The Rising River Rescue Read online

  The Rising River Rescue

  A Short Story

  Ginny Sterling

  Contents

  Introduction

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  The Disaster City Search and Rescue Series

  The Royal Rescue

  The Whirlwind Rescue

  Healing Hearts Romance Series

  About the Author

  Praise for Ginny Sterling

  What can I say except I absolutely loved this story, I laughed out loud and I shed emotional tears.” – Amazon Reviewer (Lawfully Gifted)

  “This series has quickly become one my favorites. Love the storyline, love the characters, love the back stories and love the sweet romance between each couple.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Love)

  “What an amazing start to a new series, Healing Hearts, a clean contemporary and extremely emotional tale. I loved the characters, the angst, and the honest discussions, along with the chemistry and interactions. The people are broken, but with encouragement, friendship, and the added benefit of animals, it is the beginnings for healing.” – Amazon Reviewer (Remember Hope)

  Historian Caroline Dawson has always felt like she was born in the wrong era. She loves the idea of chivalry, sweeping ballgowns, and a time forever ‘gone with the wind’. When the opportunity to tour several antebellum homes in Baton Rouge comes out of nowhere, it sounds superb—until the downpour begins. Now, she is swept into the arms of a local rapscallion, Cade Richards.

  Cade cannot believe the scene before his eyes! Homes are flooding and debris is being swept into the streets faster than they can compensate with sandbags. When a stubborn woman is discovered clinging to a pianoforte in the waist deep water, he’s amused to hear her calling for the ‘bluebellies’ to rescue her.

  Will this lovely woman in her period costume continue to fight for the cause - or will she lay down arms and surrender her heart?

  Step into the world of Disaster City Search and Rescue, where officers, firefighters, military, and medics, train and work alongside each other with the dogs they love, to do the most dangerous job of all — help lost and injured victims find their way home.

  Chapter 1

  Pecan Manor

  Louisiana

  “Land sakes! I do declare that it’s plum rainin’ cats and dogs today,” Caroline said to no one in particular, with an air of exasperation, as she studied the ledgers before her. “All this ciphering is nearly too much for one simple girl’s poor eyes.”

  The time period fascinated her to no end, almost to a point of obsession. It was a time that was so epically beautiful and tragically ugly all at once. There was something to the chivalry of such a fantasy life—much like that of a unicorn. If you imagined hard enough, you could make anything seem surreal.

  And she had plenty of imagination, too.

  Caroline catalogued, investigated, analyzed, and took part in every Civil War re-enactment that she could, toured every antebellum home, and devoured period romances with a passion that would make her saintly mother blush.

  Those suggestive book covers made her yearn to get swept into some handsome beau’s arms. The idea of some rogue man overwhelming a maiden’s sensibilities and sweeping them off their feet, in their (clean!) battle uniforms sent shivers down her spine. There might be a revealing ankle, or perhaps a shoulder, or better yet: a torn bodice somewhere amidst the pages… but those fanciful tales always ended in breathless wonder that took her heart away.

  She was a romantic dreamer.

  The rain pounded on the glass windows of the library of the Pecan Manor Plantation outside of Baton Rouge. The threat of a gulley-washer wasn’t enough to scare her away from being free to study the entire mansion from top to bottom. No sir! She would explore every crevice of this home, every seam, every doily, every handwritten note, until she was blue in the face. In fact, today was a treasure of enormous proportions. Not only was she able to help in the tours of the grounds yesterday and this morning before they were cancelled, she could do so in costume.

  The quiet halls of the mansion creaked slightly and a faint, steady drip was heard somewhere off in the silence. She straightened up, rubbed the bridge of her nose, and closed her eyes. It was like she was living in a moment of time that was suspended in the heavy humidity that was southern Louisiana.

  You could practically cut the air with a knife; it was so thick and made her skin feel almost sticky with moisture. No wonder women fanned themselves, she thought, waving desperately at her face and blowing upwards in her own face to get some sort of breeze.

  Her iPhone went off in her drawstring bag, ruining the effect.

  Yes, she could have pictured herself a lonely southern belle waiting for her soldier to return from the fight… but instead she was a lonely woman who had no one waiting for her at all. Her last ‘beau’ turned out to be a ‘faux’, she thought wryly, smiling painfully at her cleverness with the spur-of-the-moment rhyme. Geoffrey had maxed out her credit cards before moving on without a moment’s hesitation. He’d spotted her in a café reading one of her books and must have realized she was an easy prey.

  Gingerly leaning over, she moved stiffly because of the stays underneath her sweeping gown. It was lovely and one of the finest that she owned. Being able to discuss her love for Dixie was something to always celebrate—and that meant ‘party in full costume’ to her.

  Her cotton gown swayed as she walked down the hallway to get a drink of water in the summer kitchen. This house was accurate to the period and one of her favorites on the tour of homes. The kitchens were separate from the home and connected by a brick pathway to the glorious house.

  Summer kitchens were the thing in that era. Having a cookstove far from the house, combined with the tall, elegant windows and soaring ceilings helped keep the heat manageable. Opening the doorway, she gave a mighty tug to free the door from the jamb that was slightly swelling because of the extreme humidity outside. As the door swung open, Caroline hesitated and stared in dismay. It wasn’t just a heavy rain.

  Calling it a gully-washer was putting it kindly.

  The brick paver pathway she had expected to be running across to get some water, and perhaps indulge in a few of the left-over teacakes, was no more. Instead, a river of water was sluicing through the yard at a breakneck pace, carrying along leaves, moss, and other debris in the current.

  Stepping back, she heard her phone go off again in the background and rolled her eyes. She’d picked up her drawstring bag but never looked at her phone. It was all too easy to tune out the sounds of modern technology and now she was regretting it.

  Gathering up her heavy skirts, she jogged down the long hallway back towards the library to see her yellow bag lying haphazardly on the desk. Picking it up, she yanked out her phone to see four flood warning bars across her cell phone screen. It had gone off four times?

  She had to get out of here!

  If it was flooding, she didn’t want to be trapped in the middle of nowhere. That was one beauty of the plantation—the expansive drive out into the country. Pecan Manor had earned its name by the natural fence it created along the farm road outside of town. They lined the roads with pecan trees that were as big around as a drum of oil. The massive trees were ancient and breathtaking… and now a barrier.

  She jerked open the front door to the house, intent on leaving immediately. Staring out the front doorway, she saw one of the mighty pecans had fallen directly over the driveway, effectively blocking her Toyota in. The water was halfway up the doors of the compact car already and it didn’t take a genius to realize that this
was a dangerous situation.

  Instead, Caroline did the only smart thing she could do now.

  She dialed 911.

  Chapter 2

  They would always remember the past few months as an incredible experience, Cade Richards thought to himself as he listened to the radio crackling nearby. He glanced down at Grizzly, his new K-9 partner, and smiled.

  Grizzly was nothing like his name. The dog was the biggest goofball he’d ever met and if the animal was a person; Cade realized that he would be quite similar to Tobin Randall. He’d met the man during his training at Disaster City Search and Rescue Academy.

  Both Grizzly and Tobin were silent, methodical, and diligent when on assignment, but if you could slip past their defenses, they were actually quite soft on the inside. As if the dog knew Cade was thinking of him, Grizzly gave a soft brief whine and nudged his nose under Cade’s hand affectionately, showing he wanted some attention.

  “What big fella? You want some lovin’?” Cade crooned at the pale golden retriever. He’d been partnered with the animal that seemed to be such an excellent fit for his personality. They’d gone through drill after drill, trial after trial, until they could practically read each other and worked seamlessly together in the field.

  Some others at the Academy kept it a working relationship with their assigned partners, but it was like something clicked between Cade and Grizzly. They were friends. Work was work… but fun was something else entirely.

  He’d spent many an afternoon rolling on the floor with the dog playfully or throwing the ball. Grizzly liked to swim in streams and lakes, making them a suitable fit for Search and Rescue. The dog was a natural—and with the hurricane hitting the coast of Texas—several teams were called up and dispatched out.

  Cade was stunned that his team was dispatched out towards Louisiana instead of Texas. They listened as they were instructed to help those in need along the expansive route that ran the length of Interstate 10. The cities of Port Arthur, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lafayette were all going to be hit directly with rain bands from the hurricane, bringing heavy flooding to an area that was already saturated from heavy precipitation the week prior. The low-lying swampland combined with the nearly nonexistent elevation was a recipe for disaster.

  It was his home.

  He grew up in the marshy lands that were wild and hidden under the bridges that ran along Baton Rouge. If you glanced out the window at the right time, you could see the run-down trailer that he had once grown up in under the mossy trees. It was a wonder that he ever made it out, having barely finished high school, but he always wanted to do more and be a part of the community. Serving the city as an officer seemed to be a good fit for him… but being a part of Disaster City was like elevating that self-driven need to help others to the next level.

  These were his people.

  His world.

  Cade knew just how dangerous the bayou could be without the threat of flooding, but add storms and heavy rains, it could be treacherous. There was nowhere to hide when the river crested. It was time for action.

  They had a lot of work to do before the waters eclipsed the banks and while he was an officer… he was also a healthy, able-bodied man who could work tirelessly before they would need him to sweep the area. He would swing sandbags while he could and then move on to the more challenging and painful aspects of his job.

  Ground search and rescue was his specialty before he even knew it or realized what it was. He’d always led the way when he was a kid and someone was off running away or got lost. Now, he would use those same skills to help others in distress.

  Opening the door of the station, he slipped on a rain slicker and headed out into the downpour that was quickly ramping up. The wind was powerful but nothing compared to what the coastline of Texas had received. He took a moment to utter a quick prayer for his friends he’d made recently at the Academy. Poprocks, Tobin, Abel, Caleb, and so many others. It was like there was a camaraderie among the men because deep down inside they were all pushed by the same driving force.

  Duty.

  Heading out among the other officers, Grizzly was hot on his tail as the patrol cars spread far and wide among the city. They’d just received the flood warnings and were looking for anyone that failed to get to higher ground. Sometimes it was stubbornness that caused residents to stay, other times it was sheer incredulity and disbelief that the waters could cause such extreme damage. Cade had seen everything during his time in the police already and when he thought he couldn’t be surprised anymore… life did just that.

  Rising waters could sweep away anyone, even the strongest of swimmers. It could hide many perils beneath the murky surfaces or carried dangers along the current. He’d seen floods before here that deposited alligators downtown, or other times revealed automobiles in creek beds that were once thought to be dry. All it took was a flash flood to sweep a car from a low-lying area or a bridge.

  Officer Richards, do you copy?

  “Richards here,” Cade said evenly, feeling himself tense as he knew why he was being called. Someone was stuck, missing, or dead already.

  10-63 Richards.

  “10-4.”

  Cade looked around to see that the water was filling the yards of some low-lying areas. He could barely see the asphalt roads before him where his car was sitting. The road would be impassable before he knew it, which meant they needed alternate transportation to get people to shelter.

  We’ve got a 10-18 at Pecan Manor off FM128.

  “10-niner, dispatch. Repeat.”

  10-18 at Pecan Manor off FM128. 10-30 officer. Water is reportedly high-extreme caution. Possible 10-53. ETA to scene?

  “10-4, dispatch. I’m on the way. ETA five minutes,” Cade rattled off into his microphone dangling from his shoulder. He knew exactly where the farm road was and where the antebellum mansion was located. He’d been on school field trips as a boy to that location. It was near to a large creek that fed into the Mississippi.

  “You hear that boy? We might be going swimmin’.”

  Chapter 3

  Cade drove his car to higher ground and parked it. He knew to stop, take stock of his own personal being before going into danger to save someone else. The work was exhausting, and he was feeling the ache in his muscles from where he’d helped with the sandbags. Thankfully, it was just heavy rain and there was no lightning in the area.

  He pulled out his deflated raft from his emergency supplies and knew that it would be necessary to stay afloat for all of them if the water got much deeper. As it was, it was already nearing his knees and Cade was almost six feet tall. Smiling, he looked towards Grizzly to see if he needed to carry his buddy. The dog practically smiled back at him as he splashed around happily, his tongue lolling happily.

  “Let’s get going before we are both tuckered out,” Cade instructed, heading forward and grabbing a stick to use as a baton to check for danger hidden in the water before him. Pecan Manor would be just ahead and he could already see the line of trees standing proudly in the dark swirling waters.

  Within minutes, he stood there gaping at the scene before him. He saw the antebellum house with its massive columns standing as an island among the water. Oh yes, it was cascading past the house at an alarming pace, making him realize that there was nothing to block the rush, nor the debris bubbling up from the creek on the opposite side of the house.

  An older Toyota was bobbing precariously as it slowly floated past, and Cade stopped where he was at. The water was obviously getting stronger and stronger the closer it got to the sizeable building. He glanced up to see that he was in line with the trees and realized that was probably the only thing keeping them from being swept away.

  “Grizzly! C’mere boy!” Cade instructed and heard a groaning sound that made his skin crawl. Plucking the large golden retriever out of the water, he saw the older building to the side of the house slowly moving off the foundation before it crumbled apart.

  Heaven help us all, he prayed,
realizing that might be the first of many structures swept off their foundations today. Glancing up at the main house, he stared in disbelief and hugged Grizzly to his chest as he tried to process the scene before him.

  It was like a portal in time had opened before him and a southern belle was being deposited into a treacherous flood. A woman swept regally out onto the verandah of the noble house with all the grace and mannerisms from long ago. Her gloved hands, clasped together in prayer, were just over her heart. Her profile revealed a long slim neck and creamy shoulders that peeked just over a lemony yellow ballgown.

  “Grace be to God—I’m saved!” she called out and he couldn’t help the smile that touched his face as he heard her heavy twang in her voice. This was a good ol’ southern gal. “Sirrah! I need your assistance!”

  “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, but I cannot say the same for my perch.”

  “Your perch?”

  “Pecan Manor. I keep hearing moaning and groaning that’s frankly a little peculiar from all the other mansions I’ve been to. Have you come to rescue me?”

  “Did you call in for help? Is there someone else there inside Pecan Manor?”

  “LANDSAKES! Bluebellies are here in Louisiana?”

  Cade burst out laughing and nearly dropped Grizzly.

  The dog climbed up him and perched around his neck like it was nothing. They’d done this very thing several times during their training exercises. He didn’t want to wear his friend out any earlier in the day than needed—and it would be a long day for them both!