The Forest Ranger's Child. Leigh Bale

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       Should she climb out or stay put? Common sense told her she’d drown if she stayed inside. But if she got out of the car, she might not make it to shore. She was five and a half months pregnant. The powerful current might carry her along, beating her to death with churning rocks, trees and rubble.

       What should she do?

       “Please, God, give me one more chance.”

       As she let go of the steering wheel, a feeling of peace enveloped her. She pressed on the lever one more time hard, and her seat belt released its hold across her body. Crouching beside the open passenger window, she pressed her hands protectively over her stomach. Waves of love washed over her as she thought of the precious life she shielded. She owed everything to this child, who had set Lily back on the road toward the Lord.

       Lily watched for the best opportunity, looking for a safe place to go. She’d have to swim hard and strong to make it to shore. To fight the churning tide.

       Taking a deep breath, she pushed through the open window and felt the strong, cold current sweep her away. She was in God’s hands now.

      * * *

       “You don’t see something like this every day.” Nathan Coates spoke to himself before whistling low beneath his breath. Sitting in his green Forest Service truck, he stared out the windshield at the flash flood, amazed by the melee of swirling, muddy water. It rolled past, expanding across the banks of the creek bed, slamming through everything in its path.

       Opening the truck door, he picked up his camera and stepped outside. As he walked closer to the banks, he snapped pictures, wondering if the photos could do justice to the powerful, roaring waters. It must be raining hard up in the mountains. He’d never seen anything like this and stood in awe at Mother Nature’s wrath.

       Another sound made him pause and he turned his head downstream. Two tires and headlights peeked out above the curve of the riverbank, the rest of the red vehicle buried beneath a layer of mud and tattered bushes. He snapped a few pictures, then took several more steps and paused. Did he hear…

       The sound came again. A scream for help!

       Nate ran toward the grass edging the creek. His booted feet sank in mud as he hurried through tall sedges and willows.

       The growl of the flood swallowed the sound and he doubted his senses. He paused at the edge of the swollen river, paying attention in case a second wave of water exceeded the banks and pulled him into the flood. He scanned the melee, thinking he’d imagined the cry.

       There! A woman, buried to her chin in water as she clung to a boulder in the middle of the stream. Her long brown hair lay plastered to her pale face, her eyes closed as she cried hoarsely. “Help me. Please!”

       “I see you!” He waved.

       She opened her eyes, but fear or fatigue kept her from moving. If she let go, the flood would sweep her away.

       He cupped one hand around his mouth like a megaphone and yelled louder. “Hang on! I’ll be right back.”

       She didn’t even lift a hand as he turned and sprinted to his truck. Mentally, he took stock of the supplies he had in the back tool chest. His fire pack, ready at a moment’s notice in case he was called out on a wildfire. It included fresh water and food. A first-aid kit, which he might need soon. A toolbox, coils of rope and rappelling clips. He’d definitely need those now.

       A sense of urgency pushed him to hurry. He had no idea how long she’d be able to hold on.

       Inside his truck, he tossed the camera onto the seat and started the engine. Putting the vehicle into four-wheel drive, he steered it off the dirt road and through the brush, getting as close to the flood as possible without burying the tires in the bog so that he wouldn’t be able to break free.

       She was still there, her right cheek resting against the hard boulder. Water rushed over her, slapping her in the face. Now and then she coughed and he breathed with relief. Obviously she had a good hold on the rock, but how long would her strength hold out against the cold, swift current?

       After jerking on a pair of leather gloves, Nate secured two lengths of rope to the front fender of the truck. Then he tied one rope around his middle. As an Eagle Scout, he’d learned to tie knots that wouldn’t come loose, thanks to his mother’s persistence to keep him involved in good activities.

       Binding the other rope to his belt, he trudged through the mud toward the flood. He gasped as he entered the frigid water. The powerful stream knocked him down, soaking his green forest ranger uniform to the skin. The rope gave him security and he pulled it taut to regain his feet. Without the lifeline, he would have been swept away by the stream and possibly drowned.

       With powerful strokes, he fought to swim his way across to the woman. Adrenaline pumped through his body, giving him strength. An entire tree trunk brushed past, its sharp branches scraping his side. In the freezing water, he grunted but barely felt the pain.

       Thankfully the majority of rocks and debris had already passed, pushed forward by the flood. Every muscle in Nate’s body tensed as he fought to keep from being whisked away. He barely dodged a boulder aimed at his head. Cold water washed over him again and again and he coughed.

       Almost there.

       His cold fingers clasped the rock the woman was clinging to, his wet gloves stiff and unyielding. Panting for breath, he looped the rope around the boulder to hold him steady until he was ready to return to shore. He leaned next to the woman, speaking loud over the roar of water. “You okay?”

       Her eyes slit open, then closed, followed by a subtle nod. She was alive, but a trail of blood rolled down her forehead where a lump had formed beneath a nasty gash. Without examining her, he had no idea of the seriousness of her injuries.

       “Help us. Please,” she whispered in a hoarse voice.

       “Us? Is someone with you?” He looked around, his gaze searching for another person he must have missed, but he saw no one else.

       She didn’t respond, her eyes rolling backward in her head. She let go of the rock and he grabbed her before she could whisk away. Holding her tightly by the arm, he pulled the second rope free of his belt and tied it around her chest, just beneath her arms.

       “Can you hear me?” He patted her chilled cheeks, hoping to rouse her. He’d need her help to get them both safely back to shore.

       She didn’t open her eyes, but her mouth moved. He leaned near, feeling her warm breath against his cheek.

       “My baby…please don’t let my baby die…sorry for everything…so sorry.”

       She was pregnant!

       If Nate hadn’t felt the critical situation before, he did now. He had to get her out of here and rush her to a doctor.

       “I’m gonna pull us back to shore, okay?”

       She gave a brief nod, her eyes opening. In their velvet brown depths, he saw deep, wrenching fear.

       “Can you hold on to me?” he asked.

       Another nod that didn’t inspire much confidence in him. She seemed too weak. Too fragile and СКАЧАТЬ