Heath sprung up and grabbed his cane as he hurried out the door. “Saddle my horse and fetch my rain gear.”
The butler hurried off, shouting orders to the staff.
“I’m coming with you,” Kane said from his side. “You’ll need all the help you can get.”
The men got their gear on before rushing to the waiting horses. The two grooms also waited with saddled mounts.
“We’re going with you, sir,” said one groom.
“Let’s be off.”
They raced over the fields, careful not to let the horses go too fast lest they slip in the mud. It had rained more than Heath had realized. The low-lying fields were saturated with water. Hopefully, it wouldn’t hurt too many of the crops. As they got to the top of a small hill, Heath spotted the river which ran through the property. The banks were overflowing. To his left, he heard shouts and saw a large group of people gathered near the water’s edge. The riders hurried to join them.
Several locals had wagons lining the road nearest the river. They carried large canvas bags, filled with what Heath didn’t know, to make a barricade so the water wouldn’t go in further, but it wasn’t doing much good. What they needed to do was redirect the water away from the field, else the crop would be destroyed.
“We need to dig,” he yelled to the men closest to him. “We have to get the water away from the field and back into the river.”
Heath had dealt with every extreme of weather during his years growing up on a farm and in the military. He knew what had to be done. The men waited for orders. Heath directed them where to shovel out a path for the water to go back into the river further down where the bank was deeper.
The group set to work. Heath grabbed a shovel, determined to help in any way he could. He threw his cane to the side and stabbed the mud with his shovel. He put his good foot on the shovel to force it down to get a mound of dirt. The mud was thick and heavy, but Heath was determined. It was slow going, but the group made progress. Soon Heath saw the plan was working.
He didn’t know how long he worked. All his focus was on digging. He’d forgotten about his bad leg, forcing any discomfort to the back of his mind. Kane worked beside him, his clothes soaked through.
The rain continued its relentless assault. Occasionally, Heath’s foot slipped off the slick shovel and he would struggle to regain his balance on his injured leg, but he carried on. Finally, his body couldn’t take anymore. He lifted his good left leg to push down on the shovel once more when his right leg collapsed under the weight. The momentum made Heath land on his back, but he shook himself and got to his feet quickly, determined to persevere.
“Heath!” Kane shouted from close by. He hurried over to him. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Just give me a hand.”
Kane put Heath’s arm around his neck, using it as leverage to help Heath stand. When Heath tried to put weight on his leg, it threatened to buckle again. It was useless. He had given all he could. But as Heath looked around, he knew it wasn’t enough. There was more work to be done.
“I have to keep going.” He went to step and stumbled, nearly taking Kane with him.
“You can’t do anymore. You’ll hurt yourself.”
The old anger and resentment of being disabled swelled inside Heath. He wasn’t useless and he could take care of himself.
“I’m fine.” Heath took a step, then faltered.
Kane was instantly at his side. “Stop being a stubborn ass and listen to me.” He lightly shook Heath. “If you try to stand on that leg, you’ll do yourself more harm.”
“I won’t leave. There is too much to do.”
Kane shook his head. Even through the sheets of rain, Heath could see the agitation clearly on his lover’s face.
“I’m not leaving,” he yelled, so loud some tenants paused to watch the interaction. Heath saw their stunned expressions.
One farmer, Mr. Finnegan, stepped forward. “You’ve done plenty, sir, and we are grateful. Look, already the water is moving away from the crops.”
Finnegan spoke the truth. There was a steady stream of rainwater flowing back into the river.
“We can finish up here, sir. You’ve done just as much as the rest of us.”
Heath appreciated the sentiment and admitted defeat. He nodded as he turned towards his horse. Another man brought him his cane. The urge to throw the thing into the river was strong, but Heath knew it wouldn’t accomplish anything. Kane helped him up on his horse. He mounted using his good leg. The motion of swinging his injured leg over the animal made Heath wince. It would be days before he recovered.
When they returned to the Stokesby Manor, Heath’s mood was as dark as the weather. He gingerly got down from the saddle, still unable to put much weight on his leg. Kane came over to him, but Heath pushed him away. He limped inside on his own. A man had his pride. As soon as they got inside, Mrs. Baum fluttered around the men, ordering them to their rooms to get out of their wet clothes before they got a chill.
Heath knew better than to argue and went up the stairs, bringing both feet to one step before doing the next. The entire time, Kane kept quiet but was always close by. Heath wasn’t sure if he should be thankful or insulted by the way the man hovered.