Chapter 16- Wildfire

A streak of sharp lightning cut across the sky, followed closely by a booming clap of thunder. Charlotte quickly gathered her reins as Danny shied away from the noise, almost unsetting her from the saddle.

"Whoa boy. It's alright." Charlotte cooed to the animal underneath her as she gently stroked his neck to settle his nerves. And hers.

Charlotte wished she would have paid more attention to the trail on their ride here a couple weeks ago. But she had been too distracted by the handsome Mountie riding beside her on the journey to notice the different landmarks along the way.

"Allie!" Charlotte yelled out into the night. Standing up in the stirrups of the saddle listening for any reply from the girl, but there was nothing other than the sounds of the approaching storm.

Wait. What was that? Charlotte squinted her eyes and peered into the distance.

With the realization, Charlotte's heart sank. Up ahead was the unmistakable flicker of a wildfire.

Charlotte had experienced a wildfire once before, while growing up on the ranch. The smoke that now hung in the air, transported her right back. The fear as her family and the rest of the ranch hands tried to move as much of the herd as possible out of the way of the approaching fire. The snap and crackle of the flames as they quickly ate up the dried grasses and trees of the landscape. The heat as it wicked all around them. Dancing embers blowing in the wind.

She had to find Allie. Now.

"Allie! Charlotte!" Nathan had stopped Newton part of the way up to the meadow. Listening for any sound of them. He could smell the smoke now.

Nathan turned, hearing approaching hooves coming up the trail behind him. Soon enough he saw their source. Bill.

"I heard about Allie and Charlotte. You really think they came this way?"

"I know they did. Allie loves the upper meadow and Rosemary said it was the direction they both rode. I told you we all came up here a couple weeks ago." Nathan's mind trailed off to the memories of that day.

He had to find his girls. Now.

Charlotte finally found her way up the trail and into the meadow. But the edge of the fire was so close, just on the other side of the clearing and moving quickly. Smoke burned into her lungs and caused Charlotte's eyes to water.

"Allie!" Charlotte urged Danny forward into a trot as she frantically scanned the area.

"Allie!"

"Ms. Thompson. Over here!"

Charlotte's eyes landed on Allie along the tree line that led to the canyon. She was standing beside Bandit trying to hold the reins of the skittish horse as he pranced about in front of her.

Charlotte squeezed her heels into Danny's sides, moving her hands further into his mane as she leaned forward in the saddle. The pair quickly covered the expanse separating Charlotte from Allie. Charlotte dismounted from Danny's back, before the horse even came to a complete stop.

In one motion she wrapped the girl tightly into her arms, "Allie I'm so sorry about earlier. Are you okay? Did Bandit throw you?"

"I'm fine. He just got spooked from the storm and fire, so I was trying to calm him."

Still holding onto Allie's shoulders, Charlotte took a step back to look her in the eyes. "Allie, you are going to have to listen to everything I say. Everything! No questions asked. I'm going to get us out of this, okay?"

Allie nodded her head, fear and uncertainty creeping across the features of her face.

"Good." Charlotte tried to give a reassuring smile. "Here hold Danny while I unsaddle Bandit. Talk to them Allie. Try to keep them steady."

Charlotte moved down the side of Bandit, quickly releasing the cinch around the horse's belly and sliding the saddle off his back, setting it on the ground beside her. The flames beginning to encircle them, their glow casting haunting shadows on the aspens beside them. Charlotte then moved to the headstall of Bandit's bridle, unbuckling the clasp and removing the bit from the horse's mouth.

"Yah! Get out of here Bandit." Charlotte yelled, raising her arms about her. Hoping that the horse would find a safe path out of the fire. She watched for a few seconds as he ran along the tree line before disappearing into the smoke.

Charlotte then reached for Danny's reins, taking them into her right hand and Allie's hand into her left; she led them both deeper into the trees. Following the path that Nathan had shown her a couple weeks ago. Soon enough they came upon the canyon. The water rushing below helped drown out the roar of the fire as it came up to the trees they had just been standing at. Charlotte scanned their surroundings, before finding what she had been looking for.

A ledge. Along the edge of the waterfall that looked big enough to hold both Allie and Charlotte. The problem would be getting down to it.

Charlotte untied the lasso that was attached to Danny's saddle and turned to Allie.

"Allie, loop this under your arms. You see that ledge there? I'm going to lower you down with Danny here."

"But what about you?"

"Once I get you down safely. I will untack Danny and let him go like I did Bandit. Horses are smart Allie. They have a better chance of making it without us or the weight of the saddles on their backs. Once he is free, I'll tie off the rope here to this tree and climb down to join you."

Allie took a deep breath and nodded her head in agreement. Charlotte squeezed the girl's shoulder in reassurance before pulling herself onto Danny's back. Taking in the view of the flames as they engulfed the forest around them. She silently said a prayer for their safety and the safety of the rest of the valley.

Once Allie had the rope looped safely around her, Charlotte gave more directions. "Okay Allie, go over to the edge of the canyon there above where I need to lower you and sit down. Great. Now I am going to take the slack out of the rope and start lowering you gently over. Try to find foot and hand holds on the way down. The best you can. Just in case Danny gets spooked, okay?"

"Okay."

With that Charlotte dallied the end of her rope around the saddle horn and moved Danny forward. Removing the slack from the rope around Allie. Then gently she started to guide the horse backwards, slowly lowering Allie down the canyon wall.

Soon enough she felt the tension in the rope loosen and Allie called up to her. "I made it!"

Charlotte released the breath she had been holding and quickly dismounted from Danny. Removing his tack with incredible ease from years of experience. She shooed him away. Again, watching as the horse ran down along the cliffs until he came to the front of the fire. The horse danced about not quite sure of what to do, finally it seemed he found a low spot in the flames and jumped over before disappearing into the smoke.

Allie had untied the rope from around her, so Charlotte pulled it back to the top and tied it off around the nearest aspen tree. The fire was so close. The heat overpowering to her. She walked back to the edge. Peering over the side, seeing Allie safely below.

She checked the strength of the rope and then took her first steps down the cliff.

About the time that Charlotte was thinking they were home free, and her plan had worked a loud snap came from above, the support of the rope gave way, at the same time Charlotte's right foot slipped off the wet surface of the canyon wall sending her falling into a crumpled heap below.