Page 58 of Something Tangled Something True (Rosa Ranch #1)

I turn away, tears pricking the backs of my eyes.

The cool, moist air coats my skin in a sticky contrast to the dry, astringent air inside the barn.

There’s a stampede of people yelling, and Isabela’s cries roar over the rush of blood in my ears, but I’m thankful for the sound, as it pulls my attention right to my family rushing safely over to me.

“What’s going on?” I plead, trying to gain my bearings and find the source of the fire. I stare at the building in horror as the weeks of pain and anxiety go up in flames with my dreams. If this isn’t a bad omen, I don’t know what is.

“Don’t worry, Miss Lola. We’ll get it sorted!” Chuck hollers at me, pulling on the large hose tucked outside of the barn. Ryder is already on the phone with emergency services. Isaiah and Cynthia join Chuck, splitting up to contain the fire.

“Did everyone get out alright?” I pant out.

“They’re volunteer firefighters. They know what they’re doing, darlin’, everyone will be okay. Don’t worry. We’ll get the damage fixed and your studio reopened in no time.”

I cup his cheeks, pressing a firm kiss to his lips as I melt into his chest. “I’m not worried about the barn, Ry.

I want to know how this happened.” My voice cracks as I try to hold myself together and not shatter in his arms. This night, Ryder’s surprise, my love of dance—it’s all been so magical, and my chest aches to think of all the hard work that went into it being burned to a crisp, literally.

I can’t stand the thought of the beauty of this experience being sullied by something so heartbreaking.

Ryder smooths a hand over my head, flattening my curls down my back.

“Unfortunately, Lols, I think we know the who and the why,” he says.

Straightening my spine, I peer over his shoulder, making eye contact with Lemmon.

She immediately looks away, scurrying off toward the police car parked down the hill.

I turn in Ryder’s arms, grabbing his hand, and drag him behind me as I make a hasty descent, following Lemmon. I do my best not to trip in my heels, stopping momentarily to pull them off. Ryder takes them from my grasp, nodding his chin toward Lemmon to urge me forward, and boy, do I ever .

“Sheriff Wilson!” I call with a renewed sense of determination. This isn’t a bad omen ; it’s a bad lemon spoiling the bunch.

He gives me a smile, but it falls as fast as it appeared.

Lemmon has her hand over her heart, tears pooling in her eyes.

“Why, Sheriff Wilson, I just don’t know how this could happen in our quiet little town.

It hurts ma’ heart to think someone could be actin’ so malicious so close to our home.

” She swipes a finger under her eye, sniffling.

“Cut the crap, Lemmon. We know you’re responsible for this.” Even as I say it, the words feel wrong, like they’re somehow tinged in soot. It’s as if my gut and my heart are volleying with my brain and the facts of our situation. If it’s not Lemmon, who else could be responsible?

Her head snaps to me, her tears drying as she narrows her glare on my face.

“Now, Lola Lima, why on God’s green Earth would I be behind such a thing?

” She doesn’t let me interject with a rebuttal before she’s deflecting, and very poorly at that.

“Speaking of suspicious activity, why would someone marry Ryder Lockhart and not take his last name?”

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Because, Lemmon, it’s the twenty-first century, and I like my last name,” I huff out.

“You know, something tells me that just ain’t the truth.

You and Ryder got married awfully quick, didn’t you?

You sure there’s not a more nefarious reason for that?

Any chance your marriage is all a sham, and you didn’t take his last name because there’d be no point in all that paperwork?

” Her words slam into me, knocking me off kilter as the weight of fraud hangs over my head like an anvil.

Ryder wraps his arm around my waist, tugging me tight against his side.

“Lemmon, my marriage to Lola is more real than ours ever was. You can quit digging for problems that don’t exist. Lola and I love each other, and there’s nothing you can do that’s going to split us up or make the fine people of Hidden Valley turn on her. ”

Damn right! I fist pump the sky internally, proud of Ryder for standing up for not only himself, but for us , even in the face of his abuser.

“That’s right. Now, if you’re done deflecting, why don’t you tell Sheriff Wilson where you were for most of my class before the barn went up in flames, making your grand entrance moments before? ”

She turns her attention to the sheriff, reaching out to grip his bicep, but he shakes her off. “Sheriff, I can understand why that would sound mighty suspicious, but I promise you, there is an excellent explanation.”

“Well, let’s hear it then,” I urge, extremely interested to find out what utter crap she cooked up.

“I—” she glances down at her scuffed ballet flats, kicking at the dirt.

At least she has the good sense to look bashful.

“I’ll admit that I was here to kick up a fuss,” she murmurs, my eyes growing wide, and Ryder must be sharing my thoughts, tightening his hold on me.

“But I wasn’t late because I was starting a fire, I swear it.

You see, I ran across a baby turtle sitting right in the middle of the road.

I just felt so bad, I had to help the little fella across the street. ”

“You hate turtles, Lemmon, always complainin’ they carry salmonella,” Ryder says, tucking me under his arm, as if shielding me from her without realizing it.

“You must be misremembering, Ryder, sweetie. I mean—” She tosses her blonde waves over her shoulder.

“It’s not like you paid much attention to me all those years we were together anyhow.

You must be thinkin’ of Lola, perhaps.” She waves a hand through the air, her glare darting to me, but it softens when she peers over her shoulder at the damage the fire caused.

“Never mind that. The sweet turtle needed my help, and I was happy to lend a hand. I came straight here, and well, you know the rest.”

“I’m sure, Miss Lemmon, but–”

She cuts the sheriff off. “And why in the world would y’all think I’d be responsible for burning down a building I’m inside of?”

“Making the victims your alibi,” I deadpan, but somehow, the words don’t feel right on my tongue.

“Well now, that’s just ridiculous. I’d never do such a thing, and in either case, there’s no proof .”

“And I’m sure you made certain of that,” Ryder mutters under his breath.

“I’m sorry, Lola. We’ll do everything we can in the investigation, but right now, we have no leads because I’m standing here talking to the three of you.

If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be getting to work on this,” Sheriff Wilson says.

He tips his hat at us and trudges up the hill, leaving Lemmon gawking at his retreating form, dumbfounded and sweating like a whore in church.

Lemmon shakes herself out and spins on her heel, sauntering over to her baby-blue Volkswagen Beetle convertible without another word.

“That bitch has lost her goddamn mind,” Mayte grumbles from behind me. I turn to see her standing with her hands on her hips, a look aimed at Lemmon that could rival Medusa herself.

“That’d require Lemmon to have ever been right in the head,” Ryder comments.

“Let’s focus on making sure everyone is okay, and we can figure out what to do about this mess later,” I tell them, heading off to the crowd still standing in front of the partially burnt structure.

Thanks to the volunteers on site, the fire is out, and based on a quick glance, the structure is still salvageable.

The paintings are no more, the oil paints only acting as fuel to the fire, the floor-to-ceiling mirrors all cracked from the heat, and the chair where Mayte sat with Isabela now little more than dust.