as she falls down the embankment.
...
She floats face down moving on the swift current.
Without taking his eyes off her he descends the riverbank, running along the side and then he throws himself into the cold water.
Grabbing her he swims to the edge fighting the current.
Sucking air into his lungs on the bank he struggles to find a foot hold.
"Stevie! Stevie!" He yells.
...
Finally his foot feels a tree root and he hoists himself from the water, dragging her to safety.
He listens for her heart, watches for the rise and fall of life giving oxygen into her body.
Nothing.
She's not breathing.
In a panic he rips at the remainder of her shirt and watches her chest.
"Breathe Stevie breathe." He wills softly.
Nothing.
...
"ABC." He chants.
"Airway." He says as he checks her airways.
"Breathing, circulation." He mutters to himself.
No heart beat.
No air.
Without thought he begins.
Time is irrelevant.
...
"Come on Stevie please don't leave me." He mumbles tears and river water dripping from his face.
She coughs splutters and begins to vomit up dirty river water.
Easily he rolls her into the recovery position, offering up a silent thank you as he does.
He checks her pulse.
Leaning over her he kisses her head.
...
She's breathing .
He runs up to his horse and grabs the water bottle.
Half running, half sliding he makes his way back down to her .
She's rouses.
"Stevie are you ok " His voice shredded and anguished enquires.
" Maybe." She replies then coughs again and then dry retches.
Sitting her up he holds her and encourages her to rinse her mouth and then drink.
...
" Alex my back hurts." She says sadly.
He leans back and can see blood and grazes where great chunks of her shirt are missing.
"Just let me get you back up the top and then I'll take a look at your back Stevie."
"Alex what about Banjo?"
" I have to shoot him Stevie I'm sorry."
She nods ."Leave me here Alex I don't want to see when you..."
He gives her a small hug and says " I'll be back."
...
Alex leads Banjo a short distance away.
As the shot echoes around the valley Stevie grief and sadness rolls with it.
By the time Alex puts his rifle away and climbs back down to her she's little more than a puddle.
He's never see her cry like this and he blames himself for all of it.
She's his mate and they've always looked out for each other.
He's failed her.
...
Picking her up he slowly makes his way back up to the river flat.
When he was there earlier he'd moved Banjo's bridle , saddle and blanket so she wouldn't see them.
He'll come out tomorrow and get them for her.
He stands her beside his horse and begins to look at her back.
Already the bruising looks awful and what little remains of her shirt is stuck on the wounds.
Hesitantly she removes her shirt so he can look at her back.
Any modesty has long gone.
...
"They're not too bad Stevie and they shouldn't scar, but you're bruised badly. You must have hit rocks or something in the river." He offers straightening up.
She nods sadly.
He lifts her face and looking down at her says . " Are you ready to go home?'
She nods then asks. " Would you do me a favour before you take me home Alex?'
A small smile lights his eyes as he replies. " After what you've been through anything Stevie."
...
Looking him straight in the face she asks. ' Would you kiss me Alex?"
"Stevie I'm engaged. I can't I'm sorry that wouldn't be right." He responds.
She nods as she inhales and says . "You're right Alex I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked."
Frowning he asks. " Why did you ask?"
" Well we kissed once before and I really enjoyed it and I thought this would be my last chance to see if you fluked it last time."She replies cheekily despite the seriousness of the request and the pain she's feeling.
...
"Fluked it? There is nothing fluky about my kisses."He chuckles.
Shrugging she says . " I guess I'll have to take your word for it. Can you please take me home now?"
He nods and watches her .
Mounting his horse he reaches down for her and takes in her chest.
Now full of oxygen , bare and rising seductively.
...
Alex dismounts and stands looking at her .
She blinks waiting for him to speak.
He holds her face in his hand and leans down and kisses her.
As she slides her arms around his neck he steps into her and feels her softness against his bare chest.
He feels more than he was expecting .
As his heart doubles time, his hand runs across her butt and he squeezes.
She moves back , laughs and says " I asked for a kiss not to be felt up Alex."
" Sorry when my brain is distracted they have a will of their own." He explains.
She smiles and holds her emotions in check wanting more but not daring to push any further.
" Thank you Alex can we go home now?" She asks.
He nods and says . " Yeah we should. Fiona will be wondering where I am."
She shakes her head and looks miffed.
" What?" he asks.
" I had this lovely memory after an awful afternoon and you just ruined it Alex thanks . Thanks for nothing."She grumbles and their moment is lost.
...
Fiona is furious when Alex arrives back and before he can explain she rips into him.
The entire barrage he zones out and all he can think of is Stevie.
When Fiona finally finishes he states. " Stevie had a fall and broke her leg and I had to shoot her horse."
" Oh." Is all that Fiona says no apology , nothing.
...
Fiona is all over him and wanting more than he's in the mood for.
Eventually she falls asleep beside him.
Lying back in his bed with his hands behind his head he thinks about Stevie , the river and Banjo.
Lifting his hand onto his stomach he scratches an itch.
...
Alex smiles when he thinks about Stevie's comment about him working out.
He can't sleep because he's trying to figure out why she was so angry when he mentioned Fiona.
Finally he drifts off to sleep and his last thoughts are of how he felt when she wasn't breathing and her lips when he kissed her.
Her softness, her vulnerability, her sadness for Banjo.
...
Stevie leg is plastered and her back dressed.
Kate, Jodi and Regan have fussed over her and made sure she has all she needs.
In the darkness of her room she thinks about Alex and his lips.
She thinks about Banjo.
Tears involuntarily slides down her cheeks, today she lost both.
Eventually she sleeps as the painkillers find their way into her system.
...
In her dreams he comes to her ,kneeling beside her bed he whispers for her to wake.
Smiling he chats to her and gives her sweet , plump kisses.
She wakes and he's gone and a new emptiness enters her heart.
She sleeps.
...
Again he's there his kisses soft, warm intoxicatingly erotic.
She wants him in her bed but he resists.
She sleeps fitfully.
His hands caress her , his tongue entices.
...
She wants more but again he cautions her.
She pushes him back and says . " Please stop I can't do this. I love you but I can't have you part time. My heart can't take it."
She sleeps deeply.
...
Alex dreams .
Stevie is asleep and he kisses her awake.
Her lips are soft, sweet and make him feel things.
She wants him .
He answers her with lustful kisses.
Shaking with pure desire he strips .
Smiling she'd lifts the doona back.
She's luscious.
He wakes aroused by the her the dream so real, his heart still booming in his chest.
...
Why is everyone reading and then re reading this story? Is it hard to understand or are you just enjoying it? kepc