Page 7 of The Best of Madeline Grant

“Maddie’s arm is broken.”

“How can she carry Jennie out then?” Brenna asked. “Jennie is much heavier than Emma.”

“You are about to witness just how strong my Maddie is. She can do it.” The words sent more strength through Maddie. He believed in her, and it made her believe more keenly in herself.

When Maddie reached the bottom again, she adjusted her arm to relieve the numbness. She attempted to awaken Jennie, but the lass did not budge. The bump on her forehead was no larger, so that was good—or so she thought. She retied the rope around her waist as tight as possible. Her left hand did not want to cooperate, but she did the best she could. Losing control andfalling while she carried Jennie was not an option. She gathered Jennie up in her right arm, fighting the lass’s dead weight. It took her a few moments to regain her balance with the extra weight. If Jennie had been any bigger, she would not have been able to manage it.

Finally settled, she shouted up to Alex.

“We are ready, but please go very slow to start. I have to balance her. She is very heavy for me.”

Alex shouted for the men to pull. She swayed and almost lost her grip on the wee one, but she managed to hold tight. As they ascended, the tie around her waist began to slip.

Halfway up, Maddie yelled, “Hurry, Alex, the rope has loosened!”

Alex hollered at his men to go faster. Brodie’s face appeared next to Alex’s at the top of the hole.

“Brodie, be ready to grab Jennie when they get close,” Alex barked. “I will grab Maddie. Her arm will not hold out for long.”

The tie gave way and the full force of their combined weight fell on Maddie’s left arm. She groaned in response to the vicious surge of the pain, but managed to wrap the rope around her upper arm and shoulder for extra support, though her whole body screamed at the added stress. Clutching Jennie tighter, she realized she was losing control. “Alex!” she shrieked.

***

Alex could see the strain in Maddie’s face. Bracing her feet on the walls of the narrow hole, she was just barely managing to keep herself and Jennie from falling.

“Hold on, a few feet more and we will have you both. Hang on, Maddie!”

Moments later, Brodie reached into the opening, grabbed Jennie, and yanked her out. He fell backwards on the ground with Jennie on top of him, yet the lass still didn’t awaken. The moment Brodie was out of the way, Alex reached in the holeand attempted to grab Maddie’s shoulders. Her left hand was no longer able to hold her weight, so he had no choice but to grab her upper right arm, which was still tightly gripping the rope. Maddie twisted away from him as the rope, still partially wrapped around her damaged left arm, held it at an odd angle. Maddie flailed and sobbed at the same time, fighting for her life.

“Alex, Alex!” she sobbed.

“Maddie, look at me! Hold still, I have you.”

Madeline’s gaze locked with Alex’s. There was fear in her eyes and something else. Pain. He glanced at her broken arm and realized the men were still pulling the rope, grotesquely twisting it.

“Alex, help me!” she sobbed in a whisper.

“Stop the rope!” Alex roared. All sanity and calmness left him, and he knew they would not return until his betrothed was safe. He heaved with all his strength and tugged her up through the small opening. Maddie fell across Alex weeping, clinging to him with her right arm.

“Alex, do not let go, please hold me,” she whispered into his neck.

Alex carefully cut the rope from her left arm and straightened it as best he could. He held her as gingerly as he could while she continued to weep into his chest.

The crowd fell into a dead silence as they gaped at the odd shape of her arm.

“Look at her arm,” someone whispered.

“Her arm is broken!”

“How could she hold on to the bairns with her arm like that?”

“She never screamed or anything.”

Slowly, as word passed, everyone started to applaud and cheer Alex’s betrothed. He stood cautiously, and—unwilling to cause her any more pain—he cradled her into Brodie’s arms andjumped on to Midnight. As soon as Maddie was safely in his lap, he headed back to the keep. Robbie rode some distance ahead of him with Jennie on his lap, Brenna directly behind them with Brodie.

Maddie clung to Alex with her right arm. He kissed her forehead but said nothing.

For Alex, this event had brought clarity to his life. He chastised himself for the doubts he had entertained for the past several days. Maddie belonged in his arms. How could he have doubted it for an instant? The woman had just jeopardized everything for his sister and another wee bairn. She had never questioned whether it was the right thing to do—she had simply done it. The needs of others always came first for Maddie. Long ago, he had thought her timid—a frightened rabbit. Well, timid, frightened rabbits didn’t put themselves in danger jumping down deep sinkholes in the ground.