Page 19

She wasn’t even here right now. I knew the look. It was the look that came over her when she flashed back to Nathan and him burning her. This had to be a nightmare for her.

“Evie, go!” I shouted over the roar of the flames. “Help Grace and Cori get what they need. You don’t have to get near the fire.”

Her eyes locked on mine. “The hell I don’t.” Determination was written in every line of her frame. “This is my home. My asshole of an ex doesn’t get to make it impossible for me to protect it.”

Later, it would be hard. I knew it, but I wasn’t going to stop her. We needed her. “Okay. These buildings are gone. Let’s save the lodge.”

We’d be able to do more good there since the fire seemed much more contained—stop it before there was true damage.

Together, the three of us ran for the lodge. I pointed the fire extinguisher at the tendrils of fire crawling across the low beams at the back corner of the building. The flame-retardant foam sprayed out, defeating the blaze right in front of me, and suddenly Mara was on the other side, helping me cage it in.

“Inside.” I ran up the back porch stairs.

“Lena, wait!” Evie yelled.

I didn’t. I almost felt outside of myself. Total calm ruled me, but it wasn’t what I really felt. There was panic and dread. Fear too. But none of it rose to the surface, as if there was a barrier keeping it at bay so I could function.

I touched the back door handle, letting out a small sigh of thanks when it was cool. I opened the door.

Nothing was on fire inside the lodge. It had been contained to the outside. Thank God. The damage would probably only be cosmetic.

Behind us, sirens sounded as the Garnet Bend fire trucks sped down the road toward the burning cabins. The blaze was even bigger.

“Do you think Grace and Cori are here?” I asked, breathless as we all backed away from the lodge.

“I hope so.” Evie’s fire extinguisher hung from her hands. “We need everyone we can get.”

“Lena.” Mara froze. I wasn’t sure why. She was looking deeper into the ranch.

And then I heard the sound no one who lived near a ranch ever wanted to hear. The sound of terrified animals.

I dropped the extinguisher and sprinted toward the fire trucks over by the cabins. There was a crowd there. Grace and Cori were there too, looking on as the flames were sprayed down.

“Help!” The women looked at me first. “The stable is on fire. The animals.”

That was all I managed to get out before Cori cursed and was shouting. Firefighters broke off, and the sound of an engine roared.

“Are you okay?” Grace’s hand came down on my shoulder.

I nodded. “I’ll be fine. But the animals…”

“Let’s go help as much as we can.”

We all jumped in vehicles and drove to the stable. Staying out of the firefighters’ way, we used our canisters to put out any flames in the grass and feed. The professionals quickly got the stable fire under control as we helped lead the terrified animals out and to safety.

Then one by one, the firefighters got the rest of the flames out. By the time it was all over, my friends and I stood there, taking in the damage.

The cabins were a total loss. The stable would need to be replaced too, although fortunately no animals were harmed. The lodge would be fine except for the back porch.

“We got lucky,” I said. “Really lucky.”

Grace nodded. We were all still breathing hard even though we weren’t running around anymore. The adrenaline was still coursing through our systems.

A phone rang. Mara pulled it out of her pocket and held it to her ear.

“No, it’s under control,” she said, perfectly clear. “Everything is out, no people or animals hurt. If someone was trying to divert your attention, don’t let them succeed. There’s nothing that can be done right now.”

So much for that woman being mostly mute.