Painted Montana Sky: A Montana Sky Series Novella Read Free Page A

the animal clawed and struggled to find purchase before slipping back in.
    Poor creature won’t last. Not in that freezing, raging water.
    “Save him, Pa!” His son turned his way, an expression of entreaty on his freckled face.
    “I will.” His thoughts raced as he developed a strategy to rescue the little varmint.
    Tyler set down the rifle and pulled off his hat, tossing it to the ground. “Stay out of the water, son. Build up the fire. Have a blanket ready.”
    Oliver rushed to obey.
    Needing enough of a head start so he could cross to the animal before it sped past him, Tyler ran down river. Judging the distance, he almost stopped to pull his boots off but reasoned he’d need them to protect his feet. He splashed into the river. The icy water overflowed into his boots, weighing him down. He winced as the frigid cold bit at his feet and legs.
    The deeper Tyler went, the more he had to brace against the power of the river. He stumbled over a hidden rock and almost fell. He straightened at the cost of a wet side and arm.
    The dog paddled to stay afloat, long ears dragging, panic in its brown eyes. Didn’t seem to be a big dog, and Tyler could tell by the sluggish movements of the animal’s legs that it wouldn’t last much longer.
    “Here, boy,” he called, extending his arms and leaping another foot closer.
    The dog obeyed, trying to swim in Tyler’s direction. Too exhausted, the animal barely angled an inch.
    But that was enough. With one more leap that soaked him to his chest, Tyler grabbed the nearest leg, and then worked his hands up the animal’s fur to the neck. He grasped a collar, towed the animal his direction, and then yanked the dog to him.
    Hefting the dog, which must weigh an extra ten pounds wet, Tyler struggled to keep upright. The current pulled at his legs and the soles of his boots slipped off slimy rocks. Submerged branches tripped him. The cold water numbed his limbs, making it hard to move. Tyler’s ribs squeezed his lungs, and he gasped for air.  
    I’m a damn fool to put my life in danger for an animal when I have a son to take care of!
    The dog shivered in his arms, but, thankfully, didn’t try to escape. Carrying an animal that fought him probably would have unbalanced them both.
    No use trying to wade back, so Tyler let his body go with the current, angling toward the shore.
    Oliver ran along the river, yelling and flapping the blanket. But the sound of the rushing water drowned out his words.
    The closer Tyler got to shore, the heavier the dog became. He burrowed his hands into the thick fur lest his numb fingers let the animal slip.
    Almost there. His muscles convulsing, he waded to the shallows, breathing in panting breaths, the dog almost too heavy in his arms.
    “You got him, Pa!”
    The hero worship on his son’s face was enough to give Tyler the extra energy to stagger out of the water, carrying the waterlogged dog.
    Oliver wrapped the blanket around the shivering animal. “Can I hold him, Pa?”
    Tyler had to force out the words. “Let’s get back to the fire first, son.”
    Another high-pitched scream of “Dove! Dove!” made Tyler look up. He’d forgotten about the woman.
    She rounded the stand of trees and bushes, a young lady in a soaked lavender dress, moving with an ungainly gait. Her anguished expression made Tyler straighten so she could see he held her dog, though both of them were shaking.
    With her next step, she tripped and fell to the ground, sprawling into the grass.
    Tyler shoved the dog into Oliver’s arms and hobbled to her, his legs too numb to function well, the waterlogged boots slowing him down.
    The woman tried to rise but couldn’t. Instead she crawled, whimpering, “Dove, Dove.”
    “We got him. Don’t worry!” Tyler called to her. “Your dog’s safe.” He reached her side and, without waiting for permission, crouched down and put his arms around her. “We’ve got him. He’s safe,” he repeated.
    Her gaze went beyond him, to Oliver