Pride Goes Before the Falls

by,
Emily 

“Hey, Andi! Down here!”

Andi carelessly tossed aside the needlework she was being forced to finish and grinned. Today is going to be a fantastic day! After all, summer break was just beginning, she had already finished her chores and Chad wasn’t there to “…boss me around or find more chores!”

Andi fumbled with her boots, then thundered out of her room and down the stairs.

“Andrea?” Her mother’s voice drifted around the corner.

Andi cringed. Oops.

“Andrea, really. Young ladies do not crash down the staircase,” she admonished, her voice floating closer.

“Sorry, Mother!” Andi dashed outside before this conversation turned into a lecture. Her grin quickly faded as her eyes adjusted to the bright California sun.

“Cory, look out!” a rider was galloping up behind Cory, looking backward. At Andi’s shout, he turned and yanked the reins. Cory scuttled out of the way as the horse reared. A cloud of dust kicked up.

The mysterious rider muttered soothing words in Spanish to his frightened steed. He slowly dismounted and brushed his thick hair off his face with a dirty, gloved hand. His black eyes flashed at Cory. He stomped over, sending billows of gritty dust with each step.

“What were you doing?” At a head taller than Cory, Andi pegged him for a year or two older. And definitely angrier. “I could have trampled you! I could have lost my position! When you are on a rancho you must always pay attention!” When Cory didn’t respond, he threw up his hands.” Are you loco or something?”

Cory’s stormy look matched his opponent’s. He raised his fists. “You wanna find out?”

Andi stepped in before the scene turned uglier. “That’s enough.” She elbowed Cory away and glared at the mysterious ranch hand. “Cory wasn’t the one looking backward at a breakneck gallop. Who are you?”

He gritted his teeth. “Sanchez.”

Before she could think, Andi blurted, “Just Sanchez?”

“Yeah,” he growled, “That’s it.”

Why do I always have to do that?

***

Andi jerked awake and gasped. Panting, she sat up in bed and tried to remember what had awakened her. A clang, or maybe…?

Andi tiptoed across her room and drew aside the curtains on the French doors leading to the balcony. It was dark, but the outcroppings of buildings could be made out. The yard was still, except for…

Andi squinted. A dark shadow of a person lurked around in the early dawn. Andi threw on her robe and scurried downstairs. Thinking fast, Andi slipped through the door in the kitchen and padded barefoot across the wet, dewy lawn. She peered around the yard and caught a glimpse of the figure just as it slinked around the corner of the barn. Andi quickly followed.

The barn was pitch dark when Andi slipped in. She inhaled the smell of leather and musty hay. Groggy horses nickered a greeting. Except for one, gray gelding, who whinnied frightfully. She turned to see what was wrong when a hand clamped over her mouth. Andi struggled for a decent breath under the reeking glove.

Hot breath moved close to her ear. “Don’t scream. And don’t make a sound.”

He released his grasp, and Andi whirled on none other than Sanchez. She could feel angry heat loosening her tongue. “Sanchez, what are you doing?”

He rolled his eyes and glowered at her. “What am I doing? What are you doing, following strangers around in the dead of night?”

“This is my ranch.” So that wasn’t exactly true, but it sounded better. “And at least I’m not stealing a horse!”

“I’m not stealing a horse! It’s…” He fumbled, then sighed. “It’s complicated. Put something on you can ride in and get your horse.”

***

“Chad’s gonna skin me alive when he finds out about this.” Andi guided Taffy around a moldy, fallen log.

Tramping through the soggy brush behind them was Sanchez on the gray. “Where has the senor been? He was not on the ranch yesterday when I was sent to get him.”

Andi pushed her glum thoughts aside. “Who, Chad? He and Mitch are looking for a couple of runaway mares off Bending Brook.”

Sanchez halted and without warning, swiftly reined his horse around. His eyes flashed. “Bending Brook? Near Widow Falls?”

“Yeah. Why?” Andi’s eyes automatically narrowed when Sanchez’s face blanched.

“Nothing.” He turned around and urged his horse forward. The minutes dragged by.

Andi yawned, but crickets buzzing in her ears kept her from drifting off to sleep. “Where are we going, anyway?”

Sanchez put a finger to his lips. “We’re almost there.”

Andi grunted. Fat chance. He’d said that at least twenty-five minutes ago.

He proved her wrong when a minute or two later they quietly crept into a clearing. Sanchez hurriedly dismounted and started rifling through his saddlebags. Confused, Andi followed suit, patting Taffy and promising to be back soon.

Sanchez rolled his eyes. “Come on. Let’s go.” He disappeared into a tiny makeshift tent made of canvas and animal skins. Andi ducked in behind him. The shelter was so small that Andi and Sanchez barely fit in it together. In the corner was a pile of blankets. Sanchez swiftly reached out and shook it. Several seconds later, a tiny girl crawled out of the blankets.

Andi gaped at her. She was strikingly beautiful, with thick, black curls, skin the color of creamed coffee, and soft brown eyes. Her confused look broke into an adorable smile at the sight of Sanchez. She toddled over with her arms outstretched. He swung her up and listened intently as she prattled off in mispronounced, babyish Spanish.

What is going on?

Sanchez settled her back on the ground and handed her a cold biscuit, which she promptly took a bite out of. Only now did she seem to notice Andi. Her brow wrinkled in confusion. Not taking her eyes off her, she spoke softly to Sanchez.

He grinned. “Beatrice, say hello to Andi.”

Beatrice thoughtfully chewed on the biscuit and warily looked Andi up and down. She smiled and a deep dimple sliced her cheek. “Hi, Dandy.”

Instantly, Andi fell in love.

***

Andi rode home in thoughtful silence. She stared at Sanchez’s back and wondered about him. Who was he, really? What was he holding back?

He stopped his horse and turned around as far as he could in the saddle. “See?” He grinned weakly. “I told you I was not stealing a horse.”
            “Sanchez,” she said softly, “why won’t you tell me who you are?”

He frowned, then sighed and urged his horse toward her until Taffy and the gray were practically brushing against each other. “You can’t tell anyone about this,” he whispered.

“What are you tal-“

“Shh! They’re everywhere. I shouldn’t have showed you where my sister is, and I shouldn’t be telling you this now. You are in grave danger, Andi. Don’t set a foot near Widow Falls until this is all over. Lives are at stake, including you, me, Beatrice…” He shuddered and closed his eyes. A tear squeezed out from under his eyelid. “Just hope your brothers don’t get near that place.”

***

“Andrea.”

Andi blinked and glanced up. “Huh?

Her mother looked at her expectantly. “The sugar, please.”

“Sorry.” She passed the fancy painted china bowl and solemnly stabbed at her pancakes.

“Andrea,” her mother prodded gently, “what’s bothering you?” She panicked at the question.

Before she was expected to answer, Justin rescued her by walking in at that moment, sitting down next to her. “That was Sid at the door. He said one of his hands is missing.” He poured cream into his coffee and stirred. “I almost forgot.” Justin reached into his pocket and handed Andi a letter. “This is for you.”

Curious, Andi tore through the envelope.

ANDREA CARTER

IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR BROTHERS ALIVE AGAIN, STAY AWAY FROM HERE. TELL NO ONE WHAT YOU KNOW.

“What does it say?”

Andi felt sick, but she calmly forced down a bite of pancake. “Just another of Cory’s pranks.

***

Andi fairly flew to the barn. Light-headed and panting, she swiftly checked stalls. The jumpy gray was gone. Andi mounted Taffy bareback, and just before she drove her heels into the mare’s sides, a friendly shout greeted her.

I don’t have time for this!

Andi sighed. She glanced around and saw Cory jogging down the drive with his fishing pole and bait.

 Andi waited for him to reach Taffy’s side. The mare sidestepped nervously, seeming to sense her impatience to leave.

“I hitched a ride out here.” He squinted up at her. “Why the glum face? Did you lose your pole again? Bet you left it between those two rocks by the creek.”

 “Get on,” Andi ordered, scooting farther up Taffy’s back.

Cory made no move to mount. He looked at her blankly. “Reckon this isn’t about your pole.”

“I said, get on,” Andi hissed through clenched teeth.

Cory threw up his hands, then scrambled into the saddle. “I’m going, I’m going!”

Andi loped Taffy away from the ranch.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Cory’s cheery mood had been crushed by Andi’s sour one.

“Widow Falls.”
“Widow Falls?! But that’s…that’s…dangerous!”
“I know.”

***

The sun was high by the time they reached Bending Brook. Andi ground tied Taffy and listened for the falls up ahead. The water roared and rushed in Andi’s ears, making her wish she could just crawl back on Taffy and gallop back to the ranch. Instead, Andi headed straight for the sound, trusting Cory wasn’t far behind.

A few minutes later, they rounded the corner, where the bed of Widow Falls lay.
Andi had to crane her neck all the way back to catch a glance of the top. Water gushed smoothly until it reached the bottom, where it sloshed and foamed in a deadly swirl.

Andi gulped back her fear and picked her way through the rocks cutting around the falls. Several minutes later, Andi heard a shout from behind. She turned to see Cory several feet away, flagging her down. She awkwardly ran over.

 Cory pointed to a steep, meandering path leading up the side of the waterfall. Andi hesitated, then plunged on up the trail.

She didn’t know what she was looking for, really. When she stopped to think about it, she started to wonder if this was yet another one of her hotheaded, stupid ideas. Either way, it was too late now.

She and Cory had barely made it to the top when an angry, gravelly shout rang out. Andi couldn’t turn around before large hands grabbed at her wrists and yanked them behind.

“Stupid kid!” Her captor gave her a rough shake. “I thought we told you never to come here!”

Andi kept silent and glanced at Cory. Whoever was behind her quickly tied a ridiculously tight knot around her wrists. “Let’s move out!”

The small party moved across the footpath without a sound, except for the stones crunching under their boots and the crashing of Widow Falls. As she picked across the path, she knew they were being led right near the edge. Andi only hoped-

Whoosh!

A dizzying gust of wind whirled around her. She flipped over the edge and choked on a scream as the world swung by in a whirl.

“Andi!” Cory shouted from what sounded far away. She felt something tighten and a second later she collapsed on something solid. Her breath came in short, painful gasps as the world blotched into deep darkness.

***

A sharp snicker brought Andi around. “You scared them kids good! Shouldn’t have any more trouble with Sanchez. But that boy…”

Andi barely squinted enough to recognize dim shapes. One of the men was grimacing and rubbing his arm. Andi inwardly cheered for Cory. No doubt he’d landed a good punch. “Hey…I think this is that Carter girl.”

Andi stiffened as the smell of rotten breath blew close to her face.

“The one the note was delivered to? Yeah. Her brothers ever find us, we got ourselves a bargaining chip.”

Andi inhaled sharply. The note…it had said they had her brothers. They had lied!

“Look who’s awake!” The Mexican shook her roughly until she snapped her eyes open. “Fool kid. You almost rolled over the edge again after you passed out. Lucky I was there to catch you!”

The scraggly pair laughed uproariously. He swiftly seized her by the arm, dragged her out of the tent, and tossed her into a clump of brush with Sanchez and Cory. “Stay here, rich girl,” he growled and stalked off.

Andi was about to shout a nasty reply, but Sanchez beat her to it and clapped his palm over her mouth. “Don’t, Andi. It will only make things worse.”

She threw aside his hand and scowled.

“Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Cory’s annoyed voice cut through the stillness. “And how you knew to come here?” He jabbed a finger in Sanchez’s direction. “Or better yet, who he is?”

Andi sat back on the prickly leaves and wrapped her arms around her knees. “Sorry, Cory. You’ve been a little out of the loop lately, huh?” she turned to Sanchez. “I think it’s time you tell us who you really are,” she said softly.

Sanchez fiddled with the snag on his shirt sleeve. “We lived on a large ranch, with many servants. Both my parents died not long after Beatrice was born--“

“Who’s Beatrice?” Cory interrupted.

Andi quickly filled him in, and Sanchez continued.

“I was left alone to care for her. When I was eleven, it was announced that the head of the house was dying. The senor, he was fond of me particularly. So he told me that before he was gone, he was going to sign over the entire estate to me. Couldn’t have been more than three weeks after, when two strangers came riding into the yard. No one knew them, except for the oldest servants. They told us that long ago, they had been the only servants ever fired by the senor. They were mad, and claimed to be the grandsons of the deceased, the rightful heirs. They are holding the entire ranch hostage, selling off the cattle for a small fortune.”

He swallowed and shuddered. “They…they are forcing me to…spy. On your family, and your ranch.” His voice cracked.

Andi gasped. “Lives are at stake.” She remembered the night in the woods.

“I’m sorry. If it had been my choice…”

“Hey!” a voice hollered across the little space. Andi froze. “I’m not gonna tell you twice. Get out of that brush.”

Dreading the vile outlaws, Andi rose. She didn’t want to leave the safety of the bush, but the boys weren’t exactly volunteering. She slowly crawled out into the sunshine.

“Look, Mister, I- Mitch!” Andi cried. She threw her arms around her brother. “Boy, am I glad to see you!”

Her brother seemed so astonished he could only lay a hand on her shoulder.

Andi released her grasp and stepped back so she could look into Mitch’s face. “Where’s Chad?”

He ignored her question. “What are you doing here? Who is…”

He glanced over her shoulder, where Cory and Sanchez were only now stepping out of the brush. Andi quickly reviewed all that had happened. He nodded. “Chad’s got one of them held up in the tent.”

He waved a hand in the general direction of the tent several feet away.

Andi’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Then where’s the other…” her voice was smothered in an eerie shriek. Sanchez tore past them, waving his arms and shouting a stream of Spanish.

“Hey, Carter!” The grimy man shouted. He half-dragged a little bundle beside him. Then it clicked. Sanchez’s hysteria, the flash of calico. It was Beatrice!

“Lookie here what I found.”

Mitch turned.

 “Drop your fire, Carter, or this little gal goes right over the edge.”

Wordlessly, Mitch threw out his pistol. The Mexican scrambled toward the spot where it lay.

 “Dandy!” Beatrice cried. She toddled forward, oblivious to the danger.

“Hey!” the man cried, turning around and barreling straight for her. He tripped on a rock and thrust his arms forward, crashing into Beatrice. Time froze as she tumbled over the edge.

 Sanchez screamed.

Andi raced to the edge, followed by the others. Nothing could be seen but the whirling, white foam.

Sanchez gazed at the waters for a full minute. Tears streamed down his cheeks when he was finally able to rip his gaze away. “How could you do that? What did she ever do to you?” He lunged at the man, but Mitch caught him by the shirtsleeve.

Pale-faced, he ran his hands through his greasy hanks. “I…I didn’t mean…”

“All right, that’s enough!” Chad’s sizzling voice made Andi cringe, even though he wasn’t talking to her. In one hand her brother held out one of the outlaws by the collar of his scraggly shirt. In the other, a wicked-looking pistol. “Drop your gun!” He slowly pronounced each syllable.

A minute later, both Mexicans were trussed up.

Sanchez had not moved from his place by the ledge. Andi bit her lip and crossed over to him. They stood there for a full minute before he spoke. “I never should have left her alone. I was too proud to ask for help, and now look what’s…” his voice trailed off in a choking gulp.

“It wasn’t your fault. She might’ve survived.” Andi offered

Sanchez turned away. “No, Andi.” He said it like she was four. It would’ve made her angry any other time, but now her heart ached too much. “There’s a reason they call it Widow Falls.”

***

A solemn group wound their way down the rocky cliffs. At Bending Brook, Andi turned her eyes on Taffy. Her faithful mare stood there, drenched from ears to hooves, bending over an equally drenched little girl.

Beatrice.

Andi bit her lip and looked away until Cory elbowed her. Beatrice was tramping over, alive! And grinning as if nothing had happened. They laughed and cried as they all huddled around her.

After a while, Andi pulled away and wandered over to Taffy. Her heaving sides indicated that she had galloped to the base of the falls. “Oh, Taffy!” Andi threw her arms around her mare and cried. “Good girl! You were supposed to be ground tied!”

The End