Chapter 26: Chapter 26

WREN

I sleep at Lance’s that night—and every night after that. I will admit it’s nice to come home to someone again, even though I spend all day with him too.

It’s not just the amazing sex. I love making dinner with Lance and reading on the couch while he rubs my shoulders and we laugh about a random occurrence.

Everything about us fits, which is uplifting and daunting at the same time.

We always avoid talking about the future, even as it becomes an ever-looming deadline as June gave way to July.

Montana is surprisingly hot in July. I always thought there was a chill in the air year-round in Montana, but I’m shocked to find out how wrong I was.

One weekend day in mid-July, Lance and I decide to go down to the river in the late afternoon for a dip in the river.

I strip down to a simple black one-piece that I’ve had for years. Lance gives me a look of confusion.

“What are you doing?” he asks.

“Uhh, getting ready to go swimming?”

“Right. Why are you wearing that?”

I look down then back up.

“What do you mean?”

Just then Lance drops his pants and boxers, and suddenly he’s naked except for his cowboy hat.

“Oh boy, I bet so many women in Bryxton would kill to switch places with me.”

“Stop gawking and get in here with me.”

“What if someone sees?”

“Then we will make their day!”

I laugh and take one last look around. Finally I ditch my swimsuit and wade into the cool river.

Lance comes swimming up to me.

“It’s better, isn’t it?” he asks, smiling his gorgeous smile.

“It does feel nice,” I say.

“Let’s make it feel better,” he says.

I wrap my arms around Lance’s strong shoulders and place my legs on his. He starts rubbing between my legs while we kiss.

Suddenly we hear a twig snap, and we both pause and look around. Puck stops and looks up toward the trail with his tail straight up.

“What was that?” I whisper.

“Probably just an animal,” he says as he tries to go back to our business.

Another twig snaps. Puck barks.

“Lance,” I hiss. “I’m freaked out. Let’s go back.”

Lance freezes and looks into the woods for a long time. Puck is still standing at attention.

“Okay,” he says. For some reason, this scares me even more. I cling to Lance like my life depends on it.

After we get dressed and walk back toward the house, I finally start to breathe easy again. I don’t know exactly what came over me in the woods, but I’m grateful to be back among buildings.

“I am going to grab those cans of dog food from my truck on the way,” I say.

“Okay. Hey, I thought I’d grill up some steak for dinner, does that sound good?” Lance asks.

“Yeah, I can make a salad to go—”

“Wren, look out!”

I had turned to look at Lance right as I opened the truck door and didn’t see the prairie rattlesnake curled up on my footboard.

Lance leaps forward and grabs me just as the snake lunges. Before I can stop him, Puck jumps up to attack the snake and I watch it sink its fangs into his front shoulder.

Puck and the snake go rolling on the ground. I try to get out of Lance’s grasp so I can grab the snake, but he won’t let me go.

Finally the snake releases Puck, who whimpers and backs away from the snake, holding his front leg up as he does.

Lance grabs a shovel out of the bed of my truck and shoos the snake backward as I rush to Puck. Two large streaks of blood are coming out of his shoulder and I know we don’t have a ton of time.

“Oh my god, Puck!”

Lance comes over to us.

“Oh shit, he got him.”

“We have to get him to a vet immediately,” I say.

“Okay. There’s an emergency vet on the way to Kalispell. I’ll call them on the way.”

I pick up Puck and gently place him in the truck. Lance gets in the passenger side as I start the truck.

As soon as it starts, I know something is wrong. The brake pedal, which I instantly press along with the clutch, goes soft, almost to the floor.

“Oh fuck—no, no, no!”

“What?”

“My brakes, something is wrong.”

I look at Puck then Lance.

“We’ll take a work rig, let’s not chance it.”

Unfortunately, Lance doesn’t have a work truck, and the farm is relatively deserted on a nice Saturday during summer. We start looking around for anyone who might have keys to a work truck.

Finally, I spot Grant in the distance and immediately start screaming his name and running toward him.

He starts walking toward me, then running when he sees my panic.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Puck was just bit by a rattlesnake and there’s something wrong with my truck! We need yours.”

“Okay, I’ll drive you. I’ll run and grab it now and pick you guys up.”

Grant takes off running and disappears between the guest house and main house to go down to his cabin.

I return to Puck and Lance.

“Grant’s bringing his truck. How is he?”

“There’s a lot of blood, but that’s normal since rattlesnake venom has an anticoagulant. The sooner he is seen the better.”

Grant comes speeding up the driveway in his truck. We place Puck in the back and then hop in. Gravel goes flying as Grant takes off.

“We heading to Evergreen Vet?” Grant asks Lance, who’s in the front seat.

“Yeah, I’ll call them now.”

Lance knows the owner of Evergreen Veterinary Hospital, a woman by the name of Mindy. He explains the situation, listens briefly, then says we’ll see them soon and hangs up.

Puck is whimpering and panting like crazy now. He’s clearly in distress.

The drive to the vet hospital only takes twenty-two minutes, but it feels like forever. As soon as Grant parks the truck, we all get out and rush Puck inside.

The staff is waiting to take him back. They lift him out of Lance’s arms and grab the towel that I was holding on his shoulder from me.

“How long ago was the bite?”

“About thirty minutes,” I say.

“Any chance he was bit more than once? Is he on any other medication? Allergies? Health conditions?”

“No to all,” I say.

“We’ll take care of him and let you know as soon as he’s stable. You brought him in right away so we have a good chance.”

And with that they disappear through a door labeled “Staff Only.”

I drop into a chair, put my head in my hands, and cry.

The waiting room has several other people, including Lance and Grant, but I don’t care. I just let my cries fall out of me in exasperated heaves.

I feel Lance gently pull me up to stand before he guides me outside.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. He’ll be okay, Wren,” he soothes as he wraps me in a hug. “I’m going to go get you a water. Why don’t you sit in the truck for a minute and wait for me?”

I just wipe my tears and nod.

Lance bundles me into the truck, turns it on, and blasts the AC.

I continue to cry until there is nothing left in me.

~Puck is my best friend, my loyal companion. He saved me. I will completely disintegrate if...~

I can’t even think the words. I can’t.

He must make it. He has to.